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"Daaaaaaaaad!"Violet winced, clapping her hand over her ears. "Veronica, I'm sorry, come on - I'm sorry, okay? You can have it back. Please stop screaming."Veronica glared at her, hands curled into fists. "Daaaaad!" She hollered again. "Violet took all my ice cream!""I'm trying to give it back to you!" Violet hissed, attempting again to shove the small bowl of triple-chocolate mocha Ben & Jerry's ice cream into her sister's hands. Veronica refused, the damage already done. Violet had known she was in trouble the second Veronica's eyes had welled with fat tears."What's going on?" Their father was there in a flash, the sounds of the dishwasher running behind him. "Veronica? Violet?""Nothing, Dad," Violet mumbled. Veronica just wiped her eyes, causing her ringlets of curly hair to stick to her cheeks."I'm sorry I took your ice cream," Violet said with a sigh. "You can have the rest of mind too, if you want."Veronica looked up at her, and Violet was reminded of the first time she ever held her baby sister, when Veronica was only two or three. Violet had made sure she was wearing her softest shirt and had taken out her earrings and held her in the right way so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. Violet had patted the back of her head until she fell asleep and decided then and there that she was the best thing to ever exist.Now she wasn't sure she still agreed with that - especially not when her baby sister had grown up to be an eight year-old tattletale snitch who cried when Violet tried to take just a little bit of her ice cream. But Veronica was still up there on Violet's list of best things. Maybe even top five."It's okay," said Veronica. "I'm full now."Violet rolled her eyes. "Of course you are."-Something was making a lot of noise. Violet pried her eyes open, blinking out of her dream. It sounded like the dishwasher. Why was the dishwasher running now? Had her father not turned it off?Violet rolled out of bed, still groggy. The sound was everywhere now, sending tremors through the house. Suddenly, a light blazed through her window, so bright she had to shield her eyes like it was daytime and not the middle of the night.Something low and sour trickled into her gut. That's not the dishwasher.The kitchen floor was cold enough, that night, to prick at her bare feet as she ran. Violet would remember the shivers that cascaded down her spine that only increased as she stepped out onto her front porch.She did not remember much else, which was probably better. There was just the blinding light, the cold, her father's shouting for her to get back inside. She'd never heard him shout like that before.What she did remember, when she woke up on the hard floor of a ship, was that she hadn't closed the kitchen door when she left, and the cat could have gotten out. Veronica would be devastated.But that was it. That, and the low voice of the man with purple skin that knelt beside her on the ground, his eyes so sharp she felt like she was bleeding, his face confirming her worst fears:She was now utterly, terribly alone."What have we found here?" He asked, and smiled.She would not taste Ben & Jerry's ice cream again for a while.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
-It had been too long since Violet had seen sunlight.She assumed she'd been forgotten in the damp cells of the Galra ship, just another prisoner to feed horrid slop and watch over. There were others, many others, but the ones placed in these levels were the ones no one cared about, the ones who'd been left and neglected. Many died quickly with the meager rations not enough to sustain them. Even attention from Sendak's fleet was necessary to stay alive. They'd been thrown down here, rotting until nothing was left.Except Violet hadn't rotted.If anything, she'd grown stronger. She ate their food, watched the sentries making their rounds, and waited - waited for something, anything to happen, so she could break free. She tried to keep track of time, but there was no light, no day, and the cells were practically designed to drive prisoners insane.There was, however, one comfort than Violet drew on when the cells were so cold she could see her breath in the air - five bursts of light, so bright compared to the darkness Violet lived in, lions of black and green and gold. Beasts, but more than that. Weapons designed to protect, not hurt. Symbols of hope. And one clearer than the rest, the red one, sitting in quiet solitude, waiting - like her. For what, she didn't know.Violet clung to those. They usually were the only thing that kept her from losing her mind in the vast darkness of her cell.Then it all changed.There was a rumble, and a crash. Something was attacking - her chance. The guards had let her keep her uniform, which was a mistake on their part, since it concealed the seven daggers and three stars strapped to her body. The hood, the mask - those were to conceal the alien birthmarks under her eyes, little gold boomerangs that had brought nothing but trouble in all her seventeen years. Hiding her identity gave her the upper hand in many situations.Violet tripped a sentry through the bars of her cell as it ran past, then drove her dagger into its neck, effectively killing it. She groped around on the floor for a moment before her hand closed around the handle of its gun.A beat of silence - then, as another rumble shook the ship, Violet fired the blaster at the lock on her cell. The handle broke under the blast, and Violet kicked open the doors, snatching her knife from where it was lodged in the fallen robot. She inhaled the scent of freedom, stretching her legs. Finally - she would escape today. To where, she didn't know, but she wanted to find out.She made to sprint for the stairs, but before Violet could take a step, everything went dark. Light burst behind her eyes as a vision hit her. The yellow lion, barreling through Galra ships; the blue and green at its side, the red lion waiting patiently, as always, for its family to come at last. Violet focused on the red lion, and started towards it. She could feel its presence in the ship, and she used it as a beacon, letting it guide her. She wanted to meet the red lion, who had accompanied her in the dark for so long.But someone beat her to it.Violet slipped into the room where the red lion was, and stepped back when she realized there was someone there. Someone being very loud. Violet's brows furrowed.
