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Puig reminded him of the desert.Earth's deserts, to be exact. Or at least, the one he'd lived in for nearly three deca-phoebs while searching for the blue lion. The extreme heat had been difficult for him to adjust to at first, so he could understand why most of the ground forces stationed here had been sentries.Not that he was complaining. Anything that made taking the planet back easier was a plus in his book. Puig had only been conquered by the Galra for about five or six deca-phoebs, and while that was long enough for them to entrench themselves here, it wasn't long enough for them to make any kind of massive footprint, especially not this far out on the fringes. There were other targets that were of more strategic importance than Puig.But it made it an ideal candidate for liberation- quick and easy, and with any luck, largely bloodless. They wouldn't even need Voltron to do it.Which was good, since they didn't have Voltron.Clenching his fists, Keith shut his eyes. It had been a phoeb since their battle with Zarkon, and there had been no sign of Shiro since then. He'd gone through the debris from the battle himself, only to turn up with nothing to show for it.He really didn't want to believe that he was gone."Kyix?" Kolivan asked. "Is everything alright?""Yeah," Keith lied, trying to relax his shoulders, "-fine."Kolivan frowned. Anywhere else, he would have pressed the issue, but right now they were busy trying not to draw attention to themselves. It was a task that was proving difficult- not only did their dark armor make them stand out, but just the fact that they were a small sea of Galra on a planet that had just chased off its imperial oppressors... it kind of made them stand out, even if they didn't want to.He wasn't exactly blind to the glares.But they hadn't helped liberate Puig for the glory. Fighting the Galra Empire was their sworn duty in life- and now that the Blade of Marmora had essentially gone public, the exact nature of that mission was bound to change.At least there hadn't been any reports that any operatives had their covers blown as a result of the fallout. They had already lost Thace because of it- which was already a crushing blow in its own right. Not only because Thace had been their only eyes and ears inside Central Command, but because he had been a Blade for nearly as long as Antok had- which was to say, a very long time.Ulaz and Thace- losing two senior Blades one right after the other had definitely done some damage. They were just lucky that Kolivan and Antok had returned from their fight with the druids okay. Though from what he understood, Antok had some kind of close call- even if he was a little fuzzy on the details. They had been so busy recently that he hadn't had time to ask.Puig would be fifth planet that they liberated within this phoeb alone. Allura wanted to take advantage of Zarkon's defeat and free as many of the border planets as they could, so that they could begin to build a coalition- hopefully before anyone noticed that they couldn't form Voltron anymore.There was that thought again. Gritting his teeth, Keith fixed his gaze forward, forcing his attention elsewhere. The paladins. He should focus on his fellow paladins.He picked out Hunk from the crowd first- and felt the ghost of a smile tug at his lips. His reputation as a lover of food must have preceded him, because that was exactly what he was being offered. From what little he understood of Puigan cuisine, he was pretty sure he would like it- provided they didn't offer him anything that was still alive.(Humans tended to be a little squeamish about that.)And Lance... well, he was being Lance. Which meant showing off and posing for photographs, mostly with girls.He couldn't help but frown at that. Sometimes it felt like Shiro's disappearance didn't matter to him at all.He must have tensed up again, because Kolivan's gaze settled on him for a second time. Through his mask, he huffed. It was almost unfair how skilled his leader was at reading even the minute changes in body language- it was impossible to hide anything from him.But then, it was probably a given that the lack of news regarding Shiro troubled him. It didn't exactly take a genius to figure that out."Perhaps you should retire early." Kolivan observed."I'll be fine." Keith insisted.He wanted to be here. Needed to be here, even. He was a paladin, sure- but he was also a Blade, and he couldn't forget that. This was the first Blade mission he had been able to join since becoming a paladin of Voltron, and he wasn't about to retreat just because of a few mixed feelings and a general sense of not being wanted.Because boy, were they ever not wanted. Honestly, it seemed like Lance and Hunk were the only ones who didn't notice."You know," Hunk began as he approached them, "-based on our recent battles, it seems like the Galra Empire is just kind of falling apart.""It's more than that." Kolivan told him, turning towards the etching carved in the rock behind them. "Look. Word of Voltron's triumph is spreading."Even though he had already seen it, Keith still found himself turning to take a look. The etching clearly depicted Voltron, the glyphs speaking to its might. Zarkon's defeat at the hands of Voltron had spread like wildfire, creating a spark of hope amongst those still under the Galra Empire's thumb."Yeah, I guess the only problem is that we can't form Voltron anymore." Hunk remarked.That, and the fact that they couldn't even be sure if Zarkon had actually been defeated. It had been a whole phoeb, and there still hadn't been a Kral Zera. There should have been one by now.It was true that the Galra Empire was currently vulnerable- but for how long? How long would it be before they found out that Zarkon wasn't actually dead? Or until someone else ascended the steps of destiny, and lit the flame?Or even worse- how long would it be until Lotor came back? If Zarkon was dead, then the prince's exile was effectively over. Everything that he knew about Lotor told him that he wouldn't ignore the power vacuum for long.The last thing he wanted to deal with was the prince at the helm of the Empire. Even if it would give him a good excuse to kill him."Hey," Hunk's voice snapped him out of his thoughts before they could go too far, "-you want some?"Keith blinked, looking at the kebob that he was being offered. He wasn't familiar with what kind of creature it was made from, but it smelled appetizing at least.But he could also feel the Puigan's eyes on him. Being on good terms with Kolivan was one thing, since he was their leader, but he wasn't sure how Hunk being so friendly to what looked to be a random Blade would come across. Even if Hunk himself hadn't noticed, he definitely had.Somehow, he didn't think they would be all that happy when they learned he was actually a paladin."Thanks," Keith said, "-but I'll pass.""Hm," Hunk frowned, "-well, if you're sure.""I'm sure." Keith told him.Hunk looked a little skeptical still, but eventually shrugged. "Alright, suit yourself. You still on for being my taste tester for the coalition meeting goodies?"He still had no idea how he had gotten roped into that duty. Hunk must have asked him when he hadn't been paying attention, because he didn't remember agreeing to it at all. But he must have, since he didn't think Hunk was the type to lie about it. "Yeah, sure."Hunk hummed, apparently satisfied with that. He felt himself breathe a little easier once Hunk put some distance between the two of them- though the attention he was getting from the Puigans didn't exactly go away. Guess he had stood out a little too much.At least it didn't last."Speaking of Voltron," the Puigan leader began, "-where is it?"Keith felt himself wince even before the chanting began."Kyix, might I have a word with you?"Turning on his heel, Keith glanced back towards Allura, a slight frown on his face. Things between them were less tense now, but they hadn't exactly gone back to normal. Mostly because they hadn't really had the chance to talk since their assault on Central Command- despite not being a paladin, Allura was by far the busiest out of all of them.Despite living on the same ship, he didn't think he'd seen her at all in the past few quintants. So he was a little surprised to just run into her like this.Then again, something told him that this wasn't exactly a coincidence. Allura had to have known that he had been on the mission with Lance and Hunk. It wasn't hard to figure out that he might want to go back to his quarters after that to clean off a bit- and to escape any possible scrutiny from the would-be coalition leaders that the two other paladins were tasked with bringing back to the Castle. He probably didn't have to worry about running into them on the residential half of the ship."Is something wrong?" Keith asked."I wanted to talk about the pending coalition meeting, actually." Allura said.Keith blinked, before frowning slightly. He'd kind of anticipated this, so he wasn't all that shocked that Allura had tracked him down to talk about it. "What about it?"He was pretty sure he knew. She was asking him not to come. He wasn't mad- if she hadn't suggested it, he probably would have. He just didn't think the universe was ready for a Galra paladin, even if he was also a Blade."I want you to be there." Allura said.Wait- what?"I- can you repeat that?" Keith asked. "I don't think I heard you right. It sounded like you said you wanted me to come.""No, you heard me correctly." Allura said.Yeah. That's what he thought she said. It just still didn't make any sense to him."So... what?" Keith frowned. "Do you want me to come as your liaison to the Blade, or something? Because I'm sure Kolivan-""No," Allura cut him off, locking eyes with him, "-I want you there as a paladin.""Princess, I don't think that's such a good idea." Keith said. "I'm not sure they'll be all that happy to learn a Galra is flying one of the lions.""Oh, I am quite certain they won't." Allura agreed. "But the longer we continue to hide it, the more risk we take of there being a massive fallout once it eventually comes out."She had a point. Thus far, he'd pretty much been hiding himself from the general populace of the planets they'd freed- including the ones they had freed while he had still appeared human. But that couldn't continue forever- something was going to have to give.Just like how they all wanted to see Voltron now, eventually, they were going to start to want to see the red paladin. He couldn't hide forever.Unless he could. He didn't like it, but... there was at least one way to get rid of the risk almost entirely."Then... how about we just get rid of that risk?" Keith suggested. "We still have the chip I used. We could just put it back and-""No." Allura cut him off, shaking her head. "The Voltron Coalition must be built on trust if it is to succeed. Presenting you as a human would only betray that trust."Shutting his mouth, Keith narrowed his eyes. She was right about that too. Even if it did drastically reduce the chances of discovery, it wouldn't be impossible that his secret would come out. And as he knew, actively pretending to be something that he wasn't could create a lot more hard feelings than just trying to hide himself away.Allura had forgiven him. He didn't know if anyone else would.Taking a deep breath, Keith squared his shoulders. "Okay.""So you'll attend?" Allura asked.Giving the princess a weak smile, Keith nodded. "You made a compelling argument.""Excellent!" Allura beamed. "In that case, we will be meeting in the central conference hall in one varga. I trust you know where that is."She locked eyes with him as she said that, pointedly quirking her brow. In spite of himself, he averted his gaze, slightly shrinking back. Okay, he guessed Allura hadn't forgiven him completely- but she seemed angrier about the spying than she was about him being Galra. Which... was fair, if he had to be honest."It's possible." Keith said.Allura held his gaze for a second longer, before she huffed. "Well, at least I know I do not have to worry about you getting lost.""Guess not." Keith shrugged.Allura nodded. "Make sure to wear your paladin armor. I want there to be no confusion as to why you are there."Swallowing, Keith nodded. He wasn't fully comfortable with that, but she was probably right. If they were going to present a Galra paladin, then he at least needed to look like he was a part of the team. Besides, maybe the fact that he would be wearing red armor rather than black would help avoid any Zarkon comparisons....and that just made him think of Shiro again. It really was a vicious cycle, wasn't it?It must have shown on his face, because Allura frowned. "I take it you did not have any luck on your last search."Keith just shook his head. "Just a lot of debris. On the plus side, if the Coalition needs any scrap metal..."Allura managed a small, if not strained smile. "I wish I could do more to help, but the truth is, I do not fully understand the lions either. I don't think even my father did."And he wasn't here to ask anymore. Looking up at Allura, Keith didn't miss the way her shoulders slumped when she spoke of him. Guess she still hadn't gotten over having to destroy his AI- not that he expected her to. Maybe he didn't like the idea of creating digital ghosts, but he wasn't blind to how important having King Alfor's AI around was to her.It had been her last real piece of him, and she'd had to destroy it with her own hands.Unbidden, a memory floated to the surface- and not one of Shiro this time. His throat burned with it, and he swallowed, trying to force it away, but it only made the burning sensation worse.It's not real, he told himself, it's all in the past. You're fine.Drawing in a shaky breath, he felt the burning subside. Closing his eyes, he slowly drew in a deeper one, before just as slowly letting it back out, calmer now. He wasn't sure what had brought that on- maybe losing so many people so quickly had made him think about death more- and his own brush with it."Kyix?" Allura frowned, concern evident in her tone. "Is everything alright?""Yeah," Keith lied, "-fine. The central conference hall, right? I'll be there."Before she could press him with any further questions, he peeled away from her. He didn't stop until he'd returned to his own quarters, and didn't relax until the door was shut behind him.It was fine, he told himself. Everything would be fine.He really hoped that was the truth.In the end, he arrived early.He was too nervous to do anything else. Even if he could focus, there wasn't enough time for a real training session- and odds were, he would just lose track of it anyways. He thought about tracking down Kolivan or any of the other Blades he was sure were still lingering around the Castle, but that just seemed like avoiding the issue.Besides, he didn't want to risk any of the delegates running into him before the meeting. At least there, he'd have Allura and--right. Just Allura. Shiro was gone.Well... at least Allura would be there. And she was perfectly capable of taking care of damage control all by herself. So was Kolivan for that matter, but somehow he doubted that he would be half as effective as Allura would be in this situation. Somehow he didn't think that the delegates would take the word of another Galra at face value.As for him? All he had to do was just keep his mouth shut. And maybe smile?Staring at his partial reflection on the table- which had been polished until it literally shone- Keith tried just that. But it looked so awkward and full of teeth- sharp teeth, that he instantly knew it was a bad idea to even try.Right. No smiling."Uh, Keith? What exactly are you doing with your face?"Jerking his head up, Keith flushed a deep violet. Wha- how had Lance, of all people, managed to sneak up on him? He was as subtle as a Swathian Meerakeet!Even worse, he'd caught him doing something humiliating."I just... thought I should try to look presentable." Keith muttered, ducking his head. "I was trying to smile.""Yeah, it really didn't look like one." Lance said, grabbing the chair next to him. "No offense dude, but you should probably leave the smiling to me. Or Hunk."Keith grumbled, folding his arms in front of him. He already knew that. He didn't have to point it out."So... what?" Lance asked. "Are you nervous or something?"Keith flinched. He hated the fact that he had seen through him that easily. "I just want to make a good impression.""Oh man, you are!" Lance grinned, sounding way too eager about it. "You're totally nervous! What, is the big bad Galra spy afraid of social obligations?"Growling, Keith glared at Lance, though he managed to restrain himself from baring his teeth. "I'm not nervous!""Geez, dude, calm down." Lance said, holding up his hands. "I'm not saying it's a bad thing. It just makes you seem a little more human, you know.""I'm not-""Figure of speech, Keith." Lance cut him off. "You're usually so... I don't know, stoic and unfeeling. I didn't think you got nervous.""Yeah well, maybe I do." Keith mumbled, huffing as he leaned back in his chair. "This is an important meeting. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm Galra.""Yeah, and?" Lance shrugged. "I'm Cuban. So what?"Keith rolled his eyes, even if he knew it was no longer that effective as a means of conveying emotion. Some habits were just hard to break. "In case you didn't notice, they weren't exactly thrilled with the Blade of Marmora's presence back on Puig. How do you think they're going to feel about one of the paladins being Galra?""Pssh, you worry too much." Lance said. "It'll totally be fine."He wished he could have that kind of confidence. Glancing over towards Lance, he frowned slightly. "So... what are you doing here so early?""Honestly?" Lance said. "This ship is so big that sometimes I still get lost in it. I thought maybe if I left my room early, even if I got lost, I'd still totally get here in time. But as it turns out, today's the one day I didn't get lost, so... here I am.""Your gauntlet should have a map." Keith pointed out."Yeah, but I stink at reading maps." Lance told him. "I'm a lot better with landmarks. Only the Castle doesn't really have any of those."Fair enough. He didn't think they taught map reading to human children. They had GPS for that."What about you?" Lance asked. "What are you doing here so early?"Keith frowned, furrowing his brow. "I just thought it would be easier this way.""Wow, you're really worried about this whole Galra thing, aren't you?" Lance asked, arching his brows."You saw how Allura reacted." Keith said."Well yeah, but she got over it." Lance said. "I mean, the two of you had to fight to the death like, three times first, but she got there.""We weren't fighting to the death." Keith said, huffing slightly. Why did humans have to make everything sound so dramatic? "We were fighting until first blood. And it only took up until the end of the first match. The other two were just for fun.""Yeah, that's definitely not my idea of fun." Lance said."Doesn't have to be." Keith said.They lapsed into silence after that. It was slightly awkward, but that was only because of the anticipation of the upcoming meeting. It didn't last for too long- Hunk and Coran's simultaneous arrival pretty much broke it, filling the room with idle chatter as they set up for the meeting. Aside from greeting them, Keith didn't say too much, simply watching as they arranged the table.Kolivan arrived just when they were about to finish. Arching a brow, his leader caught his eye from across the table. Looking up towards him, he gave him a helpless shrug."I'm assuming Princess Allura requested this." Kolivan stated."Pretty much." Keith told him.Kolivan simply hummed, before busying himself with checking over his star maps. He was pretty sure that he had already done so at least three times, but if there was one thing Kolivan was, it was precise. He was their leader for a reason.Leader. Again, his thoughts went back to Shiro. Shiro had been his leader for a much shorter time, but he still respected him almost as much as he respected Kolivan.Pidge straggled in last, looking as if she had just hauled herself from the depths of the Castle's archives. Given that she had spent most of the past phoeb searching for clues about her brother's whereabouts, he didn't doubt that she had. Apparently she'd recovered footage of him escaping from a work camp with the help of two mysterious masked figures, and she'd been looking for answers ever since.He'd passed the information along to Kolivan, but he wasn't familiar with this particular band of rebels. Their masks were pretty distinctive though, so he was hoping that they might turn something up if they looked hard enough.He hoped so. If he felt this bent out of shape after losing Shiro again, then he couldn't even imagine what Pidge was going through.Then finally, Allura arrived- and with her, the leaders of the five planets that they had recently freed.Keith felt his breath hitch in his throat. Thankfully, he wasn't the first thing they noticed. No, that was Kolivan- but he didn't miss the way they all squinted at him with suspicion. Kolivan simply pretended not to notice.It was only when they all finally sat down and had time to study their surroundings, that they noticed Kolivan wasn't the only Galra in their midst. Still, they held their tongues- though he could sense their growing discomfort. Hunk's offer of food seemed to offset it, but he didn't know how long that would last.For the most part, he stayed silent and let Allura and Kolivan do most of the talking. It wasn't like he had anything useful to contribute anyways.His silence didn't stop the nervous glances. But he didn't expect it to."The forces will all fight behind Voltron, right?""Yes," the Puigan leader concurred, "-where is Voltron?"Keith had to fight to keep his expression neutral- even Allura strained a bit at the question. The fact that they had lost a paladin and couldn't form Voltron right now was a secret- they couldn't risk the Galra Empire getting wind of that information. If it knew they were vulnerable...But obviously, people were starting to notice."The people you see before you are the paladins of Voltron." Allura told them, obviously deflecting the question. "Together, they pilot the lions that form the mighty warrior."Keith felt himself tense, feeling the brunt of the delegates' scrutiny fall on him. He tried not to let it show on his face, but that was easier said than done."We were... unaware that one of the paladins was Galra." The Puigan delegate said, as diplomatically as possible, but his hesitation was clearly written on his face. At least the subject had changed- for now."Kyix is a member of the Blade of Marmora. I personally helped to oversee his training." Kolivan stated. "We understand you have your concerns, however I assure you, we seek only to right the grievous wrongs that our people have inflicted upon the universe."It was a statement that the delegates found hard to argue with- at least, out loud. His ears twitched, picking up on the sound of their mutterings, though they were quiet enough that he couldn't pick up on exactly what they were saying. He didn't know if he was grateful for that or not."The Blade of Marmora's aid has proved invaluable." Allura chimed in. "Not to mention, Kyix flies the red lion, who among the Voltron lions, has always been notoriously picky. It would never allow someone that it couldn't trust to pilot it."Again, the delegates found Allura's words difficult to challenge. They muttered amongst themselves for awhile, before one of them finally spoke up."I thought that there were five paladins. I only see four."Allura stiffened- and so did everyone else at the table, save for Kolivan. There it was again, the subject that they all wanted to avoid."Well, you see-""The black paladin is gone."Allura's eyes widened, looking at him in a mixture of shock and horror. He pretended he didn't notice.He understood that if word got out that they couldn't form Voltron, it would put them at risk. But if they kept beating around the bush like this, nothing good would come of it. If Allura wanted to be as up front as possible about the fact that he was Galra to avoid any potential consequences down the road, then the way he saw it was that they needed to be just as honest about the current status of Voltron, and the team as a whole.It took a tick, but Allura seemed to understand that as well, heaving a long sigh. "I am afraid that our black paladin went missing during our last battle with Zarkon. We have yet to find any trace of him."There was a loud murmuring at her words- and this time, it was loud enough that he could make out almost every word of it. No black paladin means no Voltron, one of them said, cutting to the root of the issue."Have you not," one of the delegates cautiously ventured, "-have you not considered a replacement?"Everyone gathered froze. In truth, Keith had known it was a subject that was on all of their minds, only nobody had actually dared to bring it up yet. It was almost as if even talking about replacing Shiro meant that he was gone for good this time.He didn't want that.He'd already lost Ulaz and Thace. He didn't want to lose Shiro too. He was the one who had taught him that maybe not all humans were so bad, and had made life on Earth bearable for him. He deserved to go home and live and peace, not die in a space war that humanity didn't even have anything to do with.But... as much as he hated to admit it, maybe they were right. It had been a whole phoeb since the battle with Zarkon, and they didn't even know if Shiro was dead or alive, much less what had happened to him. He didn't want to think that he was gone, but......but Shiro would be the first one to tell them that they had to move on. This fight was bigger than all of them- he knew that better than almost anyone.Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Allura's gaze. She was looking at him questioningly- and it dawned on him that she was asking him for permission to say anything. For a tick, it felt so bizarre that he couldn't even begin to process why, until he realized that out of everyone gathered here, he had been the closest to Shiro.She didn't want to trample on his feelings.And that... given how thorny things had been between them after his Galra reveal, the fact that she even cared enough meant something to him.So he swallowed, inclining his head just enough so that she would notice. When she did, she merely drew in a breath, momentarily closing her eyes and squaring her shoulders as if she were bracing herself."Yes," Allura said, "-we have. And while it is true that we are currently down one paladin, I promise you that we will not rest until that situation has been rectified. Voltron will rise again."It was probably the resolution in Allura's voice that convinced the delegates more than anything. Although a few of them spared him wary glances, in the end, they all agreed to join the Voltron Coalition.Once the meeting was over, Keith had ducked out of the room before anyone could stop him. He didn't know where he was going, exactly- at least, not until he got there.The black lion still lay in a crumpled heap, much like it had since he and Pidge had towed it back onto the ship after their fight with Zarkon. He could still vividly remember racing back towards the hangar on foot, spurned on by a strong sense of foreboding. It was the first time he had ever been inside the black lion, and he wished it had never happened."I wish we could speak with it." Allura's voice caught his ear, causing him to turn back towards her. She was gazing up at the black lion, her expression almost unreadable. "It might be the only one that knows exactly what happened to Shiro.""I guess your connection with the lions doesn't let you talk to them." Keith said.Allura shook her head. "No, I am afraid not. Does your reazit?""It might let them possess me," Keith said, his lips twisting in a tight frown, "-but I can't really recommend that.""Yes, Kolivan mentioned something of that nature." Allura said. "Something about a temple?"Keith grimaced. That was something he preferred the paladins not knowing. "He told you about that?""After the whole affair with Antok, I had... questions." Allura told him. "It's a bit funny, though. I thought the Galra didn't believe in souls.""We don't." Keith said, before tilting his head. "But what does that have to do with Antok?"For a tick, Allura just blinked, before something seemingly dawned on her. "Oh, right. I suppose I haven't had a chance to discuss it with you yet."Keith shifted on his feet, feeling an odd mixture of both curiosity and apprehension. He instantly decided he didn't like it. "Discuss what?""How much do you remember about that time?" Allura questioned.Keith just shrugged. "Nothing. It's all a total blank. I remember entering the temple, and then nothing.""Well, it seems that what you were scribbling were actually protective runes of some kind." Allura informed him. "And it just so happened that one of them worked."For a tick, all Keith could do was stare at her, unable to comprehend what she had just said. "It- what?""Yes, I was just as surprised myself." Allura told him. "I have been meaning to look into the matter, but I simply have not had the time. But I believe that while you were... possessed, you were channeling quintessence that was not your own. That is what allowed the protective runes to work.""Of course," Allura added, "-scribbling them in permanent marker certainly helped."He... didn't know what to make of that. Was she saying that the reason Antok was alive was because of him? He didn't even think the scribbles meant anything- he'd just been glad to get that chapter of his life over with."You're not planning to make me go back, are you?" Keith hesitated."Oh, most certainly not!" Allura said quickly. "Goodness no. We cannot afford to-"She stopped herself short there, her shoulders slumping. Suddenly, the black lion's presence felt much more pronounced."He has to be out there somewhere." Keith said. He was still reeling from what it was that she had told him, but that didn't mean he was blind to how she was feeling- not when he felt the exact same way. "We'll find him.""I know." Allura said, turning back towards the black lion, her expression forlorn. "I just wish we could do more. That I could do more.""For what it's worth, I think you're already doing plenty, princess." Keith said.Glancing up towards him, Allura gave him a small smile. "Thank you."If the silence between them was heavy, then it was just due to the absence of someone who should have been there. Nothing more, and nothing less."You should get some rest." Allura said finally. "It has been a rather hectic day. We can discuss finding a new paladin tomorrow."He opened his mouth to say something, only to shut it. He wasn't sure what he could say. Even if he and the princess were on somewhat better terms now, it wasn't like he knew her all that well. Granted, the only person he had to blame for that was himself- he had spent so much time avoiding her before this, that of course he knew practically nothing about her.He should probably do something about that.Just... not today. Allura was right- today had been exhausting. Just probably not in the way she meant.So instead, he just wished the princess a good night, and slipped away. This time, his feet guided him to the red lion- and though he felt far safer on the Castle than he had before, he still found himself curling up in the pilot's chair, drifting away.It wasn't long before he had completely fallen asleep.Allura felt something in her relax once Kyix left.It was not that she minded his presence- at least, not anymore. He was the paladin that the red lion had chosen, and she knew that was something that she had to accept.That was the easy part.Knowing what to say to comfort him... that was the far more difficult part. What could she even say to someone who was already far too used to loss than one his age should be? The Galra might be a warrior culture, but it was clear that the loss of Ulaz and Thace alike had impacted him greatly- the situation with Shiro was just icing on the proverbial cake.It also reminded her that they had far more in common than she had first realized. She was not much older than he, and yet she had already lost so much- and all of it had been at the hands of the Galra.Or so she had thought.Because Haggar was Altean. She had been the one to create the komar, and she had been the one to create the robeasts- what other horrid things had she done for the Galra Empire?Haggar was also the reason that generations of reazit children were taken from their homes, brainwashed and stripped of their free will. And that was just as loathsome of a thought as any other.If Kyix had been born within the Galra Empire... she shuddered to even think about that.Turning on her heel, she gazed up towards the black lion once more. Kolivan had said that it was the Blade of Marmora's sworn duty to undo the damage that Zarkon and his Galra Empire had done on the universe. In that case, was it not also her sworn duty as a fellow Altean to undo the damage that Haggar had done?Yes. It absolutely was."High priestess, we have brought you the footage you requested.""Good. Show it to me." Haggar said. "I want to see the face of our intruder."The druid bowed, before they complied. Every single one of Central Command's systems had been affected by destruction of the central hub and the virus alike, so it had taken her much longer than she would have liked to recover the data from that time period. For a time, she had feared that it might prove impossible- but it would seem luck was on her side.From what she had been able to gather from the druids, when Thace had barricaded himself inside the central hub, someone else had been in there with him. Indeed, she had confirmed that an unauthorized ship had docked in one of their hangars shortly before the power was lost- and she was willing to bet anything that was their intruder.She was also willing to bet that it had been a paladin- and she had her suspicions as to which paladin it was.The black, blue, green, and yellow lions had all been accounted for in the early stages of the fight, but the red lion had only appeared just before Central Command had been whisked away by the massive teleduv that the rebels had built. In other words, if the intruder was a paladin, then it could only be the red one.The very same paladin she was beginning to take a growing interest in.At first, there was nothing of interest in the footage. It displayed only what she already suspected- an individual clad in red and white paladin armor. His face was angled away from the camera, and with his helmet on, it rendered her unable to make out any of his features. She had solid footage of the black and yellow paladins, as well as more recently obtained footage of the blue and green paladins.But she had no visuals of the red paladin, only verbal descriptions from a handful of scattered sources. All suggested that he was human, like the rest of the paladins, but that energy she sensed from him... there was something different about him.It was not long until she realized why. She would recognize those eyes anywhere.The red paladin was no human. He was Galra.And if he was Galra... then he must be a reazit.The druid looked towards her, slightly tilting their head. "What are your orders?""I want him." Haggar instructed. "Alive."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"You wanted to see me sir?""Ah, Acxa." Lotor greeted her. It was immediately obvious that the prince was in a good mood- not that she expected him to be otherwise. He had just effectively been handed the reins of the Galra Empire, however temporarily. "I was hoping to have a word with you."Acxa frowned. It wasn't the request that bothered her, she was merely confused as to why Lotor had requested to speak to her in the privacy of his own chambers. Anything she could tell him was nothing that couldn't be repeated within earshot of the other generals. Still, Lotor was her prince. He'd saved her life. That alone was enough to cement her loyalty, but it was his desire to bring peace back to a universe that had long since forgotten it, that served to render it unshakable. Even if she didn't always agree with every course of action he chose, she knew that it was all for the sake of the greater good."You encountered two of the paladins in the Weblum." Lotor began without any preamble. "What were they like?"Acxa blinked. It was not a wholly unexpected question, given the fact that Lotor had ordered them to investigate Voltron's most recent actions. She just didn't understand why it was being asked in private."I met the yellow and red paladins." Acxa reported, just as she had before. "One appeared to be of the same species as the Champion, and the other was Galra."Lotor hummed, much as he had the first time she'd told him. "This Galra... you said he was the red paladin, correct?"Acxa gave him a stiff nod. "Yes. The yellow paladin introduced him as Kyix.""Kyix." Lotor repeated, and then, in the common tongue, he added, "-pride, in other words."Acxa merely sat in silence, waiting for Lotor to continue. She was used to his lapses of silence, knowing that it meant he was lost in thought about something.It didn't surprise her that he had taken an interest in the Galra paladin. It was difficult for her to grasp the whole of Lotor's plans at times, but it wasn't hard to guess that he might wish to speak with them. If he asked her, she would advise against it- the vehemence with which the red paladin had tried to murder her did not suggest that he was someone who could be reasoned with. She'd at first attributed it to being so young, little more than a child. But the more she turned the encounter over in her head, the more she realized that the red paladin wasn't young- or at the very least, not as young as she'd first thought. He clearly wasn't of mixed blood, which meant that he was likely ahlet instead. A small one, the kind who never would have survived had he been born in the Empire.Under Lotor, that would change."Tell me," Lotor began, "-what was your impression of him?"Acxa considered the question carefully. "If the yellow paladin had not been there, he likely would have killed me."Lotor arched his brows. "You sound rather certain about that.""He drew his blade as soon as he realized who I was." Acxa stated. "He could have skewered me while I was still trapped in my ship."Lotor hummed, steepling his fingers together in thought. "It would seem Zarkon's witch has become aware of his existence. According to Ezor, she's taken an interest in him."Acxa blinked, surprised by that. "Haggar has?""Yes." Lotor said. "I have reason to believe that the red paladin is reazit."Reazit. Acxa was familiar with the term, though the only reazit Galra she'd ever met was Narti. All others were taken in at a young age and transformed into druikkcd."Suffice to say," Lotor continued, "-we can hardly allow her to get her hands on yet another reazit. Especially not one that's also a paladin of Voltron."Acxa nodded. She agreed, completely. If Lotor hadn't found her, she knew that Narti would likely be a druikkcd now herself. Just like Lotor, she didn't like the idea of Haggar having a former paladin under her command- who knew if the process that transformed reazit Galra into druids would be enough to break that bond. There was so little that they knew about the lions. Lotor knew more than she did- he had been studying them for centuries, along with all other aspects of his mother's lost culture. If he felt that there was reason to be concerned, then he was likely right."What is it that you wish?" Acxa asked."I want to speak with him, if at all possible." Lotor said after a moment's thought.Acxa furrowed her brow. "I'm not sure that's wise.""Perhaps not." Lotor agreed. "But I would rather attempt diplomacy before having to resort to something as barbaric as killing him. We'll need the paladins if I am to retrieve the trans-reality comet from the Altean ship."Acxa narrowed her eyes slightly. Perhaps the red paladin was not as young as he had first thought, but he was still clearly young. Someone had to have cared for him a great deal to give him the name he possessed, and to go through the trouble of hiding him from the Galra Empire long enough for him to get to the age he was. Killing him didn't fully sit right with her, though she had long since come to understand that in a war, death was unavoidable.Others would call such feelings a weakness. Lotor thought otherwise."Why only ask me?" Acxa questioned. "The others-""-would leave less of a good impression." Lotor said simply. "Diplomacy is not exactly Zethrid's strong suit. Or Ezor's for that matter.""And Narti..." Lotor trailed off. "Narti is hardly suited for the task."While she had a hard time arguing with Lotor's assessment, there was still something about it that didn't sit easily with her. All she could think was that she would have liked for Narti to get the chance to meet a fellow reazit- even one who seemed wholly intent on murdering them. It was still an upgrade from the druids, who she swore all shared the same mind and could no longer truly be considered Galra.Especially since this Kyix seemed to be so close in age to Narti, if a bit younger. Perhaps he had even been rescued from the same shipment of reazit children as she had been, the one that they had thought for so long she was the only survivor of.Ironic, considering the fact that the shipment had been destroyed by rebels. Possibly the same rebels that Kyix swore his allegiance to."I understand." Acxa said after a moment. "I will attempt to speak with him, if I can."Lotor looked pleased, and Acxa felt herself smile. Now that he was in charge of the Galra Empire, she could only imagine that things would start to change- for the better.To that end, she would do whatever she could for him.As Acxa left, Lotor was already turning over their most recent conversation in his head. Being brought out of exile and made Emperor, however temporarily, had not exactly been in his plans, but nevertheless, he would make good use of it. If anything, now that he had full access to the resources of the Galra Empire, he could even accelerate them.Even better was the existence of new pieces, new pawns that he could potentially use. The paladins had foolishly left behind the massive teleduv that they had used to transport Central Command across the galaxy, and even now, pieces of it were being secured at various Galra bases along the outskirts. Even one of them would be vital asset to his plans, and thankfully, he'd already moved the perfect pawn in place to assure that he could obtain one.All that was left now was Voltron.His initial plan was to lure them to the trapped Altean ship, and use them to obtain the trans-reality comet. Voltron had traveled through the rift between realities once before, and all his research suggested that wasn't simply an anomaly. If he could get that comet......but first he would need to ensure that they could actually still form Voltron. His recent assault on Puig was not so much about taking back the planet- Voltron and their fledgling Coalition could keep it, for all he cared- but rather, about obtaining information. There had been a disturbing lack of sightings of both Voltron