"Hey! It's Keith, your paladin! I'm supposed to pilot you! Open up! I'm your - are you even listening to me?"Standing before her was a boy with dark hair and darker eyes. There was something woven into the glint in those eyes, spilling through the sharp line of his jaw, that instantly flashed in her mind like a memory. Something about him spoke in a language Violet hadn't realized she understood until now."I'm your pa-la-din," the boy shouted, enunciating each syllable very clearly. He then kicked the particle barrier.Violet decided it was time to step in. "What in the name of all things sane are you doing?" she asked. The boy whirled around, his hand going to the dagger at his belt at the hood, the mask. "Relax," Violet said before he could speak. "What do you want with my lion?""Your lion? This is my lion. Are you a paladin?" The boy asked, his tone defiant. She hated him already. Or liked him. She wasn't sure yet."Red is not exactly mine, but we're ... acquainted. Did you say you're a paladin? Do you know of the other lions?""Yeah," he replied, hand relaxing slightly. "The five lions. We're piloting them so we can form Voltron. You know, the legendary defender of the universe.""I don't know anything about a Voltron," Violet said dismissively. "But I've seen the five lions. And if you're meant to be their paladin-"Noise split the air before she could finish. Sentries swarmed into the room, firing their blasters. Violet cursed colorfully under her breath and sprang at them, the boy unleashing some kind of sword and advancing as well. Violet twirled between the robots, slicing off their heads with brutal efficiency. She made to kill the last one, but the boy attacked first, making a clean slice through its chest."I had that," Violet said, annoyed. The boy smirked. "You shouldn't - DON'T MOVE."A fallen sentry stood, making to fire its laser. Violet threw her blades before it could blink over the boy's shoulder. He held still as the knives whistled past him, a hair's breadth from his face, and nailed the robot in the eyes, one after another.Violet activated the magnets on her wrists and the knives flew back to her. She caught them with ease, the movements fluid after practicing for so long. The blades were a part of her, and she preferred them to any blaster or cannon."Thanks," the boy said begrudgingly, and Violet grinned. She started to say something, but more sentries poured into the room."Oh, for-" Violet groaned, launching herself at the attackers. She and the boy could finish them off, but if Violet wanted to escape before reinforcements arrived, she'd have to disappear. Now.The boy seemed to realize this as well, and slammed his sword thingy into the control panel next to the lion's barrier. Violet's eyes widened as the hangar opened and the room was pulled into space. She lashed out with two of her daggers, thrusting them into the floor for her to hang on to. The sentries were swept into space - and the boy with it. His suit protected him from the lack of oxygen, but Violet's didn't - she needed to escape. Soon.That was when the red lion finally awoke. With a roar, the particle barrier evaporated, and it sprang into action, shooting after the boy. Violet watched as the red lion rescued him, then turned around - towards her."Shoo," Violet told it. "It was nice meeting you, Red, but I have a different path. Say hi to the others for me."The red lion didn't move. It seemed haughty, almost arrogant to her. Like, 'I'm not leaving here without you.' It was endearing in an odd way."I said go!" Violet yelled at the lion, her grip on her daggers slipping. "Mullet boy! Get your bonding lion away from me!" She cursed as she lost her grip on one of the daggers, dangling in the air. The red lion leapt into action, speeding towards her. Violet screamed, yelling some very unladylike words as the red lion opened its jaws. She was going to die. Death by a robot cat. They'd have to carve that on her gravestone.At the last second, Violet dropped her knife and fell into the lion's mouth. She didn't die - rather, she found herself in some kind of cockpit.It wasn't just a cat-shaped hunk of metal, she realized. The red lion was also a ship.And the boy was piloting it, grinning widely. She stood beside him, peering into space. So this was what it was like to be inside a lion - all the intricate parts fitting seamlessly together to make one deadly weapon. The robot was beautiful as it was powerful.The boy flew to his friends. "Apparently my lion likes you," he said by way of greeting. "I doubt it'll allow me to leave you at the hands of the Galra. So you can tag along for now."Violet snorted. "No 'thank you for saving my life?' No 'thanks for risking yourself to fend off sentries while you stood there, trying to bond with a metal lion?"The boy glared at her. "The bonding worked, so you're not allowed to mock me about that. And I saved yours, too. So we're even.""Right. I could've been off on my own pod, going back home to Earth right now, if I hadn't stopped to see what you were doing."The boy's head whipped around. "You're from Earth?"Violet raised an eyebrow. "Do I look Galra? Last time I checked, my skin wasn't purple. Though maybe I should look again from the look you're giving me.""With the mask and hood, it's hard to tell." The boy replied smoothly."Nice try, but I'm revealing my identity.""Makes it harder to distinguish friend from foe," the boy shot back. "You don't look too trustable in that outfit.""I find it's not worth it. They're usually foe, anyway.""Well, we're not," he said, puffing out his chest. "The paladins of Voltron are defenders of the universe - we're here to save the world from Emperor Zarkon's reign."Violet clicked her tongue. "How cute. But ... at least we have a common enemy. I'd like to meet your friends - you'll find I could be of great help to you all in your fight. If you're not worth it, I'll be out of your hair in no time." She wanted to meet the other lions - see them in real life, finally. And if these people were what they said, then they could be allies. Violet let out a breath. She was free, but things were just getting more complicated."I doubt they'll appreciate me bringing a nameless, faceless person I met on a Galra ship into the castle who I know nothing about.""Fine," Violet snapped. "My name is Violet. I've been a prisoner of the Galra for seven years. I don't know if my family back at home is waiting for me, or even alive. I was raised on Earth, but was taken by galra ships when I was ten. There's no one in the whole world who knows what I look like or what my last name is, except for my family. So I'm going back to them, if only to know that there's someone out there who knows that I'm still alive, that I haven't been forgotten."There was a beat of silence, and the boy's face split into a smile. "Nice to meet you, Violet. I'm Keith."There it was again, that odd feeling in the base of her gut. Keith. It was a very human name. The first human name she'd heard in years.After a minute he landed the lion, and Violet followed him out of its mouth. Six people where there, waiting at the castle stretched out before them; a big boy wearing an orange headband around his forehead, a small girl with glasses, a man with a scar across his nose, a boy who looked to be Cuban, a man with an orange mustache, and a woman with white hair and strange markings under her eyes....Violet cried out and stumbled back as realization hit her. She moved towards the woman, who took a step back, looking at Keith confusedly. Violet examined her face, the blue boomerangs under her eyes. The orange-haired man had them too, and pointed ears. Violet felt tears brim her eyes - she'd never seen anyone with these markings. She'd thought she was alone, but these two people were living proof that she wasn't."Er ... Violet?"Violet blinked. "Sorry, I just -" She wasn't going to tell them yet. Revealing herself could cost too much. "The two of you are ... inhuman," she finished lamely.The woman with white hair shot an odd look at her companion, then said, "I am Princess Allura of Altea, and these are the paladins of Voltron. Who are you?"Violet stepped back to stand beside Keith. "I'm Violet. I was a prisoner of the Galra, held aboard Sendak's ship. It's great that you're trying to spread peace throughout the galaxy and all that, but I just want a vessel of transportation so I can get back to my home on Earth." Violet peered at the so-called paladins, her words smooth. "I wish you all luck on stopping Sendak and Zarkon, I really do. But I'm no hero, even if your lions have taken a liking to me. So I'll go. No problem."Allura blinked, then said, "Of course. Voltron will help anyone in need. The escape pods are just over here, we'll take you to them.""Good," Violet responded, ignoring the wrongness that coiled in her gut at the thought of leaving behind the lions. "Thanks for the ride." She turned to go, striding off in the direction Allura had pointed to her.Before she could leave, there was a growl. Violet jolted back as all five lions rose into the air and slammed their paws down in front of her, looming higher than a mountain. Violet blinked, then tried to move around them. The red lion stopped her."What - let me go - WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?" Violet yelled in frustration, kicking the blue lion's metal claw and instantly regretting it as pain shot up her foot. "Argh. Stupid metal robots." She turned to the paladins, who were watching with shocked faces. "Call off your lions! I need to go home!"The yellow lion answered by plopping down in front of her, its massive body cutting her off from the exit. The other lions took up spots around her, surrounding Violet so that there was only one place left to go to - the castle.Violet stormed back over to the paladins. "I - I'm not sure what's happening, but the lions don't usually act of their own accord," Allura said, puzzled. "They must want you to stay, Violet." She took a breath, straightening to her full height. "Something brought you here. Call it what you want - fate, destiny-""A lion?" Violet suggested.Allura frowned. "Sure. Whatever it is, you've been brought here for a reason. The lions want you to stay, and as their paladins, we must fulfill the wish. But why? Do you have knowledge about the Galra that could help us?"Violet pinched the bridge of her nose. "Look. When I was a prisoner, I was close to the red lion. It would send me dreams of the others, forming together to make another, stronger guy that could defeat evil. Sound familiar?""Then you are vital here." Allura stared Violet down. "Staying with us could help save thousands of lives. You have the chance to do something truly good in your life, Violet.""Oh, I love those moments," said Violet. "I like to wave at them as they pass by."Allura looked like she was about to facepalm, except she didn't want to mess up her hair. It brought Violet joy just to see the pained expression on her face."I get that you're trying to save the universe and all that," Violet continued, facing the other paladins as well. "But I know where my place is. It's not here." "We understand that, but ... it seems like the lions disagree with you," Shiro said gently. "Maybe ... they know something you don't?""The Voltron lions only move of their own accord when they're calling their paladins," Allura added. "From everything we know about them, this should not be possible. There must be greater forces at play here."Violet frowned, looking at the lions. Her reflection stared back at her from their bright metal chests.She thought of Veronica, of everything she'd left behind on Earth. She'd been fighting to return for seven years.But ... during those seven years, her family hadn't been there. The lions had.Didn't that mean something, however much she missed her sister and her father? Could she really leave behind the one thing that had kept her going for seven years for a world she hadn't lived in since she was ten?Violet blew out a breath. Forgive me, Veronica."I need to return to my family, and Earth," she said, lifting her chin to meet Allura's gaze. "However ... I will fulfill the lion's wish. I owe them for being by my side when it seemed like I was going to die alone, forgotten. So I'll help you take down Sendak. But then I'm going home, and nothing can stop me. Deal?"Allura turned to the group, eyes guarded. They all exchanged glances. Keith said, "She did help me fight off sentries on Sendak's ship. I've made the decision to trust her.""A horrible decision, really," Violet added cheerfully."Alright then, Violet," Allura said. "You'll be staying in the Castle of Lions. This is Coran, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro, Lance, and you already know Keith.""Nice to meet you," said Hunk - Violet could already tell he was friendly."Thanks," said Violet. "I hope you all won't mind that I hide my face. It's just a precaution, nothing personal."Allura frowned again, but she said, "Of course. Welcome to Voltron."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Everybody get up right now and come to the bridge! Zarkon is here! We're being attacked!"Violet blinked, then made her way down the halls to the control room, where Allura was shouting into the speakers. "You all must form Voltron or else we're doomed!""Zarkon's not attacking," Violet said. "What are you doing?"Coran, who was a bit too friendly for her liking, sidled up to her and whispered, "It's a ruse - Princess Allura wanted to see how well the paladins are prepared."Violet raised an eyebrow. "And telling them the enemy is attacking will make them better paladins?""It's a test, not an exercise," Coran said, turning to Allura. "You're not being believable enough, princess - here, let me do it." he took the speaker from her hands. "OH, QUIZNACK! ALLURA JUST GOT DECAPITATED! VIOLET'S ARM WAS SHOT OFF! AND HER LEG TOO! Hold on - Allura's telling me that we need to form Voltron!""I thought I was decapitated," Allura said dryly."Oh, right." Coran tried again. "I mean - Allura's DECAPITATED HEAD is telling me that we need to form Voltron! Those are her last words!"Allura's expression was a mix of confusion, exasperation and irritation. "Coran, stop. It's too late." The paladins entered the room - Shiro in his armor, Keith and Pidge in their clothes, Hunk in his pajamas and Lance nowhere to be found."It is indeed too late! If only we had managed to form Voltron!" Coran said, throwing his head back dramatically."I guess Zarkon's not really here?" asked Shiro."No, and you should be glad he's not because it took you - Coran?" Allura said angrily."Seventy degrees," he reported. "Quiznack, sorry! I was using a meat thermometer instead of a timer.""The point is, it was far too long!" Allura finished. "None of you are remotely prepared to fight Zarkon! Keith, Pidge, Hunk, Shiro - where are your bayards? And where is Lance?"The blue paladin chose that moment to step through the doors. Lance was wearing a blue robe, blue lion slippers, and holding a mug. "'Sup, everyone. What's happening?"Violet smirked. "Nothing. Did all of you get those slippers? Because I want some.""Are you sure? I had this really weird dream about Allura being decapitated and half your limbs falling off....""Sounds like a vivid dream," Violet said innocently."Enough! Coran and I woke up two vargas ago so we could get to work on the castle's defense systems," said Allura. "We were checking the alarms and decided to give you all a test. I bet you can guess which one failed. I'll give you a hint: it wasn't the alarms."Violet regarded Allura with one eyebrow lifted. "I'll guess ... the alarms?"Allura glared at her. "I'll take that as a no," Violet muttered. Was the princess always this demanding?Hunk yawned. "Sorry for not being alert enough, princess, but we've been through a lot the past couple of days. You guys just woke up from a ten thousand year nap. We've had to fly through space, eat weird space food, and battle a evil space emperor. It's a lot to process."Allura's angry gaze didn't abate. "You must know how dire our situation is," she said, pulling up a screen that looked like a map of the universe. She explained to the paladins that the places highlighted in red on the map were distress signals from planets that had been attacked by Zarkon. Violet winced - almost the whole map was covered in red dots. "Your planet, Earth, is in this section of the galaxy," Allura continued, pointing out the Milky Way. "As you can see, it's right next to Galra-conquered planets. So we can assume Zarkon is planning to attack it as well."Violet swallowed down the lump in her throat, thinking of her planet. Did her father ever think of her anymore, or just regard her as a lost daughter? Were he and her sister still waiting for her to come home - or had they forgotten her?Allura was still speaking, but Violet's mind was elsewhere. Her family ... she hadn't thought about her family in so long, especially when the memories were so foggy. She hadn't told the paladins about the blank spot in her memories, the period of time that she couldn't recall. But everyone had their secrets - Pidge called himself a boy, though Violet doubted it sincerely, and Takashi had been a prisoner to the Galra as well. They all had their secrets, and she had her own.Which was how it should be, right? Friends weren't supposed to tell each other secrets. It made them weak."I agree with Allura," Shiro was saying. "Let's start training with our lions.""I'll be watching from the castle with a bag of popcorn," Violet added. "This should be entertaining."Truth be told, it was hilarious to watch the five lions trying to form Voltron, especially when they stood on top