and the black lion after their battle with his father, so he would need to confirm a few things before he advanced his plans.The red paladin was more of a... side interest, he supposed. Anything Haggar was interested in was worth looking into, and it would be exceedingly useful if he had another reazit under his command. They were rather difficult to come by in their unsullied state- he'd nearly had the chance to acquire a fair number of them deca-phoebs ago now, had it not been for the interference of the rebels.He was fortunate enough that he'd been able to save Narti from the wreckage of the ship. He'd been a tad concerned when she'd proved to be both blind and mute, but she had bonded with Kova well- and his senses more than made up for hers.Although... he had to admit, there was something about the red paladin that gnawed at him. Not his apparent burning desire to kill Acxa- that was to be expected, being involved with the resistance as he was. Rather, it was something in the way that she had described him that tugged at his memory, though what it was, he'd yet to determine.Regardless, it would be worth it to see if he could potentially be used. And if not... well, he only needed Voltron long enough to obtain the comet.Rising to his feet, Lotor smiled to himself. Zethrid and Ezor should be returning soon, and from there, they would plot their next move.He had to admit- part of him was almost looking forward to seeing these new paladins in action. To think that they had not only managed to damage Central Command so severely, but that they had also defeated his father... he couldn't deny his curiosity.But the bulk of his interest lay with the black paladin. He knew all too well how obsessed his father was with the black lion- so anyone who could manage to pry it away from his hands was of great interest to him. Exiled as he was, he had never gotten a chance to see this Champion in action- though he'd certainly heard the stories.He could only hope that he did not disappoint.The Castle of Lions was no stranger to tension, but it wasn't usually something that pervaded the lounge. But that was exactly the sort of air it carried, everyone looking around as if they didn't want to be the first one to address the reason they had all gathered there in the first place.Finally, Allura heaved a sigh. Squaring her shoulders, she rose to her feet. "We need to talk.""Is this about the black lion?" Hunk asked. "Because it sounds like it's about the black lion."Allura gave him a regretful smile. "I am afraid it is. We made a promise to the Coalition, and I intend to fulfill it."All eyes settled on him, and Keith shifted a bit in his seat. He stared down at his boots instead, trying to pretend that they were more interesting than they actually were. He wasn't totally used to the lingering sympathetic feeling he kept picking up on from the paladins- it wasn't like the Blade of Marmora was so cold that they didn't acknowledge when people were grieving, but it was... different from this.Casualties of war were to be expected. They grieved, and then they moved on. Having a grieving period that lasted over a phoeb was pretty much unheard of.But then, so was someone simply vanishing into thin air."I know this is hardly ideal," Allura continued, "-but if we are to have any hope of winning this war, then we must find a new black paladin.""I mean, Zarkon's dead, right?" Lance asked. "Doesn't that like... I don't know, give us some time or something?""No." Keith said firmly, finally looking up. "No. If Zarkon's dead, they should have called a Kral Zera by now, but they haven't."He knew now would be the best time to tell them about Lotor, but he couldn't bring himself too. It was still too raw, even though it had been deca-phoebs since he'd learned the full truth. Just thinking about it made the burning sensation in his throat return, though thankfully he was able to chase it away quickly this time.Later. He would tell them later- if Lotor became a problem."What's a Kral Zera?" Pidge asked."It's a ceremony in which the Galra choose their new leader." Allura explained- or under explained, actually. She'd left a lot out, but it was probably just as well. "And Keith is right. If Zarkon was truly dead, then they should have called one by now. Otherwise they run the risk of the Empire falling into chaos.""I'm guessing that's not a good thing." Hunk said.Allura shook her head. "No.""So, what?" Lance asked. "Does that mean Zarkon's still alive?""I cannot say." Allura admitted. "But it does make finding a new black paladin all the more pressing.""Allura's right." Keith said. "As much as I hate to admit it, it... might take us awhile until we find Shiro."If he was still around to find, Keith mentally added. He didn't want to think like that, but at some point, he had to accept the fact that it was a possibility.Everyone's face fell, clearly thinking the same thing he was. Shiro had just vanished from his lion. Something like that had never happened before. Even Coran, who had been around for the entirety of Voltron's early days, couldn't tell them what might have happened. There just wasn't any precedence for this."So what do we do?" Pidge asked. "How do we even find a new paladin?""Maybe we could hold auditions?" Lance suggested. "Get some more alien diversity on this team. You know, other than Keith."Keith merely arched a brow, but otherwise said nothing. He knew Lance didn't mean anything by it, but he couldn't help but worry that his presence here would make it tough to find another paladin. The Coalition might have accepted him for now, but he didn't know how it would go if they asked one of its members to work with them as a paladin- much less as Voltron's leader.Once again, he found himself as a potential disruptive element to Voltron's unity. Just when he thought he was finally ready to open up to the rest of the paladins, this had to happen. Heaving a sigh, he closed his eyes, half-drowning out Allura and the other paladins. Maybe if they searched the Blade of Marmora, they might find someone the black lion would accept, but he didn't know if the black lion would even be willing to accept another Galra paladin after Zarkon.Or if the universe would.In other words, they just needed to find a non-Galra paladin who was totally okay with working with a Galra. One with leadership skills. One who wasn't afraid to face down the Galra Empire- and probably also someone who had the training to do so. Having Voltron lead by a complete novice sounded like a recipe for disaster.It was a tall order to fill. He wasn't sure if there was anyone who even could...Opening his eyes, his gaze fell on Allura. Maybe there was someone who could fit the bill."Why doesn't Allura try?"The question was out of his mouth before he even realized it was moving. Blinking, Keith felt all eyes fall on him, and instinctively tensed. For a long time- an uncomfortably long time- no one said anything. They just stared.Then, finally, Allura spoke. "Me?""Actually, Keith might be on to something." Pidge said. "You know more about the lions than anyone.""And you have pretty much been like Voltron's second leader anyways." Hunk quickly added. "We would have never been able to save the Balmera if it wasn't for you. You even destroyed that komar thing.""I, for one, would let you lead me anywhere~." Lance winked, causing half of the room- himself included- to groan. "What? I'm serious!"Allura frowned. "While I admit I have been considering it, I'm not certain if the black lion would accept me.""Well," Coran, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke, "-there's one way to find out for sure, princess."It was not the first time she had found herself in the black lion's hangar since Shiro's disappearance, but it was the first time she had approached the lion itself. Even though it remained in a crumpled heap on the floor, somehow it still managed to loom over her, its presence filling up the room just as much as it would have if it were standing.For whatever reason, she found herself thinking back- far back, to her earliest memory of the black lion. Out of all the Voltron lions, it was by far the largest- and for the longest time, she remembered being afraid of it for that very reason. She had remained so until Zarkon had taken her by the hand and led her inside, showing her every nook and cranny. She had sat in his lap as he showed her how to fly it, pretending that she was the one the black lion was listening to, not him.She'd forgotten how gentle he'd been.It hurt to think about now, after all these years. She had buried the memory- along with so many others, where they couldn't hurt her. But now, standing before the black lion, she felt herself stripped bare, her thoughts drifting back to times long past.A time that she could never get back.Drawing in a breath, Allura momentarily glanced behind her. Coran and the paladins were gathered towards the far end of the hangar. They caught her eye, and she forced herself to smile at them, for they looked so encouraging that she couldn't at least try.Turning back to face the black lion, Allura squared her shoulders. She hadn't been lying when she'd said she had been considering becoming the black paladin. Thus far, it felt as if all she had done was sit on the sidelines, watching as everyone else fought her war for her. The paladins, Kyix aside, hadn't even been involved with the Galra until they had shown up on the Castle of Lions- if the blue lion hadn't been hidden on Earth, they might have very well gone their entire lifetimes without ever learning what a Galra even was.It was only right that she do something to change that.She only hoped that would be enough to convince the black lion.She steeled herself as she entered the jaws of the massive beast, no less dangerous now that it was asleep. Perhaps it wasn't, though- as she ran her hand against its wall, using it to guide her, she swore she could feel it pulse underneath her touch. Like it was almost alive, in a way that she couldn't explain.She didn't dwell on it, and instead made her way up towards the cockpit. There was just enough power left to allow the door to open, though the lion was dark otherwise. It was here that the pulse was the strongest- at least, until she drew her hand away from the wall, and sat down in the pilot's seat, at which point it faded.For a tick, she did nothing, simply sitting there. Then, slowly, she drew in and let out a breath, feeling her shoulders relax, and then tense again. There was no hesitation in her as she reached out, grasping the lion's controls, but she did hesitate to grip them tightly- for no sooner than she had, all sorts of memories better left buried came flooding back to her.They were all of Zarkon.Not of the tyrant he had become, but the person he'd once been. The one who kept giving her the same helmet every year for her birthday, even though they never fit. The one who her father had trusted, even considered a friend- Voltron's leader, its black paladin.The one who had once been so excited to become a father.The thought sat in her stomach like a stone. If Haggar was truly Honerva, then what had become of little baby Lotor? Honerva was still pregnant with him when Zarkon had gone with her into the quintessence field- so naturally, she'd assumed he'd died with her.But if Honerva was alive, then... what of Lotor?She shook her head. Surely if Zarkon had a son, she would have heard something about him by now. Besides, perhaps it was for the best that he hadn't made it. She was loathe to think what the product of their union, once so heralded as a sign of peace, would have turned out to be had he been raised in the Galra Empire as it was now. Better to die as an innocent, unknowing.Drawing in another long breath, Allura opened her eyes- for she'd closed them at some point. Perhaps the flood of memories was the black lion's way of testing her- to see if she were truly worthy of the mantle of black paladin. She had been trying to keep them all buried, using her memories of the tyrant that Zarkon had become to fuel her, but perhaps... perhaps she needed these memories too.Because in the end, what had truly sealed Zarkon's fate was not greed- but love.With that thought, she finally tightened her grip on the black lion's controls. For a time, nothing happened- and then slowly, the lion came to life around her.She sucked in her breath, feeling its energy pulse through her. It was nothing like she thought it would be. She'd thought it would be regal, noble, almost imposing- and while it was certainly noble, it was also steady and reassuring, like a firm hand placed on her shoulder, or the stern but kind advice of her father.It was also full of sorrow- of loss, of pain. But so too was it strong- strong and unyielding, and resilient- as if for each loss, each tragedy it experienced, it only grew stronger.And it was hers.Closing her eyes, Allura swallowed. She could feel herself tearing up, but made no effort to wipe them away. This was a gift, she realized- a gift, as much as it was a privilege.She would do whatever she could to live up to it.Keith watched with mixed feelings as the black lion rose to its feet.There was awe- unexpected but undeniable awe. The last time he had seen the black lion come to life like this, it had been when he was in his own lion, and he'd been so distracted then that he'd barely paid attention to it. But seeing it rise up, from only the perspective of his own height... it was breathtaking.There was relief, because it meant that Allura had successfully connected with the black lion. If Allura could take up the mantle of black paladin, then it meant all of their problems were solved. No searching for a new paladin, no having to get used to someone they didn't know, someone who might not be too thrilled about fighting alongside a Galra.There was also dread, because the black lion accepting another paladin made it feel like Shiro was really gone. Shiro, who should be back on Earth, taking Adam out for what he'd referred to as a date night, a curious mating custom that Keith had never really gotten a hold on. Instead he was lost, possibly even dead- so far from home that it would take quintants to get back even with the most advanced hyperspace engine.He wasn't sure he was ready to accept that yet.He watched with the others as the black lion lowered its head, depositing Allura back on the ground of its hangar. She looked just as conflicted as he felt, and for a tick, he wondered what it was that she'd had to face in there.Something, clearly."Well," Allura began, smiling by the time she reached them, "-it seems the black lion views me as fit.""Your father would be proud." Coran told her, though there was a reluctance in his tone. "He always knew you were destined for great things."Allura's smile faltered. "Thank you. I only hope I can live up to it.""Well I say this calls for a celebration!" Lance piped up. "How about you and I head back to the space mall, maybe pick you up something sparkly?""As much as I would love something sparkly, there is still much work to be done." Allura told him. "But thank you."Lance pouted a bit, but seemed to accept it. "So what now? Do we spread the word? Tell everyone there's a new black paladin in town?"Keith bristled a little at how casually he put it, like he was just writing off Shiro, but managed to hold his tongue. He probably didn't mean anything by it."We should." Allura agreed. "But not until we-"The emergency alarm cut her off. Whatever it was that they needed to do would have to wait.She knew it would only be a matter of time before the Galra organized a counterattack, but still, the news that Puig was under attack managed to catch her off guard.Perhaps it was because she had been so focused on the issue of finding a new black paladin, that for a moment, she had forgotten about the possibility of retaliation. In a way, the timing couldn't be better- though she was uncertain if they would be able to form Voltron right away, at the very least, they now had all five lions back up and running.Hopefully, that would be enough.She lingered on the bridge long enough to instill the Castle with some of her essence- enough to wormhole away should things take a turn for the worst. She hoped it wouldn't come to that, but experience taught her that it was best to prepare for the worst. Once finished, she made her way to the black paladin's console, hesitating for only a tick before she stepped forward, activating the mechanism that would bring her to the black lion's hangar.She hadn't even had time to change out of her pressure suit, but she supposed that was for the best. She would have to create a new suit of paladin armor for herself- and she couldn't deny that there was a tiny part of her that felt almost giddy at the prospect. She had always wanted to be a paladin, and now she was.She only wished it was under better circumstances.Part of her was almost afraid that the black lion would have changed its mind, but it still lit up at her touch. She pulled her helmet on, taking a deep breath, before she let the lion's consciousness flow through her. Though she considered herself a skilled pilot- she had been flying the Castle of Lions for deca-phoebs now- she wasn't sure how that would translate over to a lion.The black lion recognized this, and prompted her accordingly. It felt... strangely familiar, she thought, but in a way that she couldn't place. She chose not to focus on it. Right now, the priority was Puig. She would not allow the planet to fall back into the Galra Empire's grasp.Determination set, she gripped the controls tight. This wasn't how she wanted it, but she was a paladin now- and not just any paladin.She was the black paladin.Voltron depended on her. The universe depended on her. Her people, her father, who lived on only in her memory now, depended on her. She would not fail them.So she took a deep breath, and took her first steps as a paladin- launching the black lion from the Castle's main spire. She took only a moment to enjoy the sheer feeling of exhilaration it brought her, before she focused the entirety of her thoughts on the task ahead- taking back Puig.She was soon joined by the other paladins, their lions dotting the sky before her. She felt herself smile at the sight, taking comfort in the fact that she had them here with her. It faltered, however, as she realized it made Shiro's absence all the more pronounced. He should be the one in this seat, not her- and though she knew that the black lion would not have chosen her if she didn't have what it took, she suddenly couldn't help but feel like an imposter.The feeling was accompanied by a soft presence, one that she swore nearly felt like Shiro. But she quickly dismissed it as her imagination, knowing that there was no way he could possibly be here. As if to strengthen that belief, no sooner than had she thought that, did the presence fade away.She must have gotten more attached than she'd thought, to conjure up something like that. Still, even if it was simply her imagination, it served as a reminder that this was what Shiro would have likely wanted- for them to continue the fight, even without him.(Though he never should have been involved in the first place, she reasoned.)"Everything okay, Allura?" Lance's voice piped up over the coms."I'm fine." Allura was quick to reassure him, grateful that he hadn't opened a video link. She wasn't entirely sure what expression she was wearing, but it was likely one that she shouldn't show to the paladins. If she was going to be the new black paladin, then she had to be strong- she couldn't allow her own feelings to get in the way."We're closing in on Puig." Pidge said. "But I don't see any-"Before she could even finish that sentence, a massive battle cruiser emerged out of hyperspace, seemingly almost on top of them. It looked nothing like any Galra cruiser she had ever seen, but something told her it wasn't friendly.The com signal flickered on the black lion's screens, and before she could even reach out to accept it, it started playing automatically. The person who spoke had a regal voice, one that hinted at a noble upbringing- and very quickly, Allura realized that her first instinct was correct.This was not a friendly ship.That wasn't the only thing it confirmed, however. Not by a long shot."Attention, paladins of Voltron. This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, Emperor pro tem of the Galra Empire. Surrender now, or you will be destroyed."Lotor. That name, neither fully Galran nor Altean, could not be a coincidence.Zarkon and Honerva's son had survived.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Attention, paladins of Voltron. This is Prince Lotor, son of Zarkon, Emperor pro tem of the Galra Empire. Surrender now, or you will be destroyed."For a tick, all Keith saw was red.Hate coursed through him swiftly as if it were venom, to the point that for a time, it was the only thing he could feel. When it began to give way, in slipped anger, which quickly escalated into rage, and before he knew it, he was pushing the red lion to her absolute limits, completely ignoring the fighters that had launched from the ship, his tunnel vision refusing to acknowledge or even see them.A deep growl ripped itself from his throat, a sound which gradually became more intelligible, if only a little. It was Lotor's name, spoken with every ounce of fury he could muster.The red lion responded to his anger at first, roaring just as he did. When he called forth its railgun, it came to him without hesitation, clearing a path through the swarming fighters until it impacted with the shields of Lotor's flagship. Though it had decimated the fighters in its path, the shield held steady, causing him to growl in frustration, baring his fangs.Lotor was right there. He could kill him, make him pay for what he had done. He had made his father into a traitor, and because of that, countless children were dead, an entire generation lost. If he could just finish him off, then he could rectify his father's sin, put an end to the chain of suffering that he had started. Prove to the world that he wasn't his father's son.He poured more power into the railgun, striking the shield again. The red lion was taking fire from all sides, and the paladins were yelling at him, but he drowned it all out, focusing on destroying the shield of Lotor's ship. If he could just channel a little more power...The shield shattered, but at the same time, the red lion's railgun abruptly vanished. It took him a few ticks to even realize it, and only then did he slowly start to snap out of the haze of bloodlust the sound of Lotor's voice had thrown him into. Alarms were blaring, and they probably had been for some time, but there was still too much rage in him to care.Even worse, Lotor was getting away.Growling, Keith pressed the red lion forward, giving it every ounce of throttle it had. If he thought he could just run away, then he had another thing coming.Then all at once, the red lion shuddered and jerked, then just stopped- just as Lotor's ship slipped away, into hyperspace. Keith swore, trying to get the controls to work, but his lion refused to move, refused to do what he said."Kyix!" Allura's sharp voice broke through the red haze of anger. "Kyix, you have to stop!""That was Lotor!" Keith spat, his words half growled as if he just remembered he could talk. "He's getting away! We have to go after him!"Deep down, he was aware that Lotor had already gotten away- and that it wasn't a matter of we, it was a matter of he. He was the one who wanted to go after Lotor, who needed to go after Lotor. He couldn't have the Galra prince right in front of him just to let him slip away like that."Kyix," Allura began, a clear note of caution in her voice, "-the red lion cannot pursue. It's been damaged."Keith blinked, something in her voice causing him to finally emerge from his haze. He drew in a shuddering breath, finally properly taking in his surroundings- and realized that the reason the red lion wouldn't respond to him was because it was completely dead in the water. Even after he'd been spat out of that corrupted wormhole, it hadn't been this bad.He hadn't even noticed.He swallowed, caught between the last of his rage and guilt. He'd completely let it get the better of him- all of his pent up feelings coming out at once, blinding him to anything else. All he had wanted to do was kill Lotor- he hadn't stopped to think about anyone or anything else. He couldn't even feel his bond with Red, he realized- and that was enough to banish the very last of his anger."Keith, buddy," Hunk's tone was just as cautious as Allura's had been, and he vaguely realized that maybe they were afraid of him as much as they were afraid for him, "-are you like... okay?""No." Keith whispered. "No, I'm not.""Okay." Hunk said slowly. "That's okay. How about we just get you and the red lion back to the Castle? Then we can sort this all out, okay?"Keith nodded, before dimly realizing that nobody could see him right now. With the red lion dead in the water, there were no video links, just the coms in his helmet. Swallowing, he bit down on his lip, purple blood welling up where he bit down too hard and cut himself."Yeah," Keith said slowly, his own voice sounding hoarse, "-that sounds good."He heard Allura let out a long sigh over the coms, and winced. Now that he was back to his senses, he realized that his behavior had been completely unacceptable. Even worse, his single-minded focus had gotten the red lion damaged somehow, and at such a delicate time too. Until the repairs were finished, they wouldn't even be able to learn if they could form Voltron or not.If they would even want to form it with him, after that display.He was still thinking that as Hunk towed him back to the Castle, bringing them both into the yellow lion's hangar. He knew that he should probably leave the cockpit- the other paladins deserved an explanation for his behavior, but he couldn't make himself move."Keith?" Hunk's voice carried through the red lion. Guess he had decided to come find him instead. "You in there?"Keith made a faint noise in response. He could pick up the sound of Hunk shuffling awkwardly by the entrance to the cockpit, like he didn't know if he should come in or not. He must have decided to, for a few ticks later, he heard the sound of his footsteps, so much more distinguishable now that he could hear properly again."Hey, buddy." Hunk said, his voice soft, calming. "You want to-?"Hunk abruptly stopped talking, causing Keith to finally look up at him. He'd grown pale, his attention fixed on his back. Blinking, Keith turned his head to look at it the best he could, only now becoming aware of something wet staining his undersuit.Oh. The scar from his surgery must have ruptured.He didn't even remember blacking out.Allura swore she didn't even remember to breathe until Kyix was safely loaded into the healing pod. Her first outing as black paladin, and it had gone terribly.When Hunk had emerged from the red lion with Kyix cradled in his arms, she had feared the worst. Thankfully, while it appeared that he had lost quite a bit of blood, it was nothing that a few vargas in the healing pod wouldn't solve. It would even heal the scar properly, so that something like this couldn't happen again.Allura bit her lip. She still wasn't quite sure what something like this even was. She knew that she could contact Kolivan and ask, but that somehow seemed underhanded, however eager she was to question the Blade leader about his knowledge regarding Prince Lotor. Not mentioning that there was an heir to the Galra throne seemed a fairly large oversight on his part.Though given Kyix's reaction... perhaps there was good reason for that."I'll look after things here, Princess." Coran told her. "You should probably go check on the others.""Good idea, Coran." Allura managed a faint smile. "They are probably all concerned after... that."Coran's expression grew grim. He might not have been with them, but the Castle was linked up to the lions. What they had heard, he had heard. "Yes. I imagine they would be."Allura's gaze dropped to the floor, where it remained for a few ticks, trying to sort out her thoughts. Eventually, she heaved a sigh, realizing that this was getting her nowhere, and she was only putting off what needed to be done."Tell me when he starts to wake up." Allura said, looking back up towards Coran, and then towards Kyix's pod. Seeing him lie motionless somehow didn't sit right with her, even though she had grown up around the pods. She wasn't used to seeing him so still."I will." Coran promised.Allura gave him a curt nod of her head, collecting herself before she departed the med bay. She wasn't surprised to find that the paladins had gathered right outside, each of them looking up at her as she entered the hall.All save for Shiro."Is he-?" Hunk asked."He will be fine." Allura replied. "A few vargas in the pod, and he should be good as new."All those gathered let out a breath of relief, for which she could not blame them. Kyix's paladin armor would have to be thoroughly cleaned to rid it of all the blood. How had he not even noticed just how badly he was bleeding? If they could have begun treatment sooner...She supposed it didn't really matter now. The important thing was that Kyix would recover."So... what exactly was that?" Lance asked. "I mean, I've never seen Keith like that before.""I have." Hunk said, his gaze fixed to the floor. "It's just like how he was back in the Weblum, just... just worse. I think whoever this Prince Lotor is, he has some kind of serious issue against him.""He is Zarkon's son, exactly as he claimed." Allura said, narrowing her eyes. "Or at least, that was the Prince Lotor I knew.""You knew him?" Pidge asked, looking up at her in surprise."Not exactly." Allura admitted, shaking her head. "Honerva- Zarkon's wife- was still pregnant with him when the war began. I didn't think he'd survived.""Yeah, well, the Blade must have known about him." Lance pointed out. "There being an heir to the Galra throne sounds like the sort of thing that would be important to mention.""While I agree, I fear there is more to it." Allura said, her gaze darting back towards the med bay. "And whatever that reason is, I fear that Kyix is right in the middle of it."Everyone fell silent at that, doubtlessly thinking of the display they had all witnessed. She had even been able to feel it, the feelings of hate and rage so strong that even though she had never even formed Voltron with any of them, she could still pick up on it. She imagined it had only been worse for the rest of them, and it showed in the way they had flown their lions. They were just lucky that Lotor's interest did not truly appear to be the conquest of Puig, otherwise they would have been done so for sure.They had tried their best to protect the red lion and themselves- but in the end, a single shot from Lotor's ion cannon had been able to get through. Normally something that powerful would have severely damaged the red lion, rendered it inoperable, but Kyix had pushed it beyond its limits, in his frantic chase to kill Lotor.And it had been to kill Lotor. They could all feel it. Hear it, too. Useful as they were, she almost regretted the universal translators that were installed in each of the paladin helmets. Without them, she alone would be the only one to understand the harsh Galran words that Kyix had spoken. Words of murder and curse, and a deep, deep hatred that she was all too familiar with.It was the same way she felt about Zarkon."We will speak to him about it once he recovers." Allura said finally. "Whatever his reasons are for his behavior, we owe it to him to hear him out until the end.""Do you think he'll tell us?" Hunk asked.Glancing back towards the med bay, Allura frowned. "Yes."Keith groaned, awareness returning to him slowly. Once again, his head was in a fog, but this time it was one born of the cold, rather than the burning heat of rage.That thought was more than enough to snap him out of this one, suddenly recalling exactly where he was, and how he'd gotten there. All at once, he became keenly aware that he wasn't alone, and that in fact there were several pairs of eyes staring at them, some of them more wary than others.Right. He couldn't say that he didn't deserve it.He still barely remembered the battle with Lotor's flagship. He'd been so focused on taking down his ship, that he hadn't stopped to think of anything else. He was starting to recall a bit more- Red taking a massive hit, something which he hadn't even noticed in his haze. He had pushed her past her limits, and she'd-"How's Red?" Keith asked, the words tumbling out of his mouth."She'll recover." Pidge said. "Coran, Hunk, and I have been working on repairs. She took a bad hit, but she should be able to bounce back. It just might take some time."Keith sighed in relief, letting his shoulders slump. The cryosuit itched against his skin, making him feel exposed, but he ignored it. There were more important things to worry about."I... probably have some explaining to do, don't I?" Keith asked."You do." Allura said. "But that can wait, at least until you get a bit of food in you.""I brought your clothes." Hunk told him. "And your knife."Keith looked up, giving him a grateful smile. Pidge and Lance were somewhat keeping their distance, but Allura and Hunk were a bit closer. He guessed this wasn't the first time Allura had seen a Galra lost in their own bloodlust, and Hunk... well, Hunk had seen him get angry before, back in the Weblum. It hadn't nearly been as bad as this, but at least it had probably prepared him for... well, that."Thanks." Keith said, gratefully accepting the bundle from Hunk. "And... I'm sorry. I know my behavior was unacceptable, and it won't-"He cut himself off, unsure if he could make that promise."I'll try not to let it happen again." Keith finished."We'll give you some privacy so you can change." Allura said. "Once you finish eating, we will all be in the lounge. We would like to hear more about this... Prince Lotor."Keith winced, covering it by ducking his head and nodding at Allura. Apparently that was good enough, because she and the rest of the paladins left the room, one by one. Once they were gone, he let out a held breath, suddenly almost grateful that Shiro wasn't here.He hadn't meant to lose control of himself like that. No matter how much he hated Lotor, and no matter how much better the universe would be with him dead, it didn't mean he could just fly into a rage like that. He had lost focus of everything except Lotor- he hadn't thought about his fellow paladins, his lion, or even himself. He could have gotten them all killed.He had to be better.Changing out of the cryosuit and into his Earth clothes, Keith tugged his jacket on. He hesitated when it came time to pick up his knife, wondering just how much he would have to tell them. If possible, he wanted to avoid having to tell them about the decision Kolivan had been forced to make that day, but he knew that without it, the story would be incomplete.He shouldn't have even known about it. But it was what he'd seen during his trial, a vision of the past. Thinking about it made his throat burn, and he forced himself to swallow, grabbing his knife at the same time and sheathing it in a hurry.He went straight to the lounge, without stopping to eat anything. Everyone was surprised by his sudden appearance, but nobody protested as he sat down, across from where they had all gathered. The faster he got this over with, the better.Ugh. Now he wished Shiro was here. Would it kill him to make up his mind?"Whenever you wish to begin." Allura told him. Her tone was... less harsh than he expected, but it wasn't kind either.Twining his fingers in front of him, Keith stared down at the floor. He wasn't sure where to begin. With his father? With Lotor?Suddenly, a thought struck him. He must have been in that pod for a few vargas. That was more than enough time for Allura to put a call out to Kolivan."Have you spoken to Kolivan yet?" Keith asked."No." Allura said. "We wanted to hear it from you."Keith blinked, not quite expecting that. Part of him was grateful for the chance to tell his story himself, but the rest of him... the rest of him just wanted to pass this off to someone else. But that was the act of a youngling, and a spoiled one at that- and he could hardly act like one after he'd spent so long protesting that he wasn't.Taking in a deep breath, Keith squared his shoulders, having settled on where to begin."Prince Lotor is Zarkon's son." Keith explained. "But I guess you know that part already.""Yeah, what's up with that?" Lance asked. "How can Zarkon have a son?""Lance." Allura warned, shooting him a glare."It's fine." Keith said. "Lotor was born at the very start of the war, ten thousand years ago. He was a part of the Empire up until nine thousand years ago, when he was exiled.""Exiled?" Allura frowned. "Whatever for?"Keith shook his head. "Nobody knows for sure. The Blade of Marmora only existed in a rudimentary form back then, and we don't have any Blades left alive from that era. Some say it was because he and Zarkon disagreed over how to extract quintessence.""And that was enough to exile him?" Allura asked."For Zarkon?" Keith asked. "Yes.""Guess there's not much of a familial bond there." Pidge muttered.Keith narrowed his eyes, staring back down at the ground. That was what he didn't get. If Lotor had been exiled, then what was he doing here now? And what was that emperor pro tem business about anyways? He thought he remembered Lotor saying something like that, just before the haze of rage took over.But they could talk about that later. Right now this wasn't about Lotor- even though it kind of was. No, this was about him- and about his father."Ever since his exile, Lotor has remained elusive." Keith began. "Even we don't know that much about him. Kolivan sent countless Blades to try and track him down, but none were successful. At least, not until my father.""Your father?" Hunk asked. "Did... did Prince Lotor kill him?""I wish." Keith mumbled, more to himself. "No. He didn't. My father was able to infiltrate Lotor's command. He wasn't exactly in the inner circle, but he was close enough to Lotor to be able to monitor what he was doing, and where he was going. But that also made him vulnerable.""To exposure?" Pidge asked. "I thought you said Lotor didn't kill your father.""He didn't." Keith stated plainly. "Kolivan did."There was an uneasy silence on the bridge then, half born out of pure confusion. Keith sighed, suddenly wishing he could be anywhere but here."My father's closeness to Lotor left him vulnerable, yes, but not to exposure." Keith forced himself to continue. "He left himself open to influence. My father chose to betray the Blade of Marmora. He was going to reveal our existence to Lotor, and expose countless Blades to the Empire."The paladins paled, color draining from their faces. He couldn't exactly blame them. Now they knew the truth- or a part of it, at least. He was the son of a traitor, something that had followed him for his entire life. While the main base was full of Blades who didn't judge him for his father's sins, he knew that there were others who reviled him for it, cursed him, even. Those who despised the fact that he was the only one to have survived, even though it was his father who was the cause of all of this.He couldn't blame them. Sometimes he asked himself that question.He had never known the answer- not until Voltron, anyways. Sometimes he wondered if the only reason he was alive was so that the red lion could have a paladin. If it weren't for that, maybe he'd be...The burning returned with a vengeance, causing him to gasp for air. Grasping his throat, he desperately tried to suck enough in, briefly succumbing to panic before he managed to remember that what he was feeling wasn't real, and that he could breathe. At that point, everyone had gotten to their feet and were halfway towards him, concern evident in their expressions- only to stop once he managed his first, shaky breath."Sorry," Keith whispered, his voice still a little hoarse, "-I'm fine.""That happened before." Allura said. "You said it was nothing then.""It is nothing." Keith promised. "Just... bad memories."Allura frowned. "If this is difficult for you to talk about...""No." Keith cut her off, shaking his head. "You should know. I promised you I would tell you the truth when I revealed that I was Galra, but I was lying. I didn't... I didn't want to tell you about this. About any of it.""There's more?" Pidge asked.Keith nodded, one set of fingers rubbing the corresponding jacket cuff. "My father didn't just intend to defect to Lotor. He wanted to give him proof of his word.""Proof?" Hunk asked. "What kind of proof?""A few phoebs before I was born, the Blade recovered a shipment of reazit children." Keith began, swallowing hard. "They weren't able to find out where the ship they were on was headed, so they never found the facility- all data was erased the moment they tried to access it. But they were still able to recover at least six reazit children. Kolivan made the decision to raise them, and had them brought back to our nursery base."Allura frowned, her brows knotting together. "I thought you said that the nurseries were a part of your bases, not separate from them."Keith nodded. "They didn't use to be. For much of the Blade of Marmora's existence, children were raised on a separate base. That's... actually where you found me, after the corrupted wormhole split us all apart."Hunk frowned, his brows knitting together. "I thought there was something kind of funky about the gravity on that asteroid. Are you saying there's a Blade base in there?""Was." Keith corrected. "It's been defunct for eighteen deca-phoebs.""Deca-phoebs is years, right?" Lance asked, squinting in his direction. "Wait, aren't you eighteen?""Last I checked." Keith managed to crack, even though he couldn't find any humor in it. No one else did either."So... what happened to it?" Hunk asked, clearly nervous to hear the answer."My father wanted to present Lotor with the reazit children, as proof of his intentions." Keith said. "But when Kolivan brought them into the Blade, he messed with the data, so no one would know exactly which were the reazit children rescued from the shipment, and which were just the children of actual Blades. He also replaced every Blade working on the base, so nobody there knew which was which.""That sounds like a lot of trouble to go through." Pidge observed."Kolivan wanted to give them a chance to be raised as real children of the Blade." Keith explained. "He was going to assign them parents, once the caretakers at the nursery base got a better grasp of their personalities. But until then, he didn't want them to be treated like outsiders, so he instructed those who were a part of the rescue mission to not say a word about it.""So when my father couldn't figure out which were the regular children, and which were the reazit, he just... decided to take them all." Keith said, his eyes downcast. "Except for me.""But you're reazit." Pidge pointed out, squinting at him as if she doubted herself. "Right?""He didn't know that." Keith said. "He just thought I was aket, a runt. I guess Lotor wasn't the only part of the Empire that he'd been influenced by, because he thought that was something he should be ashamed of. That before he could leave the Blade, that I was something he had to rid himself of."His words were met with silence, but even without looking up, he could feel their eyes on him. He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath, steeling himself to look up- and was met with exactly what he thought he would be- or almost. There was horror, just like he thought there would be, but instead of the pity he'd expected, what he'd found instead was sympathy.Somehow it made the rest of the telling a little easier."He tried to poison me." Keith admitted, his voice quiet. "He would have succeeded too, if it hadn't been for my mother.""That," Hunk stammered, his face pale, "-that's awful.""Who tries to poison their own kid?" Lance asked, aghast."You were right." Allura said, each word carefully measured, but he could sense the fury building underneath her otherwise calm demeanor. "It is good that he is dead.""So that's why you hate Lotor so much." Pidge said. "That... actually makes a lot of sense.""Yeah, I'd be pretty angry at him too." Hunk agreed."Be that as it may, you still put yourself and the red lion in extreme danger." Allura told him- and he winced, knowing she was right. "Not to mention the rest of us, as well as the Puigans we were sent to protect.""I know." Keith admitted, ducking his head. "I let my anger get the better of me, and ended up putting all of you in danger. I shouldn't have done that."Allura heaved a short sigh. "I just wish you had told us all of this sooner. Lotor is one thing, but your father..."Keith winced, fearing the worst. His claws dug into the fabric of his jeans as his grip on his knees tightened. Maybe they had been sympathetic to his story, but that didn't mean they hadn't realized what a liability having him around was. He was the son of a traitor. He'd already lied to and deceived them twice now, and he'd nearly gotten them all killed today. If they wanted to find someone better to fill the role of red paladin, he couldn't exactly blame them.And yet, he still found himself wanting to stay here. He'd found something here, it dawned on him- though he still didn't quite understand what. Maybe it was just the thrill of being able to interact with people close to his own age for once in his life. Regris was one of the youngest Blades around, and he was still ten full deca-phoebs older than him."I won't end up like him." Keith said, resolute. "I promise."There was a silence at his words, but he didn't dare look up. He was too afraid of what he might find."Kyix," Allura began, "-nobody thinks you're going to become your father."Keith blinked, looking up at the paladins in surprise. That hadn't been the words he'd expected, even if they were the ones he'd been yearning to hear."You... don't?" Keith asked, dumbly."Of course we don't." Lance grinned. "I mean today was kind of terrifying, not gonna lie, but nobody thinks you're going to turn traitor or anything like that.""Honestly at this point, we're kind of used to you pulling crazy stunts." Pidge pointed out. "That's like, your thing.""Which maybe is something we should work on." Hunk added. "You know, have some team building exercises and all that. Or some anger management exercises. You know, just a suggestion. Might help."Keith winced. "Was it that bad?""You were growling, so yes." Lance said. "It was that bad."Keith bit his lip, staring at the floor, feeling his cheeks heat up. He was caught somewhere between revulsion and embarrassment, because the latter didn't feel quite strong enough a response to having lost himself in his own bloodlust, and the former seemed just a little too strong. He hadn't meant to do it- to do any of that. He'd just... he'd heard Lotor speak, and everything had gone red.Not the comforting kind either, like the red lion. He winced again as he thought about her. How was he ever going to apologize to her? What if she didn't want him to be her paladin anymore? He shouldn't have pushed her like that, should have listened- but he just... hadn't been able to hear anything. He'd been too focused on Lotor, too angry to see anything around him.And he'd very nearly paid the price for it.He wouldn't do that again. He didn't know if he could control his temper to that extent, but he could at least try.It was what Shiro would have wanted him to do anyways."I'm sorry." Keith said, with more resolve this time. "It won't happen again.""Good." Allura nodded her head. "And I hope from now on, you won't feel the need to keep things from us.""Speaking of things you kept hidden from us," Pidge hesitantly began, "-what happened to the children? The ones your father tried to kidnap?"Keith closed his eyes, unable to keep himself recalling what he'd been shown during his trial. Namely Kolivan's expression, as he realized what needed to be done in order to keep the Blade of Marmora hidden. It was the face of a man who was about to be forced to make the most terrible choice he'd ever faced- even though he'd had a lifetime of being forced to make terrible choices."They didn't make it." Keith swallowed, opening his eyes. "Kolivan attempted a rescue mission, but the hull of the ship my father stole had been rigged with explosives to prevent just that. There was no way in, and he... my father had also stolen vital Blade intelligence, so he- Kolivan was forced to make a decision.""The ship had to be stopped." Keith said. "At any cost."Allura, who was the closest to him, grew pale. "Do you mean to say that he was forced to shoot down his own ship?""He tried to minimize damage, but there were no survivors." Keith told her, settling on the most blunt approach. "Lotor showed up about a varga after the explosion, so they were forced to abandon the search.""That... that's horrible." Allura half-whispered.Keith nodded, shifting uncomfortably on his feet. Aside from Allura, everyone else had been rendered speechless- which he could hardly blame them for. It wasn't an easy topic of discussion, and even those who had been directly involved with it didn't want to speak of it to this day. It was the single darkest day in the history of the Blade of Marmora, and not one that anyone wanted to repeat.But if even Antok had forgiven Kolivan, then no one else dared to hold it against him."You know what?" Lance asked, finally seeming to find his voice again. "I think I hate Lotor now too.""Ditto." Pidge and Hunk quickly agreed."Then it is a good thing that it is now our mission to put a stop to him." Allura said, looking towards him. "But it is one that we will accomplish together."Unable to say anything, Keith simply nodded."Have you finished the damage assessment yet?""The red lion's railgun decimated our shielding system." Acxa reported. "It will probably take several quintants to properly repair it.""Ion cannon's fried too." Zethrid grumbled, audibly frustrated. "Those vines are going to take awhile to clear out. We won't be able to use it until the sentries get rid of the last of them and repair the damaged parts. I mean, we could, but it might just blow up in our faces.""But other than that, we're in pretty good shape!" Ezor chirped. "Better off than the red kitty, at any rate. What did you even do to make him so mad, Lotor?"At Ezor's inquiry, Lotor felt his brows knit together. He wished he knew. He didn't enjoy being left in the dark when it came to information pertaining to him. The red paladin's fury towards him had been amply clear- somehow he doubted those were simply the actions of a rebel who loathed the Empire. There was something deeper there, more personal.He just didn't know what it was."Nothing." Lotor said simply. "At least, nothing to my knowledge.""Well you must have done something." Zethrid said. "He came at us to kill."Acxa glanced up at him from her control station, a single, silent question carried in her eyes. Lotor merely sighed. He supposed she was right- negotiation was very much off the table, if that was his response to his appearance. He was more likely to stab him in the heart, than he was to listen to anything he might have to say- but he supposed that sort of anger wasn't unexpected in one of Galra lineage.He had never been prone to that sort of fury, but then again, he had his mother's blood to dilute it. The red paladin must be pure Galra then, in spite of what his height might suggest."What about that Blade who tried to contact you?" Ezor asked. "You know, the one from a few deca-phoebs back?"Lotor blinked, looking up at her. He'd nearly forgotten about him, truth be told. His actions he remembered, but the man himself had been largely forgettable. He'd ultimately gained nothing useful from him- though he supposed that wasn't entirely true. When he had arrived to examine the wreckage, he'd discovered a single containment pod intact.From it, he'd gotten Narti.And from Narti... well, he'd gained quite a great deal indeed. So he supposed that he had to thank the Blade in question- even if he'd never received any of his promised information.Thankfully, Narti was currently absent from the bridge. The shock of the explosion had caused her to lose her memory, and he'd rather she remain unaware that she carried any possible Blade lineage. She was loyal to him, of that he was certain, but family was a factor that even he found difficult to control.Although, now that Ezor mentioned it..."I suppose they do bear a resemblance." Lotor mused, glancing over towards Acxa. "You mentioned something about him having red markings, just underneath his eyes?"Acxa gave him a curt nod of her head. "Yes.""Red is... rather uncommon." Lotor mused aloud. He'd largely forgotten the Blade's face, but his red markings had stood out. "Perhaps they are related."It would certainly be worth looking into, he thought. He had never considered that the Blade who had attempted to betray his own might have had a child. And for that child to grow up to be the red paladin... now that was interesting.Perhaps he shouldn't be too hasty in dismissing any held interest he might have in this Kyix. It would simply require a bit more caution and forethought on his part."I believe," Lotor began, a slight smirk forming on his face, "-that I have an idea as to our next move."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the meeting ended, Keith for once found himself following the advice he'd been given- to eat something and take a nap. In spite of the fact that he'd been sleeping for several vargas already, he felt exhausted. He wondered if it was just because of the stress of telling the paladins about Lotor, or if it was just a normal result of being in a cryopod.Maybe both.He slept like the dead for five vargas, in his own quarters for once. He couldn't exactly sleep in the red lion while it was being repaired, and he'd been sleeping more in his quarters lately anyways. Now that his senses of smell and hearing were back up to par, he felt a little less wary about being caught off guard, even subconsciously.It helped that he could trust the paladins.When he woke, he paused long enough to work out the worst of his bed fur, before he made his way down to the red lion's hangar. Coran, Pidge, and Hunk were still at it, and he had to admit, the red lion didn't look in as bad a shape as he thought it might.But then, he hadn't exactly seen it right after their arrival on the Castle. He wasn't sure how bad the damage had been, just that it had been bad. Even for a Voltron lion, getting hit by an ion cannon was nothing to sneeze at, if he was to borrow an Earth expression. Actually, he was pretty sure the only reason he'd survived was because it was a Voltron lion.And then he'd pushed her when she was hurting, until she couldn't move. Some paladin he was."Oh, hey Keith." Hunk spotted him, pulling off his goggles. He was wielding something onto the hull of the red lion, or had been, sitting on some hastily thrown together scaffolding. "Come to check out our progress?"Keith just nodded, shuffling awkwardly on his feet. Part of him was almost glad to have his past with Lotor out in the open, but the rest of him just felt anxious about it. They seemed to have taken it well, but what if they were just putting on an act?No. He could trust the paladins, he reminded himself. If knowing his past had created any kind of rift between him and them, they would have said so.Probably."Well she's coming along great, if you're wondering." Hunk said. "Which you probably are, seeing as you're here. Unless you wanted some alone time with her. Do you?"Keith shook his head, managing to find his voice this time. "No. Just... just wanted to see how the repairs were going, like you said.""Please, you have two tech geniuses working on it." Pidge rolled her eyes, not even looking up from the coding she was working on, her laptop balanced neatly in her lap. "Of course it's going well.""And Coran." Hunk hastily added. "Don't forget about Coran.""Thank you, Number Two." Coran said, frowning slightly at Pidge. She appeared unapologetic, but it could just be that she was too distracted to notice his look of disapproval. "But Number Five is right. It should only take another quintant or two to get her back up and running."Keith frowned, tilting his head. "That seems like a long time.""Oh, the repairs should be done in the next few vargas, that much is true." Coran admitted. "But the red lion's energy core was severely drained in that last fight. It'll take awhile before it's fully recharged.""Oh." Keith said, not knowing what else to say. He had only thought about the physical damage- he hadn't thought about how much energy he had used up. Using the railgun took a lot of power out of the red lion, and he'd used it twice, at max power. Even putting aside the hit from the ion cannon, that still would have been enough to disable the red lion on its own.He had to do better, he thought, looking up at the red lion. Right now he didn't feel worthy to even be in her presence, much less be her paladin.He could only just barely feel her. While it was an improvement from when he couldn't feel her at all, it was still cause for concern. They had just found a new paladin for the black lion, and now because of him, they wouldn't be able to form Voltron for another two days, if Coran's estimation was right- and it probably was.They didn't even know if they could yet.Ducking his head, he missed the shared look between Hunk and Pidge. The yellow paladin cleared his throat, catching his attention, offering him what felt like a nervous smile. "So... you want to help?"Keith blinked. "I don't know that much about mechanics.""Seriously?" Pidge asked. "You grew up in space, and you don't know anything about mechanics?"Keith frowned. "I didn't say I didn't know anything.""Just not anything useful." Pidge said.Keith opened his mouth to retort, but quickly shut it, realizing that she was right. Everything he knew in relation to mechanics involved either quick fixes to common issues, which this definitely wasn't, or bypassing security. He could also rig up bombs, but he wasn't certain if that counted as mechanics, per say."We could still use some help with the heavy lifting." Hunk assured him."Or you could bring us snacks!" Pidge said."Nope, nun-uh." Hunk shook his head. "No offense, but I do not trust Keith's choice in snacks."Keith frowned, his brows furrowing. "What's wrong with my taste in snacks?""The last time you bought yourself a snack, you got a shake made out of meat." Hunk stated flatly."And various organs." Pidge added."Yes, thank you Pidge. Meat and various organs." Hunk said. "Which, by the way, is still disgusting even though I now know you're Galra."There was no animosity in the statement, just disgust, and even that was directed at his taste in food, not towards him. The combination of feeling relieved and taking offense was an odd one, but that was where Keith found himself, at the crossroads between those two very contrasting emotions."Cibum is a delicacy." Keith said. "If you just tried it-""Nope, not doing that." Hunk said. "There is no way I am ever trying cibum, delicacy or not."Keith huffed in protest, but he strangely felt more at ease than he had been when he first entered the hangar. Maybe things really would be okay, even though they knew about the truth about his past now."So... heavy lifting?" Keith asked. He'd get Hunk to try cibum eventually. He knew he'd like it if he just tried it. "What do you need me to-""Paladins, sorry to interrupt," Allura's voice cut in over the intercom, "-but we are picking up a distress call from planet Caligo. Please gather on the bridge."Exchanging a glance with Hunk and Pidge, Keith frowned. He guessed it had actually been nearly half a day since the distress signal had been sent from Puig, but it still felt like this one was a little too soon. Still, just because they were down a lion, it didn't mean the Galra Empire would take a break- especially not if they were getting their footing back underneath the command of Lotor.Lotor. His eyes narrowed at the thought of the Galran prince. He still didn't have the answers to the questions his sudden appearance had left him with- namely, why he had been called out of exile after so long. If Zarkon was dead, shouldn't there be a Kral Zera? That was how things were done, right?Then again, it had been over ten thousand years since the last one. But that had been the tradition. They didn't have a line of succession like Altea, or even Earth once had. So what was Lotor doing sitting on the throne, even temporarily?Unless... maybe Zarkon wasn't dead."Guess we'll have to take a rain check on those repairs." Hunk frowned."No worries." Coran said. "I think I can just about finish up what we're working on right now. You three run along, go see what Allura wants. We can't keep the Caligians waiting!""Let's just hope it's not a trap this time." Pidge remarked, shutting her laptop and setting it aside. "We barely got out of the last one."Keith flinched, staring hard at the ground. He knew Pidge hadn't meant anything by that, but he knew she had a point. He wasn't sure if he was prepared to face Lotor again so soon."Hey," Hunk said, patting him on the shoulder, "-don't worry about it. I fall for traps all the time too.""I haven't." Pidge said."Well not all of us can be you, Pidge." Hunk said, but there was no true edge to his words. "Anyways, don't sweat it. We're a team, remember? That means we have your back.""Besides, we don't even know if it's Lotor yet." Pidge pointed out. "Even if it is, at least you'll be more prepared for him this time. I mean, how much more anger can you possibly have left in you after all that?""Probably more than you'd think." Keith cracked, half-uncertain if that was an attempt at a joke, or a confession. Talking about Lotor had helped, sure, but he still felt angry. It wasn't the blinding, all encompassing rage from before, but he was pretty sure he still had plenty of anger left in him.He trailed behind Pidge and Hunk, trying not to think too much about it. It must have worked, because they got to the bridge sooner than he expected. Lance and Allura were already there, and he had to wonder if Lance had just been closer when she'd called everyone to the bridge, or if they had been in here together. He was wearing his casual clothes, just like everyone else was- everyone save for the princess, that was.This time, she was wearing paladin armor. Pink paladin armor.She caught him looking at, giving him a faint smile. "I didn't want to use black. Pink seemed more appropriate."Keith blinked, but any questions he might have had about the supposed appropriateness of pink died in his throat when Allura's expression turned more serious. Bringing up a holoscreen, Allura turned her full attention towards it- and after a tick, so did he."I was running a scan, looking for any signs of Lotor when I picked up on a distress beacon coming from the planet of Caligo." Allura said. "While I wasn't able to pick up on any Galra activity in the area, I still do not think that this is something we should ignore.""Any ships?" Pidge asked. "I mean, it doesn't have to be the Galra. Lance and Hunk's encounter with the Baku proved that there are other threats out there than just the Empire.""None." Allura said. "Or at least, none that our deep space scanners have picked up.""So what?" Keith asked. "We just go in blind?""Hardly." Allura said. "We will wormhole in close enough so that we can send a few drones to monitor the situation, but far away enough to avoid attracting attention."Oh, right. Drones. He'd nearly forgotten they had those. They had lost two of them during their frantic attempts to escape Zarkon's pursuit what felt like ages ago, but Pidge and Hunk had since worked with the Olkari to build some new ones. Pidge had even installed cloaking in a few."Sounds like a plan." Keith said."Who knows, maybe it's just some kind of local skirmish." Lance said with a shrug."Even if it is, we should still see if there is anyone who needs our help." Allura said. "Though I am loathe to get involved in local conflicts when I know so little about the universe in its current form. I don't suppose you have any experience with Caligo...?"The question was directed towards him, but all Keith could do was shake his head. "No. I've never even been in that sector of space before."Allura huffed slightly. "I suppose we will just have to make do.""Gee, Keith," Lance said, "-and here I thought you were supposed to be the useful one."Keith narrowed his eyes, biting back a response. It wasn't like it was his fault that he hadn't stepped foot outside the main base until he was ten cycles old. Add that to the nearly three deca-phoebs he'd spent on Earth, and he hadn't exactly had a lot of time explore the universe.But it wasn't like Lance knew that. He'd told them a lot of things, just not about his childhood illness. It was bad enough that they knew his own father had poisoned him, they didn't need to know that it had wrecked havoc on his immune system so badly that it had taken deca-phoebs to get it up and running again. He didn't want to make it sound like he was looking for pity, or anything like that.Allura frowned, narrowing her eyes slightly. "I'm sorry. Does that mean you think I'm useless?""What?" Lance stammered, his eyes going wide, visibly panicking at the unintended backfire of his quip. "No! No, I would never think that, of course not. I'm just saying Keith is more familiar with recent space events. That's all."Allura's frown deepened, clearly not buying it. "Are you sure? Because it sounded a lot like-""I'm sure!" Lance said quickly. "Anyways, how about those Caligians? Don't we have to like, save them or something?"Allura kept her gaze fixed on Lance for a tick longer, before turning sharply on her heel. "So long as there are no protests."The paladins exchanged glances, before finally, they all shook their heads one by one."Good." Allura said. "Now let's go see what all this fuss is about."The fuss turned out to be the Empire after all.Although Allura's initial assessment that there weren't any ships in the immediate vicinity proved correct, there were still several squadrons of imperial sentries on the planet itself. They had arrived without warning around two vargas ago, and by now had managed to round up most of the population of the planet, which consisted of a single tribe living around the jungle that took up the bulk of the planet's single continent. They weren't very technologically advanced, and had been subdued in short order.Consequently, the battle to free the planet wasn't one that required the lions. He was almost grateful for it- since it didn't seem like Lotor was the one behind this, it would give him something to take his lingering anger out on, all without risking losing himself to it again. It wasn't like he could stay behind anyways. With Shiro gone, the only actual trained combatants they had left were himself and Allura.(Which reminded him- he should probably try to rope Lance, Hunk, and Pidge into another training session again. Their hand to hand skills desperately needed work.)Still, fighting sentries was easy enough, and all three had ranged weapons, so they didn't even need to get up close to them in the first place. Allura had opted to bring her staff and not the black bayard- the same one that Shiro had recovered from Zarkon, but had never gotten the chance to use. He made a mental note to ask about it later, though he almost wasn't sure if he should. Shiro's disappearance was still a touchy issue for all of them.Not that he was excluded from that. He was just trying not to dwell on it. Focusing on both Shiro's disappearance and Lotor's appearance just sounded too stressful, and Lotor was the imminent threat. It just made more sense to focus on him. Not that it made him any less guilty. It was like Shiro was just something he could put aside."Hunk and I have our sector just about wrapped up." Allura's voice broke through his thoughts, coming in over the coms. "How are things where you are?""Pidge, Lance, and I have just about finished wrapping things up here too." Keith said. "It doesn't look like the Empire had any forces here other than those sentries."All things considered, it hadn't been a tough battle. It hadn't exactly been an easy one- fighting the Empire was never easy- but it was far from their roughest battle. They'd been forced to split up into teams of two, since the bridge that connected the two sections of the village had been destroyed, likely on purpose. He'd gone with Lance and Pidge, and Hunk had gone with Allura.He couldn't help but think that they would have had more even numbers if Shiro were here. They could have wrapped things up even sooner then."Good." Allura said. "We should find the leader of the Caligians. I would like to speak with them.""To see if they want to join the Voltron Coalition?" Pidge asked."That too, yes." Allura admitted. "But it is also important that we leave them with a means to contact us directly in case something like this ever happens again. It is fortunate that we managed to pick up on their distress call when we did, otherwise we might have gotten here far too late.""We'll ask around." Lance said. "See if there's anyone here who could be their leader, or who could direct us to them.""We'll do the same here." Hunk said. "We'll let you know if we find anything.""Got it." Lance said, before glancing back towards them. "So, who's up for having a chat with the local population?""They don't exactly look like they're all that big on talking." Pidge observed.Keith grimaced. He definitely hadn't failed to pick up the wary way the Caligians were watching them, he just didn't know that anyone else had picked up on it. He wasn't sure if it was just because of him, or if they were just wary of outsiders period- it wasn't like there had been any actual Galra among the invasion force, just sentries.Which was... actually kind of odd, now that he thought about it. There wasn't anything in the planet's atmosphere that would have been toxic to Galra- he was breathing the air with no problems, and all scans for any potential toxins had turned up negative. So why would they just use sentries?Actually, come to think of it... how had a planet this primitive even managed to send a distress signal in the first place?Something didn't feel right here, he suddenly realized."Pidge," Keith said lowly, leaning down a bit so he could whisper in the green paladin's ear, "-do you think you could do a scan for the source of the distress signal?"Pidge blinked, a slight frown gracing her features. "Sure, but why?""It's just... this place is even more primitive than Earth." Keith said."Wow, thanks." Pidge said dryly. "I hadn't noticed.""No, it's-" Keith huffed. "How did they even manage to send a distress signal in the first place?""I mean, Queen Luxia's people aren't exactly technologically advanced, and they still managed to send out a beacon." Lance pointed out. "Maybe it's the same thing.""Maybe." Keith admitted. "But something about this feels weird to me."Pidge's frown deepened, before she shrugged. "I guess it wouldn't hurt. Even if your hunch is wrong, maybe we can find their leader near the beacon."Keith just nodded, waiting anxiously for the results of Pidge's scan. In the meantime, he kept a close eye on his surroundings, and a tight grip on his bayard. Maybe Lance was right, and they did have some other method of sending out a distress signal, but he couldn't shake the feeling that this was some kind of a trap.His hunches usually weren't wrong."Huh, that's odd." Pidge frowned. "According to this, the source of the distress signal is somewhere in the ocean. But that can't be right.""Maybe there's a technologically advanced population of merpeople living in the ocean?" Lance suggested, but it was obvious that he was starting to feel a bit nervous too, his finger hovering over the trigger of his rifle.Pidge shook her head. "Other than the distress signal, our bayards, and the weapons the Galra brought with them, I'm not picking up any other signs of technology at all on this planet.""Actually," Pidge corrected herself, "-wait. I am picking up on something else.""Paladins," Allura's voice cut in again before he had the chance to ask anything, "-Hunk and I managed to locate the leader, but there's a complication. Apparently the Galra have taken their chief's daughter hostage and have transported her to another location. Hunk and I are on our way to rescue her now."Keith felt his hair stand on end. "Allura, I don't think-"He didn't get to finish that sentence, a loud burst of static cutting off anything that he might have said. He yanked his helmet off with a jerk, surprised to find that Lance and Pidge had done the same thing."What the heck was that?" Lance asked."That," Pidge said, "-was interference. It's what I was trying to tell you about."Rubbing his ears, Keith tried to get the ringing to subside. "Can you pinpoint its location?"Pidge just scoffed. "Who exactly do you think you're asking here? Of course I can.""Good." Keith said, leaving his ears alone for now. "Because I need you to lead me to it.""Shouldn't be hard." Pidge said. "It's nearby."Keith frowned, looking across the series of sturdy mud huts that dotted the landscape. The Caligians were watching them warily from inside, but didn't make any moves to attack. Assuming that what Allura had said was true, and their chief's daughter had really been kidnapped, then there was a high probability that they had been forced into cooperating.Taking hostages wasn't exactly uncommon, but the chief's daughter? Usually the Empire would just take the chief. Why the daughter?Sharing a look of mutual understanding, he and Lance flanked either side of Pidge, shields raised as they made their way through the network of mud huts. The static had died down in their helmets, though their coms were still offline, so they had put them back on, with only Pidge still carrying hers tucked underneath her arm, keeping her attention focused on the readout her gauntlet computer was giving her.The mud hut they arrived at looked like any other, but there were no wary Caligians peeking outside. Exchanging a look with Lance and Pidge, Keith nodded his head. Slowly edging towards the wooden door, he carefully grasped the handle, his grip on his bayard tight. He couldn't hear anything inside, but the ringing hadn't entirely faded from his ears yet.Pidge silently mouthed a countdown, and on the count of three, he flung the door open."Don't shoot!"Lance lowered his bayard with a frown, exchanging another glance with him and Pidge. Pidge gestured at him with her head, and after a moment of silent protest, Keith huffed, entering the mud hut. The Caligian inside froze at the sight of him, growing paler as he scrambled backwards."Please," he said, "-I have done everything that you asked."Glancing back towards Pidge, Keith arched a brow. That was as good a confirmation as any that there was at least one actual Galra on this planet aside from himself."We're not here to hurt you." Pidge said, stepping into the hut behind him. "We're the paladins of Voltron.""Yeah, we're here to help." Lance echoed. "Even if mullet here does look a little on the scary side."He probably didn't help his image any by glaring at Lance.The Caligian peered at him cautiously, then looked towards Lance and Pidge, confusion vivid on his features. "You are the ones of legend?""That's us!" Lance boasted. "The paladins of Voltron, at your service."Pidge, meanwhile, just rolled her eyes before frowning. "If you didn't know we were the paladins, how did you know to jam our communications?"The Caligian blinked, staring at her in confusion. "All I was told to do was to press the button when the light started to flash. I was told that if I didn't..."He swallowed, staring down at the device in his hands miserably. "Educating the chief's daughter is my responsibility. When they took her, they told me they would feed her to the rire if I didn't listen.""The rire?" Pidge asked."The life-drainer." The Caligian whispered, as if that explained everything. "It lives in the jungle.""Okay, so I'm no expert, but anything called the life-drainer sounds like, super bad." Lance said."Unfortunately, it's probably also where Allura and Hunk are headed." Keith said. Whoever was behind this must have been monitoring their communications, and had remotely signaled the device when their trap was sprung. It had to be short range- otherwise they could have just cut out communications on a much wider scale. "Where can we find this rire?""Go straight on the river path." The Caligian said. "It will lead you to a great pond, where we collect water from. Follow the river that feeds into it, and you will find the rire. That is all I know. We do not go there.""Should we warn Allura and Hunk?" Pidge asked. "If we switch off the jammer-"Keith shook his head. "If we switch off that jammer, whoever kidnapped the chief's daughter might just kill her. We can't let that happen."The Caligian flinched, scrambling away from the three of them, holding the jamming device protectively to his chest. Looking between themselves, the paladins heaved a slight sigh, realizing that definitely wasn't among the options that they had."I'll try and cut them off." Keith said. "With any luck, maybe I can get there before Allura and Hunk do.""I'll come with you." Lance said.Keith just shook his head. "Stay here with Pidge. If this life-drainer is as dangerous as it sounds, then we need at least a few people to stay behind."In case we don't make it back, he didn't say. But after what happened to Shiro, he didn't have to."Be careful." Pidge told him.Keith managed a faint smile. "When have I ever not been careful?""The druid." Pidge replied."Central Command." Lance added. "Twice.""A few hours ago, with Lotor." Pidge said.Grumbling, Keith narrowed his eyes. "Okay, I get it. But I'll be careful this time, I promise.""You'd better be." Pidge told him. "Because if you get yourself killed doing something stupid, I'll kill you myself."Opening his mouth to ask how that would even work, Keith quickly shut it. It wasn't worth it. If there was one thing he knew about humans, it was that they were odd.Wiping sweat from her brow as she hurried down the jungle path, Allura paused for a tick to get her bearings. The humid tropical climate of Caligo was a distant cry from the far more temperate one that she was used to on Altea, causing her hair to stick to her face and her tiara feel uncomfortable on her brow. She would have thought that getting out of the sun would have helped, but it felt like the jungle was even warmer and more cloying than the village surrounding it.Hunk looked slightly better off when he finally caught up with her, in spite of being somewhat out of breath. Taking a tick to catch it, he looked up at her with a slight frown. "Are you sure we're headed the right way?""I'm positive." Allura said. "He said to follow the path, and then the river."They had found the pond that the path lead to, and had been able to find the river in short order afterwards. Looking ahead, she could see that the path continued for a few more feet, before it disappeared, too overgrown to make it out clearly from this distance. It had been well tended up until they reached the pond, but once they had moved past it and had started to follow the river, it had become less and less so. Perhaps the Caligians simply didn't come this way often enough to warrant it."Okay," Hunk said, "-just making sure.""You could have stayed behind." Allura told him. "Regrouped with the other paladins.""And let you go off into some creepy jungle alone?" Hunk asked, shaking his head. "No way."A fond smile crept its way onto her features. She had grown to care deeply about the paladins over these past few phoebs, and though she hardly needed it to, it was still nice to hear that the sentiment was apparently returned."Thank you, Hunk." Allura said. "Have you had any luck getting in touch with the others?""No." Hunk told her. "I think this jungle is blocking our communications. Dense foliage, or something."Allura frowned. She didn't like not being able to contact the others. She was grateful that she had at least been able to inform them of the hostage before they cut out, but she really would have rather been able to keep in constant communication with them. She didn't like the idea that the Galra were holding someone hostage- it almost sounded like they were waiting for someone to come along and free the Caligians.But perhaps she was simply overthinking things, after what happened with Lotor. Taking hostages to force compliance was something the Galra had been known to do. Though it had turned out to be a lie, it was very much what they had done on Olkarion, and they had done it on the Balmera as well. Granted, that had been a trap, but...Either way, she couldn't ignore a kidnapping, least of all that of a child. She had to do something."I suppose our only option then is to proceed." Allura said. "Just cautiously."Not that they had much of a choice in the matter. Whoever had come through here before had already cleared a path through the overgrowth, and though she was loathe to use it, they didn't have much of a choice. It would have taken a lot longer to cut through it themselves, and neither of them had anything bladed on them anyways.The black bayard, perhaps... but no. She didn't feel right using it yet.Off in the distance, she picked up on the sound of a scream. Allura's blood froze, throwing all caution to the wind as she raced forward, gripped by the fear that she might be too late. Bursting out into the small clearing, she frantically scanned the area for any sign of the chief's daughter, or the one who had taken her.They spotted her first."Thought I told that stupid chief to send me the black paladin." The Galra commander said, glowering at her. His eyes glowed in the dim light of the jungle, the tree canopy above them so thick that it nearly blocked out all light. Only a few faint traces of sunlight reached the jungle floor- the only other sources of light came from her own paladin armor, and the bright flash of Hunk's bayard as he summoned it, having just barely managed to catch up with her.Send the black paladin, though? Allura's thoughts flashed back to how anxious the chief had seemed as she spoke to him. At first, she had thought it was just due to how worried he was about his daughter, but now she suspected that it was that and more.So this was a trap."I am the black paladin." Allura stated, trying to sound resolute. Now that her eyes had adapted, she could see the small Caligian girl being held firmly by the Commander.Said Commander's brows shot up. "I was told the black paladin was the Champion.""Told?" Allura asked. "Told by whom?""Our new Emperor." The Galra said, with a toothy grin. "Said he'd promise me a position at Central Command if I lured the black paladin out to this stupid tree."Allura frowned, briefly glancing towards the tree in question. It was massive, the trunk alone twice the size of the other trees they had passed. It was responsible for both the lack of sunlight and the lack of other trees, for there weren't any others that grew around it. For that matter, there was no plant life at all around the tree, a realization which sat uneasily with her.It wasn't just plant life, either. She also couldn't hear any birds."He means Prince Lotor, right?" Hunk whispered. "Why would Prince Lotor want to lure you- or well, Shiro, I guess- out to a tree?""I think..." Allura said cautiously, keeping her voice at a whisper. "I think this tree is more than just a tree."The Commander didn't seem to realize it, but the chief's daughter certainly did. At first she had taken her lack of struggling to be that of fear, but while she was certainly afraid, it wasn't the Commander she was afraid of. No, what her gaze was fixed on was the tree, watching it in the wary way prey would watch a distant predator."Oh well," the Commander shrugged, heedless of their hushed conversation, "-reckon you'll do just as well."Before Allura could say anything, he scooped up the chief's daughter, holding her close this chest. Now she did squirm, because the Commander was moving closer towards the tree, unaware of its dangers. Lotor was using him like a chess piece, she realized, though she had no idea what type of chess he was even playing."No!" The girl cried out, kicking and squirming with all her might to little avail. "If you go any closer, you will wake the rire!"The Commander opened his mouth to respond- likely to mock- but his words died in his throat, as the ground around them began to rumble. Next to her, Hunk yelped, and she nearly felt a cry escape her own throat as the tree- the rire, Allura realized- did exactly what the chief's daughter said it would do.It woke up.The first thing to appear was the beast's eye, a massive, sideways eye just where the tree's branches began. It instantly fixed on the Commander, who stared back at it, so stunned that he dropped his hostage. She wasted no time in scrambling away and into the jungle. She must have ordered Hunk to go after her, because she felt herself say something, and saw a flash of yellow and white go after her, but if pressed, she honestly couldn't remember doing so.The Commander turned as if to run, the Galra's credo of victory or death forgotten, but he didn't even take two steps before the tree's roots erupted from out of the ground, tangling him up. She could only watch helplessly as the Galra's life was drained before her eyes, leaving the Commander as nothing more than a withered husk, and a pile of now rusted armor. It turned to dust as the rire released it from its grasp, nothing left to even hit the jungle floor.Then it looked towards her.Panic blossomed in her mind as she realized this wasn't something she could fight. She turned on her heel, her staff forgotten as she broke into a run. She didn't get far before something grabbed at her ankle, sending her face first into the dirt. Groaning, she recovered quickly, realizing that she was being dragged towards the rire by one of its branches. Swearing, she contorted her body in an attempt to grab at it, but it was just barely out of her reach."Allura!"The flash of purple light was almost blinding in the near dark, and a tick later, she found the pressure around her ankle gone. Scrambling to her feet, she confirmed her rescuer was who she thought it was. His eyes glowed in the dim light of the jungle, the glow of his Marmoran blade casting a strange light over his paladin armor."You okay?" Kyix asked."I'm fine." Allura said. "But we need to get out of here. This isn't something we can fight.""Don't have to tell me twice." Kyix muttered. His expression was contorted, his blade trembling in his hands. If the tree-creature felt ominous to her, she could only imagine how it felt to someone as quintessence sensitive as Kyix, all raw talent and no actual training.Luckily, the creature seemed wary of his Marmoran blade. Its branches, including the one he had sliced off, coiled back towards it, what appeared to be some kind of mouth opening up in the middle of its trunk seemingly for the sole purpose of screaming. With it came its breath, and with that came the stench of decay, causing Allura's noise to curl.Kyix, who was even more sensitive to smell than she, nearly vomited.She wasted no time in switching her helmet to enclosed mode, scrambling to do the same for Kyix. Not a second too soon- for no sooner than had she switched her helmet over, it indicated that the rire had released some kind of toxic compound- perhaps some kind of defensive measure."Run!" Allura urged, and for once, Kyix didn't protest. He sheathed his blade, having transformed it back into a knife, and hurried after her. They didn't even bother finding the cleared path, just plunging headlong through the jungle. Somehow they still managed to make it back to the clearing with the pond, the rire's ungodly shriek penetrating even the dense jungle foliage.Allura paused to catch her breath, hoping that Hunk had been able to catch up with the chief's daughter and had made it out of the jungle okay. She would need to ask Kyix about Lance and Pidge-The dull thud of something hitting the dirt caught her attention. Behind her, Kyix had collapsed, but rather than fainting as he had after the Balmera and the robeast, he seemed to almost be writhing in pain. Panic rose in her again as she crouched by his side, turning him over so that he lay on his back. Had he breathed in some of the toxin?"Kyix-"She stopped short, all words lost as she watched Kyix almost seem to dissolve. It was only when his armor caught up to him that she realized he wasn't dissolving, he was shrinking. No, that wasn't it either- he wasn't shrinking, rather, he almost seemed to be growing younger, the exact opposite of the Commander from before. She could only watch, open-mouthed as he grew smaller, before panic kicked back in and she was seized with the fear that he might just phase out of existence.Placing her hands on his chest, she focused all of her energy into stopping the process. It surged through the red paladin, enveloping him in a pale blue glow- and slowly, both the pained writhing and the shrinking seemed to come to a halt.What she was left with was a much younger, much tinier version of the red paladin- not to mention a whole slew of questions that she couldn't even begin to come up with the answers to.The least of which was how in the world she could possibly fix this.