of each other like Lego pieces. "Try shooting at them," she suggested to Allura. "Being in battle might spur them on."Allura's face lit up. "Good idea!" she exclaimed. "Paladins, you all managed to form Voltron only when you were in the middle of a fight, correct?""Yeah," said Lance slowly. "I'm not sure that I like where this is going.""Excellent!" Allura said happily. "I'm going to test out the castle of lion's defense protocol - on the five of you!"She tapped a button on her screen and lasers began firing at the lions from the castle. Lance swerved to avoid being hit. "I knew it!" he yelled. "I do not like where this is going at - gah! ALLURA! Stop trying to kill me!"Violet watched in amusement as the lions started running around helplessly as Allura fired at them, Hunk screaming for mercy. Violet outright burst out laughing when the yellow paladin slammed his lion into Keith's in a weak attempt to form Voltron. They were so bad at it, it was comical.Eventually, Violet met them up in the lounge with Allura. "You succeeded!" she said joyously. "You defeat the castle's defense systems and formed Voltron!""Not exactly," Keith replied shortly. "The lasers turned off, so we decided to take a break.""Coran was running a different test on the defense protocols and had to pause the blasts," Violet supplied.Coran winced under Allura's angry expression. "Ah. Sorry, Allura.""That was hilarious," Violet added, leaning back. "You all should've seen yourselves! I'm glad I don't have a lion to fly around.""Maybe so, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't train with us," Shiro said, walking into the room. "We shouldn't be taking breaks. Violet, that goes for you too.""I do not need to train with the five of you," Violet said sharply. "My skill set is focused on defending myself, and no one else. You all would just be liabilities."Shiro's face hardened. "Then you'll have to figure out how to trust us, Violet. Everyone here is a team. If you can't work with us, you'll be the liability."Violet flinched, but kept her chin up defiantly. "Fine," she snapped. "I doubt any of you could beat me, anyways."Lance threw his legs up on the couch cushions glumly. "How can we form Voltron if we get pummeled by the castle's defenses?""During the last battle, you were forced to work together," Coran replied. "But to take down Zarkon and form Voltron, you'll have to have a strong bond as a team. I suggest using the training deck - and that includes you, Violet.""There's a training deck?" Hunk piped up as Violet's eyes narrowed at Coran in protest. He nodded, and led them all to the part of the castle where it was. Violet followed him and Allura into the observation room. The paladins needed to train as a unit of five now, without her in the way.Coran walked the five of them through what was going to happen - he was sending a swarm of drones to attack so that the paladins would watch each other's backs and put their team member's safety first.The drones attacked. Hunk ducked with a yelp from a blast, forgetting to use his shield, and the blast hit Pidge in the back. Violet sighed as she fell through the floor, Hunk following shortly after.Lance, Keith, and Shiro were more skilled, but Shiro was the only one trying to work together. The three of them lacked technique, and Keith and Lance's arguing caused them both to drop their guard.They all failed, eliciting noises of disappointment from Coran and Allura. Violet watched, her face amused, as the paladins were faced with invisible mazes and nose-dives with their lions. Finally, Allura slammed her hands down and stood angrily. "This is ineffective. You need a bigger challenge - I'm sending the Gladiator!"Violet rubbed her hands together. "This should be fun.""Maybe," Allura said, "Because you're facing it with them." She didn't give the girl a chance to speak before dragging her into the room with the five paladins.Fighting had always been Violet's specialty, so this should be a piece of cake for her. Violet crouched in a fighting stance, palming two of her knives.A white robot fell in through the ceiling with a simple staff; easy enough.The Gladiator whirled its weapon and charged. Hunk started shooting at it with his bayard-gun-thing, but his shots were frantic and inaccurate - the robot easily swept his feet out from under him and shocked him with the staff. Hunk fell through a hole in the floor, groaning in pain. Pidge attacked, running up behind the robot, but it deflected and hit him with its weapon until he fell. Lance rushed in to aid Pidge, but he too missed. The Gladiator knocked his gun out of his hands and hit him with its staff, causing him to be thrown through the floor of the training room with a yelp of surprise. Keith attacked with his sword, but was thrown away as well.Violet sighed and readied herself to attack, but Shiro was quicker. His right arm glowed purple, and he threw himself at the robot. But before he could strike, he froze and his face contorted in terror. The Gladiator swung its staff.Violet leapt for it, but Keith was there, blocking the blow so hard that the clang rang through the room. "Shiro! What's wrong?" he yelled. Violet ran forward, grabbing the man by his arm and hauling him away from the battle.The Gladiator attacked Keith, knocking him to the ground again. Violet sprang, hurling two of her throwing stars at its chest. The robot spun out of the way, and she advanced.Violet parried its strikes, dodging its staff's blows. It moved quickly, but she'd nail it with her blades soon enough. Violet found her opening and thrusted her knife into its side, sliding under its legs as it stumbled. She sprang up, readying herself to let the last blade fly-"Violet?"Violet turned to Shiro, who was sitting up with Keith's assistance. He blinked, stunned, and pointed.Terror rushed through her as she touched her head and realized her hood had been thrown off, revealing her long hair. Her hands flew to her face, but her mask was still intact, thank the stars.Violet felt her face heat. She'd forgotten - what it felt like to not have the constant weight of the fabric on her hair, to feel it fall into place naturally. Violet had almost gotten used to the mask and the hood. It was strange, and unfamiliar, having her hood off. She stood, cursing herself for the slip-up. Had anyone else noticed? Keith - he was looking at her, eyes wide. But it wasn't because of her hood, she realized as he shouted, "BEHIND YOU!"Violet turned, too slowly, as the Gladiator struck her with its staff, throwing her across the room. Violet hit the far wall with a wince, and the floor parted beneath her like it had for the other paladins.But she wasn't about to lose to some poorly-skilled robot. Defiance washed through her like a wave, giving her the strength she needed to slam her daggers into the side of the wall, stopping herself from falling into the floor like the rest of the paladins. Violet hung onto them for dear life, gritting her teeth as her body barked in protest.She turned her head to the sounds of weapons clashing. Keith was facing off against the Gladiator alone, Shiro still stunned. She saw the hit coming the moment he did, and in the second before the Gladiator swung its staff to strike Keith's exposed chest, the paladin's eyes met hers. Violet nodded, barely visible.The second passed; the robot struck Keith across the chest. But he grabbed the staff as it hit him, causing the Gladiator to stumble of balance, losing precious seconds to regain its footing. In those seconds Violet pushed her feet to the wall and flipped off it. In midair she activated the magnets at her wrist, the knives she left stuck in the wall sliding easily back into her hands as she landed neatly on the Gladiator's shoulders and drove the blades into its eyes.There was a zap, and the robot short-circuited, crumbling to the floor. Violet stepped off it, activating her knives again and sheathing them at her hips. Keith, who'd gotten thrown off his feet, stood as she walked over to him.Violet only nodded in silent appreciation - 'you did good' - before making to pull her hood back over her face. But what was the point? She hesitated, hands frozen in the air next to her head.Finally, she tugged the hood back over her hair, curling in on herself. "I - I have to go," she said to Keith. "Good luck with forming Voltron."She strode from the room, forcing herself to keep her chin up, her steps casual, until she pushed open the door to her rooms and stumbled inside. The room felt too tight, too hot. Violet pulled off her hood, then her mask, and faced the mirror, running her hands through her hair. It was long, so she usually kept it up; the dark, purplish color was rare, but there were much odder people in the world. Take Allura - white hair, blue and pink eyes. And ... them. The markings under her eyes, like teal sickles.
Altean.
Violet fingered her own, the gold contrasting against her skin. Her entire life, she'd hidden them. They only brought trouble. She was the only one in the world left with the strange birthmarks, and for some reason, Galra hated them, scorned and spat at her when they saw them. So she hid them, because it was the only way.Violet touched the twin markings. What did they mean? Allura and Coran would probably know, but ... in truth, Violet was scared to find out. Wary of what they meant. It was the sole reason the paladins of Voltron hadn't seen her face yet, the reason she only took off the mask when she was alone in her room. Because even now, Violet couldn't shake the secrecy that came with the markings, the reflex to hide them.But she already knew the truth. Violet had known for a long time that she wasn't human. That she was different from her family, that her mother, who'd died when she was young, wasn't from earth. Violet's memories of her mom were blurred, but she had certain flashes that were crystal clear.So she was an alien. An Altean. Or half of one, since her ears weren't arched like Allura's.She sighed, scrubbing her face with her hands. Tomorrow. Tomorrow she'd deal with all this, face the paladins. Tomorrow she'd decide what she wanted to do, if she wanted to keep her face hidden like she always had, or try trusting people with her identity. For now...Violet grabbed her daggers and ran her fingers along the hilt. She loosed a breath and threw one, without looking, the crack in the wall from where she'd been practicing with her blades before.The thunk resonated through the room. Not bothering to see if she'd hit the right spot - she knew she had - Violet activated her magnets and began sharpening the blades, the soothing scrape of metal on metal finally calming her.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet poked at her food.It stuck to her fork; she tried to remove the utensil and failed. Violet sank back into her chair with a groan. "Coran, are you sure this is actually food?" she asked."Yeah - you changed the menu right when I got used to the space goo?" Hunk added, prodding the food gingerly."This was highly valued food on Altea!" Coran protested."It smells disgusting.""That's how you know how healthy it is!"Keith winced and slid into the seat across from Violet, as far away from the food as he could get. Violet sighed and slipped her daggers back into their respectful sheaths, tapping each one to make sure it was in it's correct position. Noticing, Keith asked, "Do you have daggers on you at all times?""Mostly," Violet replied, settling back down. "Usually I have about six daggers and four stars on at all times, but in the dungeons I had to wear all of them at once. But it's not just these blades that can serve as weapons. Knives and guns can be used in combat, but so can scraps of metal. So can heavy objects. So can a really dedicated small person, if they're thrown hard enough."Pidge backed away slowly."Right now I have five knives and two throwing stars on me," Violet finished.Keith blinked in surprise. "But you're not in any danger," Lance piped up."You never know when Allura will call a fake Zarkon emergency," Violet replied dryly. "I wouldn't want to be caught wearing a face mask and a blue robe.""Say whatever you want," Lance said. "That face cream makes my skin glow like the sun.""The sun, however, is actually hot," Violet muttered. Keith snickered, then valiantly tried to hide it as Lance glared at him.After a while, Hunk brought in plates of food that actually looked like food, and the paladins dug in. Allura entered, beaming at them - she was in a good mood today, then. "They liked the food!"Coran crossed his arms. "I don't want to talk about it.""How's the castle doing, Allura?" asked Shiro.Allura said happily, "Once I get the final booster up and running, we can depart from Arus and begin our liberation of the universe.""That's good news," Shiro started to say. Suddenly, alarms started blaring. Violet bolted upright as Allura brought up a surveillance camera, showing a small horned creature darting around the shrubbery next to the castle.Shiro stood, drawing his bayard. "An intruder approaching the castle. Paladins, remember your training. What is your response if someone tries to stab you?""'Rude,'" said Lance.Hunk scratched his head. "'Thank you?'""Or 'oh, no, I'm allergic,'" Pidge offered."Oh, I know," Violet said. "You look down at the blade and say 'do you want this back, or can I keep it?'"Keith rubbed his temples. "We're all going to die.""Not yet," Allura said cheerfully. "This is an Arusian - they're a completely peaceful species. We simply must go introduce ourselves!""He does look pretty cute." Hunk said, examining the screen. "I guess he can't be that dangerous.""Pidge looks cute, but if you interrupt her when she's in the middle of testing out her newest science gizmo, she'll grind your bones into a pulp," Violet pointed out.Hunk's shoulders slumped. "Oh, yeah."Allura chastised, "As part of Voltron, it's our duty to seek out peace first."Violet narrowed her eyes, but she let her hand fall away from her weapons. The paladins made their way to the front of the castle, where the Arusian was still hopping around the rocks and bushes. It was beige-colored, with misshapen eyes and tiny arms. Violet kept alert, though the possibility of the creature attacking them was becoming less likely by the second.After conversing, the group learned they weren't the only ones inhabiting the planet Arus. Allura hosted an event, opening the castle doors to allow Arusians in. They all started to party, the Arusians performing ritual dances for the paladins.The Arusian children seemed to love dark, shady things, specifically Violet. Five or so crowded around her. Violet complained, but secretly she adored it.Keith didn't seem to be into the celebration, walking around. Violet watched as an Arusian ran up to him. "Hugging isn't really my thing," Keith said, "But man, you're cuddly.""Thanks," the Arusian said - in a deep, male voice.Keith's expression was priceless. Violet burst out laughing, startling the kids standing around her. Keith shot her a miffed look as he quickly set down the Arusian. "I'm sorry," she said, gasping for breath, "But that was hilarious."Keith walked over to her. "Right. This is why I don't hug random people." He shuddered.Violet grinned, peeling the Arusian kids off her. "Come on, they're so cute. I have no idea why they like me so much, though." She pulled off an Arusian clinging to her waist.Keith's expression changed. "I think they like shiny things." His lips pursed.Violet frowned. "What do you mean?" She looked around. The Arusians had disappeared from her. "Wait, what-" Violet's eyes widened as she saw one of the kids that had hugged her running off holding something metallic. "My daggers! Get back here, you little thieves! Those are sharp!"Keith followed as she raced after the group of Arusians, chuckling. "Five knives and two throwing stars, right? I'm pretty sure they took all of them without you knowing. Some epic fighter, indeed."Violet grabbed one of the Arusians and frisked it for her knives, finding one of her throwing stars clutched in its hand. "Don't start with me," she snapped. "Stupid little aliens with their adorable horns, gyah." Giving up, she turned the Arusian upside down and shook it, causing several of her knives to clatter to the floor. Violet groaned and crouched to pick them up. "Besides," she added, "They didn't get this one." She slipped her smallest blade from her boot and held it up to show Keith, who was still smirking.As she straightened, though, another Arusian child ran up and snatched it from her hand, sprinting away with peals of laughter. Violet cursed violently and leapt at the small creature, grabbing it's legs and knocking it down. She pulled the blade free from it's fist and slid it back into its place. The Arusians decided she was playing a fun game with them and proceeded to giggle.Violet stood to face Keith, who was trying to stifle his laughter. "Not one word," she warned. "Not a single word.""Wasn't going to say anything," he replied, still trying desperately not to laugh. She glared at him, preparing to say anything to save face, when her vision went white.Pain exploded in her brain, and Violet sank to her knees with a groan. Memories - snippets and images - flashed behind her eyes, racing away as soon as she tried to grab hold of them.