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"So how old do you think he is?""It's hard to say." Coran brushed a stray strand of Kyix's hair out of his face, before turning towards Lance. "He's small enough to be around three or four cycles old, but there's a distinct lack of baby fluff. I'd say he's around five or six, perhaps even seven, if I were to be generous.""Wow," Hunk said, "-he does not look seven.""He is rather small." Allura frowned, her lips set in a tight line.She'd known that he was an ahlet, but she hadn't expected him to be quite so tiny. He'd barley weighed a thing as she carried him back to the village, and later, to the Castle of Lions. He'd remained unconscious the entire time- his sleep was fitful at first, but thankfully he soon calmed down.She had naturally inquired about the rire, and about Kyix's condition, but the Caligians had not been able to tell her much. They avoided that area of the jungle, giving it and the rire a wide berth. All they could tell her was that it was also known as the life-drainer, and that it had appeared on their planet nearly a millennia ago. They'd never heard of something like what had happened to Kyix happening before.With no other choice, she had brought him back to the Castle of Lions. She'd given the Caligian chief a transponder, with which to contact her in the event any further Galra showed up- or if he or anyone else recalled something important about the rire. After that, she had taken Kyix straight to Coran, having already briefed him on the situation. He already had the medical ward set up when they'd arrived, for which she was grateful.As there was no chance of going back for a sample, they had to rely on the data that their armor had automatically taken. They had stripped Kyix of his armor, though she left Coran to the task of actually changing his clothes- form of a child or not, he still deserved some privacy. They were able to find a pair of children's clothes in the stores, nothing more than a simple loose fitting tunic and leggings in a pale red color."Well, the good news is that he appears to be in good health." Coran said. "I'm not detecting any obvious anomalies, other than the fact that he's much smaller than he should be."Allura let out a breath of relief. It didn't solve the obvious problem, but it was a relief to hear that he wasn't sick. She couldn't help but blame herself. If only she'd been a tick faster switching his helmet over, then maybe they wouldn't be dealing with this right now."So any idea why he's so tiny now?" Lance asked."Not yet." Coran shook his head. "I reckon it has something to do with that toxin Allura detected, but until I can take a closer look at the data, I can't be sure.""So... what now?" Pidge asked."I suppose there's not much we can do but wait for him to wake up." Allura said."Should we maybe keep an eye on him?" Hunk asked. "Like in shifts or something?"Allura gave him a faint smile. "That is an excellent idea, Hunk. We cannot be sure how he will react when he regains consciousness. It is best that someone is here with him.""I could always watch him." Coran suggested.Allura shook her head. "If it is all the same to you, I would rather you get started on analyzing the data. The faster we can fix this, the better.""If we can fix this." Pidge unhelpfully chimed in. True to form, she merely shrugged when she looked in her direction. "What? Keith got shrunk by a magical life draining space tree. I can't be the only one thinking that there might not be an easy fix for this."Heaving a sigh, Allura's shoulders slumped. She hated to admit it, but she had a point. Perhaps if she were a fully trained alchemist, she might be able to do something, but as it was, she had no idea how to go about it. She would just have to hope that Coran would discover something useful- or that it would simply wear off on its own."We will fix this." Allura said firmly. "Somehow."She knew that didn't exactly sound encouraging, but it was all she had at the moment."Why don't you get some rest, Allura?" Lance asked. "You had a pretty long day. I mean, we all did, but you especially. I don't mind taking the first shift."Casting Lance a grateful smile, Allura nodded. "Thank you, Lance. But are you sure?""Hey, it's no problem." Lance said. "I've got tons of experience with children.""It's not a child, Lance." Pidge said, rolling her eyes. "It's Keith.""Who looks like a child right now." Lance insisted, to which no one could argue with. "Don't you and Hunk need to finish working on the red lion anyways?""Honestly, I think what I need right now is a shower." Hunk grimaced. "Don't get me wrong, the paladin armor is super great and all, but it is definitely not made for trekking through muggy jungles."Allura crinkled her nose. She couldn't agree more, frankly."Alright," Allura began, looking towards Lance, "-in that case, we will leave Kyix to you, Lance. If he wakes up...""I'll be sure to tell you." Lance said. "Go and get some rest, Allura. You look exhausted."Giving him a weak smile, Allura thanked him again. As she left, she could hear the remaining paladins work out a shift schedule, and in spite of everything, she couldn't help but smile to herself. To think that she'd had such doubts about them when they had first arrived on the Castle. Her concerns had clearly proven themselves to be misplaced. The paladins were far more reliable than she had initially anticipated.It only meant that she would have to strive even harder to be the black paladin they deserved- at least until they managed to find Shiro.She made her way to her chambers, pressing her hand against the access panel that lead inside. The mice peeked their heads out of her jewelry box- one of their favorite nesting places, for reasons she could not even begin to understand, considering it did not look even the least bit comfortable. She gave them a weak smile to let them know she was alright, before she quickly showered, hastily changing into her nightdress and all but plunging into her bed.She must have been more exhausted than she thought, because she fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.She woke to the sound of an alarm.Jolting awake, it took her several ticks to realize that it wasn't one of the ship's emergency alarms- but rather, it was the smaller, more personal one she kept by her bedside. Brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear, she swung her legs off her bed, reaching for the slender device. Switching it on, she was met by Hunk's face, worry rapidly giving way to relief when she answered."Oh, Allura! Thank goodness, you're awake." Hunk said so quickly that his words nearly blended together. The translator could barely keep up, and she likely would have been at a total loss had she not been learning the paladins' native tongue, a peculiar language they referred to as English."Hunk?" Allura frowned. "Is something the matter?""Well, you know how you said we should let you know if Keith woke up?" Hunk asked."Yes." Allura said."Well, he woke up." Hunk told her. "Only he doesn't seem to remember any of us."Allura narrowed her eyes, already getting to her feet. "I'm on my way."Switching the device off, she set it down. Grabbing a pair of slippers, she made her way down to the medical ward, not even pausing to change out of her nightgown. Hunk looked even more relieved to see her in person, and she couldn't help but notice that Pidge was also present, peering nervously into the medical ward. They were both dressed in their day to day wear, so they must have taken Coran's offer for a chance to shower off.Though the main door to the medical ward was open, there was a sheet of glass-like material in its place, blocking access to it. She recognized it as one of the Castle's emergency features, akin to a one-way mirror. Not only did it help confine whoever or whatever was in the medical ward, but it also allowed those outside of it to get a better look at whatever it was that was inside.Even with it firmly in place, she could still make out the sound of something growling from inside. It wasn't hard to guess what- or rather, who, was making that noise."How long has he been like this?" Allura asked."Not long." Pidge said. "He just woke up maybe ten minutes ago.""And he doesn't recognize you?" Allura asked. "Any of you?"Hunk and Pidge just shook their heads. Frowning, Allura peered into the medical ward herself. Coran and Lance, the latter still in his paladin armor, were currently clustered around a table, from which the hissing sound was coming- or rather, from underneath it. She could just barely spot Kyix tucked all the way back into the corner, hissing and growling in a way that reminded her of a youngling trying to defend itself against intruders.That was exactly what he was doing, she realized.If what Hunk said was true, and he didn't remember them, then he was probably terrified. He might not even know where he was, much less how he had gotten here."Tell me what happened." Allura said. "All of it."Hunk and Pidge exchanged a glance, before Hunk answered. "I came to take over for Lance when Keith woke up. He seemed pretty disorientated at first, so Lance tried talking to him, but all he did was freak out. I'm not sure if he even understood us."Allura frowned, her brows knitting together. "Perhaps he doesn't.""What do you mean?" Pidge asked."Kyix doesn't rely on the Castle's translator technology like the rest of us do. Or any translators at all, really." Allura explained. "If we assume that he's been set back mentally to his current physical age, he might not remember how to speak your language.""I thought the translators worked for everyone?" Pidge asked."They do, but they work better if you have the nanobots that go along with it." Allura said. "He may very well be in too much of a panic to notice the translations.""He does seem to be speaking Galran." Hunk said with a frown.Allura blinked, looking up at him in surprise. "You speak it?""I mean, I've had Keith teach me a few words here and there, but mostly it's just the sound of it." Hunk said. "I don't think what I do know would be much help- it's mostly just the names of ingredients. You know, for markets and stuff.""Ah." Allura said simply. "No, I suppose that wouldn't help very much at all."Heaving a sigh, Allura glanced back inside. The situation hadn't improved at all- if anything, it seemed to have gotten worse, if Lance nursing his arm was anything to go by. A cornered youngling bereft of their parents would protect itself by any means, true to Galra form. Perhaps a familiar face might calm him down, but even if she contacted Kolivan and explained the situation, it still might take time for someone to arrive. It wasn't a matter of distance- if it was just that, she could shorten the trip with a wormhole.No, the problem was if Kolivan had anyone to spare. The Blade of Marmora had been stretched thin after Zarkon's defeat, and it was quite possible that anyone who might be able to calm Kyix was away on a mission, including the Blade leader himself. Summoning his mother would also likewise be impossible, as she was currently on a deep cover mission, and they couldn't afford to jeopardize it over something like this.Which left one option."Pidge, come with me." Allura said. "Hunk, I want you to stay here and monitor the situation. Let me know if anything changes.""Why?" Hunk asked. "What are you going to do?""If we can't bring in a familiar face," Allura said, "-then we'll have to make do with the next best thing.""Hunk, where's Allura? I thought you said you were going to call her."Hunk flinched slightly at Lance's question, his frazzled tone not helped by the constant hissing coming from underneath the table. He made sure to give it a wide berth, not wanting to end up like Lance. He didn't have any armor to protect him, and while normally, he knew Keith would never hurt him, these weren't exactly normal circumstances."I did!" Hunk said. "She left with Pidge saying something about familiar faces.""Well, I can most certainly say that our young red paladin could use one of those right about now." Coran said, also putting some distance between himself and Keith. "I tried speaking to him in both Galran and Common, but I'm afraid he's just too worked up."The hissing died down a bit now that there weren't people hovering by his hiding place, but Hunk could still see him watching the three of them intently. The shadows cast by the table made his eyes faintly glow, an admittedly eerie effect for someone so small."I don't get it," Lance frowned, "-the kids at the nursery were cute. How come Keith's such a demon?""While I'm not sure what this demon is," Coran began, thoughtfully tugging on one end of his mustache, "-I can actually understand where Number Four is coming from. In all likelihood, he thinks we've kidnapped him.""But we haven't!" Hunk protested. "We're his friends!""Yeah, well I don't think Keith knows that." Lance huffed."Aw, man." Hunk frowned. "And here I thought we really made some progress.""Ah, don't take it personally, Number Two." Coran patted him on the shoulder. "The mind often has unique ways of protecting itself.""So, what?" Lance asked. "Keith doesn't remember us because he thinks he's a kid again?""I think the term is youngling." Hunk said."Whatever." Lance rolled his eyes. "It doesn't matter. The real question is how are we going to get Keith to trust us when he won't even come out from underneath that table?""I think I may have the answer to that."Perking up at the sound of Allura's voice, Hunk turned on his heel. "Al-!"He couldn't finish saying her name, the unspoken syllables hanging heavy on his tongue before he snapped his jaw shut. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Lance do the same thing- only Coran seemed unfazed by the princess' appearance, merely arching his brows and muttering something about a clever idea underneath his breath."Is that-?" Hunk finally began, but didn't get a chance to finish. Pidge put a finger against her lips, somehow managing to shake her head and use it to point towards Keith's hiding place at the same time. In doing so, something finally clicked, and suddenly the absurd sight of a tall, purple Allura wearing Blade armor that she had almost definitely stolen from Keith's room made a lot more sense.The next best thing, apparently, was a familiar uniform.It must have worked, because when he glanced back towards Keith, he'd poked his head slightly out from underneath the table. It was kind of hard to tell, but he was pretty sure his gaze was fixed intently on Allura."Marmora?" He asked- and if he was going to be honest, Hunk had to fight the urge to squeal. When he wasn't being a hissing demon child, baby Keith was actually pretty darn cute, all fluffy hair and wide eyes, and his voice was no exception. It was so different from his usual slightly rough tone."Yes," Allura responded, in what he recognized as Galran, even before the translators kicked in, "-Marmora."Frowning, Keith crawled slightly out from underneath the table, so that at least his torso was halfway out. He still looked like he'd dart back under its relative safety at a moment's notice, so Hunk was careful not to make any sudden moves. It kind of felt like everyone was holding their breath, trying not to spook him.It kind of made it feel like they were dealing with a wild animal, as opposed to a child, but he supposed there was some overlap there. His nephew had been incredibly skittish as a toddler, jumping at every loud sound. Needless to say, he knew how to be quiet."Is it alright if I come closer?" Allura asked.Keith bit his lip, eying the rest of them, before he gave her a curt nod of his head. Allura smiled, carefully closing the gap between the two of them. As she knelt down in front of the table, Keith backed up slightly, but didn't move to duck back underneath it."Show me your blade." Keith challenged, with all the seriousness his pre-pubescent voice could muster- which was actually a fair amount. Hunk was impressed.Allura didn't even so much as flinch, drawing what he knew had to be Keith's knife. Keith eyed it with suspicion, but either didn't recognize it as his own, or didn't remember he even had one in the first place. The tension in the room was palpable, anxiously waiting to see if Keith would request that Allura awaken it- a feat which they knew she couldn't do."Okay," Keith nodded, "-I believe you."Allura smiled, hiding her relief well as she sheathed the knife. "I am sure you must be very confused-""Who are these people?" Keith cut her off, jabbing a finger towards him and the rest of the paladins, before leveling a suspicious gaze on Coran. "Where am I? I shouldn't be here.""It is understandable you might think that." Allura said. "You hit your head, so your memories might be a tad shaky."Keith frowned, reaching up to touch his head. "It does feel kinda sore.""These people are the paladins of Voltron." Allura told him. "And you are on the Castle of Lions, currently."Keith blinked, then narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "No they're not. They don't look anything like the stories Ulaz told me. And they talk funny.""Hey!" Lance protested, earning him a jab from Pidge and a hushed reminder to shut up."They are the new paladins of Voltron." Allura told him. "Not the ones you might remember from the stories.""Oh." Keith said, his lips twisting into a tight frown that looked downright adorable on his tiny face. "I thought the Voltron lions were destroyed.""On the contrary," Allura said, "-all five are right here, on this ship."Blinking, Keith looked up at her with wide eyes. "I'm on a ship? I thought I wasn't supposed to leave the med bay!"Hunk frowned at that, exchanging a questioning glance with the other paladins. What did he mean by that? Had Keith been sick or something at this age? He thought Coran had said he was perfectly healthy."And that's exactly why you're here!" Coran chimed in, sensing that Allura was at just as much a loss as the rest of them. "For treatment!""Treatment?" Keith frowned, looking unconvinced. He didn't try to slink back underneath the table though, which was probably a good sign. "I thought there wasn't one. Mom said I had to wait it out.""Ah, but we Alteans were known as quite the pioneers of medicine back in our heyday!" Coran said. "You won't find a better ship out there for medical treatment than the old Castle of Lions. That's why Kolivan left you in our care- under the watchful eyes of one of his Blades, of course."Keith's head jerked up, his eyes wide. "Alteans? I thought you all blew up!""Oh, not all of us." Coran said, seemingly unfazed by Keith's lack of tact. "But I can certainly understand the confusion!""How about you come out, so we can catch you up to speed?" Allura asked, offering Keith her hand. "I am quite certain you have a number of questions, but it would be much simpler to answer them if you weren't hiding underneath a table."Keith seemed to flush, momentarily ducking his head. He carefully took Allura's hand, and Hunk couldn't help but notice how tiny his claws were. It wasn't just his claws either- he barely even came up to past Allura's knees, though granted, she had made herself taller. He looked kind of on the scrawny side, with big eyes that blinked in the light of the med bay. Coran had already dimmed the lights, so it didn't take him long to adjust.He looked like... well, like a tiny, cuter version of Keith, right down to the mullet. For all that Coran claimed he didn't have his baby fluff anymore- which, by the way, sounded like the most adorable thing- his hair was still pretty fluffy. Or his fur, Hunk guessed. It was easy to forget that what was on Keith's head wasn't hair, but fur."There, that's better." Allura said with a smile. "I am Alora. Kolivan selected me to be a liaison of sorts to the paladins, as well as to keep a watchful eye on you.""Alora," Keith repeated, crinkling his nose, "-that's a funny name.""It's a fairly archaic name, I will admit." Allura said. "How about we all introduce ourselves again? Would that make you feel a bit better?"Keith nodded, staring up at them. He was slightly hidden behind Allura's leg, and Hunk felt like his heart was going to give out. He didn't know what to expect from a young Keith, but he definitely hadn't anticipated shy. While normally he wasn't exactly the most social guy, he'd always just chalked it up to awkwardness- he was the literal alien in their group.It was obvious he wasn't going to introduce himself first, so always being a friendly guy, Hunk decided to step up, even if it was a little weird to introduce himself to someone who already knew his name. Taking a step forward, he froze in place as Keith hid himself more behind Allura. He held up his hands to indicate that he didn't mean any harm, but also didn't move any closer."The name's Hunk." Hunk introduced himself. "Hunk Garrett.""Hunk is the yellow paladin of Voltron." Allura informed him. "He is a splendid engineer, and an even more splendid cook."Keith frowned, staring at him almost critically. For a second, he was worried that Keith hadn't understood him, before he huffed. "He still talks funny.""Okay, first off, it's not that we talk funny." Lance cut in, causing Keith to flinch. "We're just speaking a different language.""Oh," Keith frowned, his brows knitting together, "-it still sounds funny. Is it Altean?""We're human, actually." Pidge said. "Not Altean.""Hue-man?" Keith repeated, scrunching his face up. "I've never heard of huemans.""It's human." Lance corrected. "And that's because we're from a super distant planet called Earth."Keith just stared at him in disbelief, his nose scrunching up even further. "You named your planet after dirt?""I actually wonder about that myself, sometimes. Always seemed to be a peculiar choice." Coran mused, tugging on his mustache. "I'm Coran Hieronymus Wimbleton Smythe, though you can just call me Coran."Keith nodded, apparently dropping the subject of Earth entirely. "Are you a paladin?""Oh, I'm afraid not." Coran said. "I just help out around the Castle, deal with mechanical issues, supplies and things of that nature. A bit of a jack of all trades, you might say.""And I'm Lance!" Lance cut in, sticking out his chest. "Lance McClain! Sharpshooter ninja extraordinaire, at your service.""I'm Pidge, and I can assure you, Lance is none of those things." Pidge said dryly."Hey! Pidge!" Lance snapped, causing Keith to flinch and duck all the way behind Allura.Allura glowered at Lance, before heaving a short sigh. "Lance and Pidge are the blue and green paladins respectively."Peeking slightly out from behind Allura's legs, Keith squinted. It took him a second, but Hunk eventually realized he was scanning the room for more people. "Shouldn't there be more paladins? Where's the red and black ones?""Well," Allura began, her gaze darting towards the rest of them, "-the red paladin is away on a separate mission at the moment. As for the black paladin...""He went missing awhile back." Pidge jumped in. "Right now Alora's the black lion's temporary paladin."Keith's memories must have been on the fritz, because he didn't even react to the mention of Shiro, even if they hadn't used his name. He just nodded in all seriousness, apparently unfazed by the unnatural way Pidge had emphasized Allura's fake name of choice."The black lion's letting a Galra pilot it?" Keith asked in amazement. "I thought after Zarkon, it wouldn't like us anymore."Oof. That stung, but not as much as it stung Allura. It was a lie- Allura was Altean, not Galra, but they couldn't let Keith know that right now. Not unless they wanted him to start freaking out again. He was sure once they got an actual Blade he knew on the ship, they could apologize and come clean, but until then, they needed to keep up the act for just a little longer."The black lion is very forgiving." Allura said. "The red lion's paladin is Galra too, actually.""Really?" Keith asked, perking up at that. "Are they a Blade too?""As a matter of fact, he is." Allura smiled, slightly more at ease with this subject.That was apparently good enough for Keith. He'd apparently decided that they weren't dangerous, even if Lance was kind of loud. He slowly edged his way out from behind Allura, until he was standing in front of her. Shifting on his feet, he stared up at them, his voice almost hesitant when he finally spoke."I'm Kyix." He introduced himself. "Son of Krolia.""A wonderful name! You must have quite the favor from your mother." Coran said, Keith's expression brightening at the praise. "Now, why don't you tell everyone how old you are, Kyix?""I'm six." Keith replied, holding up six fingers, his slight frown settling to become an almost permanent fixture on his face. "But I'll be seven in a few phoebs. I just look small.""Six, huh?" Lance asked- much quieter this time. Clearly, Allura's glare had worked. "You know, I've got a nephew back home around the same age."Keith tilted his head, staring up at him. "Why does that matter to me?"At a loss, Lance glanced towards him. All Hunk could do was shrug his shoulders, leaving Lance to awkwardly turn back towards Keith. He might know how to deal with human kids, but he was at a total loss for how to deal with a Galra child. He wished he'd asked Naveera more questions, but in his defense, how was he supposed to know that their resident Galra teammate would shrink back down into the form of a child?Although, with how weird the past several months had been... maybe he should have expected something like this to happen at some point."I thought," Lance began, "-I don't know, that another kid your age would make you happy?""But he's not here. You said so." Keith said, his expression a miniature version of his usual scowl. It was only slightly offset by the fact that he was still hovering as close to Allura as possible, even if he wasn't quite hiding behind her anymore.Shy and precocious. Baby Keith was going to be the death of him."Okay, so you got me there." Lance said, holding up his hands in defeat.Keith huffed slightly, looking pleased with his little victory. It wasn't an expression that lasted long, seeing as it was hard to remain dignified after having your stomach loudly growl. Turning a deep shade of purple, Keith ducked slightly behind Allura again, his gaze rooted to the floor."Sounds like somebody's hungry." Hunk said. "How about it, little guy? You want to come with me to the kitchen, get something to eat?"Keith looked up at him, visibly torn. "I can't. I might get sick.""Oh, I don't think you have to worry about that." Coran assured him. "Like I said, Altean medical technology is nothing to sneeze at!"Keith looked towards Coran, his expression caught between doubt and hope. "I won't get sick?""You won't get sick, I promise." Coran said.Frowning, Keith stared down at his feet, his eyes hidden behind his hair. It occurred to Hunk in that moment how little he actually knew about Keith's childhood. Sure, he knew a lot more about Keith- the real Keith- now than he did back at the Garrison, but he was starting to realize just how little that actually was."Okay," Keith finally said, looking up at Hunk, "-I'll come with you. But only if Alora comes.""Of course." Allura was quick to assure him. "I'm actually feeling a bit peckish myself.""Great!" Hunk clapped his hands, beaming. "I've got a recipe I've been dying to try out."Who knew? Maybe this would be a chance to tackle Keith's broken taste buds. It wasn't every day one of your friends shrunk back down into child size. He wasn't sure what kind of impact it would have when he went back to his normal self, but he was going to make the most of it while he still had the chance.That is- if he managed to survive the trip to the kitchen, which might prove to be just a bit of a challenge. Nothing could have prepared him for Keith holding Allura's hand, and even Allura herself appeared briefly overcome by the gesture.Baby Keith, he swore, was absolutely going to be the death of him."So what do we do now?""I know what I'm going to do." Lance said. "I'm gonna hit the showers."Making a show of crinkling her nose, Pidge grinned. "Gee, and here I thought you'd just continue to stink up the place.""Wha- I do not stink!" Lance bristled, raising the volume again now that Keith was gone. "All I am is just a little sweaty.""If you say so." Pidge shrugged, before totally ignoring Lance and looking towards Coran. "So? What now? You have some way to fix this, right?""I should be able to develop some sort of anti-toxin that should be able to reverse the effects of the rire's noxious gas." Coran said. "It's just a matter of finding the right ingredients and using the right amounts.""That sounds easy." Lance shrugged. "And here I thought this might be like, actual work.""Not that easy, I'm afraid." Coran said. "It will take me at least a quintant to come up with a list of ingredients for the anti-toxin, all of which I'll need to cross check against any known allergies that Kyix has. Which reminds me, we need to contact Kolivan. I'm somewhat concerned some of the things our Galra youngling has said.""Like getting sick?" Pidge asked, her lips twisting in a frown. Honestly, that was bothering her too, even if she struggled to imagine a sick Keith."Indeed." Coran agreed, his expression turning grim. "Depending on the toxin his father used to poison him as an infant, it's possible it could have lasting impacts. It's even possible that Kyix's reaction to the rire's toxin is entirely because of said previous toxin."Pidge grimaced. It was still hard to swallow the fact that Keith's father had gone so far as to poison him, but she knew he hadn't been lying about it. Maybe it was just because she was lucky enough to have such great parents, that she couldn't even imagine someone having a father that was willing to kill them. A parent's duty was to protect and nurture their child- not try and rob them of any future they might have before they could even so much as put up a fight.But if there was anyone she was really mad at, it was Lotor. None of this would have happened without him, and even if he hadn't actively coerced Keith's father into doing what he did, he still had a role in it. He damn well had a hand in this, if what Allura said was true. She wasn't sure if he'd hoped just to take out the black paladin or what, but whatever he was plotting, she wasn't about to let him get away with it.She'd protected him from Lotor once already. She'd protect him again, if need be.She was Keith's family too."Let me help." Pidge said.Coran blinked, then smiled. "Glad to have you on board, Number Five.""I'll help too." Lance chimed in. "You know, after that shower. Unless it's urgent. It's... not urgent, is it?""It shouldn't be." Coran said. "I did detect slightly lower levels of what you humans would call white blood cells, but not to the degree that would be concerning. I wouldn't recommend taking Number Four out of the Castle though, at least not for the time being.""Is something wrong with his immune system?" Pidge asked."It's hard to say." Coran said. "I suspect it would have been much worse when Kyix was actually the age he believes he is, but I'd have to confirm that with Kolivan first. I don't want to risk jumping to any conclusions."Right. That made sense. She still couldn't wrap her head around the idea of a sickly Keith- it seemed so opposite to the Keith she knew. Then again, she hadn't even known he was Galra until like, a month or two ago, so there was apparently a lot about Keith she didn't know."So keep him in the Castle." Lance said. "Got it.""We can discuss exact tasks a bit later on." Coran said. "Both when I have a more concrete plan in mind, and perhaps when the little one is sleeping, just to be on the safe side. Don't want to stress him out anymore than we already have.""Not a fan." Lance muttered, rubbing his hand over where Keith's nubby claws had still managed to scratch up his armor. They'd buff out, but they'd done a surprising amount of damage for such tiny little things.Unable to help herself, Pidge turned towards him with a faint smirk. "So what happened to you being good with kids?"Glaring at her, Lance huffed, folding his arms in front of him. "I'm excellent with children. I can't help it if Baby Keith's a brat.""I think you're just jealous that he's hanging all over Allura." Pidge teased."Wha- I am not!" Lance protested. "He's like six! I am so not jealous of a six year old.""If you say so." Pidge said, arching her brows just to make sure he knew that she didn't buy it. Not that she actually cared about Lance's love life, but it was pretty fun to tease him. It reminded her a bit of that one time Matt had a crush on another boy in his class. She'd gotten so much mileage out of that one."You know what?" Lance asked, holding up his hands. "I'm just going to go."Pidge just shrugged, watching as Lance stomped out. Once he was gone, she turned back towards Coran, pausing to adjust her glasses. "So... get in touch with Kolivan?""That would be the plan, yes." Coran nodded. "With any luck, maybe he can send us an actual Blade to help look after Kyix."Yeah, probably a good idea, Pidge thought to herself. No offense to Allura- or Alora, she guessed- but she wasn't sure how long she could keep up the charade of being a Blade.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Incoming transmission from the Castle of Lions.""Patch it through."Unsure what to expect from the sudden transmission, Kolivan nevertheless found himself surprised that only Coran and the green paladin were present. While it was certainly true that not all transmissions originating from the Castle required all paladins to be present, the Altean princess usually was, however she was nowhere in sight. Given that she had stepped up to fill the role of the currently missing black paladin, this was unexpected, to say the least.The transmission didn't seem urgent, as it hadn't come through the emergency line, and the green paladin had not donned her armor. It should have been reassuring, but it only managed to further confuse him- the paladins were not exactly known for putting out casual calls to the Blade of Marmora.Perhaps they had acquired some new intel, but he would have expected either the princess or Kyix to be present for such an exchange, if not both. Speaking of Kyix, he had been rather quiet these past few quintants, and now he couldn't help but wonder if that was a cause for concern."Ah, Kolivan!" Coran sounded almost chipper, Kolivan noted. "Just the man I wanted to see."Kolivan arched a brow. "Do you have something to report?""You could say that." Pidge said. "We need Keith's medical records."He didn't blink at the use of Kyix's Earth alias, but he did blink at the unexpected request. "Did something happen?""Oh, nothing too serious." Coran was quick to assure him. "Just a minor incident.""Some weird space tree toxin turned him back into a child." Pidge said flatly.In his years with the Blade of Marmora, Kolivan had experienced any number of strange and mystifying events. And yet he still found himself wondering if he had heard the girl right. "I'm sorry- did you say child?""I didn't say chicken." Pidge said, though he had no idea as to what a chicken even was. "It's a long story. Coran can send you the details."Resisting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, Kolivan felt a headache coming on. He knew that Kyix had a knack for getting himself into trouble, but this... this trumped anything that he had done in the past. He certainly was aware that the universe was vast, and that there were any number of strange things out there, but to have himself reduced back into the state of a youngling?And by a tree?That was a first."Where is he?" Kolivan finally asked."He's with Allura and Hunk." Coran said. "It took quite awhile to calm him down."Kolivan's other brow shot up at that. While he would imagine that having been turned back into a youngling certainly would have been upsetting for him, he couldn't imagine Kyix throwing a tantrum, which was what the Altean seemed to suggest."He was upset?" Kolivan inquired."Yeah, that's the other problem." Pidge said. "He doesn't remember us. Allura has it handled for now, but we're not exactly sure how long that will last."Kolivan opened his mouth to ask, before he shut it again. He had heard stories of Alteans having the ability to change their shape and color- Kyix had reported on as much himself. While he doubted that Kyix would calm down just for any Galra, he would likely calm down for a Blade- and there was at least one set of Blade armor on the Castle of Lions. While part of him chafed at the idea of someone wearing it without first going through the trials, he was willing to admit it was probably the smartest call to make in the situation.But the green one had a point- it would only last for so long."I will have our medical staff gather Kyix's information and send it to you." Kolivan said, rising to his feet. "I will go-""Leader," the Blade monitoring the transmission room glanced up at him, slightly shaking their head, "-you have a mission soon."Right. Of course. While he wasn't exactly one to forget his own schedule, he would admit that the unusual turn of events had thrown him slightly. As much as he would like to go himself, he could hardly be absent from his own mission.He quickly ran through a list of available Blades in his head. Regris was free, but they had failed to specify just how young Kyix currently was, and he did not trust the younger Blade with the smaller younglings. Ilun and Vrek had their own young one to deal with, and Naveera had her own responsibilities. Ulaz and Thace would have each been ideal choices, he thought with a pang, wondering what they would have made of this odd situation.Krolia, of course, was completely out of the question."I will send Antok." Kolivan concluded. He should be available, and was familiar enough to Kyix to suffice for the task. "What are your coordinates?""Sending them now." Pidge said.Glancing down towards the communications officer, they gave him a curt nod of their head. Turning back to the screen, Kolivan set his lips in a thin line. "We have received them. Is there anything else?""There is one other thing." Coran said. "Kyix seemed quite worried that he might get sick if he so much as left the infirmary. Any chance you might know what that's about?"Kolivan stiffened, his breath hitching in his throat. The oddity of the situation had distracted him from the possible complications, chief of which was Kyix's own immune system. Depending on how young he currently was, even the slightest of colds could be potentially fatal.That was, of course, depending solely on the idea that Kyix's immune system had been reset alongside his age. The only thing that prevented him from outwardly panicking was the fact that the paladins must have done their own scans, and would have likely picked up on that if that were the case. If that were the case, he sensed this call would have been far more urgent than it was.Letting himself breathe a little, Kolivan gave the Altean a stiff nod of his head. "Kyix's immune system was severely compromised as an infant, so he is likely referring to that. It took considerable time for it to fully recover."Coran and Pidge exchanged a glance, and he didn't miss the anger that flashed through the green paladin's eyes. "It's because of his father, isn't it?"The question caught him by surprise. Kyix had not informed him that he'd spoken to the paladins about his father. He knew it was a sensitive subject for him, and consequently, not one that he liked to talk about.He didn't care much for it either.Shutting his eyes, Kolivan drew in a deep breath. If this was the conversation they would be having, then so be it. Opening his eyes, the Blade leader squared his shoulders. "He was poisoned using the extract of the florness blossom."His words meant nothing to Pidge, but Coran paled. "But that's-""Highly fatal, yes." Kolivan finished, at which point the green paladin did pale. "We keep a small stock of it to use in assassinations. We believe that is where he obtained it from."They also kept a stock of its antidote, in the event that it was used against one of their own. It had saved Kyix's life, though if Krolia had arrived at the base even a few ticks slower, he likely wouldn't have made it. There was a reason the florness blossom was their poison of choice- it was fast-acting enough that in most instances, an antidote could not be obtained in time as the ingredients to make it were rarer than the blossoms themselves.It was an extremely painful poison, producing a sensation of burning in the throat. It also ravaged the immune system- by the time they had gotten the antidote into Kyix, the damage had been done. They could only wait for him to recover on his own.Coran muttered something underneath his breath, something he was fairly confident was an Altean swear far more serious than quiznak. "Perhaps I should do another scan, just in case."Kolivan swallowed back the observation that his first scan was most likely correct. His time leading the Blade had taught him that an abundance of caution certainly never hurt."Antok should be there within a few vargas." Kolivan informed them."We'd offer you the use of a wormhole, but..." Coran trailed off, his meaning clear. With the princess occupied, there was no one to make them."Antok will make haste." Kolivan said simply.Coran nodded. "Good to hear it. I'll go inform Kyix of the good news."Nodding back, Kolivan exchanged a curt farewell with the pair. Once the transmission was cut off, he closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath. This was not a turn of events he had anticipated, but when it came to Kyix, he had since learned to expect the unexpected.But this was unexpected, even for him.Opening his eyes, he looked towards the communications officer. "Speak of this to no one."The Blade gave him a curt nod in response. Whatever else was true, he doubted that Kyix would be capable of piloting the red lion currently. Voltron was in a fragile enough state as it was already, having had next to no time to adjust to having a new leader. Now that they were down a paladin, things would be more difficult than ever. They had to make sure that word of this didn't spread.Especially to those who might find a reazit youngling desirable."You, my friend, are in for a treat."Pursing his lips together, Kyix frowned up at Hunk. He was sitting at the kitchen counter, his tiny legs dangling off one of the chairs, nowhere close to touching the ground. "We're not friends. We just met.""Maybe, maybe." Hunk nodded his head, seemingly unfazed by his statement. "But that doesn't mean we can't be buds."Kyix's frown only deepened, looking thoroughly unconvinced. Allura had to admit, there was something almost endearing to his usual pout when it was cast on features so young. She felt her heart melt just looking at it. She'd never thought about Kyix as a youngling, nor any of the paladins, really, but she had to admit, he was far cuter than she had expected him to be.She only wished she could savor the situation a bit more. As it was, she couldn't help but worry. What if they couldn't find a way to fix this? It wasn't as if she could keep up this charade forever, and they desperately needed a red paladin...She shook the thought off, trying to focus on the here and now. She was certain that Coran would find some kind of solution. If there was a way to turn Kyix into a child, then surely there had to be a way to turn him back.There was a tug on her hood, prompting her to look down. Kyix was staring up at her, his deep set frown still in place."What is it?" Allura asked."You look serious." Kyix told her.Allura blinked, before forcing herself to smile. "Just a bit lost in thought, that's all."Kyix didn't look convinced, but perhaps that was simply his default expression. It certainly had been when he was his natural age, so perhaps he'd just always been that way. She knew very little about Kyix's childhood.She hadn't known very much about him at all up until recently, actually."That's how she always looks, trust me." Hunk said with such sincerity, that for a tick she couldn't help but wonder if that was actually true. Surely she didn't frown that often, did she?"Kolivan says not to trust people you don't know." Kyix insisted, puffing out his cheeks ever so slightly. He was still speaking Galran, but thankfully there seemed to be no further issues with the onboard translators. Either that, or he simply subconsciously remembered more of the paladin's language than he realized.She made a mental note to double down on her efforts to teach the paladins Common, at the very least. Who knew when they might run into a situation like before again, where they were unable to rely on their translators. They were certainly useful, but it was best not to get too dependent on them."And Kolivan is right." Hunk agreed, nodding his head. "But I'm a paladin of Voltron, so you can probably trust me at least a little."Kyix tilted his head, seeming to consider it, before he slowly nodded. "Okay. Can I see your lion?"Hunk must have dealt with children before, because he didn't even blink at the sudden subject change. "Once we're done here, sure. Yellow would love to meet you."Kyix seemed to brighten at that, though he didn't go so far as to actually smile. Instead he kicked his feet, almost seeming to brim with anticipation. Allura found that she couldn't help but smile at the sight of it- it just seemed right that he would be so interested in the lions, even as a child. After all, he was a true natural in the cockpit, something he had proven time and time again."So what is it that you're making, Hunk?" Allura inquired."Oh, I figured I'd just make up something quick." Hunk glanced back at her, but didn't stop mixing together the batter. "And it just so happens that I have all the ingredients for pancakes on hand. So I thought, why not make pancakes?""What's a pancake?" Kyix asked, carefully enunciating every syllable. He seemed to be a little more relaxed now, stretching his arms out across the counter, resting his chin on top of it, cocking his head in Hunk's direction."Only one of the most delicious treats known to man!" Hunk beamed. "You'll love them, trust me."Kyix huffed slightly. "Because you're a paladin?""Yup, exactly." Hunk nodded his head. "Now you're starting to get it."Kyix only huffed again in response, though nevertheless, Hunk seemed to have his full attention. He watched, fascinated, as Hunk heated up a skillet, and carefully began to pour a measured amount of batter into it. Recalling what they had been given to eat during their time on the Blade of Marmora's base, she couldn't help but wonder if this was the first time he would have ever seen anyone actually cook.It was a shame, she couldn't help but think. Before the war began, she had vivid memories of being invited with her parents to many a feast on Daibazaal. She suspected that culinary tradition in the Empire had suffered even worse in the past few centuries- not that she could say much for Altean culinary tradition either. She'd never learned to cook, and though Coran knew how, his taste was... well, there was a reason his paladin lunches had always been so greatly feared by the paladins of old."One piping hot plate of pancakes, fresh off the griddle." Hunk announced, setting down a plate in front of Kyix. "Bon appetit."Lifting his head off the table, Kyix stared down at the plate, giving it a suspicious sniff. He glanced skeptically up towards Hunk, who just beamed at him. Tearing off a tiny piece with one hand, he nibbled on it- and then seemingly lit up, tearing into the rest of the plate."You're not supposed to use your-" Hunk began, only to heave a sigh when he realized that Kyix didn't even seem to be listening to him. "You know what? It's fine, actually."The stack of pancakes was gone in less than a minute, Kyix producing a pleased rumble as he licked his fingers clean. Once finished, he glanced around the table, as if in search of something, clearly not finding it based on the knot of his brow."Is something wrong?" Allura asked."Where's my medicine?" Kyix asked. "I'm supposed to take it after I eat."Allura blinked, staring helplessly up towards Hunk. She hadn't heard anything about any medicine, and they certainly didn't have any."You know, it may be back in the infirmary with Coran." Hunk lied. "Why don't you stay here with All- Alora, and I'll see if I can find it."She merely quirked a brow at his near misstep, though thankfully Kyix didn't seem to notice. "I have to take my medicine. Ulaz says I won't get better if I don't."She tried not to flinch at the mention of Ulaz's name. It struck her then that he had no idea that the Blade was dead. They would have to tread cautiously so as to not upset him."Don't you worry about a thing, buddy." Hunk lied through his teeth, though it was clear to her that he was starting to feel a little anxious. "I'll go and get it right now."With a nod to Allura, Hunk hurried off. She hoped he could find Coran, and that they could come up with some kind of solution. She didn't want to risk giving him medicine he didn't actually need, but hopefully he'd been able to obtain Kyix's medical records from Kolivan, and a placebo could be arranged."Now then," Allura began, smiling at Kyix, "-in the meantime, how about I tell you a story? I bet you've never heard any Altean stories before.""How do you know Altean stories?" Kyix asked, cocking his head.Allura inwardly flinched. "Coran told me them. He can be very chatty."Kyix only nodded, apparently taking her words as sage wisdom. "He looks like it."Allura couldn't help but laugh at that. "Yes, that he does. Now, how would like to hear the story of Oriande, and its lion guardian?""Coran! Oh man, just the man I wanted to see.""Hunk?" Coran frowned. "Is something the matter? We were just about to come find you.""Uh yeah, something's the matter." Hunk said, trying to reign in his internal panic. "Please tell me you talked to Kolivan. And got Keith's medical records.""He's sending them as we speak." Coran informed him.Heaving a breath of relief, Hunk's shoulders slumped. "Good. Because Keith said something about taking medicine after he eats, except we don't have it.""Medicine?" Pidge asked. "What kind of medicine?""I don't know, hence why I'm asking Coran." Hunk huffed. "We lied and told him it was back in the med bay, but I'm pretty sure he's going to notice if I take too long coming back. And I'm pretty sure the last thing we want is a suspicious baby Keith.""Well, the good news is that Antok is on the way." Coran informed him, before glancing down at his wrist device. "And from the look of it, the medical information from Kolivan just arrived. Let me just take a look... ah, here we go!"Coran hummed to himself as he scanned the information, in a way that reminded him of the doctor in charge of his annual physicals back at the Garrison. Except in his case, his hums had always sounded kind of disapproving- or at least, they had always felt that way to him. Coran's were a bit harder to read, which didn't actually make him feel any better.Because nothing about having to take medicine with every meal sounded good to Hunk. And based on the anxious way Pidge was trying to peer at what Kolivan had sent them, he couldn't help but wonder if they'd gotten some bad news from the Blade leader. They didn't seem to be freaking out, which he hoped was a good sign, but honestly, as far as he was concerned, there were no good signs out in space."I do believe this is something I can replicate, and quite easily, too." Coran said. "Or at the very least, a placebo version of it.""Are you sure that's such a good idea?" Pidge asked. "I mean... you heard what Kolivan said.""Mm, his scans didn't show any major signs of trouble." Coran said. "I think it should be alright.""I thought you said his white blood cell count was low." Pidge pointed out."Only slightly." Coran said. "Nothing too concerning. I'll do some more scans to be sure, of course, but I'd rather not give Kyix medicine that he doesn't need.""Okay, hold up," Hunk cut in, holding up his hands, "-is someone going to tell me what's going on here?""What's going on is that Keith's immune system basically didn't even exist as a child, and he didn't even tell us." Pidge said."Well I wouldn't go quite that far," Coran frowned, "-but yes, the aftereffects of florness blossom extract can be quite severe.""Wait, is this because of Keith's dad?" Hunk asked. He didn't know what a florness blossom was, but it sounded pretty related. "Because it sounds like it's because of Keith's dad.""I'm afraid so." Coran shook his head. "Kyix wasn't exaggerating when he said his father fed him a deadly poison. He's just lucky to have survived."Hunk swallowed, positive he'd turned pale. He'd never doubted Keith's claim, but he hadn't known it was that bad. He hadn't mentioned anything about any lasting effects."Okay, so let's just mix up this placebo, and give it to Keith before he starts getting suspicious." Pidge said. "Hunk, why don't you go with Coran? I'll check on Keith and Allura.""Right, yeah, okay." Hunk nodded, still feeling somewhat numb."It'll be alright, lad." Coran reassured him. "Once I whip up that anti-toxin, he'll be back to his old self in no time!""You can fix this?" Hunk asked."Of course, of course!" Coran assured him. "It's a all a matter of finding the right ingredients- in the right amounts, of course. Hopefully we won't need to find anything too rare."Hunk just swallowed. He hoped so too. Keith might be fine for now, but they didn't know for sure if he would stay that way. And frankly, he'd rather not take his chances."Then the great lion- oh, Pidge, there you are!"Pidge frowned slightly, tilting her head. This was such a weird sight."Am I interrupting something?" She asked."I was only just telling Kyix a story to pass the time." Allura said.Judging from the glare Keith was shooting her, she was going to assume that he didn't care for being interrupted. She sort of edged her way around him, part because she hadn't exactly forgotten the earlier fit he'd thrown, and part because she kind of didn't know how to handle children. She was the youngest in her family, and it wasn't like she had any relatives with kids, not like Hunk and Lance did. She just didn't spend that much time around them. What was she going to do, ask someone to borrow their kids?Plus, Keith was Galra. Who knew what kind of differences there were between their two species?Given just how bad Keith's human act had been in hindsight, probably a lot."You don't have to be shy." Allura told her. "I don't think he'll bite.""I might." Keith muttered, presumably under his breath. The translator picked it up anyways.Geez, he was just a real charmer, wasn't he? Hunk seemed to have fallen in love with the little guy, but all she could see were the extremely sharp teeth that flashed whenever he opened his mouth. His claws might only be little baby nubs, but she was willing to bet anything that a bite from those would do some damage."Ran into Hunk in the hall. He and Coran are heading to the med bay to pick up Kei- Kyix's medicine." She said, hastily correcting herself. Using his real name after all this time felt weird. She'd gotten so used to calling him Keith."That's wonderful news." Allura said, picking up on the underlying meaning of her words. If they were getting medicine, then it meant that they had been able to get Keith's medical records.She wished she'd gotten a better look at them- not that it would have done much good. They were all in Galran, and she barely understood Altean. She hadn't exactly wanted to give learning it another try, not after the first time had nearly ended so horribly. Just thinking about it still gave her the shivers."Plus, Kolivan told us that Antok is on his way over." Pidge said.Keith perked up at that, his golden eyes going wide. She swore if he had a tail, he'd be wagging it. "Antok's coming?"Okay, she'd admit it. That was a little cute. He was still on thin ice, though."Said he should be here in a few hours." Pidge said.Keith hopped down from the stool, looking up towards Allura. "Take me there."Allura blinked, staring down at him. "Now?"Keith huffed, crossing his arms impatiently in front of his chest. "Yes.""Like Pidge said, he's not due to arrive for another few vargas." Allura said."So?" Keith huffed. "I want to be there when he comes.""But what about your medicine?" Allura asked. "Hunk said for us to stay right here until he returns. Don't tell me you've forgotten that?"Keith grumbled, staring down at the floor. "Fine."Allura only smiled. "I'm sure it won't be much longer now. Then we can go and wait for Antok.""You sure that's such a good idea?" Pidge asked, casting a pointed glance towards Allura's attire. She didn't know which part was weirder- seeing Allura all purple, or the fact that she was wearing Keith's armor.Allura had the decency to flush, clearing her throat in an attempt to hide it. "I'm sure it will be just fine."Keith stared up at her, a crinkle forming in his brow. "I thought I was free to wander around the ship?"Pidge winced. He must have taken something very different from their exchange. In light of what she had learned from Kolivan, Keith's confusion about being able to leave the med bay made a lot more sense. He might have been sparse on the details, but if the damage to his immune system was as bad as Kolivan made it sound, then she wouldn't be surprised if he had been confined to one throughout most of his childhood, maybe even given a specialized room. She couldn't even imagine what that must have been like, much less that it was Keith it had happened to.He always seemed so... well, healthy. According to Lance, he hadn't been effected in the slightest by the cold that had ripped through the Garrison, so either War of the Worlds had lied to her, or his condition had drastically improved since childhood. She was willing to bet it was the latter."You are, of course." Allura said quickly. "I believe Pidge was just referring to the fact that you've hardly seen any of the Castle yet."Keith chewed on his lip, considering it. She was just amazed he managed not to break the skin."Hunk promised I could see his lion." He finally said. "But then we can go wait for Antok.""You know," Allura began, casting a sly glance in Pidge's direction, "-I'm quite certain Pidge would be more than happy to show you her lion as well.""Wha-" Pidge began, stopping herself short only upon seeing the glimmer in Keith's eyes, at which point she simply forced a sigh, "-oh fine. But only if he promises not to touch anything."Keith nodded eagerly, though somehow she wasn't sure if she believed him or not. Either way, she'd be keeping a close eye on those little hands of his.He had just pulled himself back up on the stool when Hunk returned. He caught a whiff of his scent even before he entered the room. It was kind of weird how familiar it was to him, even though they had basically only just met. Alora had said he'd hit his head, but he didn't think he'd hit it hard enough to lose that many memories.They all smelled kind of familiar, really, now that he'd calmed down a bit. It was weird.Maybe he should have been more suspicious about all this. He hadn't heard anything about the paladins of Voltron being back, much less the Blades teaming up with them. He didn't even think Kolivan even did that kind of thing, but he guessed maybe he was wrong? Alora had said that one of the paladins was a Blade, so maybe that was how they had become allies."Oh hey, see you've been getting some bonding time in with Pidge, great." Hunk beamed. "Got your medicine."Kyix made a slight face at the sight of the vial. He didn't like taking his medicine, but he knew he needed it. He used to have to take it a lot more often, and eagerly looked forward to the day when he wouldn't have to take it at all anymore. He hoped it was soon- Ulaz had said he was getting better.Maybe that was why he was here- to get better. Honestly, just being outside of the infirmary made him nervous, but he wasn't about to pass up the chance to explore. And to see two of the lions of Voltron? He'd never get a chance like this again. As excited as he was for Antok to come, he might have him confined back to the infirmary again.But he didn't want to go back to the infirmary. He was tired of the infirmary. Even if this was a new infirmary, it didn't change the fact that it was one. Everyone always told him these amazing stories about the world outside the infirmary walls, and while he knew he had to be good, or he'd get sick and then maybe never get better, he still couldn't help but long for a taste of that.Extending his hand, he muttered a half-hearted thank you to Hunk under his breath. The yellow paladin merely smiled, carefully placing the vial into his hands. He scrunched his nose at the gray goop, already tasting its nasty aftertaste. It never got any better."Did Coran not accompany you?" Alora inquired, peering behind Hunk."He said he had some stuff to take care of." Hunk shrugged.Kyix frowned, shifting in his seat. Uncorking the vial, he took a sniff of its contents. It didn't smell any different from what he was used to, so he downed it in one big gulp.Yup. Yucky."That does not look like it tasted good." Hunk observed. "Want some water to wash it down?"Kyix nodded, eagerly accepting the glass Hunk handed him. He drank it down, until he couldn't taste the medicine anymore. Heaving a sigh, he set the glass down, peering up at the pair of paladins. They looked... odd. They had no claws or fangs to defend themselves with, and the green one was tiny. Maybe she was aket too.Alora didn't have claws or fangs either, but he was pretty sure she was just mixed, like Naveera and Regris. There were a lot of Blades like that. Thace had once told him that it was hard for those of mixed blood to live in the Empire, so a lot of them ended up drifting away from it if they could. Some of them ended up joining the Blade, others just ended up as mercenaries, and others......they were recruited by Prince Lotor."Better?" Hunk asked.Kyix blinked, looking up at Hunk with a jolt. Hastily nodding, he tried not to think about Lotor. He sort of knew that his dad had done something bad for the prince once, and that was why some Blades didn't like him, but he didn't know the details. He wasn't sure he wanted to know."So," Hunk began, beaming broadly, "-how about we go check out Yellow, huh?""Can Alora come?" Kyix asked, glancing over towards the Blade. He didn't know her either, but he was just more comfortable with another Galra around."Of course I can." Alora told him with a smile. "I'm sure Pidge would love to come as well."For her part, Pidge just shrugged. "I mean, I did promise to show you the green lion.""And hey, maybe if we run into Lance, he can show you the blue lion!" Hunk said.Kyix just crinkled his nose at the offer. "No thanks."He wanted to see the blue lion too, but he didn't think he liked Lance. He was too noisy. Hunk and Pidge were much better, even if Hunk talked a lot.Pidge snorted, ducking her head to badly hide her grin. Hunk just glared at her, elbowing her lightly in the side. She didn't look remorseful at all."In that case," Alora interrupted before either could say anything, sharply clearing her throat, "-why don't we head down to see the yellow lion?"Kyix nodded his head, jumping down off the stool. Extending a hand, he waited patiently for Alora to take it. She did so without a fuss, though he swore he heard Hunk make a gushy-sounding noise behind them. It wasn't that he needed her to hold his hand or anything, he just didn't want to get lost. The Castle looked big, that was all.It definitely wasn't because he was just as nervous as he was excited to be in a new place. Not a chance. He might not be one yet, but one day he'd be a Blade too, and Blades were brave. They didn't get scared, and neither did he."Oh man, you're going to love Yellow." Hunk promised him, taking the lead. "He's the best."Kyix pursed his lips, wondering how a spaceship could be the best. He knew the stories said that they were kind of alive, but he didn't see how that could be true. He knew Thace had a favorite ship that he was the most fond of and flew all the time, so maybe it was like that? Maybe the paladins just got really attached to their lions."I don't know, Hunk," Pidge said, a sly smile spreading across her face, "-I'm pretty sure Kyix would like the red lion the best."Alora's grip tightened slightly on his hand, prompting Kyix to look up. She was shooting Pidge a glare, for reasons he didn't understand. Wasn't the red lion the one the Blade pilot flew? He really wanted to meet them, but Alora had said that he was away on a mission right now. Maybe she just didn't think it was a good idea to show off his lion to someone while he was gone? That made sense.But then... why would he have left, and not taken his lion?Maybe it was a Blade mission, so he couldn't. Maybe the lions were too flashy."I think two lions in one day will be quite enough." Alora said."Fine, suit yourself." Pidge just shrugged. "Anyways, Hunk's wrong. The green lion is the best lion, trust me.""You just say that because that's your lion." Hunk pointed out."Yeah, but so are you." Pidge countered.Hunk considered it, before spreading his hands in defeat. "Okay, so you've got me there. I'm pretty sure we'll all biased about which lions we like best."Kyix listened to them talk amongst themselves about their lions, mostly staying quiet. He felt a little bad about almost scratching them earlier. Now that he'd calmed down, he actually didn't feel too out of place here, which was weird, but whenever he tried to think about it too hard, he started to get a bit of a headache.All such thoughts were pushed aside when he laid eyes on the yellow lion, however.It was big. A lot bigger than he had expected. Letting go of Alora's hand, he took a few steps forward before he stopped, just staring up at it in awe. It somehow looked kind, though he wasn't sure how."You wanna go inside?" Hunk asked.Nodding his head, Kyix stared up at him with wide eyes. "Yes."Hunk just beamed, turning to look up towards his lion. Kyix watched in amazement as the lion began to lower itself, seemingly without anyone to pilot it, opening up it's great jaws to reveal an entrance ramp. Hunk beamed even brighter, taking a few steps forward before signaling for him to follow.Kyix did, so quickly that he nearly stumbled over his own feet. He hesitated slightly just outside the lion, but it felt so comforting that he quickly got over his apprehension and joined Hunk inside. The yellow lion came to life around them, the hallways growing just bright enough for its paladin to see, but not bright enough to blind him."So, what do you think?" Hunk asked. "Pretty neat, huh?"Neat, Kyix thought, didn't even begin to describe it.They spent the next half varga inside the yellow lion, listening to Kyix ask questions, and Hunk answer. All of his earlier shyness had melted away, giving way to unbridled curiosity that frankly lifted her heart to see, something she direly needed.Pidge had pulled her aside to brief her on the details of her conversation with Kolivan. They were... concerning, to say the least. She'd heard how deadly the poison made from the extract of the florness blossom could be, so to think that it had been used on a child- an infant, no less- it truly was nothing short of a miracle that Kyix was still alive.It only made her revile his father even more.But seeing Kyix so bright and cheerful took some of the edge of her worries. She was certain that Coran's initial scan hadn't been wrong, and that whatever weakness had plagued him throughout childhood was not present now. After all, his body hadn't gone back in time, only shrunk- the peach colored splotches on his hand were proof enough of that.Which incidentally, he'd yet to ask about. She wondered if it was because on some subconscious level, it didn't surprise him that it was there.Heaving a slight sigh, she hoped that Coran could figure out this anti-toxin he'd mentioned to Pidge and Lance soon. She knew she could keep up her chameleon act for however long it was needed, but she did feel kind of strange about borrowing Keith's armor like this. She made a mental note to clean it thoroughly before she gave it back, and secretly hoped that when he went back to normal, he wouldn't remember a thing.It had been something of an impulsive decision on her part, she'd admit. But seeing as it had produced results, it had been a good one. At any rate, she need only stick with it until Antok arrived, at which point he could take over."Psst," Hunk said in a hushed tone, using his head to point towards the pilot's chair, "-guys. Check it out."Allura blinked, tilting her head so that she could get a better look. Curled up in the chair was Kyix, who appeared to be fast asleep. Clearly, the day had gotten to him."I'm guessing no green lion tour then." Pidge remarked."Nope, looks like it's nap time." Hunk whispered."Perhaps we should move him to somewhere more comfortable." Allura suggested.Pidge just stared at her, raising his brows. "You want to move Keith? While he's sleeping?""Nope, not it." Hunk said, backing away from the chair like it contained some kind of vicious monster, and not a slumbering child he was nearly twice the size of."Oh please," Allura rolled her eyes, "-it will be fine."She'd heard the stories, of course- that Kyix could be violent when awoken. But somehow, she didn't anticipate that being a problem, at least, not at the moment.Sure enough, when she moved to scoop Kyix off, he barely even stirred. Using one arm to steady his head, she tucked another underneath his legs, bringing him close to her chest. She had vague memories of her father holding her the same way, after she'd tired herself out after a long day of lessons- or avoiding them, as the case was sometimes.Kyix produced a soft sound, before burying his head into her shoulder. Turning back towards Hunk and Pidge, she merely arched a brow, daring them to say anything."Okay." Hunk said, holding up his hands in defeat. "Point taken.""Come on then." Allura said, keeping her voice low so as to not disturb Kyix. "I'll need a few more hands if I'm to make the infirmary a bit more comfortable."Exchanging a glance, Pidge and Hunk merely shrugged.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
If he wasn't seeing it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed it.He knew what Kolivan had told him, but he half hadn't believed his leader. Kyix, turning into a youngling? Something like that would be a first, even for him. But there was absolutely no mistake. The youngling that had all but thrown himself into his arms could only be Kyix."Antok!" Kyix cried, nuzzling him in an affectionate manner, heedless of the fact that they were not alone in the hangar. "You came!""Of course, youngling." Antok said, quickly recovering from his shock. A Blade must be prepared for anything, no matter how... strange. "I made haste."He'd nearly forgotten how tiny Kyix had been as a proper youngling. He was still tiny now, but he'd grown to the point where he was slightly less concerned about someone of his size taking part on missions. He wondered if Eira would be this small when she grew to this age. She was even smaller than Kyix was as an infant, and it worried him terribly. If it had not been for his timely intervention, she would have been dead already, discarded for not meeting the criteria of the Empire.Now she was alone, an orphan. Naveera was pushing him to formally adopt her, but he didn't know. After he had lost both his child and his partner over the course of a few short deca-phoebs, he was not so certain about trying to raise another. He'd even nearly died at the hands of the druids, only Kyix's strange possessed scribbling standing between him and certain death. He couldn't say for sure that it wouldn't happen again, and that he'd be half as lucky this time. The scribble was gone now, after all.And she was just so small.Kyix ceased his nuzzling, peering up at him with curious eyes. "Are you okay?"Antok huffed, dissolving his mask and giving him a proper smile. He'd always been perceptive of their moods. "Quite fine, youngling. How are you?""Fine." Kyix said, then frowned. "Did you come to make me stay in the infirmary again? The paladins said I won't get sick, and I'm still taking my medicine, so do I really have to?"Antok fought the urge to arch his brow at the claim that he was still taking his medicine, paying full attention to the paladins for the first time since landing. He could almost smell their nerves, especially from their newly minted black paladin, even if she didn't show it on her face. He made sure to stare at her for longer than was absolutely necessary, before pointedly glancing down at her very borrowed armor, delivering an amused smirk. Kolivan had briefed him on the way here, but seeing the Altean princess' attempt at masquerading as a Blade was nevertheless quite hilarious.To her credit, she barely even flinched.But, back to the question asked."If the paladins say it is alright," Antok began, "-then it is alright."Kyix didn't even attempt to conceal his excitement, to which he couldn't help but feel a stab of regret. At this age, Kyix had still been confined to the infirmary, and while he knew it had been absolutely necessary, he'd always felt badly about it. Kyix had never complained about it, but seeing his excitement now, it dawned on him that he'd been attempting to be considerate.Of course he was. What youngling wouldn't want to go out and play?Allura cleared her throat, seemingly over her fit of nerves. "It is good to see you again, Antok. Can I ask how long it is you'll be planning to stay?"She was speaking Old Galran, he noted- and with surprisingly little accent. She had clearly been taught well. As to be expected of a race that had once taken great pride in being known as diplomats- they didn't allow themselves to grow complacent on translators.Antok considered it. Kolivan had given him no timeline, which meant he could stay as long as he liked. But there was still a war to be fought, and so..."Until the red paladin returns." He finally concluded. Kyix's situation was the entire reason he had been summoned to the Castle at this busy time. It was only right that he stay until its conclusion."How long is that?" Kyix asked, tilting his head."It is difficult to say." Allura said truthfully. "His mission is quite complicated. It could take some time to complete.""Oh." Kyix frowned, trying to grasp just what that meant. "So he might be here for awhile?"Allura merely nodded in confirmation, prompting Kyix's expression to brighten. It sunk in that he had no idea that he was the red paladin. His memories truly had been suppressed then, just as Kolivan had warned him. As fascinating as this situation was, he hoped that it could be reversed quickly- both for Kyix's sake, and for the sake of the universe. Without a red paladin, they would be unable to form Voltron- if they were even still capable of it, now that they had a different paladin in the black lion. As of yet, it hadn't been attempted."For awhile, perhaps." Antok said, glancing over towards the rest of the paladins. "Now, why don't you see if any of the paladins wish to play with you? I have much to discuss with-""Alora!" The blue paladin suddenly called out. "I'll watch him!"Antok arched his brow, but nevertheless picked up on the reason for the blue paladin's sudden interruption. So not only had the princess borrowed Kyix's armor- and blade, he noted, with a slight amount of disdain, only tempered by the fact that he would have done the same under the circumstances- she had also come up with an alias. Not a particularly convincing alias- Alora was certainly a name of Galra origin, but it had fallen out of fashion after Zarkon had begun his campaign of conquest, for rather... obvious reasons.If there was one thing the Emperor loathed, it was being reminded of Altea."-with Alora." Antok finished, allowing his tail a slight twitch with which to display his amusement.Kyix frowned, his brows knitting together. "I thought we could play together.""And so we shall." Antok promised him. "But the adults must first discuss things between themselves. And you know how boring that is."Kyix made a face. "You never talk about anything interesting."Antok simply laughed, carefully setting down the shrunken Blade. "Go on then. To the blue one.""But I don't like the blue one." Kyix complained. "He's so noisy.""Wha-!" The blue paladin's voice hit a rather impressive high note, doing nothing to disprove Kyix's compliant. "I'm not noisy.""You literally just screeched about not being noisy." Pidge pointed out."Hey," Lance glowered at the green paladin, "-whose side are even you on, Pidge?"Sharply clearing her throat, Allura stared rather intensely at the pair. They both flinched, childish argument brought to a swift halt. Antok had to admit, he was impressed. It could not be easy reigning in the paladin's more childish antics when she was but a youngling herself, but she seemed to do a fine job."Right." Allura said. "I'm certain Pidge and Hunk would be more than happy to join the two of you while Antok and I talk about important matters."Pidge's eyes went wide. "But I was going to check the data from the prison satellite again!""Haven't you checked that data like, a thousand times already?" Lance asked. "I think if you were going to find something, you'd have found it already.""Lance." Allura said sharply, before heaving a sigh, looking back over towards the green paladin. "You did promise to show Kyix the green lion."Kyix perked up at that, before shooting Pidge a dirty look. It would probably be more effective as a glower were he his normal height. "You did promise me that.""Yeah, Pidge, you promised." Lance chimed in.Pidge glared at Lance, before grumbling. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."Kyix frowned, tilting his head, before he just seemed to shrug, the promise of being able to see a Voltron lion apparently winning out over any other apprehensions he might have. Antok felt a bitter smile touch his lips, recalling the way his brother had enthralled the youngling with his stories about the paladins of old and their mighty lions. Asnik always did have a way with words.Now he was dead and gone too.Kyix had been the one to bring his blade back to him. It still hung on his wall, alongside that of his partner's, a silent testament to the dangers that they faced as Blades. One day soon, he hoped he would be able to pass his brother's blade on to the newest generation, but until then, it would remain there, dim as the day he had been given it.Once they were gone, Allura breathed a slight sigh of relief. Without a word, she returned to her natural form, eying him with a wariness that he knew did not stem from her complex feelings towards the Galra."I must apologize." She said. "He reacted poorly. This was the only way I could think of to get him to calm down."Antok merely huffed. "So Kolivan informed me. How is he?""Kyix?" Allura frowned, glancing towards the hangar doors. "Other than the obvious, he seems to be doing just fine. Only he doesn't remember us."Antok nodded, taking that to mean there were no pressing concerns in regards to his immune system. That had been his key worry, but he was certain the paladins would have done thorough scans, and were unlikely to have missed anything truly critical.So instead, he turned to the more pressing topic at hand- how this had happened. "Kolivan mentioned something about a tree?""The rire." Allura almost grimaced. "It seems to be the cause of all of this. I watched it turn a Galra commander to dust on Caligo, so I suppose in that sense, we are actually quite fortunate."Antok's expression took a shift for the grave. He had not heard of this rire before, but it sounded alarming. "Are you sure he is in no danger?""None that we can tell." Allura said. "But Coran is keeping a close eye on the situation. Thankfully, with the information you provided, he should be close to creating an antidote."Antok felt himself exhale. "Then it can be fixed?""He seems confident that it can." Allura said. "I can only hope the ingredients will prove simple to gather.""You can count on my aid." Antok told her.Looking up at him, the princess gave him a grateful smile. "Thank you. We may need it. I don't believe this is an act I can continue for very long.""It was certainly quite the sight." Antok said. "I had heard that Alteans were natural shapeshifters, but I never thought I would have the chance to see it for myself."He didn't mention that he had heard it from Kyix. He wouldn't be surprised if the princess still had some lingering resentment over the fact that he had been their spy. Best not to stir up any unneeded tensions, not if they were going to work together to fix this."Yes, well," Allura said, the faintest pink tint gracing her cheeks, "-I hardly expected to use it this way myself.""It was quick thinking." Antok said, before sparing a glance down at her borrowed armor. "Though I'm not sure if Kyix would necessarily approve."Allura grimaced. "I will have to apologize to him once this all is over. Assuming he remembers, of course.""Ah yes," Antok hummed in agreement, "-there is that."For Kyix's sake... he hoped he did not. The embarrassment might actually break him, in a way that even his trials had not."Come," Allura said, "-Coran is waiting for us on the bridge. With any luck, he'll have that antidote list ready for us.""Remember- don't touch anything."Kyix huffed, crossing his arms in front of him. "I said I wouldn't."Pidge just stared at him, disbelief transparent in her gaze. He just narrowed his eyes, biting back a comment that he wasn't a baby, he knew how to follow orders.Mostly.Though its paladin was more reluctant than Hunk was to let him inside their lion, he found the green lion to be almost as welcoming as the yellow lion had been. He swore he could feel it prod at him curiously, something that he scrunched up his nose at. He hadn't thought about it when he'd been in the yellow lion, but it sort of felt like he could sense them a little. Maybe this was that reazit thing his mother and Kolivan would sometimes talk about.He didn't know much about it. All he knew was that some Galra were born special, and that he was one of them. His grandma had been reazit too, but he'd never met her, since she'd died before he was even born. His mom said he was sensitive to quintessence, and that it was an impressive talent, but he didn't think so. All it ever did was give him a headache.The lions were different, though. The green lion might be curious, but it still felt safe, almost as safe as the yellow lion had. It had been so comforting that he'd let his guard down without thinking, and before he knew it, he'd fallen asleep. Just thinking about it caused his cheeks to heat up- he didn't even know these people. For all he knew, this could just be one big trick. Since when did the Blade of Marmora have allies?Then again, Antok was here now, and Antok was Kolivan's right hand. He wouldn't have sent him if this was all some kind of trick, right?Maybe he was just overthinking things. But it just felt like... he didn't know. That something was out of place. He just didn't know what.Maybe it was just because he wasn't used to the Castle yet. Yeah, that was probably it.He only sort of listened to Pidge ramble off a bunch of facts about the green lion. Most of it wasn't even interesting anyways. He'd been under the impression that she was a kid too, like him, but maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe she was an adult, and humans just came in really small sizes. He couldn't see any other reason why she would be telling him about something as boring as fuel cells.To his side, Lance loudly yawned. "Boring."Snapping her mouth shut, Pidge gave the blue paladin a slight frown. "What did you say?""I said you're being boring." Lance repeated himself. "Come on, Pidge, he's like six. He doesn't care about all this science stuff."Kyix frowned, glancing suspiciously up towards Lance. They were actually agreeing about something? That didn't sound right."Well what do you think he cares about, then?" Pidge asked."I don't know, lasers and stuff?" Lance suggested. "You like lasers, right?"Slowly, Kyix nodded. He did like lasers- he just didn't want to look too eager to agree with Lance."See?" Lance beamed, triumphant. "Hey, maybe we should take old Greenie here out, show off your vine laser. I bet Kei- Kyix would love it."Perking up at Lance's suggestion, the blue paladin's slipup with his name went almost completely without notice. It was the second time someone had started to mess it up, but who cared about that when the offer to fly in one of the Voltron lions was on the table."Uh, Lance?" Hunk chimed in. "You heard Coran. Kyix can't leave the Castle."Kyix's smile almost instantly dropped. Oh. Right. He did hear someone say something like that earlier. He was free to roam around- but only in the confines of the Castle."It'll be fine." Lance said. "We'd just be going out for a quick spin. We'd be back before anyone even noticed we were gone."Kyix found himself nodding eagerly. If he was well enough to leave the infirmary, then he had to be well enough to leave the ship for at least a little while, right? Besides, he'd be in the lion the whole time, so it wasn't like he'd be going to visit a planet or anything like that. And he really wanted to find out what this vine laser did."Yeah, I'm with Hunk on this one." Pidge said. "I don't think that's a good idea."Kyix's expression fell yet again. Crossing his arms tightly in front of him, he glowered down at the floor. What was the point of him even being here if he couldn't even fly in one of the lions? He never got the chance to do anything fun.Hunk seemed to notice, reaching down to ruffle his headfur. "Sorry, buddy. Maybe another time."Kyix didn't respond, just kept staring at the floor. It wasn't just fun things- nobody ever let him do anything. Antok had even said he wasn't sick anymore! What was the point of being better if he didn't get the chance to even do anything?At this rate, he'd never get the chance to be a real Blade.Hunk exchanged a glance with Pidge, the green paladin just shrugging her shoulders. Heaving a sigh, Hunk removed his hand from his head."I mean, we could still show you around the rest of the Castle?" He offered. "You know, if you wanted.""No thanks." Kyix said, keeping his tone curt. "Just take me back to the infirmary.""Are you sure?" Hunk asked. "Because we could still-""I'm sure." Kyix cut him off, not caring how rude he was being. No one was around to lecture him for it anyways- except the paladins he guessed, but he didn't see any reason why he should listen to them. Antok was busy talking with Alora, and it didn't sound like there were any other Blades on the ship, beyond the red paladin, who wasn't even here."Okay." Hunk said. "If that's what you want.""I do."Kyix sulked as they lead him out of the green lion, staring at his feet the entire time. He'd been so good all this time, he didn't understand why he couldn't have just this one thing. Everyone always told him to be patient, but he'd been patient. He was tired of being patient! Everyone was out there, risking their lives in the fight against the Empire, and all he was doing was sitting around, studying and listening to stories. He couldn't even train like a real Blade could.Maybe he just wasn't meant to be a Blade."Pidge, Hunk," Alora's voice suddenly came over the ship's intercoms, "-can the two of you come to the bridge, please?""We're on our way." Pidge said, before glancing over towards Lance with a slight grin. "Sounds like you're still on babysitting duty."Kyix jerked his head up, momentarily forgetting he was sulking. "I'm not a baby!" He blurted out. "And I don't want to be sat on!"Lance snorted, before letting out a bark of laughter. "You think- oh man, that's too funny, mullet."Kyix blinked, tilting his head. "Mullet?"The paladins all flinched, Pidge glaring at Lance like he'd said something he wasn't supposed to. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes, that strange feeling of something being out of place coming back. Maybe he wasn't just overthinking things- maybe there really was something going on here that he didn't know about.And what even was a mullet?"Lance just likes giving people weird nicknames." Pidge said. "Right, Lance?""Uh... yeah!" Lance said quickly, only to then frown, glancing down at Pidge. "Wait. What do you mean, weird?""Uh, you guys," Hunk cut in, "-not to interrupt, but we do kind of need to get to the bridge. I don't want to keep All- Alora waiting."Pidge grimaced, clearly not keen on doing that. "Good point. Lance do you...?""Trust me, I have things plenty handled here." Lance promised her- although somehow, Kyix didn't get the impression that she actually believed him.Still, after a hasty goodbye to him, Pidge and Hunk made their way out of the green lion's hangar. He watched them go, his earlier bad mood all but forgotten, replaced with curiosity. He should feel a lot more worried that he was being kept in the dark about something, but for some reason... he didn't know. Once he'd actually let himself relax somewhat in their presence, there was definitely something almost familiar about the paladins. He just wasn't sure what it was.Maybe he really had hit his head and scrambled his memories, just like Alora said he had. Maybe he already knew them, and they were just acting like it was the first time they'd met to be nice.He frowned a little at the thought. If he'd really forgotten them, didn't make him the bad one? Shouldn't they be mad at him?"You know," Lance began, an almost sly grin on his face, "-with Pidge and Hunk gone, there's nothing stopping us from going on that space ride.""Space ride?" Kyix asked, blinking."You, me, the blue lion." Lance told him, kneeling down so that they could see eye to eye. "How about it? Blue's got a pretty cool freeze ray I could show you."Instantly, Kyix perked up, all other thoughts forgotten. Was he saying-?"You'll take me out in your lion?" Kyix blurted out, then flinched, glancing around the hangar like he expected someone to have overheard him. "I thought you weren't supposed to.""Well," Lance's grin just grew, "-what they don't know won't hurt them, right?"Kyix beamed, eagerly nodding his head. Of course he wanted to go out in a lion. Why would he ever say no to that?Maybe he'd been too hasty in judging Lance.You know, tiny baby Keith was actually starting to grow on him. Now that he wasn't hissing at him from underneath a table and trying to scratch his eyes out, he had to admit that the little guy was actually pretty cute.You know, in that weird, totally precocious kind of way. Though, honestly- Keith? Precocious? Totally made sense. What didn't make sense was just how fluffy he was. He only had the fur on his head, but it was like a fluffy little mane- it actually managed to make the mini-mullet look almost cute.Honestly, how the heck did Galra even grow up to be so big and intimidating when they started out this small and fluffy? Okay, to be fair, he'd seen a grand total of like, two Galra children now, and one of them was just a shrunken Keith, but still- how? Did Kolivan and Antok use to be this tiny? Sendak? Zarkon?Oh man, baby Zarkon. That was such a weird thought. Were they positive that he'd actually been born, or had he just sprouted from the earth, fully formed and ready to conquer the universe? He had a few GAC he was willing to bet on the latter."And this," Lance said, focusing back on his chosen task of keeping tiny mullet entertained, "-is the freeze ray!"Keith's eyes went wide as he used the blue lion's freeze ray on a piece of space debris. He couldn't help but feel a little smug. Who knew all he'd needed to do to get mullet to think he was cool was to shrink him down to the size of a toddler?"Pretty cool, right?" Lance grinned.Keith just frowned, tilting his head back so that he could get a better look at him. "Of course it's cool. It's ice.""That's not what I-" Lance began, before he just shrugged. If regular Keith was bad at picking up on figures of speech, then it was only fair to expect the same of baby Keith, just worse. "You know what? Nevermind."Keith's frown deepened slightly, before he shrugged it off, staring back out the window. "So what else can it do?""Uh, not it," Lance corrected him, "-she."Keith peered up at him, cocking his head slightly to one side. "It's a girl?""Mm-hm." Lance hummed, lightly stroking the blue lion's controls. "She sure is. Why, do you think that's weird or something?"Keith seemed to consider it, before shaking his head. "No. It feels right."Lance cocked a brow at that, but chose not to ask. He already knew that Keith had some kind of weird sixth sense or whatever, so there was no reason to think that whatever that weird tree toxin had done to him would have gotten rid of it. Guess maybe it let him sense lions that weren't his own. That would explain how he'd been able to sense the blue lion out in the desert.He frowned a bit at that, wondering if sensing them was all he could do. What if he could fly them too? Allura had said that they had all been chosen by their lions, but now Shiro was gone, and she was flying the black lion. Could multiple people fly the lions? Or was it just people like Allura, who had special quintessence powers who could fly a lion that already had a paladin?Or maybe... was Shiro like... gone, gone?Nope. Nun-uh. He wasn't going to think about that today, no sir. He'd come out here to show off and have fun, not to dwell on whether or not their fearless leader was dead. Besides, if Shiro was dead, he would have left a body, right?Right?"Well," Lance began, shoving those thoughts aside as hastily as possible, "-she has a pretty cool sonic cannon too, but it's not exactly an explode-y type laser or anything like that. It mostly just disrupts sensors and giant brainwashing sea serpents. You know, stuff like that.""You've fought a sea serpent?" Keith asked."Sure have." Lance preened. "Saved a bunch of cute mermaids too. Even got a kiss from one."Keith just made a slight face at that, sticking out his tongue. Right. Should have figured the six year old probably wouldn't be much into romance. His nephew was exactly the same.Although... come to think of it, what was Galra romance even like? He knew it had to exist- maybe not in the Empire, sure, an oppressive militaristic regime didn't exactly seem like it was the best place to find your soulmate, but the Blades? They probably had romance, right? I mean, they had babies after all, and he was pretty sure that Keith had said that Ilun and Vrek were partnered, which had to be Galra for married.Ugh, now he was super curious. Too bad the only person around he could ask was Keith. Somehow he got the feeling that even at his normal age, he wasn't that big into romance.He guessed he could ask Antok, but... yeah, not gonna happen. The guy was like, twice his size, if not more. What if he said the wrong thing? What if he pissed him off and he challenged him to a match like Keith had challenged Allura? Because not to sell himself short, but he would almost definitely die if that happened."Yeah, I guess that's a bit above your age level." Lance said. "So, what do you want to do now? We probably have a little while longer before anyone notices we're gone so-"He was cut short by the proximity alarm going off. Seconds later, a Galra cruiser made the jump out of hyperspeed almost right on top of them.Oh man, this was so not good.Allura looked up as Hunk and Pidge entered the bridge, briefly checking behind them to ensure that there were no unexpected tagalongs. She'd yet to resume her disguise, so it would have been a bit of problem if Kyix were trailing along behind them. Thankfully, it seemed that Lance was keeping his earlier promise, and the shrunken red paladin was nowhere to be found."I trust there were no issues in getting away?" Allura inquired nevertheless."Nope." Pidge said. "Lance said he'd keep an eye on Keith. Guess you got tired of being purple, huh?""It has been quite some time since I've had to change my shape for so long." Allura admitted. "I'm afraid that I am somewhat out of practice.""Huh," Pidge said, arching her brows, "-wouldn't have noticed."Allura just smiled at her, before looking towards Coran. "Well, the good news is that I shouldn't have to for much longer. Coran thinks he's come up with an antidote.""Hey, that's great!" Hunk beamed."Of course, we still need a few key ingredients." Coran said. "With Lance busy with Kyix, we'll be counting on the two of you to help with that.""Please just tell me we don't have to go into another weblum." Hunk said, grimacing at the memory."No, no weblums this time." Coran said, twirling one end of his mustache. "I've taken the liberty of transmitting the list to your personal devices. I've highlighted the ones you're in charge of in your lion's colors. Antok and Allura will handle the most difficult ones."Allura watched as the two paladins dug into their pockets, pulling out the rectangular devices they called phones. They seemed to be the main method of communication on their planet. Shortly after departing Arus, Pidge had modified them so that they could be used this far out in space, connecting them both to the Castle and to each other. Lance had one too, though neither Shiro nor Kyix did.She frowned slightly at the thought of Shiro. Not for the first time, she wished he were here. She was almost positive he would have been able to calm Kyix without resorting to deception as she had. The two clearly had a deep bond between them, a strong friendship that was almost like family.Not just with Kyix, either. Shiro had served as a strong glue, one that kept the team together, regardless of the circumstances that they faced. It was a valuable asset to have as the black paladin, and she only hoped that she would be able to live up to it, however (hopefully) temporary her position might be. She didn't feel as if she'd gotten off to the greatest of starts, but the black lion had chosen her for a reason. She just had to have confidence in that."This doesn't look too hard." Pidge said, studying the list."Speak for yourself." Hunk frowned. "Coran has me climbing a mountain.""I'll have you know that Mount Lonmagnus is absolutely lovely this time of year." Coran said."And yet, it's still a mountain." Hunk said."I'm certain you will be just fine, Hunk." Allura assured him. "Coran wouldn't have chosen it if he didn't think you could handle it."Glancing over towards her, Hunk gave her a faint smile. She smiled back, before her gaze flicked towards Antok. They would be working together to fetch a fair number of the items on Coran's list. He had been silent for most of their conversation, but she was beginning to suspect that the one-eyed Galra simply didn't talk much. He'd asked very few questions during his briefing with Coran, simply nodding along to let him know he was still listening.Still, she was starting to understand why Kolivan trusted him as his right hand. At the same time, there was something about his hulking, looming presence that brought with it a sense of unease. She couldn't help but think about the last time a Galra of his size had been in the Castle, and everything that had unfolded after.But it was just a feeling. A reminder of old times, nothing more. She'd yet to tackle her complicated feelings for the Galra Emperor- or Honerva, for that matter, if that truly was the true identity of Zarkon's witch Haggar. She kept putting it off, attempting to convince herself that she didn't need to think about the past, and instead just focus on the present. Regardless of what they might have once been to her, now they were nothing more than monsters.Zarkon, at least, she hoped was dead."Are you sure we don't need Lance for this?" Pidge asked."Someone needs to stay and look after Kyix." Allura said. "It might as well be Lance, seeing as he volunteered.""Don't you worry." Coran said. "I'll be around to make sure they don't get into too much trouble while you're gone."She swore Antok chuckled, a deep sound emanating from the bottom of his throat. "Do not underestimate Kyix's ability to find trouble. It is his greatest skill.""Even better than being a pilot?" Hunk asked."Yes." Antok answered. "Kolivan has always said that he fears one day the youngling will turn the rest of his fur white.""That sounds like Keith, alright." Pidge said."Paladins-" Allura began, about to chide them for losing focus, only to be cut off by the Castle's proximity alarm. Sharply pivoting on her heel, she brought it up on screen in a flash, narrowing her eyes as she read it over."A Galra cruiser just came out of hyperspeed not far from our location." Allura informed them. "We should make preparations to escape. We can't afford to get into a fight with the Galra Empire right now."She hoped it was just a coincidence. They were several galaxies away from Caligo right now- after they'd gotten onboard the Castle, and confirmed that Kyix wasn't in any immediate danger, she had quickly wormholed them away in case Lotor decided to send more Galran forces after them. She'd thought they'd escaped pursuit, but what if she had been mistaken?A single cruiser they might be able to handle, but she didn't want to fight if they didn't have to. They needed to be focusing on curing Kyix, not fighting the Galra."Hold on a tick, princess." Coran said. "According to our long range scanners, it's already releasing its load of fighters."Allura shot a confused glance in Coran's direction. "That far away?""They seem to be attacking something." Coran said, narrowing his eyes as he studied the screen in more depth, before they widened. "Ancients! They're attacking the blue lion!""The blue lion?" Allura asked, no less confused than before, even as a quick check of the information yielded her the same result. Turning on her heel, she looked towards Pidge and Hunk. "I don't understand. I thought you said Lance was watching Kyix."Hunk instantly turned pale, frantically glancing over towards Pidge. "You don't think he-?"Pidge just groaned. "He was talking about taking Keith out in one of the lions, but I thought he was just joking."Allura paled. "You mean Kyix is out there as well?"If he were his regular age, she wouldn't think twice about it, but as he was now, he was little more than a child. And to throw a mere child into a space battle... they had to get them out of there, and quickly."Coran," Allura began, turning back around, "-move the Castle to intercept. Hunk, Pidge, get to your lions. I'll-"She didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, yet another alarm going off. Only this time, it wasn't the proximity alarm."Princess," Coran said, his tone disbelieving, "-the black lion has left its hangar."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Princess, the black lion, it's- it's left its hangar."Coran's words were an impossibility, yet she could see with her own eyes that they were true. Rooted to where she stood, Allura watched as the black lion moved like a streak through the sky towards where the Galra cruiser had emerged- and where the blue lion was, defending itself against countless fighters, alone. Were Shiro still with them, she wouldn't question the sight in the least.But he wasn't.He was gone, and she was the black paladin now. Which could only mean that the black lion was operating without a paladin."Allura-"Snapping out of her thoughts before Hunk could finish, she quickly regained her lost composure. Whatever was going on with the black lion, they could deal with it after they took care of the current threat. Getting Lance and Kyix out of there was more important.But even as she thought that... she couldn't shake the knot of dread forming in her stomach. Zarkon's son had only claimed to be the Emperor pro tem, and not the true Emperor. So what if......what if Zarkon lived, and he was calling the black lion to him?What if he was on that very ship?"Coran," Allura began, forcing her racing heart to steady, even as it pounded in her ears, "-raise the particle barrier and move us closer. Hunk, Pidge, get to your lions. We need to give the blue lion time to escape."Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the two paladins exchange a look. "But what about-?""We'll worry about the black lion after we rescue Lance and Kyix." Allura said firmly. "Go."Thankfully, they didn't waste any further time, racing for their respective access ways. She couldn't blame them. It wasn't only the black lion's strange behavior that had her heart pounding in her chest, though it certainly did not help. Lance had improved quite a bit since he'd first taken on the mantle of blue paladin, but one lion against so many fighters...It just wasn't a good match. Especially not when she factored Kyix into the picture. Were he his regular age, things might be different, but as it was..."He will be alright." Antok said, as if reading her mind. "Kyix has always been resilient."Allura nodded, willing herself to believe that. He just seemed to small and helpless in his current state, that she couldn't help but worry.But she had to focus. Right now, that was the best thing she could do, not just for Kyix, but for everyone. With Kyix out of commission for the time being, forming Voltron was out of the question. And with the black lion gone......retreat was their best and only option."Coran," Allura began, "-prepare the teleduv. As soon as everyone is onboard, we'll be making a wormhole jump."Coran looked up at her, a question lingering in his mouth, but gave her a curt nod. She didn't need to guess what he wanted to ask. The black lion seemed to have left on its own volition, but there was no telling if it would come back to the Castle. She was certain that Shiro had been able to sever Zarkon's bond with the lion, but what if...She shook the thought off. They didn't even know if Zarkon was still alive or not. He might very well be dead, and she was just overthinking things. It wasn't as if she couldn't still feel the black lion, although their bond was admittedly weaker than she would like it to be. She imagined that with time, it would get stronger- though quite honestly, she wasn't sure if she even wanted that to happen. It would feel too much like Shiro was actually dead, and that she was more than just a temporary replacement.She wasn't sure if she could handle that."Princess," Coran's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, "-the black lion has begun to attack."Eyes going wide, Allura snapped her attention towards the monitors. For a brief moment she feared that Coran had meant it was attacking the blue lion, but with a breath of relief, she realized that was not the case. Instead, the black lion had turned its attention towards the Galra fighters, moving in to protect the blue lion and its passengers.If nothing else, it proved it wasn't Zarkon in control.But if it wasn't him... then who was?He'd admit it. He'd screamed.In his defense, he was pretty sure that would have been anyone's reaction to a Galra cruiser just popping out of hyperspeed right in front of them. Or well, anyone sensible- proof in point, baby Keith's reaction to the sudden appearance of an enemy ship was not to scream, or even yelp, but to hiss. His hair was even puffed up, acting like the fur it actually was, his golden eyes wide."The Empire!""Yep, that's the Empire," Lance agreed, "-and also our cue to get out of here!"He quickly turned the blue lion around, momentarily wishing it had the kind of reaction speed the red lion did. That could really come in handy right now. What was a Galra ship even doing here? Had it tracked them, or was it just a coincidence? Had it noticed-?Oh, it was releasing fighters. So... yep, it had definitely noticed them."You're running!?" Keith blurted out, incredulous. "I thought you were a paladin!""I am!" Lance said, unable to help but feel a little offended. "But I also know that's a lot of fighters. There's no way I can handle them all by myself!"Especially not with pint-sized cargo in tow! He'd take back every single mean thing he'd said about Keith if it meant getting the full sized one back, because speaking of things that could come handy right about now, that would too!Narrowing his eyes, Keith had the audacity to glare at him with suspicion. "But I thought Voltron could handle anything!""Uh yeah, Voltron can," Lance said, gritting his teeth as a lucky bit of laser fire skirted too close to the blue lion, causing it to shake, "-but in case you haven't noticed, we're not Voltron right now, mullet!"Keith squinted at him, but before he got the chance to say anything, Lance had to quickly maneuver them out of the way of even more lasers, causing the tiny Galra child to shift in his lap. All of a sudden he became keenly aware of the shrunken red paladin's lack of armor, not to mention lack of anything that would protect him from say, the unforgiving vacuum of space.Suddenly getting back to the Castle got a lot more appealing....even if he was pretty sure Allura would kill him the second he got back- that was, if Antok didn't do it first. At least with the princess, it would be a mercy kill. Antok would probably straight up throttle him.This had been such a bad idea.As if to reinforce that, another alarm went off, signaling that one of the enemy fighters had him on target lock. Biting back a swear that definitely shouldn't be said around young ears, he braced himself and Keith for impact--only for it to never come.The alarm went silent, and Lance looked up just in time to catch the black lion rushing past, its familiar jaw blade a welcome sight as it sliced apart one of the enemy fighters. He felt relief crash over him like a wave, feeling a lot more secure knowing that he was no longer alone out here."Allura!" Lance cheered. "Man, am I glad to see you!"There was no response from the black lion, prompting Lance to frown. She wasn't that mad at him, was she?"Uh, Lance?" Hunk's voice came on the coms, filling him with a new wave of reassurance- at least it did, until the next thing to come out of his mouth was, "-that's not the princess.""What?" Lance frowned, watching in confusion as the black lion ripped into another enemy fighter. "But if that's not the princess, then who-?""Shiro."Lance startled, glancing down at the tiny purple bundle sitting in his lap. He'd nearly forgotten about Keith, and with a jolt, he realized that he'd basically blurted out not only Allura's real name, but also the fact that she was a princess, not a Blade. There was no way he hadn't figured it out after--wait, did he say Shiro?"Keith?" Lance asked cautiously. "Did you just say Shiro?"For a second, Keith didn't react, his gaze fixed on the black lion, eyes tracing its movements. Then all of a sudden he blinked, letting out a faint gasp as he came back to himself. Where he'd gone, Lance had no idea, but he was positive that at least for a second, he'd been somewhere other than the cockpit of the blue lion."Is that Alora?" Kyix asked, wonder in his voice. "That's her, right?""Uh," Lance hesitated for a second, before nodding, "-yep! That's definitely Alora! Right, guys?"He had no idea what the hell had just happened with Keith, or why he'd suddenly said Shiro's name, but whatever it was clearly had kept him from hearing his screw up. Which, thank god, meant that he still had a chance to salvage things."Oh, uh," he heard Hunk put two and two together himself, "-yeah, that's her alright! Yup! Totally Alora!""Yeah, that's Alora alright." Pidge said. "Now why don't you take Ke- Kyix and get back to the Castle and let us deal with these guys.""Copy that." Lance said. "En route back to the Castle now."Keith frowned. "You're not going to fight?""I think the two- the three of them have this handled." Lance said, hastily covering up his mistake even as he cast a wary eye towards the black lion. He had no idea what was going on anymore, and with Keith with him, he couldn't exactly ask.The black lion couldn't possibly be flying itself, right?
...could it?
"We just need to concentrate on getting you back to the Castle safely." Lance said. "Where I'm sure Antok will be waiting to throttle me for taking you out without permission."Keith narrowed his eyes, hopping out of his lap to go sulk in the corner instead, clearly disappointed that he was being denied a battle. In hindsight, he wasn't sure why he was even surprised- battle seemed to be a pretty Galra thing and for all that he'd posed as a human for the past two years he'd known him, Keith was actually Galra. Frankly, he was almost kind of relieved that he was more disappointed than scared. He didn't want to be responsible for accidentally traumatizing baby Keith during the (hopefully) short time that they had him. Especially not after he'd boasted about being good with kids."He won't throttle you."Looking up towards Keith, Lance arched a brow. "Yeah?""No," Keith met his eyes, and abruptly, Lance was reminded that he was dealing with an alien child, "-he'll just rip your limbs off.""...thanks. That makes me feel so much better."This was officially the weirdest day of her life.And given what the past few months had entailed, that was saying something.But no. If Pidge was being perfectly honest, it was pretty hard to beat this. Even learning that her family had been abducted by aliens, or learning that one of her teammates was an alien still wasn't as weird as having to deal with said alien teammate turning back into a child, and then having to deal with the black lion managing to pilot itself on top of that."At least it's attacking the fighters, and not us." Hunk observed. "That's a good sign, right?""I thought you said there was no such thing as a good sign in space." Pidge pointed out."Yeah," Hunk grunted, having to swing the yellow lion around to avoid a burst of laser fire, "-I might have said that. But I'm just, you know... trying to be optimistic.""Since when were you an optimist?" Pidge asked, blasting a fighter with her lion's tail laser."Uh, all the time." Hunk said, slamming his lion into an unlucky fighter that had gotten too close to its backside. "Try to keep up, Pidge."Pidge just rolled her eyes, turning her focus back on the battle at hand. She'd tried hailing the black lion, but predictably, there was no response. At least the battle was going well- she was sure that whoever was in command of that cruiser was more than a little freaked out that they couldn't call for backup right about now. Jamming their communications was one of the first things she had done upon getting to her lion.Now they just had to take it out and-A brilliant burst of blue light soared overhead, impacting with the cruiser. Its particle barrier flickered for a few moments, before it broke apart, leaving the cruiser virtually defenseless. With a bright smile, Pidge turned her lion around."Coran!""Thought you could use a bit of help." Coran remarked."How's-?" Hunk began."The blue lion is safely back onboard." Allura reported. "Change of plans. We should take out the cruiser while we still have a chance.""And wormhole after that?" Hunk asked."So long as the black lion cooperates." Allura said.Pidge grimaced. She hated to think about what might happen if the black lion didn't cooperate. Even without a paladin, she wasn't so sure if she, Hunk, and Lance would be enough to take it down, even with the Castle's assistance. And honestly......she'd rather avoid finding out.(Also even if they could, then what? They kind of needed the black lion.)"Copy that." Pidge said. "Let's hit this bastard where it hurts."With the cruiser's shields down, she and Hunk made quick work of the Galra ship, blasting its engines with their lasers while the black lion took out the last of the fighters. Pidge watched it with a wary eye once the last fighter was destroyed, but it made no move to attack them, instead floating almost listlessly in space.Its eyes, she noted, had stopped glowing."Did it... did it stop moving?" Hunk asked."I think so." Pidge frowned, carefully bringing her lion closer. "Scanning for anomalies now."She held her breath, waiting for something to happen, but the only thing that did were the results of her scan. She wasn't sure if she was more relieved or frustrated to find that it came back negative- there was nothing wrong with the black lion, at least, not in so far as the green lion's systems could detect."Well?" Allura asked, her voice a touch on the demanding side. Not that she could blame her. She had to be freaking out right about now."Nothing," she said, "-there's no sign of any anomalies."There was a long pause, during which she could swear that she heard the princess sigh."In that case," Allura said, "-tow the black lion back to the ship. I will be waiting to meet you in its hangar.""What about the wormhole?" Hunk asked. "Because no offense, but I'm pretty sure getting the heck out of here is still a really good idea. Jammed communications or not, someone is eventually going to notice that one of their cruisers is missing.""No worries there, paladins!" Coran chirped. "I can use Allura's residual essence to wormhole us far, far away.""Got it." Hunk said, before switching to a line that was just the two of them. "Welp. Guess all we can do is hope it won't freak out on us on the way there."Pidge huffed. She wasn't never much of one for superstitions, but even she couldn't help but hope that Hunk hadn't jinxed it.He didn't. They got back fine.Somehow that didn't comfort her as much as it should.It felt almost as if she had been holding her breath this entire time. She barely even noticed the alert informing her that the Castle was about to make a wormhole jump, too focused on the sight of the black lion being towed back into its hangar. Only once the yellow and green lions lowered it to the ground with no signs of resistance, did she finally exhale.That... certainly could have gone far worse.But it also certainly could have gone better.Fixing her gaze on the black lion, Allura watched it with a tight frown. She was unsure what to expect, but she had to admit, she'd expected to at least be able to feel something different. Instead the black lion felt much the same as it did when she had first connected with it- noble, yet also steady and reassuring, though the latter didn't actually do much to reassure her this time.Not when it had flown on its own.(And if it could do that, did it even truly need her?)Biting down that feeling of inadequacy, Allura pulled her gaze away from the black lion, focusing it instead on Hunk and Pidge. They had landed their lions next to the now dormant black lion, and were watching her from some distance away- though the second she met their eyes, they pretended they hadn't been. Heaving a sigh, Allura motioned for them to come closer, which they did after a brief moment of deliberation."So is," Hunk nervously began, "-is everything okay?""I cannot sense any anomalies within the black lion," Allura merely stated, "-and it seems to be responding normally to our bond. But if I am being perfectly honest, then I am entirely at a loss as to what just happened.""Oh," Hunk frowned, exchanging a brief look with Pidge, "-cause Pidge and I figured it might be, you know, magic or something. Kind of out of our area of expertise."Allura gave him a faint smile. "Well, if it is, then it certainly isn't anything I'm familiar with. I've never even heard of something like this happening before.""The red lion flew itself a few times." Pidge pointed out. "What about that?""Yes, but on all occasions, it did so in order to save its paladin." Allura said. "Neither Keith nor Lance are the black lion's paladin, so unless Shiro has been hiding in the blue lion all this time, it seems unlikely to be the case."Something about her own words tugged at her. Allura frowned, trying to pick out what it had been, but before she got the chance to dwell on it, Hunk was drawing her back into the conversation."Hm, fair point." Hunk frowned, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Well at least its not doing anything now.""Yeah, but who knows if it'll start moving by itself again." Pidge said."Could be worse," Hunk said, "-it could be evil."He paused, almost seeming to consider his words before anxiously glancing towards Allura. "...it's not, right? Evil, that is."In spite of herself, Allura let out a faint laugh. "No. Whatever is happening with the black lion, I have no reason to believe it is because it has suddenly decided to turn evil."That was one thing that she was at least somewhat confident about now that she had connected with it again. Something had happened with the black lion, to be sure, but whatever it was, there were no dark magics involved."Good," Hunk said, "-because honestly, fighting against a possessed lion does not sound like my idea of a fun time.""So... where's Antok?" Pidge asked, peering over her shoulder as if she expected to see him there. Allura had to bite back a laugh, briefly overcome by the mental picture of the massive, hulking Galra attempting to hide behind her much smaller frame. "I thought he'd be with you.""I sent him to check on Kyix." Allura explained, her lips twitching into a frown as she thought of the shrunken paladin in question. "I can only hope he wasn't too frightened by the battle.""Keith?" Pidge just snorted. "He's fine.""Yeah, pretty sure I heard him calling Lance a coward over the coms." Hunk said. "Also I'm pretty sure I heard Lance say that he was afraid of Antok throttling him, so..."Allura paled, Hunk's words sinking in. Perhaps sending Antok to greet them hadn't been the best idea in hindsight."Oh," Allura said, "-perhaps I should-""-check on them?" Pidge finished, rolling her eyes. "Please. After what he pulled, Lance deserves a bit of a scare."Allura frowned, thinking it over for a moment. She was positive that Antok bore no ill will towards Lance, so it was unlikely that any actual throttling would go on. And Lance had defied a direct order, leading them however unwittingly into a spot of trouble......perhaps a bit of a scare was exactly the kind of punishment he needed."In that case," Allura began, "-I believe Coran wanted to speak with the two of you. Something about antidote ingredients.""On it." Pidge said. "The faster we can get them, the better.""Yeah, don't get me wrong, baby Keith is cute and all, but," Hunk held up his hands, "-I think that last fight just proved how much we need him at you know... actual size.""I couldn't agree more." Allura said. "Which is why I took the liberty of instructing Coran to set our coordinates close to one of the planets we'll need to fetch ingredients from.""Good call." Hunk agreed, before shifting on his feet, glancing at her with a slight frown. "...so you saw the list, right?"Allura blinked, tilting her head slightly. "Briefly, yes. Why do you ask?""So were there like... any ridiculously hard to get ingredients on it or anything?" Hunk asked."Hunk wants to know if he'll have to do any mountain climbing." Pidge said bluntly."Hardly." Allura said, attempting to recall the list she'd glimpsed at briefly. "If anything, it all looks rather simple to collect."There was nothing that involved mountain climbing, at the very least.In spite of her best attempts to suppress it, she couldn't help but let out a faint giggle at Hunk's sigh of relief. He didn't seem to mind, instead choosing to return Pidge's earlier favor, lightly ribbing her on her own dislike of the outdoors. They continued like that on their way out of the black lion's hangar, until she was left alone with nothing but the lion in question.Well, not alone. The yellow and green lions were still here, she supposed. But she couldn't sense them, not in the same way she could sense the black lion. She tried to take heart from the fact that she could still sense it, and that in fact, its presence was stronger than it had been when it had been flying seemingly under its own power, but if she was being perfectly honest... it was rather difficult to do so. Perhaps if this situation had happened after she'd had more time as the black lion's paladin under her belt, things would be different, but as they stood, all she could think was that perhaps it had already changed its mind.That she wasn't worthy of the mantle of black paladin, not even temporarily.Perhaps the lion had sensed what she already suspected- that not only would she never be half the alchemist her father was, but that she would also never match up to him as a leader either. After all, it had been her own failures that had put Kyix in the situation he was in now- if she had just been smarter, she wouldn't have allowed herself to be lured into that trap.And now they were all paying for it.She was just grateful nothing more had happened today. If even just another cruiser had appeared... shaking her head, she forced the thought aside. There hadn't been another cruiser, and Kyix would be fine. Coran had already figured out how to cure him, so it was all a matter of finding the right ingredients to do so. She couldn't allow herself to focus on what could have been.No matter how tempting it was.Turning on her heel, Allura gazed up at the black lion- her lion, at least, until they found its true paladin once more. Swallowing her insecurities, she took a step forward, then another, until she was standing right in front of the mighty lion.For a tick, nothing happened.Then it shifted, its eyes glowing gold as it stood up. She felt herself tense, but forced herself to remain perfectly still, waiting as the black lion knelt before her.And once more, allowed her access.Letting out a breath, Allura felt her shoulders slump. At the very least, it hadn't rejected her. But then if not that... what, she wondered, had actually happened?Oh, he was so screwed.At the top of the blue lion's ramp, Lance froze, internally cursing himself for letting his guard down. He'd thought the hangar was empty! And seriously, how the heck had he even missed someone of Antok's size?"Antok!"Keith beamed, scampering down the ramp and practically launching himself at the Blade in question. Antok caught him, and he swore that for just a second, that unexpressive face melted into something that almost seemed like genuine happiness. He shifted his arms so that Keith was perched on his forearm, the shrunken red paladin practically dwarfed in comparison to the single limb alone.Limbs. Lance gulped, recalling Keith's earlier words. That had been a joke, right?Sure, he knew that Antok knew that Keith wasn't actually a real kid- he just thought he was a real kid because of that freaky space tree and its weird toxins or whatever. But he also hadn't exactly forgotten that time Naveera had captured him and tied him up because she thought he was trying to infiltrate the Blade nursery, so clearly, being protective of children was like, a Galra thing. Or at least a Blade thing, since from the way Keith talked about the Empire, they didn't exactly have the same standards.But still... that had been a joke, right?
Right?