Violet, younger - maybe fifteen - flipping her blades expertly, tossing them in the air with a flourish. Handing them to someone else, slender fingers slipping over the dagger's handle.
Training - the thud of her body on the ground, the dull ache and the drive to get back up, to keep fighting. Sweat dripping down her brow.
Facing a mirror, pulling up her hair and slipping her hood over it. Sliding on her mask, the gold markings's glow dimming as she covered them.
The memories vanished, and Violet let out a shaky breath. She was alright. She began to see again - Keith was crouching beside her, frantically asking if she was okay. Violet pulled herself to her feet, the last craps of agony receding. "I'm fine," she murmured. "I-"An ear-splitting screech echoed throughout the castle, cutting her off, followed by a loud boom that shook the room. Violet exchanged concerned looks with Keith as alarms blared, then stopped, along with the lights. The castle was shutting down.She and Keith raced to the bridge, where the castle's crystal was gone, smoke creating a haze in the air. On the floor, Coran was groaning and pulling himself to his feet, while nearer to the blast was..."Oh, no," Keith breathed."Lance!" Allura cried, rushing in. Shiro raced in and knelt over Lance's still form. He groaned, so he was alive, but barely."You need to get him to the healing pods," Violet ordered. "And go to your lions immediately. This was no chance - someone sabotaged the castle.""We can't," Allura said, devastated. "The crystal powers the castle. Without it, the cyro-pods won't function and-""The lions are trapped in their hangars," Violet finished. She could sense the lions sitting impatiently, waiting for their paladins. They felt trapped, confined, worried for their pilots. "We have to get them out! Can you fix the crystal?""It's practically obliterated. If we want the castle back up again, we'll need a whole new crystal," Coran replied, brushing off dust from his shoulders. "Which we'll need a ship for.""I was loading a pod - I think I left the hangar doors open," Pidge interjected. Violet blinked. "Why were you loading a pod?""It'll work," Coran cut in. "You're with me, Hunk. I'll need your size and strength to get the crystal onto the ship."Before he could say more, the Arusian king raced into the castle, flailing his arms. "Our village is under attack! You must help us, lion warriors!""I'll go," Keith said, pulling out his bayard."Allura, Violet, go with him," Shiro ordered. "Hunk, Coran, get to that pod and go to the Balmera, pronto."They all nodded, and Violet set off to the Arusian village with Keith and Allura. They arrived to find chaos: the houses on fire, Galra soldiers standing watch, Arusians all over the place in states of distress."I'm going in for a closer look," Violet and Keith said at the same time. They exchanged glances. Violet raised an eyebrow."Both of you, then," Allura said. "I must tend to the Arusians." Violet shrugged and slid down the ledge they were standing on, creeping into the flames."So," Keith said when they were out of earshot. "What happened back there?""I have no idea what you're talking about."Keith scoffed at her. "All of a sudden you collapse. Next thing I know, a bomb is set off in the castle. Coincidence?""Oh, that," Violet muttered. She sighed. "Look, I have a connection to the lions. Even now I can feel them, their restlessness at being confined. Blue is worried about Lance. Blacky's trying to reach Shiro. Red is eager to find you and escape from-"She stopped, eyes widening. "Sendak! He's in the castle!""What?""His troops are storming the castle," Violet said in a rush. "The lions - they're going to be taken.""But his troops are right here!" Keith said, pointing to a Galra sentry standing in the ruined village. "How could - wait." His eyes narrowed, and he ran from their hiding place, slicing open the nearest sentry.Nothing happened. Keith's eyes met Violet's. "It's a ruse," she breathed. "Sendak is taking over the castle of lions."Without another word, they raced up the ridge, not bothering to answer Allura's demands and they sprinted back to the castle. Violet was surprised Keith could keep up with her as they ran headlong, trying to make contact with the other paladins. "Shiro! Can you hear me?" Keith yelled. "Sendak is attacking the castle!"Static.Violet leapt for the castle's entrance, but the particle barrier rose a second before she slammed into it. "No!" She yelled, beating it with her hands. "Shiro! Pidge! Anyone!"Keith skidded to a stop, unsuccessfully trying to cut through the barrier with his sword. Violet cried out in frustration. The lions were scared - they didn't know what to do. They couldn't move, couldn't assist their paladins as the castle fell to Sendak."Someone, come in!" Allura said.Nothing. And then -"Guys?"Violet would've hugged Pidge if she'd been able to. "Sendak captured Shiro and Lance," the green paladin spoke through her hamlet. "I hid before he could find me too. How can I help?"Allura rattled off a stream of instructions to take down the particle barrier. Violet paced as they waited anxiously for Pidge, clenching her teeth so hard they hurt. She tried to send reassurance to the lions, held in their hangars. You'll be safe soon. It's alright. Violet promised the green lion that it would know what was going on soon; she promised the yellow lion that there was nothing to panic about; she promised the blue lion that they were coming for it, that Lance would be okay; she promised the red lion that it wouldn't be trapped forever, that soon it would be able to fly free again. She promised the black lion that everyone was safe and working hard to save them. Just hold on for a little bit longer.Violet waited until she couldn't bear it any longer. Whipping round to Allura, she demanded, "There has to be something you can do, Princess.""I've tried everything," Allura replied."There has to be something," Violet said. "Can you do some kind of Altean ritual to open the castle? Or connect with the lions?"Allura shook her head. "There's noth-" She stopped, eyes widening. "The mice!""Pardon?""The mice!" Allura exclaimed. "We have a connection from being in a cyro-pod for ten thousand years. Maybe they'll be able to hear me and shut down the particle barrier!" She closed her eyes, concentrating.After a minute, Violet groaned. "Can't you do it any faster?""No," Allura snapped, impatient. "The mice are working to take down the barrier now. They're going as fast as they can."Violet knew she was being unreasonable, but couldn't care less. "Every moment that we spend out here, the lions risk being taken by Sendak! I can't just sit around waiting for something to happen!"Allura's face contorted in anger. Before she could speak, someone placed a hand on Violet's shoulder. She looked up."We all want to storm in and rescue the lions," Keith said calmly. "But don't take your anger out on us. Take it out on Sendak. I know it's hard, but you have to trust Pidge and the others to help you. You can rely on them."He knew exactly what to say. Violet sighed. "As long as I get to chop of Sendak's stupid arm," she muttered, conceding.Keith smirked. "We can make that arrangement."Violet smiled in thanks, and he smiled back. Just then, the particle barrier disappeared. The three of them wasted no time dashing to the control room and meeting up with Pidge, who was immensely relieved to see them.Sendak was activating the castle so