"Hello there, youngling," Antok said, "-did you enjoy your little escapade?"Keith flinched guiltily, seemingly only just now remembering that he'd left without permission. His gaze dropped to his feet, and he mumbled something that Lance couldn't quite make out- but he could still make out the spirit of it. If it weren't for his own impending sense of doom, he might actually be able to take some amusement from Keith, of all people, asking if he was in trouble."No," Antok said, "you are not in trouble."Keith's face lit up, relief washing over his tiny features. Lance wished he could share that feeling, but it was hard to when Antok had turned his attention towards him, that one single golden eye almost seeming to gleam with malice.He was seriously hoping that was just his imagination."Blue paladin," Antok began, "-I thought you were under orders to keep Kyix in the Castle.""I mean," Lance blurted out before he could stop himself, "-if you think about it, the lions are sort of part of the Castle, so it's not like he technically left it."Wow. That sounded like a lame argument even to him."Strange," Antok said, "-I was not informed of that technicality."The Blade's tail swished behind him, in what Lance hoped was a calm pattern and not just a deceptively calm one. Maybe Keith had been a lousy spy, but he was pretty sure the same couldn't be said of Kolivan's right hand man. Plus the whole one eye thing so didn't exactly make his face any easier to read.Also, that tail was massive. Something told him Antok wouldn't even need to use his hands to rip this limbs off. Just the tail would do fine."It's... one of those unspoken things?" Lance said, cold sweat trickling down the back of his neck. Could Galra smell fear? He hoped Galra couldn't smell fear."An unspoken thing." Antok repeated. "I see."Lance swallowed, resisting the urge to shift nervously on his feet. He was supposed to be a defender of the universe! Bold! Fearless! He couldn't let one Galra intimidate him!(Even if said Galra's hands were bigger than his head.)"Antok," Keith huffed, "-stop teasing him."...wait. What.Antok chuckled. Actually chuckled. Or at least, he was pretty sure that odd chortling noise was the Galra equivalent of a chuckle. He hadn't exactly been chronicling odd alien noises."Ah, you spoil my fun." Antok said. "My apologies, blue paladin, but you made it easy."Caught somewhere between wanting to let out a sigh of relief and being offended, Lance leaned towards relief. It wasn't like it was just him or anything. Even Shiro would probably be intimidated by someone who was more than three times his size.Actually, speaking of Shiro..."So uh, where's All- Alora?" Lance asked."Alora," and he swore there was the faintest trace of amusement to the Blade's voice, "-is in the black lion's hangar, with the rest of the paladins."Keith frowned, his eyes narrowed in confusion. "Where else would she be?"Where else would she-? Oh! Oh right, he'd told him that Allura had been the one piloting the black lion. Right. Man, he really had to try a little better at keeping up with all of these lies. The last thing he wanted was to screw things up even more by blowing the truth wide open to someone who probably didn't need that right now."Right," Lance nervously chuckled, "-the black lion's hangar. Of course. That makes sense. And speaking of that, any chance you want to go and check the black lion out?"Keith's eyes lit up, and he practically jumped out of Antok's arms. "Could I?""Sure!" Lance said. "I'm sure Alora would love to show you her lion! And I promise," he added, glancing up towards Antok, "-we'll stay on the Castle this time.""No... technicalities?" Antok asked, and now he was positive that was amusement."No technicalities." Lance promised. "There's something I need to discuss with Alora anyways."Antok narrowed his single eye, seeming to read between the lines of that statement. Guess everyone knew about the weirdness with the black lion then."Very well," Antok said, "-I suppose I can allow it. I must contact Kolivan and inform him of recent developments anyways.""Yeah, you can tell him Lance is a chicken." Keith grinned, baring his teeth like the little imp he was."Hey! I am so not a chicken!" Lance protested, glowering at Keith.Ugh. He took back everything he said earlier about baby Keith actually being kind of cute. Clearly he was the annoying kind of precocious after all. The sooner they could get full size Mullet back, the better.(And how the heck had he forgotten who everyone was, yet still remembered what a chicken was? And how to use it in the right context?)"Are too!" Keith stuck his tongue out. "You ran from battle! I would never do that."His expression faltered, digging his hands into his tunic and balling them into fists. "I would never run."Why was he-? Oh.Oh.Lance's shoulders slumped, the annoyance washing right out of him. It was still hard to believe that at this age, Keith was supposed to have been so sickly that he couldn't even leave the med bay. He couldn't even imagine what that must have been like- growing up confined to isolation because there was a genuine risk that doing something as simple as going outside could potentially kill him. It would suck for any kid, but for one like Keith?Maybe he couldn't exactly blame him for being a brat."Trust us, youngling," Antok said, placing a hand on Keith's head and ruffling his fur, "-we are all quite aware of how brave you are.""Really?" Keith asked, peering up at the Blade."We sure are." Lance said. "I bet you could have beaten those fighters no problem."Keith ducked his head, but not before Lance caught the edge of a smile. Huffing, he just smiled himself. He'd let Mullet have a little praise just this once, considering the circumstances and all. He'd better not get used to it though- once he was back to normal, he'd definitely be paying him back for that chicken comment.(And maybe if he kept telling himself that, he could pretend it hadn't actually stung.)"Ah, paladins! You're just in time!"If Coran noticed the apprehensive look he shared with Pidge, then he definitely didn't make it known. Allura's assurances that the antidote ingredients were easy to get had helped... up until the point where he remembered that humans and Alteans apparently had very different definitions of easy to get.Well, at least she hadn't said it was hard. He was already intimately familiar with the Altean definition of hard.(Sometimes he swore he could still smell the Weblum gunk on his armor.)"Allura said you had something for us?" Pidge asked."Indeed I do!" Coran said. "I finished compiling the list of ingredients we'll need in order to reverse Number Four's current condition. The good news is that it looks like a number of them can be synthesized right here on the Castle! We'll only have to visit about two or three planets or so to get the rest, depending on the seasons, of course.""Uh-huh," Hunk nodded, "-so what's the bad news then? Because whenever anyone starts out with the good news, that typically means there's bad news too.""What happened to optimism?" Pidge asked, arching a brow."Hey, there's optimism, and then there's being realistic." Hunk shrugged. "I'm just saying that in my experience, usually the two come hand in hand.""Well, I'm afraid Number Two is correct in this instance." Coran observed. "Thankfully, the bad news isn't too bad this time around. More like an inconvenience, really.""An inconvenience?" Hunk asked. "What kind of an inconvenience?"Coran hummed, bringing up a holoscreen with what looked to be the list of ingredients. Unfortunately, since all the writing was in Altean, he couldn't read a word of it. Squinting at the screen, he tried to figure out what the problem was but to no avail. Maybe he really should take Pidge up on that offer to join her in her Altean language lessons, especially now that she'd reset the program so that it didn't try to attack every time someone mispronounced a word.(Getting attacked by food goo was still scarier, in his opinion.)"No offense Coran, but what exactly are we supposed to be looking at?" Pidge asked."The problem lies in this last ingredient," Coran explained, bringing up an image of an odd purple-blue tree with spiky leaves, "-the sap of the atpa tree.""Not another tree." Hunk groaned. "Please tell me this one isn't evil."The rire had been bad enough. He was just grateful he had missed the whole drain the energy from its captive prey thing that Allura had described- no amount of therapy would ever be enough to make that sight okay. Just knowing what it had done to Keith was bad enough, thanks."No, no evil trees this time." Coran promised. "Unfortunately, while the sap of the atpa tree has a number of medicinal uses, it also loses its potency very quickly."Pidge frowned. "Which means...""Which means there's no way to get it back to the Castle before it becomes useless." Coran said. "In other words, we'll have to make the antidote on the planet itself.""Well that doesn't sound too bad." Hunk said, feeling vaguely relieved. He'd been bracing himself for something worse, honestly. "We can just bring it back to Keith once it's done, right?""Unfortunately, no." Coran said. "The sap's potency doesn't extend even after being mixed with other ingredients. We'll need to have everything ready beforehand if we want it to do what its supposed to do.""And by everything, I take it you mean Keith." Pidge stated."Well, that and the other ingredients, of course." Coran noted, pulling on one end of his mustache. "But yes. We'll need Number Four to accompany us to the surface of the planet if we are to have any hope of reversing his condition.""Oh." Hunk frowned, exchanging another look with Pidge. "I mean... it should be fine, right? I thought you said that there was nothing wrong with him.""Oh, it should be." Coran said. "At least, that is what I would like to say. But the truth is that we know realistically so little about the rire's toxin that it's hard to say exactly what the full extent of its effects could be. I know we can reverse it, however...""...you don't know for sure that Keith's okay." Pidge finished."Precisely." Coran said."But if he gets the antidote and goes back to normal, it'll be fine, right?" Hunk asked, nervously shifting on his feet."More than likely." Coran agreed. "But I can't deny that there is a certain amount of risk involved with this procedure.""Then I guess we'll just have to take it." Pidge said. "I mean, it's not like we can just leave Keith like this. I think today proved just how much we need him around.""Yeah, something tells me Keith wouldn't appreciate it too much either if we left him as a kid." Hunk said.Even if he was extremely cute. Who knew baby Galra could be so fluffy?(Okay, so he actually knew that already. But still, it was one thing to see fluffy baby Galra and an entirely different thing to see a fluffy baby Galra who was also your friend.)"So where's this planet anyways?" Pidge asked."It's quite the lovely planet, actually!" Coran chirped. "It used to be home to an ancient society of mystics before they all just up and vanished one day. Now it's home to some of the universe's most expansive and gorgeous ruins!""Okay, so clearly we have an extremely different definition of that word." Hunk said, not in the least bit surprised by this development. "I'm sorry, but how is a planet where an entire race of people disappeared supposed to be lovely?""Oh, there's nothing worry about." Coran said. "It happened eons ago now."Hunk frowned, still not entirely convinced. In his experience, whenever someone said there was nothing to worry about, there was always something to worry about."So what's this planet called?" Pidge asked."It's had many names in the past," Coran began, bringing up another holoscreen with an image of a shining blue and purple planet on it, "-but on Altea, we called it Elzat."The black lion, she decided, must still hold her in some regard after all, since it was only its warning that prevented her from being caught off guard when Lance entered the hangar with Kyix in tow. Otherwise she would have missed their entrance entirely, too wrapped up in checking said lion for any visible external damage to notice. If the warning felt slightly... different from how the black lion's energy usually felt, then that thought was lost in her initial haste to resume her disguise.Clearly, she needed to have a word or two with Lance about timing."Lance!" Allura exclaimed. "And Kyix! What brings you here?""Kei- Kyix wanted to see the black lion." Lance said. "Also I figured I should probably deal with you being mad at me sooner rather than later."Allura quirked a brow, unable to help but feel vaguely amused at the statement. "Well, at least you're aware. Perhaps next time you will think twice before taking Kyix out on an unsanctioned flight.""I'll keep that in mind." Lance said, rubbing the back of his neck. "So any chance you figured that thing out?"Arching her brow, Allura was about to ask, before Kyix cut her off, unable to keep in whatever it was he wanted to say any longer. She was starting to see where the roots of his impulsivity began."I saw you in your lion!" Kyix blurted out. "You were so amazing!""I-" Allura began, opening her mouth to point out that she hadn't been the one in the lion, before she promptly shut it, "-thank you. That is very kind of you to say."Catching Lance's eye, he just gave her a sheepish shrug. Heaving a slight sigh, she forced herself to smile, holding out a hand to Kyix. "Would you like to see inside?"She barely even needed to ask. Kyix took her hand without hesitation, and in spite of herself, she felt her stress melt away. If this truly was what Kyix had been like as a child, then she was starting to understand just how he'd managed to endear himself to so many senior Blades. She wasn't sure he'd even realized as much himself, but she was almost positive that Kolivan was far more merciful with Kyix than he was with the rest of the Blade.Either that, or it was simply because of his young age.(Or perhaps, she couldn't help but think, it was because of his own guilt.)Guiding Kyix up the black lion's ramp, she couldn't help but notice Lance trailing after them out of the corner of her eye. He caught her gaze, mouthing something, but whatever it was, she wasn't well-acquainted enough with the lip movements involved with Earthling language to determine what it was he wanted to tell her. Whatever it was, it clearly wasn't something that he wanted to say within earshot of Kyix."Why don't you go and have a seat in the pilot's chair?" Allura asked, glancing down towards Kyix."Can I?" He asked."Just so long as you don't touch anything." Allura told him.Nodding his head, Kyix stayed in place for exactly one tick- before he made a beeline for said chair. He was so small that she couldn't even see him once he sat down in it, and in spite of herself, her lips quirked in a faint grin. Somehow she got the feeling that once he was back to normal, Kyix would be rather embarrassed by his behavior.Ah, well. That was a problem for another quintant, she supposed- and not her issue to solve anyways.Turning towards Lance, she paused for just a tick, a slight frown on her features. For just a tick, it felt almost as if the black lion was amused, but the feeling was gone as soon as it had come. Tilting her head, she glanced back towards Kyix, abruptly realizing that the black lion had felt far more welcoming than it had before he'd stepped foot on it.Strange."Allura?"Oh, right. Lance.Turning to look back at him, Allura smiled at him. "Yes?""Actually, there's something I wanted to talk to you about." Lance said, keeping his voice at a whisper. "It's about Keith. And I guess kind of about the black lion too?"Allura arched a brow. "Go on.""Okay see, the thing is, you know how I was out there with Keith when the black lion flew out, right?" Lance asked."Without permission, I might add." Allura said."Yeah... that's my bad. Sorry." Lance apologized again. "But well, I don't know if it means anything or not, but while we were out there, Keith said Shiro's name."Allura blinked. Then blinked again. Whatever it was that she thought Lance wanted to tell her, it hadn't been that."Are you positive?" Allura asked."Positive." Lance nodded. "But when I asked about it, he didn't seem to remember doing it."Frowning, Allura tilted her head in thought. "Strange. I was under the impression he didn't remember any of us."Then again, he always had been closest to Shiro, so perhaps..."Yeah, that's not really the weird thing." Lance said. "It wasn't just a random thing. It was like... it was like he was answering my question."Allura's frown only deepened. "And what question might that be?""If you weren't the one flying the black lion... then who was?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"If you weren't the one flying the black lion... then who was?"
Lance's words continued to echo in her head even after the blue paladin left. It was a question she had already been asking herself, ever since the black lion had first left its hangar with seemingly no one in control. If she wasn't the one flying it- then who was? She'd racked her brain for an answer, but hadn't turned one up.But Kyix had.Even if he wasn't reazit, his sudden utterance of Shiro's name when he shouldn't remember the black paladin would have been enough. But he was, and therefore she couldn't help but feel that there was something more to his words than a memory abruptly jolted loose by the sight of the black lion in motion."Kyix?" Allura asked, crouching next to the shrunken Galra. "Might I ask you a question?"Glancing back at her, Kyix tilted his head. "What?"It was just the two of them- she'd asked Lance to give her some time alone with Kyix. She wasn't certain if she could actually get anything out of him, given his current state, but......but right now, he was the closest thing she had to an answer. She had to try."Do you know who Shiro is?" Allura inquired."Shiro?" Kyix blinked. Though he squinted a little in thought, there was no apparent recognition. "Weird name.""It is, isn't it?" Allura agreed. "Human names are awfully strange.""Yeah, they're dumb." Kyix agreed. "But I don't know any Shiro. Who's that?"The question stung, not surprisingly. She felt a wrench of sympathy for the vanished black paladin, given how close the two had been. The black lion itself seemed to feel it in kind, Shiro's image briefly flashing through her mind.It was a good thing they would be getting Kyix back to normal soon, she decided. Pidge and Hunk should already be setting out to pick up what Coran needed, and with any luck, Antok and Lance would shortly be joining them. She wished she could help, but leaving Kyix alone on the Castle with just Coran for company did not exactly seem wise."It's not important," Allura lied through her teeth, "-don't worry about it."Kyix frowned, but eventually shrugged. "Okay. If you say so."Allura nodded, before extending her hand. "Now, it sounds as if you have had a rather busy day. What do you say to taking a bit of a nap?""I don't need a nap." Kyix said, crinkling his nose. "I'm not a baby."(She was quite certain he muttered something to the effect of I already had one underneath his breath, but she refrained from commenting on it.)"I am quite sure you are not," Allura agreed, "-but a little quiet time as certainly never hurt anyone."And it would be a good distraction whilst the paladins left to go and collect the ingredients they needed for the antidote. She would be hard pressed to explain why they all had to suddenly leave. The last thing she wanted was for Kyix to lose trust in them- without his memories, she wasn't sure if she could even get him to believe the truth, even with Antok here to help. Personally, she would much rather not have to try.Kyix bit his lip, glancing down at her hand, before he slowly nodded his head. His hand was so small in her own, that for a tick she swore she couldn't understand why the Blades had ever agreed to let him onto the battlefield, recovery or not. But that was the difference between her and the Galra, she supposed. Even before Zarkon's tyranny had devastated the universe, they had always been a warrior race. Asking them to be otherwise was no different than asking her to adopt their traditions."Okay," Kyix said, before pointedly adding, "-but I'm not tired."Allura bit back a laugh, sensing that it wouldn't be appropriate. Kyix unfolded himself from the pilot's seat, his legs just barely brushing the ground. He kept hold of her hand as he got down, and she smiled to herself, helping him out of the black lion. She briefly paused once they'd left, glancing back at it, but it seemed to have returned to normal, showing no signs of whatever it was that had caused it to move on its own.Or whoever it was, she thought, her gaze darting down towards Kyix.But that was a question that would simply have to wait. First and foremost, they had to fix this problem."Ah, Lance, you're just in time for your mission assignment!""Mission assignment?" Lance froze, a knot of apprehension hastily forming in the pit of his stomach. He'd expected to see Hunk and Pidge, or at least Antok- he hadn't expected to find Coran completely alone on the bridge. "What mission assignment?""Why, for gathering the antidote ingredients, of course!" Coran chirped. "The blue lion should be extremely useful in obtaining the nectar of the safir flower!""A flower?" Lance asked. "That doesn't sound so bad. Is it underwater or something?""Oh no," Coran said, handing him a data pad, "-it's located on the frozen tundra of the planet Lor. Make sure to bundle up! I'm told it gets quite nippy there!"...you know, getting his limbs ripped off by Antok was sounding a lot more appealing now."Yeah, this sucks."Rubbing his arms, Lance's teeth chattered as he trudged through the snow. Sure, his armor had the ability to regulate his body temperature, but it wasn't nearly enough to keep him from freezing. He didn't see how anything could grow out here, much less flowers."Ugh," he crinkled his nose, "-mullet had better appreciate all the work I'm putting in for him. If I catch a cold because of this, it's his fault."Hopefully Pidge and Hunk were having a better time than him."Ugh, this place is the pits."Groaning, Pidge swatted away another bug. Logically she knew that they couldn't penetrate her armor, but they were still a massive nuisance. The fact that they were nearly the size of her hand did not help at all."Go to the forest," Pidge muttered to herself, "-dig up some roots for the antidote. It'll be easy. Well you kind of forgot to mention the giant bugs, Coran!"Swatting away another one of the monstrous fuckers, Pidge finally managed to uncover one of the roots Coran said he needed. Gritting her teeth, she dug her heels in, putting in all the force she had to rip it out of the ground. It came slowly at first, before coming out all at once, her own momentum knocking her own her ass.Coran also hadn't mentioned the screaming."Great," she muttered, tossing the still writhing root into the basket Coran had given her, "-space mandrakes. Just what I needed."And she still had four more of these things to dig out.Ugh. She knew she should have traded with Hunk."Man, I am so glad I didn't trade with Pidge."Blue skies, sandy beaches, the sound of crashing waves... this was the life.The warm sunshine on his back was a welcome relief from the artificial lights in the Castle, and the pleasant cry of seabirds was already helping to melt some of his anxieties away. Plucking another few berries from the bush he was crouched in front of, Hunk tucked them into the little pouch Coran had given him. If he popped one in his mouth every now and again, that was fine too- not only were they safe for humans to eat, they were also pretty damn tasty.No Galra troops, no nasty space worm insides... finally, a mission that didn't suck. Honestly, he could get used to this.He wouldn't though. He knew better. Just because space wasn't throwing something at him now didn't mean it wouldn't later. He knew how this worked.Didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it while he had the chance.Perhaps he should accept missions from the paladins more often.Flicking blood off his blade, Antok returned it to his sheath, before surveying his kill. The grayish purple tusked lizard lay on its side, several long gashes oozing bluish blood. Combat was second nature to the Galra, but it was rare these days that he got to engage in it for reasons other than fighting the Empire. And while hunting was not exactly quite the same thing as true fight, he could not deny that this beast had put up a good one.Kyix would be thrilled to hear the tale, if they ever returned him to his proper age.Stooping down, Antok pulled open the beast's mouth, yanking out one of its massive tusks. It gleamed white, nearly the size of his two hands put together. Tucking it into a pouch, he took a moment to survey the fallen beast itself, before baring his teeth in a fierce grin. It would be a shame to let all this meat go to waste. Perhaps in honor of their new alliance with the paladins, he should treat them all to a glass of freshly made cibum.Kyix, he thought, would love it."Is he-?""He's asleep, for now." Allura replied, glancing over her shoulder just to be sure.Kyix was right where she'd left him, in the makeshift cot that they'd set up for him in the medical ward. It hadn't seemed wise to bring him back to his own quarters- there was doubtlessly something there that could have given away their lie. It hadn't seemed worth the risk."Is everyone-?""-on their way to their individual assignments?" Coran finished for her. "Just sent Lance off a little over a dobosh ago.""Good," Allura said, allowing herself to return to her natural form at least for the moment, "-the faster we can get this all sorted out, the better.""No worries!" Coran chirped. "So long as everything goes smoothly, we should have that antidote whipped up and ready to go before the quintant is over!""Let us hope that it does." Allura said. "Losing Shiro was bad enough. We cannot afford to be down yet another paladin for long. And I cannot help but worry that the longer he's like this, the more risk there is of long term consequences."Glancing over her shoulder again, Allura frowned at Kyix's sleeping form. For all that he'd put up a fuss, he'd fallen asleep almost as soon as his head had hit the pillow. This was his second nap of the day, and while that might be relatively normal for a true Galra youngling, Kyix was not. The faster they got this resolved, the better she'd feel.Huffing slightly, Allura turned away. It was strange to think how angry she'd been with him when the truth had first come out, given how concerned she felt now. Perhaps it was a sign of hope- if the daughter of King Alfor and a Galra could work together, then perhaps there was a chance for the universe yet.At the very least, it was nice to think so."I understand, princess." Coran said. "Fortunately it seems as if we can synthesize most of the remaining ingredients here on the Castle, so this should be the only trip they'll have to make before we obtain the final ingredient. And don't worry- I made sure to send Antok to collect the rangor's tooth and not one of the paladins.""Oh," Allura blinked rapidly, trying to recall if that had been on the list she'd skimmed over, "-that's... great, Coran. Smart choice."Perhaps she should have done more just skimmed the list. And after she'd promised Hunk that none of the ingredients were particularly difficult to obtain! Perhaps if she didn't mention it, he wouldn't know.Oh, who was she kidding? Hunk always found out about these things eventually. The best thing she could do was to prepare an apology ahead of time and be thankful that Coran had the foresight not to send any of the paladins up against a rangor. The only paladins who might be capable of defeating one were Shiro and Kyix- neither of whom were available at the moment. And that was provided they could even isolate just one- rangors were known for being pack hunters, and savage ones at that."Rangors aside," Allura began, "-you mentioned something about synthesizing the other ingredients?""Indeed I did." Coran said. "No worries there- should be about done with all of it by the time the paladins and Antok return. In fact, I was just about to go check on it.""I'd offer to come with you, but..." Allura trailed off, casting yet another glance over her shoulder. Suddenly she understood why her mother had been so unwilling to let her out of her sight when she'd been this age."No worries, I understand." Coran said, idly twirling one end of his mustache. "Something tells me that this little fellow has a bit of a mischievous streak. Best not to give him the chance to wander off on his own."Allura quirked a smile, easily able to imagine as much herself. It was somewhat tempered by the knowledge that during his actual childhood, Kyix would have likely been unable to do anything of the sort. To him, waking up with a healthy body must have been nothing short of a miracle.And it was all because of Lotor.Clenching a fist, Allura narrowed her eyes. What had he even said, to convince Kyix's father to betray the Blade so thoroughly- to do such awful things, and to his own son, no less?Just what sort of man was he?"Princess? Is everything alright?"Snapping out of her thoughts, Allura offered Coran an apologetic smile. "I'm fine. I was just thinking.""A dangerous past time, or so I'm told." Coran joked. "Speaking of dangerous, how was-?""-the black lion?" Allura finished, shaking her head. "I am not sure. I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary, but I've only been its paladin for so long. I am not certain if I even could notice if something was wrong.""Have more confidence in yourself, princess." Coran reassured her. "Your father always said that you had talents that he lacked. You showed as much when you healed the Balmera on your own.""I only did what needed to be done." Allura insisted. "The Balmera would have perished otherwise, and taken the poor Balmerans with it.""Ah, but not just anyone could do what you did." Coran smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I'm certain that whatever is going on with the black lion, you'll figure it out in good time.""Thank you, Coran." Allura said, giving him a weak smile. She still wasn't so sure about that herself, but somehow when Coran said it, it sounded much more possible. "I really do appreciate it.""Wouldn't say it if it wasn't true!" Coran chirped. "Now, I really should be checking on those ingredients. I trust you have things handled here?""Quite," Allura said, "-but I will be sure to let you know if I require any assistance.""And I will come flying should you!" Coran said. "Have faith, princess. We'll work this all out."Sensing he meant more than just the Kyix situation, Allura nodded. She might have had doubts if she were on her own, but with the other paladins around, things always felt more possible than they should.It would just be far more reassuring once they were all together again."I am never going anywhere cold ever again.""That bad, huh?" Pidge asked. "At least you didn't have to deal with giant bugs and screaming plants.""Yeah, hard pass." Lance scrunched up his nose at the mere thought of having to deal with either of those, before glancing over his shoulder back towards Hunk. "So what awful place did Coran send you?"They'd all more or less returned from their individual missions at the same time, so they'd just sort of naturally drifted together on their way to meet up with Coran. He'd told them to meet him in the replication room- a part of the Castle that he'd somehow never been in, in spite of being out here for what... months now?Geez, he hadn't even noticed it had been that long. With how busy they'd been, it sure as heck didn't feel like it."Oh, you know," Hunk said, sounding way more chipper than someone who had just come back from a hell planet should, especially for him, "-the usual.""Wait," Lance squinted, instantly suspicious, "-did Coran send you somewhere nice?""Don't be ridiculous, Lance." Hunk said. "You know I always get the worst missions."That was true. Hunk did always get the worst missions. And if it weren't for the fact that the yellow paladin proceeded to quicken his pace so that he was now several steps ahead of them, he might actually believe it. But he knew Hunk, and he knew exactly what him trying to hurry along meant.Unbelievable! He-!"You did end up somewhere nice!" Lance exclaimed, stomping after him. "I can't believe this! I had to deal with an icy wasteland while you got... whatever you got!""Don't know what you mean!" Hunk said, quickening his pace even more so that he was basically just speed walking at this point. "Gotta take these berries to Coran! Bye!""Wha- come back here, you jerk!"Pidge watched Hunk and Lance round the corner, before glancing down at her basket of thankfully no longer writhing roots."Ugh," she said, "-I knew I should have insisted on that trade.""Ah, paladins! I see you all made it back in one piece!""Why does that make it sound like you didn't expect us to?" Lance frowned, even as he passed Coran a small vial."Oh, nonsense!" Coran chirped. "I had full confidence that each of you could complete your missions. And just in time too! The synthesizer just finished the replicating the last of the remaining ingredients. Now all we need is that sap and the tusk I sent Antok to get, and we'll be as right as a wizblatter!""Oh hey, that's great news!" Hunk exclaimed, handing Coran his pouch of berries. "That means we should be able to finish the antidote today, right?""With any luck, yes!" Coran said. "Now where's- ah, there you are Number Five!""Hey, Coran." Pidge said, holding up her basket. "I got those screaming roots you wanted. Would have been nice if you warned me about that part.""Oh yes, they do do that, don't they?" Coran said absently as he took them from her. "Begging your pardon, Pidge. With all the commotion it completely slipped my mind."Pidge squinted at him like she didn't entirely believe that, but apparently chose not to press the issue, instead yanking off her helmet and shaking out her sweaty hair. Which, not to be rude, smelled every bit like you'd think sweaty hair would smell. You would think for a super advanced alien society, the Alteans would have spacesuits with better breathability."Phew," Lance crinkled his nose, "-you thinking about taking a shower there, Pidge?""No, I was just going to languish in my own stink." Pidge shot back. "Coran, can I-?""Oh, feel free." Coran said. "Not much we can do until Antok gets back with that rangor tooth anyhow, and I'll still need to process all these ingredients before we can actually use them. In other words, take your time!""Cool, thanks." Pidge said, before promptly ducking out."Yeah, what's Antok's ETA anyways?" Lance asked. "The sooner we can get mullet back to normal, the better.""Shouldn't be much longer." Coran remarked. "In fact, I think- ah, here we go. His ship is approaching as we speak.""Speaking of Keith, where is the little guy?" Hunk asked."Last I checked, he was with Allura in the med bay, taking a nap," Coran said, "-though I imagine he'll wake up in a little while. Hopefully by then I'll have most of the ingredients processed and ready to go so we can head straight to Elzat.""Do we really have to go to the creepy ruin planet?" Hunk shivered. "Aren't there any of these atpa trees on other planets? You know, ones that haven't had an entire civilization just disappear?""Oh, sure," Coran said, "-unfortunately, they're all Galra occupied."...ah. Yeah, that's kind of what he thought."Yeah, on second thought," Hunk said, "-I think I'll take the creepy ruins. I'd rather avoid having to fight the Galra again.""Yeah, plus we don't know if the black lion's going to freak out like it did last time again." Lance said. "Any chance Allura figured out what was up with that?""I'm afraid not." Coran said. "I can't recall any of the lions doing something like that during Alfor's day, unless of course it happened that week we spent on planet Nakewameke. Hit my head and knocked myself out for three days! Oh, that was a wild time.""Sure sounds like it." Lance said, letting his gaze wander. "So anything we can- holy crap!""What's the-?" Hunk began, turning to look in the direction Lance's gaze was fixed on- and instantly snapping his mouth shut.Yeah. Okay. Fair reaction."Paladins," Antok greeted them coolly, like he wasn't dragging a giant purple lizard monster behind him, which yeah, he totally was, "-interesting choice of greeting. Is it common amongst your people?""Ah, Antok!" Coran chirped, not batting an eye at the giant beast. "You know, I seem to recall saying that we only needed a single tusk. I'm not quite sure what we can do with a whole rangor.""I was thinking of using it to make cibum." Antok said, handing Coran a tusk that had no right being as big as it was. Coran stumbled under its sheer weight. "Where can I find your kitchen? I'd like to get started on the stewing process while the meat is still fresh."Cibum? Hunk frowned, his brows knitting together in thought. Now where had he heard--oh. Oh no."Wait, Antok-!"...and he was gone already, giant lizard monster in tow. Great. He'd known the universe would throw something awful at him again, but honestly? He hadn't expected it to happen this fast.(Ugh. Maybe he should have traded with Pidge.)"Uh, why's Antok in the kitchen with a giant lizard?""Trust me Pidge," Hunk met her eyes, despair and horror equal partners within his own, "-you don't want to know."Kyix stirred in his sleep.She didn't think anything much of it at first- it was just a small twitch, and his previous nap had come and gone without any complications. She had no reason to believe that this one would by any different.At least, that was until he started to growl.That she picked up on right away, immediately switching her attention away from the intelligence report she'd been passing the time reading. Kyix was thrashing in his sleep, growling defensively as if he were in some kind of danger. A surge of fear shout through her, wondering if this could be some other effect of the rire's toxin, before abruptly realizing that it was likely just a nightmare. Which didn't necessarily make it better- especially not when he started to claw at his throat."Kyix!" She cried in alarm, quickly moving to grab his hands to stop him. He squirmed in her grip with a surprising amount of strength for someone so small, but she held fast until he finally stopped squirming."Kyix?" She asked softly. "Are you alright?"For a tick, there was no response. She almost thought that perhaps he'd fallen back into a dreamless sleep, before his eyes slowly fluttered open. For the briefest of moments he seemed confused, before they landed on her and he gradually relaxed- and suddenly, she was quite glad she'd had the foresight to resume her disguise. The last thing she wanted to do was risk exposing her lie when they were so close to hopefully fixing all of this."Alora?" Kyix asked, before his gaze dropped to her hands. Scrunching his nose in confusion, he frowned. "Why are you holding my hands?"Abruptly she realized she very much was still doing that. Letting them go, she offered him what was surely an awkward smile, her own hands darting behind her back. "No reason!"Kyix looked skeptical, squinting at her in a way that reminded her a bit too much of his near adult self. "You're lying."She flinched slightly at the accusation, it striking a little too close for comfort. "You were simply... having a bad dream, that's all.""Oh," Kyix's cheeks flushed, "-um. Sorry.""It's hardly anything to apologize for." Allura said. "We all have them sometimes."Kyix just frowned, turning his head away. "It's okay. You don't have to pretend."Blinking, Allura frowned, wondering if she'd said something wrong. "I... what makes you think I'm pretending?"(She was, of course, but she didn't think Kyix was talking about that.)For a long moment, Kyix said nothing, seemingly resolute on staying silent. Then finally he turned back around, meeting her eyes with a surprisingly sharp gaze."You're a Blade," he said, "-Blades don't have bad dreams.""...not real ones anyways," he added under his breath, quiet enough that she was almost positive that he hadn't intended for her to hear it.Oh. Oh. In hindsight, it made so much sense. Compared to everyone else around him, he must have felt practically useless. Even for someone so young, that had to hurt. And even if she knew that Kyix would eventually grow up to be the Blade he'd always dreamed of- and more- currently, he didn't know that. He must have felt like this for a long time, spending lonely days isolated to the medical ward. No wonder he was so willing to throw himself recklessly into missions. He was making up for lost time."Nonsense," Allura said, crouching next to his cot, "-I have bad dreams all the time."(She might not be a Blade, but...)Kyix blinked, looking up at her. "You do?""Of course." Allura said, a sad smile touching her lips. "It is difficult not to, what with all I've been through."(...well, it wasn't as if she was lying either.)"And you're not... the other Blades don't think less of you?" Kyix asked."Of course not." Allura said. "Do you think they think less of you?"Kyix shook his head vigorously, propping himself up in his makeshift cot. "No. Mom would fight them if they did, and she's even tougher than Kolivan."She fought the urge to chuckle, unsure if that were true, or if it were simply an adoring son's boasting. Based on what little Shiro had mentioned about his meeting with the woman who was very likely Kyix's mother, it was easy to imagine it being the former.(She wondered what he would say, were he here.)"I'm sure she would," she said instead, "-but I promise the others have bad dreams just the same. There's no shame in having them, especially at your age."Chewing on his lip, Kyix slowly nodded his head. "Okay. If you say so.""As a matter of fact, I do!" Allura said. "Now then- is there anywhere you'd like to go? Provided we stay on the ship, of course."Kyix deflated slightly at that. "But I'm feeling better now!""I am quite certain you are," Allura agreed, a faint smile touching her lips, "-but rules are rules."Kyix grumbled, muttering something underneath his breath that she couldn't quite make out. The look on his face alone was enough to earn a chuckle, which only soured his expression even more so she quickly stifled it. It was in moments like these that she could absolutely understand just how he'd grown into the person he had."Fine," he finally grumbled, "-I guess I can stay on the ship.""Good." Allura stood up, holding out a hand. "Now that we have that settled, why don't we see about getting you something to eat?"As if on cue, Kyix's stomach growled. It was all she could do to keep herself from laughing.(Alright. Perhaps she did laugh.)"Antok!"One ear twitched, picking up on the sound of Kyix's approach long before the shrunken youngling barreled into the room. No doubt he had been pulled in by the scent, judging from the way his nose twitched. He'd only just begun the process of stewing the first set of organs- the heart and brain- but already the acidic aroma of the beast's blood was filling the room. It was quite pleasing, if you asked him.Judging from the look on the Altean princess' face when she walked in, he'd hazard a guess that she disagreed."What in the world are you-""You're making cibum, right?" Kyix asked, standing on his toes so that he could peer over the counter at the half-butchered rangor. "Where'd you get the meat?""I retrieved it myself." Antok said. "I thought I should show the paladins a gesture of our appreciation for looking after you.""How... kind of you." Allura said, her tone anything but convincing. "I am certain they will greatly appreciate the gesture."Perhaps Alteans had weak stomachs- or perhaps the princess simply couldn't stand the smell of blood. He was somehow more inclined to believe the former.Antok hummed, taking care in separating the beast's stomach from its body, before throwing it into the pot alongside its heart and brain. "It is the least I could do.""You're making some for me too, right?" Kyix asked, squinting at him suspiciously.Antok let out a bark of laughter. "Of course, youngling! How could I ever leave you out?"Pleased with that, Kyix beamed. Clutching the edge of the counter, he bounced up and down on his heels with an energy he hadn't possessed when he'd truly been this age. An unpleasant bitterness twisted in the pit of his stomach at the sight, and he quickly drew on his Blade training to bury it.It could have been like this, he thought, if not for the boy's father.If not for Lotor."And how long will this take, exactly?" Allura asked."The meat only needs to stew for a few quintants," Antok remarked, retrieving the kidneys and tossing them into a pot, "-and the organs for only a few vargas after it. Nothing that needs constant attention. Just the occasional stir."Allura opened her mouth to say something else, before her gaze darted towards Kyix and she quickly snapped it shut. Heaving a slight sigh, she seemingly resigned herself to simply watching before a timely growl from Kyix's stomach reminded her of the likely reason she had come down here with him in the first place.'Well," she began, "-I suppose since the cibum won't be done for several quintants, we will simply have to reheat something Hunk made.""You think he has more of those pancaked things?" Kyix asked."I think they were called pancakes, actually." Allura corrected, opening up the food storage. "And I don't think those save particularly well. But perhaps... ah! Here we are!"Producing a container, the princess set it down on the counter, before staring at it with a frown. Dimly, he realized that perhaps she had no idea what to do next, as at odds not knowing how to heat up a meal was with her otherwise competent leadership. A stark reminder of the fact that she came from a much different time- a time that he himself had no experience with, other than the stories that had been passed down through his family line, back when the universe had been at peace. He'd once thought that he wouldn't live to see the return of such times. But with the appearance of Voltron, perhaps...He quietly pushed the thought aside. The Blade hadn't survived this long by allowing themselves to be taken in by hope. Even if Zarkon were truly dead, the Empire would not be so easily dismantled. Lotor taking control had only proved that."If you need help-""Ah, there you all are!""Coran?" Allura blinked in surprise, glancing over her shoulder. "I thought you were-"Stopping herself short, her gaze briefly flickered towards Kyix, before darting back towards the older Altean. Kyix frowned, tilting his head in mild confusion, but otherwise seemed unbothered. He was more focused on the prospect of cibum than he was on anything else."Just about finished with that, actually!" Coran said, wisely darting around any talk of what that was. "Thought I would come and find you both myself. How's the cibum coming?""It will take several quintants to be ready," Antok said, extracting the beat's intestines and throwing them in the pot with the rest of its organs, "-but it is coming together well.""Glad to hear it!" Coran chirped, sounding far more enthusiastic than the princess had at the prospect. "I take it you were trying to whip Kyix up a quicker bite to eat then, pri- Alora.""More like heat up something Hunk had already made." Allura said, opting not to comment on Coran's near mistake. "But I admit to being at a bit of a loss as to how that works.""No worries, just leave it to me!" Coran said, all but taking the container out of her hands. "Give me just a tick, and I'll have it all ready for our resident youngling."Stepping aside without argument, Allura busied herself retrieving silverware while Coran heated up the container of food. She set them down on the counter that he wasn't in the middle of butchering a rangor on, pulling out a chair for Kyix. He spared the cibum pot another glance, before he made his way over towards Allura, carefully pulling himself up on the chair. Not a dobosh later, Coran dumped the now warm contents of the container onto his plate, the smell of aromatic spices briefly filling the air before being taken over by the acidic scent of the rangor's blood."Now then," Coran began, glancing between the two of them, "-might I have a word with you both?""Of course." Allura said without hesitation.Antok hummed in agreement, setting down his knife. It was not difficult to guess what he might want to talk about. "I can spare a moment.""Excellent!" Coran said, before beaming at Kyix. "I don't suppose you'd mind if I borrowed these two for just a few ticks, would you? We'll be just outside if you need us. Official paladin business, you know."Kyix paused mid-bite, glancing up at Coran. "Paladin business? Can I hear?""Unfortunately I believe the paladin business Coran is referring to is the more boring kind." Allura quickly said. "It's not always about fighting imperial cruisers.""Oh," Kyix frowned, scrunching up his nose, "-then I don't care."Antok had to bite back a laugh. He certainly had inherited Krolia's bluntness. Wiping down his hands on the cloth he'd fished out of the drawers, he followed the princess and Coran out of the kitchen, far enough so that Kyix wouldn't be able to overhear their conversation while also staying close enough to keep an eye on it. He was distracted by his meal now, but there was no telling what a healthy young Kyix might do.(It was hard enough to tell what he might do next at his real age. He had, after all, left to find the blue lion and ended up becoming the paladin of an entirely different lion.)"So?" Allura said. "What was it that you needed to discuss with us?""It's about the antidote," Coran began, "-I've just about finished processing the ingredients. We should be ready to make our final stop soon."Sensing that there was something else, Antok tilted his head. "And?""We'll need to take Kyix with us to get it, I'm afraid." Coran said. "The sap of the atpa tree isn't exactly known for preserving well, so we'll have to finish the antidote there."The princess said something in response, but Antok didn't hear it. All he could think about was the last time he'd taken Kyix to a planet with atpa trees- and what had followed after. Swallowing, he forced himself to listen to the Alteans, reminding himself that Elzat was far from the only planet with the trees- there were at least a dozen others where they had been successfully transplanted so that the properties of their sap might be more readily available.All of which, he abruptly realized, had been conquered by the Empire."What planet," Antok began, feeling hesitant for the first time in many deca-phoebs, "-what planet would this be?""Well, there are quite a few planets with atpa trees," Coran began, "-but when I went to match them against your intelligence, I only found one that wasn't currently occupied by the Empire."Elzat."Coran blinked, vaguely surprised. By his side, the princess went stiff."Why yes," Coran began, "-how did you-?""It was Elzat, wasn't it?" Allura asked, looking up at him. "Where Kyix was-""-possessed by strange forces that left him incoherent for several movements?" Antok finished, unconsciously rubbing where the lingering rune from that time had once been. It was gone now, having protected him in his hour of need. "Yes.""Wait, that was Elzat?" Coran asked. "Well, that certainly does complicate things.""Are you positive that we couldn't try one of the other planets?" Allura asked. "There must be at least one where the Galra presence is less significant. Perhaps if we used the green lion's cloaking-"Coran shook his head. "I'm afraid not, princess. Elzat is our safest option, at least in terms of Galra interference."Antok's brow furrowed, his tail flicking behind him. He did not like the idea of bringing Kyix to Elzat, but Coran was right- it wasn't a place they were likely to run into Empire forces. The legends surrounding it were enough to keep not only the Empire away, but also those outside of it. Even the Blade rarely paid it a visit, and even then only when they required something that could only be found there. The ill-fated raid with Kyix had been the last time any Blade had set foot there."Perhaps if we keep him away from the temples...?" Allura ventured."That... may work." Antok agreed after a moment of thought. "It was not until after we entered the temples that Kyix first began to act strange.""I'll make sure to choose a landing site as far away from them as possible, then." Coran said. "Unless you think it would be better to risk going to one of the other-?""No," Antok shook his head, "-Elzat is the safest choice."Were Kyix his right age, he would no doubt come to the same decision. Should the worst happen, they knew from past experience now that it would wear off. He may have even built up a certain amount of resistance since then. He had been able to handle dying Balmeras and the vile creations of Zarkon's witch- perhaps he could handle this too.(Or perhaps Krolia would challenge him to a blood duel the next time they saw one another. He would be unlikely to win.)"Are you certain?" Allura asked. "We could try one of the others.""Undertaking such a mission would not be wise in with your current circumstances." Antok shook his head. "You currently only have four paladins. And with all due respect, princess, you have only recently begun to pilot the black lion.""I suppose you're right." Allura admitted, a slight frown on her features. "We will just have to be cautious."Antok gave her a curt nod, before turning back to Coran. "Is there anything else?""No, that's it." Coran shook his head. "I'll brief the paladins on the updated situation. Between the six of us, I'm sure we'll be able to keep the lad from wandering off anywhere dangerous! Or the five of us, rather, since I'll likely be concentrating on actually making the antidote.""But you do think it will work?" Allura asked."Oh, quite certain!" Coran chirped. "No worries there, princess!"Allura's sigh of relief was external. He kept his own internal. As amusing as it was to see Kyix in his youthful state again, he could not deny that he'd been concerned. Knowing that the solution was at hand was a relief, even if it did require a bit of risk. As a Blade, he knew they could not risk losing yet another paladin so soon, but his concerns were not solely due to that.He was a Blade, yes, but he was also someone who had watched Kyix grow with pride. To see him lose all that progress......it would not do."Good," Antok said firmly, "-then we should not waste time.""Agreed." Allura said. "If you can keep an eye on Kyix, I can set a course for Elzat right away."In spite of himself, Antok felt the edge of his lip curl upwards. Between missions he had spent countless vargas keeping Kyix occupied. A few more would hardly hurt."Yes," he said, "-I believe I can manage.""I have our new heading."Snapping to attention, Acxa greeted her prince with a salute. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Narti doing the same. Ezor and Zethrid had both retired from the bridge to the training arena, having grown bored of sitting around and waiting for Lotor's next order. He'd been mostly silent since they'd sent Commander Yut to Caligo, barely even reacting to the report of his failure there.If anything, he seemed to have expected it."At ease, the both of you." Lotor waved a hand, casting a quick glance over the bridge. "I suppose Ezor and Zethrid are training?""Should I call them back?" Acxa inquired."No need." Lotor said. "You and Narti should be more than enough to handle our next task. It will require a more... subtle hand than either of them are capable of."Acxa frowned slightly, curious. "What task?"Lotor merely smiled, taking his place at the center of the bridge. Acxa glanced in Narti's direction, but she had already returned to her station. Taking that as her cue, she turned back to her own, beginning the process of making a hyperspace jump. He had said something about a heading, so she could only presume they were changing locations."Where shall I set the coordinates to?""Set a course," he said, "-for Elzat."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
From a distance, Elzat didn't look like some kind of freaky cursed planet whose entire population had vanished in one night. It actually looked... kind of pretty, if Hunk was being honest. From space it was a deep violet color, with swirls of pink and orange intermingled with it. It looked kind of like a sunset.But if there was one thing he'd learned about space, it was that it could be deceptive.The giant gash in the middle of one of its continents was clue enough of that."Are you sure we have to go down there?" Hunk nervously asked. "Can't we just get the sap and run back to the Castle really fast?""I'm afraid not, Number Two." Coran said. "If we want the best shot at curing Number Four, we'll need all our ingredients in tip top shape. Why, even a little degradation will hurt the chances of the antidote working properly!""Yeah, that's what I thought you'd say." Hunk sighed. "Can't blame a guy for asking though, right?""No, I suppose not!" Coran agreed. "Ah, but it won't be too bad. Just so long as you keep young Kyix away from the temples!""Yeah, see that's the part I'm worried about." Hunk said, casting a nervous glance over his shoulder.Antok had gone to wake up Keith. Even the Blade seemed... hesitant about the idea of bringing him with them, which given that this was apparently the planet where he'd once gone completely out of his mind for like, a solid week after visiting one of its temples, he couldn't exactly blame him. He was worried about that too. Sure, from the sound of it, as long as they kept away from them he'd be fine, but...-since when did their plans ever go, well... according to plan?(Never, that's when.)"It'll be fine," Pidge said, casting a glance back in Lance's direction, "-we'll have babysitter Lance to keep an eye on him.""You guys aren't going to let that go, are you?" Lance arched a brow."Not any time soon!" Pidge grinned.Lance just heaved a sigh. "I'm staring to understand how my uncle feels. You take a kid out on a joyride one time, and you never hear the end of it.""When your joyride ends with getting attacked by an imperial cruiser, then yes." Allura said as she entered the bridge, Antok by her side. He was carrying a still somewhat sleepy looking Keith. "You tend not to forget that.""Hey, I had no way of knowing it was going to be out there!" Lance protested."Yeah, and you ran." Keith said."Aw, c'mon," Lance whined, "-I thought we had a bonding moment there."Exchanging a glance with Pidge, they both snorted. Keith might not remember them right now, but it looked like his dynamic with Lance was somehow entirely unchanged.Allura cleared her throat, interrupting the conversation before it could go any further. "Are we almost to Elzat, Coran?""Nearly there, pri- Alora." Coran corrected himself a the last second. "We'll land the Castle near an atpa tree thicket. Hopefully we won't have to stay there very long.""Good." Allura said. "I'll stay behind and watch the skies from the black lion. I would rather us not be taken by surprise again.""You need any help?" Pidge asked.There was a slightly nervous edge to her voice, and it was kind of obvious why. They hadn't exactly forgotten how the black lion had basically flown itself. Sure, it had done so to save Keith and Lance, but that still wasn't something the lions normally did. And then there was the whole weird thing about Keith saying Shiro's name...Hunk shivered. Why did everything in space have to be so haunted?(He was also sure that the real reason Allura wasn't coming with them was because she didn't want to still have to be in Keith's Blade armor when he went back to normal. No way around it- that was going to be super awkward.)"I would appreciate it, yes." Allura smiled."You're not coming with us?" Keith asked, actually sounding kind of disappointed."I am afraid not," Allura shook her head, "-but don't worry. Antok will be going with you. As will Coran, Lance, and Hunk.""Yeah, you won't have to worry about a thing with ol' Lancey Lance around!" Lance beamed.Keith just gave him the world's most deadpan look.Ouch. Rejected by fuzzy baby. That was almost as bad as getting rejected by a cat. This called for a comforting pat on the shoulder."Thanks, buddy." Lance said."Anytime, Lance," Hunk said, "-anytime."Elzat felt weird.It was like a tingly sensation underneath his skin, a soft buzz of energy. It didn't hurt or anything- it just felt weird."Are you alright, youngling?" Antok asked.Kyix quickly nodded. "I'm fine."And he was! It wasn't a scary sensation. It was kind of almost... comforting? Even familiar in an odd way that he couldn't place... if he didn't let himself focus on the more distant, much scarier sensation that lurked in the background of it. Besides, if he told Antok about it, he might just scoop him up and take him back to the Castle, and he couldn't have that. This was the first time he'd ever been allowed to step foot on a planet, and he wasn't about to let this chance go to waste.Antok frowned, looking unconvinced. "If you say so.""Promise," Kyix said, "-scout's honor."He frowned slightly, cocking his head to one side. "...whatever that means."Antok just laughed, carefully setting him down. "I'm trusting you to not stray too far from us, Kyix. There will be no cibum for you if you do."Kyix frantically nodded his head. There was no way he was going to miss out on cibum. He couldn't wait to share it with the paladins. He bet they'd never tasted anything like it."The thicket's just up ahead," Coran said from ahead of them, "-once we get there, we'll have to find a tree that's at least over a three thousand years old, but no older then five thousand. That's when the sap is most potent.""Wow, these atpa trees have a lot of rules you need to follow." Lance remarked. "How did anyone ever discover this stuff was useful if you have to go so out of your way for it?""Well, one of the planets they're found on commonly has a people that were considered to be great healers," Coran remarked, "-some of the best in the universe, in fact! Provided that's still true. It has been ten thousand years.""The Theru people have been displaced from their home by the Empire, but they still live." Antok remarked. "I believe many have joined the fledgling rebellion.""Good to know." Coran remarked. "We'll have to try and make contact with those rebels at some point, I imagine. Ah, but that's a task for the future. Right now we have some sap to collect!""Why do we need this stuff anyways?" Kyix asked."For medicine, of course!" Coran said. "Why, we should be able to permanently stabilize that immune system of yours with it!"Kyix perked up at that. "Really?""Oh, I would never lie!" Coran said, pulling at one end of his mustache. "It'll do you a world of good, I'm sure.""Then will I be able to start Blade training?" Kyix asked.Antok made a fond huff, stooping down to ruffle his hair. "That you will, youngling. I am certain you will grow up to be a fine Blade."Kyix beamed-"-though I imagine a short one."-which immediately turned into a glare."I hate you sometimes." Kyix grumbled."No you do not." Antok said, before offering him a hand.He stooped down slightly, bending his knees in a practiced fashion, as if he were accustomed walking hand in hand with someone much shorter than himself. After some consideration, Kyix took it. The edges of Antok's lips curled upwards, but there was a sad set to them, his one eyed gaze distant.Kyix tried not to look at him.He wasn't stupid. He'd heard Antok's daughter had died. She would have only been two deca-phoebs older than him at the time- old enough to walk on her own, hand in hand with her father. He'd called her Ulyu- a word from Old Galran. Beloved.They marched through the thicket for awhile, Coran occasionally stopping to shove his ear up against a tree and give it a knock. They must have gone through dozens of them before he found one that he was satisfied with, much to the relief of the two paladins. In quick order they made a small clearing for themselves, setting a bunch of ingredients out on the mat that Lance had been carrying with him."Right then," Coran said, "-let's get to work!"Kyix hung back, watching the three of them work. He'd let go of Antok's hand at some point, the Blade watching the trio with marked interest. He didn't really understand why- none of it seemed all that interesting. They were just grinding stuff up and combining it in some sort of large vial. Boring.Shifting on his feet, Kyix's gaze drifted to their surroundings. He'd promised Antok he wouldn't stray to far, but that didn't mean he couldn't look around at least a little, right? If he stayed where he could see everyone, it would be fine, right?Chewing on his lip, his gaze flicked up towards Antok. He didn't want to risk missing out on cibum, but......what was that?He couldn't put it into words. It wasn't like the faint buzzing under his skin, or the scary, distant sensation of some lingering wrongness- it was some kind of weird pull. He looked back at Antok, then the paladins and Coran- but none of them seemed to notice. Maybe it was his imagination?The pull got stronger.Peering over his shoulder in its direction, Kyix frowned. He could almost hear Kolivan's voice in his head, dictating caution, but it was slowly being drowned out by the feeling of the pull. It felt like... it felt like he had to go to it. Like someone was calling him.His feet started to move before he could even think about it.They carried him through the thicket and into a clearing beyond. There was someone waiting for him there- the person calling him. She was Galra, though her gray skin and tail hinted at mixed blood- and she had no eyes. She was crouched at his level, holding out a hand as if to invite him forward. There was some kind of black creature (a cat, some small part of his brain informed him) perched on the bulky shoulder pads of her armor, that almost seemed to be watching him.He took a step closer.Some distant part of him told him he shouldn't. The armor. There was something about her armor that he needed to be wary of. He just... didn't know what it was.She beckoned him forward. He went.There was someone else with her, some dim part of him recognized as he took her hand. She smiled at him, gently scooping him up into her arms. He nuzzled closer, suddenly feeling overwhelmingly safe in her arms, his eyelids heavy.She smelled a bit, he thought as he drifted off to sleep, like Antok."Is he-?"Putting a finger to her lips, Narti slowly nodded. The child in her arms didn't stir, lulled to sleep by Narti's ability. Ordinarily she wasn't able to influence someone from a distance, but ordinarily apparently didn't apply to a fellow reazit.Just like Lotor had said, he'd come when called to. At this age he must have had almost no resistance to it.Narti looked in her direction, tilting her head questioningly. The meaning was obvious- she wanted to know if the Galra youngling in her arms was truly the red paladin.She had to admit, she'd had her doubts herself when Lotor had briefed her. She knew that he'd been interested in the rumors of the rire- enough to check them out by sending a small strike force to the planet it resided on. He'd used it to test the paladins at the same time, trying to ferret out more information about them.He'd gotten the information he sought.The black paladin was nowhere to be found, and the Altean princess had now donned paladin armor of her own. It was clear that in their final battle with his father, something had happened to the human known as Champion. It was uncertain as to what, but whatever it was had clearly left him unable to fly his own lion. The paladins had been forced to replace him.What he hadn't expected was the opportunity.The red paladin returning to his youth was... unexpected, to say the least. But studying the child curled up in Narti's arms, she knew it had to be true. She would recognize those unusual red markings and two tone hair anywhere, even if they were now on a much smaller face. He was almost... cute, if she didn't let herself think about the way he'd almost murdered her in cold blood not even a phoeb before this.But it was not the red paladin's rage that had caught Prince Lotor's attention- it was the fact that Haggar seemed to be interested in him. There were already whispers in the Empire that the red paladin was a reazit, slipped through the cracks of Haggar's net by virtue of being born to the Blade of Marmora.An unaltered reazit was an extremely rare thing to come across. And one with a connection to both Voltron and the Blade of Marmora? It was little wonder Lotor was so interested."It's him." Acxa confirmed. "We should depart before his companions notice he's missing."The paladins and the Alteans they could handle. It was the Blade she was uncertain of. She would much rather avoid a fight with him if they could."-and there we go! One antidote, complete and ready to go!"Antok heaved a sigh of relief, his shoulders relaxing a fraction. As novel as it was to see Kyix as a youngling once again, he could not deny that it was not the ideal time for such a thing to happen. With Prince Lotor now in control of the Galra Empire, they would need Voltron- and its paladins- more than ever."Excellent news," Antok said, "-we can give it to Kyix right away.""Uh, yeah, speaking of which," the yellow paladin said, his brows set in a deep furrow, "-where's Keith?"Antok blinked. Looked down next to him where Kyix had been only moments ago.He was not there. He very much was not there.Oh stars. Krolia was going to kill him."Chill out guys," the blue paladin rolled his eyes, "-knowing Keith, he probably just wandered off somewhere.""I mean, yeah, probably," Hunk said, "-but this is kind of the planet that he got possessed on. Remember that?"Lance's face dropped. "Oh yeah.""Well you'd better find him fast," Coran said, "-this antidote only has about twenty doboshes to go before it starts to lose its effectiveness. Otherwise we'll have to make it all over again!""Yeah, I'd rather not stay here any longer than I have to." Hunk remarked. "Pidge, you getting this? Any chance you can narrow down Keith's biosign from up there?""Copy that," Pidge said, and then, after a pause, added, "-I can't believe you guys lost Keith.""Hey, Antok was the one who was supposed to watch him!" Lance protested."...I have nothing to say in my defense." Antok said."And you lectured me about putting him in danger." Lance huffed."It is alright, blue paladin," Antok said, "-I am certain his mother will kill us both equally when she finds out about this."Lance turned as white as a sheet. Ah good. He clearly understood the threat of Krolia's retribution. She would be swift but without mercy."Yeah, I'm starting to see a trend here of Lance pissing off Blade of Marmora parental figures," Hunk remarked, glancing at his friend, "-have you maybe considered like, not doing that?""I'm not doing it on purpose!" Lance objected."Uh, guys?" Pidge cut in. "I found Keith's biosign.""Oh great," Hunk said, already bringing up his armor's computer, "-send it over. Hopefully he hasn't gotten too far.""I believe we have a bigger problem than mere distance," Allura entered the conversation, "-Pidge's scans show that he is not alone. There are two other unidentified biosigns extremely close to his.""Wait, I thought this planet was supposed to be abandoned?" Hunk asked."It is," Allura said, "-unless someone got here before us."A bolt of fear shot through Antok. Kyix hadn't wandered off. Someone had taken him.(Krolia would make his death long and painful.)"Green paladin," he said, bringing up his own armor's computer, "-transmit their locations to me now. Hurry.""On it." Pidge said.As soon as she did, he was off in that direction. They hadn't gotten far- he could still catch up. Drawing his blade, he burst through the thicket just in time to see two of Lotor's generals board a pair of personal transit vehicles.One of them was carrying a sleeping Kyix.He didn't hesitate. He threw his blade with keen accuracy, precisely hitting the intake valve of the vehicle of the one with Kyix. It sputtered and died, throwing the general who had taken Kyix off of it. She held onto him as she rolled out of it, her fellow general already turning around to assist her.She would not get the chance.Antok advanced, much faster than his large frame would otherwise suggest. It was a speed he could only manage in short bursts, but it allowed him to reach the fallen general as she got to her feet, striking at her head with his tail. She countered it with her own, locking him into a stalemate that was not so easily broken.Antok looked at her face-("She takes after you," his partner had told him once with a smile."She takes more after you," he'd laughed in response, "-she has your people's markings.")-and saw a ghost."Narti, let's go!"Blaster fire forced them apart. The other general reached out a hand, hauling up her comrade on her own vehicle, wasting no time in immediately putting distance between them.He had to get up. He had to pursue. They'd taken Kyix with them, and whatever Lotor wanted with him, it could not be anything good. In his current state, he was extremely vulnerable.He could not let them take him.He couldn't move. His body was numb.He knew that face. He knew that scent. He'd thought he would never smell it again. She'd died. There had been no survivors. They......they had not been able to finish the search. Lotor had arrived first."...Ulyu?"Through Kova's eyes, Narti watched the Blade as they retreated. She hadn't even needed to use her reazit- he'd frozen up completely on his own.There had been something... almost comforting about his scent."Antok!"The Blade's shoulders jerked, as if he were snapping out of some kind of daydream. Turning back towards them, he shook his head, an expression that even he could recognize as apologetic on his face."They got away.""Who did?" Hunk asked, panting and out of breath when he finally caught up with them. "You see them?"Something... strange flashed across Antok's face for just a moment, but whatever it was, he shook it off. "Yes. Two of Lotor's generals.""Well that's not good." Lance said. "Pidge, Allura, are you hearing this?""Copy that," Pidge said, "-just picked up on the signature code of another ship on Elzat. Looks like we're not the only ones with cloaking technology.""Comforting to know." Hunk observed, sarcasm dripping off his voice."We will try and intercept them before they can rendezvous with Lotor." Allura said. "We cannot let them take Kyix. Hunk, Lance, get to your lions and join us. Coran and Antok, take the antidote and head back to the Castle with them. We may need your support.""Understood." Antok said, though there was an odd undertone to his voice that Lance couldn't quite place.Maybe he was just pissed he hadn't been able to protect Keith."Roger," Lance said, glancing over towards Hunk, "-c'mon. Let's hurry.""Don't have to tell me twice." Hunk said.They both raced back to the Castle. He wished they'd had the foresight to take their speeders, but they hadn't thought they would need them, and they couldn't exactly fit multiple people. They were about halfway back to the Castle when they saw an odd looking fighter take off.(Antok was even faster. He was already ahead of them. He'd also apparently simply picked up Coran and slung him over his shoulder.)"Oh man, I know that ship," Hunk said, "-that's the same type as the one from the Weblum.""The one that trapped Galra pilot was in?" Lance asked."Yep, that's the one." Hunk said. "If that's one of Lotor's ships, I guess now I know why Keith was so keen on murdering them.""Sounds like it." Lance said. "Allura? Pidge? There's a fighter headed your way.""Copy that," Allura responded, "-I see them."Narrowing her eyes, Allura gripped the controls of the black lion. For all of her concerns, it had let her in without any problems, seeming to operate completely normally. She'd tried to search for any sign of Shiro within its essence, but she had come up with nothing.Or at least, nothing that she could recognize.But they had a much bigger problem at the moment.The fighter that launched from Elzat was one she didn't recognize, but she'd overheard Lance and Hunk's chatter. Antok had recognized the pair who had taken Kyix as two of Lotor's generals, so there was no doubt in her mind that this was one of his ships. She was uncertain just how he'd managed to hear about their red paladin's predicament, but one thing was clear- he could not be allowed to capture him.That said, it wasn't going to be easy."We'll need to disable their engines," she heard Pidge say, "-without damaging the fighter too badly. If we trigger the emergency ejection system, Keith is done for.""In that case, our best odds are to wait for Lance and the blue lion." Allura said. "Its freeze rays are the safest option we have of disabling their ship.""Copy that," Pidge said, "-let's keep them busy until then."Allura nodded, already moving the black lion to engage the fighter. Pidge followed behind- and then very quickly overtook her. She fought the urge to frown, the black lion's controls still feeling clunky and unfamiliar to her. They were nothing like the Castle's.Suddenly, she wished she'd had the chance to practice more.By the time the black lion arrived to intercept, the fighter had already opened fire on the green lion. Allura grit her teeth. Of course. Just because they couldn't fire on their ship, didn't mean they would repay them the same courtesy. Even worse- its blaster fire wasn't simply a single beam, but a continuous stream of shots that could follow them as the fighter moved, weaving around them with the kind of maneuverability that only the red lion was capable of.The one lion they didn't have right now.But they had no choice. They couldn't let them escape. They would just have to keep them busy until-A burst of blue flashed in the corner of her vision. She didn't think she'd ever been more grateful to see the blue lion in her life."The blue lion is on the scene, princess," Lance said, "-I heard these guys might need some cooling off?"In spite of herself, Allura groaned. Was now really the time for that?"Exactly," Allura said, "-Pidge, Hunk and I will keep them distracted while you disable their engines with the blue lion's freeze ray. Be careful not to hit the cockpit.""Hey, no worries." Lance said. "I'm not the team's sharpshooter for nothing."And that she couldn't object to. Lance certainly had good aim. She'd heard about how he'd managed to make the shot the that had ultimately allowed them to escape with Slav.And perhaps she wasn't quite a master of the black lion's controls just yet, but she certainly could distract a single fighter- especially with Hunk and Pidge's help. With the three of them up against a single fighter, they kept them quite busy until Lance was able to line up a shot, a beam of pure cold encasing both of the fighter's engines, causing it to seize up.They'd just have to get it onboard the Castle, and then-The blaster fire that rocked the black lion hadn't come from the fighter.A bolt of fear surged through her as she let her gaze follow the direction it had come from. She already had cause to be familiar with Lotor's flagship- and the swarm of fighters that emerged from it even more so.If that weren't bad enough, the fighter they'd been chasing had just broken free of the ice.(She was suddenly starting to understand the practical applications of having a tractor beam.)"Allura," she heard Hunk cry, "-what do we do!?"For just a tick, she froze up. She didn't know. They had to capture that fighter without damaging it. They needed to make sure it couldn't rendezvous with Lotor. They needed to rescue Kyix. She knew all of that.She just... didn't know how.Then she felt it.It was like a soft hand on her shoulder. A piece of friendly advice, whispered into her ear by someone she knew well. Like words, mixed in with the rumble of the black lion, and for just a tick, she felt more connected to it than she ever had before. That in that moment, they both wanted the same thing- to rescue Kyix.No... it wasn't that she was connected to the black lion. This didn't feel like the black lion.Shiro.Even as she drew in a breath, Allura let the phantom of the black paladin guide her. There was the ghost of a hand over her own, and suddenly, she knew what she needed to do."Paladins, get back to the Castle." Allura said. "Coran, prepare to make a wormhole jump two doboshes from now.""What about you, princess?" Coran asked."I'm getting Kyix."The black lion roared. She felt someone smile.Then just like that, the black lion had crossed space, and Kyix was in her arms.Safe."-ling?""Kei-""-ix?""Keith."Snapping his eyes open, Keith jerked upright. He regretted the action almost immediately, colliding headfirst with Allura's chin, leaving both of them groaning from the impact. His head must have been in her lap-Wait. What.Keith narrowed his eyes, looking around to get a grip on his surroundings. He was in the black lion, which... sort of made sense. Allura was its new paladin now, and he was pretty sure he'd been with her just a tick ago. The other paladins and Coran sitting around him in a semicircle was... weirder. But for the life of him, he couldn't figure out why Antok would be here, looming over all the rest.Weren't they just on Caligo?...also, why was he dressed in an Altean tunic and leggings?"Did I... miss something?"The look everyone exchanged said volumes."Okay, so just to make sure I have this right," Keith began, knowing damn well how incredulous his tone sounded, but making no efforts to adjust it, "-you're saying I shrunk?""Pretty much, yeah." Hunk said. "Apparently Coran said it was some kind of defense mechanism of that freaky vampire space tree?""Right," Keith frowned, trying to process that, "-and apparently I didn't remember any of you guys?""Pretty much." Lance made a face that he couldn't quite decipher. "You hid underneath a table and hissed at us like some kind of demon baby.""Huh," Keith tilted his head, glancing over towards Antok, "-guess that explains why Antok's here."Oh no. They were doing that weird shared look thing again. And then for some reason, they all looked at Allura?"...wait," Keith squinted, turning to look at the princess himself, "-am I still missing something here?"Allura broke out into a cold sweat.If he was being honest, all Keith wanted to do was to bury himself in a hole and never come out. It would be way easier than leaving his quarters to face the rest of the paladins.Who had seen him. As a youngling. There were photos. Pidge had showed him one. He'd been sitting in Hunk's lap, pretending to pilot the yellow lion with him.Covering his face with his hands, Keith felt his cheeks heat up. Scratch going out of his mind on Elzat- this had to be the most embarrassing thing he'd ever experienced. He wasn't sure if he was grateful or not that he couldn't remember a damn thing. Even worse was the fact that Kolivan knew about it, and he would doubtlessly have to face down his leader at some point in the near future.He was never going to live this down.(At least Kolivan wouldn't tell a soul. Antok would, though.)But the longer he dragged his feet, the more the other paladins would realize how embarrassed he was. And while Hunk and Allura might be too nice to tease him about it, he was pretty sure Lance and Pidge would be without mercy.Ugh. At least Shiro hadn't been around to see it.Hauling himself to his feet, he paused, almost self consciously checking his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look any different, so at least Coran's antidote had worked perfectly. Even all of his scars were right where he remembered them, down to the odd peach colored mottling on his hand that he'd only gotten recently....actually that he could probably do without.Heaving a sigh, he pressed his hand against the access panel of his quarters- and nearly jumped out of his skin, finding Allura waiting for him on the other side.She was carrying his Blade armor.Right. That.She'd already given him back his blade- and he was honestly more pissed about her taking it than he was about his armor- but she hadn't given back the aforementioned armor yet."I wanted to clean it first." Allura said. "Don't worry, I followed Antok's very strict cleaning instructions to the letter. And I am very sorry for taking it without permission."Keith huffed, taking it back from her. "Just don't do it again.""Believe me, I have no intention of doing so." Allura promised. "...unless you have any intention of turning back into a youngling once more, that is.""Not on your life." Keith snorted, tucking the armor away. "I can't believe I was out of it for like, two quintants. The last thing I remember was fighting the rire.""Well, it wasn't all bad." Allura faintly smiled. "It was a bit like seeing a new side of you."...okay, scratch that part where he'd said Allura would be too nice to tease him about it."You try turning back into a youngling again, and see how much you like it." Keith said, crossing his arms in front of himself defensively. "Anyways, can I help princess? If all you wanted was to give me back my armor, you've done that. You can go now."Allura merely quirked a brow at his tone. "Actually, there is something."Keith frowned. Damn. He'd been hoping there wasn't.He kind of wanted to talk to Antok, actually. There had been something... he wasn't quite sure what, but something odd about his gaze. Like he wasn't quite here with the rest of them. Lost in thought. It wasn't like him."Would you mind coming with me to see the black lion?" Allura asked. "There's something I wish to consult you about.""...about the black lion?" Keith arched a brow. "Sure, I guess. I think you'd know more about it than me, though.""Actually, I think this might be a bit more up your alley, as the paladins would say." Allura said. "Come, walk with me."Keith huffed, tucking his hands into his pockets as he followed behind the princess. He hadn't been able to get out of his borrowed Altean clothes fast enough. He'd kind of gotten used to the concept of casual clothing on Earth, but there was something about the Altean clothing that made him feel weird about wearing it.He wondered if the princess had felt the same way about his Blade armor.They walked in silence down to the black lion's hangar, which he was sort of grateful for. It was weird- he couldn't remember anything from the past two quintants, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was strange to be able to see eye to eye with the princess.When they arrived at its hangar, the black lion almost felt as if it were waiting for them.Cocking his head, Keith frowned. Something felt... different, almost. He just couldn't quite put his finger on what.Allura turned to look at him. "Do you sense something?""I'm... not sure." Keith admitted, his brows knitting together. "It just feels a little different than I'm used to."Actually, thinking back on it, it had felt that way when he'd been in it earlier too. He'd just been a little too distracted by well... everything to notice.Allura hummed, taking a few steps forward until she was right in front of the lion. It crouched in front of her and she rested a hand on its muzzle, her eyes narrowing in thought as she gazed up at it."...it just moved on its own."Oh, he'd said that out loud."Yes," Allura said, glancing over her shoulder, "-and it is not the first time, either. Do you remember how we told you that Lance took you out of the Castleship without permission?"Keith snorted. That was the one event that was actually kind of funny, if only because of the extremely nervous way Lance's eyes had kept darting towards Antok the entire time. Antok had put on his best leer, showing the blue paladin all of his teeth.(He'd still seemed distracted even then.)"Yeah, you might have mentioned that." Keith said. "Are you saying it moved on its own then too?""Yes," Allura nodded, "-it went to rescue you both."Keith frowned, gazing up at the black lion. It almost felt as if it were looking at him expectantly, which was... weird. He could sort of sense the other lions, but it wasn't like he could sense them in the same way he could Red. He shouldn't be able to tell what it was thinking.Except... it didn't quite feel like what he was picking up on was the black lion.Frowning, Keith took a few steps forward, until he stood next to Allura. She smiled at him, and after a tick of hesitation, he carefully placed his hand over her own. She turned away, closing her eyes at the same time he did."Do you feel it?" Allura asked.Keith's frown deepened. For a long moment, he couldn't.And then..."Keith."Snapping his eyes open, Keith stared up at the black lion, his mouth agape.
"Shiro!?"
(Somewhere above an icy planetoid, someone gained a hazy awareness.)