that he could fly it to his fleet. Shiro and Lance were slumped on the ground next to him, both unconscious. Violet's chest twisted with worry for them, which was a new, strange feeling that she actually liked. Pidge distracted Sendak, and Violet, Allura and Keith rushed into the room. Allura started turning off the control panel, while Keith and Violet ran to Shiro and Lance."You okay, Shiro?" Keith asked. Shiro groaned, struggling to a sitting position.There was a crash. Violet whipped around as Sendak stormed in, throwing Pidge to the floor. Violet leapt to her feet, barely avoiding his Galra arm as it shot for her. She tossed her two throwing stars, aiming for the purple energy beam connecting his shoulder to his clawed hand, but the stars didn't break the link. Sendak charged, but Keith was there, swinging his sword around and parrying Sendak's arm. The Galra commander knocked Keith down, making to crush him."No!" Violet yelled, leaping at Sendak. She slid between his legs and shoved her dagger into the chink in his armor by his thigh, causing him to roar in pain. Sendak bent over and grabbed her by the shoulders, his metal hand crushing her in his grip. Violet struggled, but she couldn't reach her knives; her hands were pinned to her sides.Keith picked himself up off the floor. He met her eyes, and Violet saw what he was going to do. She brought her feet up and kicked Sendak in the chest as hard as she could. He stumbled back, right as Keith shoved him into the space next to the crystal. Allura slammed her hand down on the control panel, causing a force field to go up around Sendak. He roared and banged at the barrier, trapped next to the broken remains of the crystal.Violet was breathing heavily. She stood shakily and offered a hand to Pidge. Allura ran over, grabbing Shiro and pulling him up, while Keith took Lance. The blue paladin opened his eyes enough to say, "Did we do it?"Keith nodded, smiling. Lance returned the grin and promptly passed out.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Once Hunk and Coran returned with the new crystal and Lance awoke from the healing pod a couple days later, they all filled him in as he ate. "So you guys managed to trap Sendak?" Lance asked eagerly."It was a team effort. Even the mice helped," Allura said, fondly scratching under the blue one's chin."So what you're saying is Keith was less helpful than the mice," Lance commented."I pushed Sendak into the force field!" Keith protested."Yeah, after Violet shoved a dagger into his leg and kicked him in the chest.""I carried you to the healing pods! We bonded!"Violet chuckled from where she was leaning against a pillar as Lance denied it. What was it with Keith and bonding? First Red, now the blue paladin."Whatever. What did you guys do about Sendak?" Lance asked, changing the subject."We used a cryo-pod to contain him," Allura answered. "However, it's only temporary until we can decide what to do with him.""I'm not sure we should be keeping him close to us," said Lance."He's too dangerous to be set free," Violet responded. "We could discover a lot of vital secrets about the Galra if we kept him here."Lance looked uneasy, but he nodded. "So what will we do?""First, we have to liberate the Balmera and Shay's people," Hunk cut in, face serious.Violet raised an eyebrow. "You seem pretty hung up on this Shay, Hunk. Could love be in the air?" Hunk reddened."It's not like that," he said. "Guys, if you see what the Galra are forcing the Balmerans to do - they're forced to live underground like moles. They've never seen the sun. We have to change that.""And we will," said Shiro. "We'll start a course for the Balmera immediately. Everyone suit up - it's time to act like real men.""Love the hero speech, but we're not all men," Violet added. She saw Pidge's face go pale. "There's Allura and me as well." Violet watched Pidge's expression. The green paladin looked relieved, but also pained. Violet was certain she was hiding her identity."Speaking of, Violet ... we're launching the castle now," Coran said. "If you want to leave - return to your family - now would be the time to do it."Violet blinked in surprise; Keith went rigid next to her. She let a breath out, and said quietly, "I've been waiting to go home for seven years. Sendak's reign is over. I've helped you, seen you form Voltron, and ... I want to be a part of it. When I first met all of you, I was skeptical. You all have no idea how many 'heroes' have tried to rise up against the Galra and failed in the past years. But I've seen the lions, and I've seen all of you, and ... you might actually have a chance."And I want to be there when you defeat Zarkon. So I will stay, if you'll have me.""Of course you can stay," Keith said. "We all would have been dead twice over if it wasn't for you."Violet felt herself blush, even though it wasn't called for. In the prisons, there had been no one who knew she was alive, no one who cared about her, except for her family. She'd clung to the hope that they were still out there, that they still remembered her. Because if no one knew you, if no one loved you, did you really exist at all?But now, she had the paladins. She had Allura and Coran, who bore the same markings she had. She had the lions, who were connected with her. She couldn't just leave that all behind.And maybe ... maybe part of her wasn't ready to go home not only because of her unfinished business, but also because she was afraid. Afraid of returning to her old life, the ghost of a girl who'd died the day she'd been taken to space. Afraid that her father and her sister wouldn't recognize the person that girl had become.Or worse - she wouldn't recognize them."Violet?" Shiro said gently, and she realized she'd gotten lost in her thoughts again."Right. Thanks, Keith," she said, offering him a small smile. "I guess there's no point of keeping the hood on, if you've all seen my hair." She slipped off her hood, reached for her mask, and paused. Not just yet."As long as we're all revealing ourselves," Pidge said, "I ... have to tell you all something. I can't be 'real man' like you said, Shiro, because ... I'm female." "You're a girl? But - how is that possible?" Lance spluttered."I thought school curriculums taught this, or at least parents," Violet said, clicking her tongue. "Well, Lance, girls are female human beings. You might have a sister that's a girl, or a mother that's a girl. Some people even have girlfriends. You know what those are, right?"Keith was biting his lip to stop himself from laughing, Pidge grinning widely. Lance pouted at Violet.The others voiced their support for her, and Pidge let out a breath of releif. "I feel so much better without that weighing me down. Now let's get this ship off the ground!"Lance was still gawking. "Pidge is female, the castle of lions can fly and Violet is hot? How long was I in the pod for?"-The castle launched successfully. The paladins and Allura were making their way straight to Balmera when they received a distress call.Hunk argued that they shouldn't waste anymore time, but Allura decided to land and help out the people who'd sent the call.Violet had to resist the urge to slip her hood back on over her head. There was no need to cover her hair now, not when they were going to be putting on a friendly disposition. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail as they walked from the ship. A broken vessel sat on the planet's surface, with two people squatting next to it. Violet also saw a small bot."It's a relief to see faces that aren't hostile," One of the two people said, a man with light purple skin. "Everyone else we've encountered haven't wanted to side with people who've escaed the Galra.""You're fighting the Galra?" Violet asked. "No offense, but I don't think Zarkon is trembling in fear at the sight of you two."The robot beeped angrily."Sorry, you three.""No offense taken," The man said smoothly. "I'm Rolo, and this is Nyma and our cyber-unit, Beezer."Lance took off, having his eyes set on the woman, Nyma. Pidge seemed transfixed as well on the robot, her face lighting up like it did when she was examining something new and exciting.Allura started introducing the paladins, but Violet tuned her out, instead setting her focus on Rolo and Nyma. They didn't look like a couple, but they were too different in appearance to be related. Rolo wasn't Galra, though the coloring was the same, and his nose was hideous. Nyma's eyes were magenta, which was pretty enough. But the easygoing way Rolo walked was slightly too casual for Violet's liking. She was probably just being superstitious, but she didn't like the look in Nyma's eyes either. It was the fierce, cunning gaze she saw every time she looked in a mirror."So ... who's your masked friend?" Rolo asked, gesturing to her with a wink. "Why cover your face, anyway? I'm sure it's a pretty as the rest." He smiled at her in a way that seemed almost ... flirty. Violet's eyes narrowed."I have an ugly wart on my chin," she replied, tilting her head at him. "It's so gross, you'd throw up every time you saw it. Oozing pus and everything."Rolo winced and backed away. "It can't be that bad, right?" He looked to the paladins. "...right?"Keith smirked. "It's that bad. And worse. Very ugly, her face."Violet elbowed him in the ribs. None of them had actually seen her face, of course, so they didn't know if she was telling the truth or not. Violet doubted any of them actually thought she wore a mask because she was so catastrophically ugly. Rolo, however, seemed to believe it, and edged away from her, all flirtatous demeanor gone.They sat around a campfire as Hunk brought out parts to the broken ship; Lance and Nyma eventually ran off to go make out, and Pidge was still occupied with Beezer.Hunk came along lugging a box full of parts, and the conversation carried along. Violet was only half-listening, instead watching her fellow paladins. Pidge was still obsessing over Beezer, who would've looked flustered if it hadn't been a cyber-unit. Hunk, anxious to return to the Balmera and Shay, was brusque with Rolo; Shiro, Coran and Allura were talking with interest about where the Galra fleets were located. Keith was being stand-offish. Again. Lance was, well ... nowhere to be found.Emotion suddenly flooded Violet, but it wasn't hers. She turned her head towards the blue lion a second before it shot into the sky. Violet frowned. Nyma was in the blue lion, and it didn't trust her at all. Having people inside you, able to do whatever they wanted, required a certain amount of trust with the pilot, which was why the paladins connected with their lions so deeply. Violet knew that Blue was feeling slightly violated by Nyma's presence, and was immensely pissed at Lance.As Violet watched the blue lion fade from her vision, she reached out for it. Blue, what are you doing?The response was an image - Lance and Nyma in the blue lion's cockpit, flying over a lake. It cleared quickly enough that she doubted anyone had noticed, save Keith, who was looking at her with concern. She waved her hand in the universal gesture for 'I'm fine,' which, as always, did nothing to ease the worry on his face.Violet groaned and stood, not bothering to make up an excuse as she left the fire and strode to the side of Rolo's broken ship where Keith was standing. "It's nothing," she said by way of greeting."Didn't look like nothing."Violet half-sighed. "Lance shouldn't be flying off with Nyma like that - not when we don't know if we can trust these people."Keith glanced at her out of the side of his eye. "Do you trust them?""Why else would I tell them I had a horrid wart on my face?"Keith smirked. "I don't know," he said, leaning back against the side of the ship. "Maybe you do. The truth is weird sometimes."Violet glared at him, and he grinned. "What else are we supposed to think? If you're so bent on concealing yourself, we're all going to come up with the dumbest possible reason. I actually heard Hunk tell me he thought the lower half of your face was a pizza last week.""He didn't.""He did. I think he was hungry when he was talking to me then, so...." Violet tried her hardest not to laugh, but a quiet chuckle slipped past her lips.Her laughter died as she remembered what secret she hid by wearing the mask. Violet's gaze dropped. "The mask is protection. It's the only barrier I have between the secrets I've been keeping my whole life."Keith said somberly, "Why keep them if you're among us? We've already accepted you."Violet sighed. "The only people I've been with - no secrets, no mask - have been my family. I shouldn't still be hiding, I know. It's just hard to take off the mask when I've been wearing it for so long. And I have no idea how you all would react.""I think it would be worth it," Keith replied. "To have your friends know the real you, without the masks and the hiding. Even if you do have a giant wart on your face."Violet was touched. "Thank you," she said. "Though you didn't have to bring up the wart as an example again.""No, I did."Violet groaned in exasperation. She was going to reply with something snarky, but before she could speak, the blue lion found her.
Help.
Violet stiffened at the voice in her mind. There was something wrong with the blue lion. Betrayed, it said. Captured. Help."Violet? What's wrong?""The blue lion," Violet said shortly. "Nyma - we need to find Lance. See if you can communicate with him." She strode off before Keith could protest, darting towards Rolo's ship. She knew there was something off about them. She'd need to work on trusting her instincts more. Violet slipped into the ship, trying to find the control room.The ship was small; Violet found the room easily. There was the control panel, and three seats for piloting, and thrusters. On the panel was a direct transmission line to the Galra.Violet cursed loudly. So Rolo and Nyma were going to turn them in. She reached for the communication device in her ear. "Guys, I found-"Something hit her in the back of the head before she could speak. Violet crumpled in pain, blearily making out a purple-skinned form and a small white robot dashing to the controls. Rolo turned the ship on, activating the thrusters and shooting into the sky.Violet winced at the pounding in her head, trying to get up. She should've been knocked out, but years of fighting had strengthened her. She crawled to the corner of the ship until she could form words again."Guys, Rolo betrayed us. Nyma took the blue lion. They're turning it into the nearest Galra fleet now. You have to stop them.""What?" said Shiro. "Violet, where are you?""Oh, I knew they were two-faced," said Hunk.Lance's voice cut through. "Anyone there? There's a small chance I'm currently tied to a tree while Nyma escapes in my lion. Can I get some assistance?""I knew it!" Hunk said again.Rolo paused the ship so that Nyma could climb aboard, sucking the blue lion in with her. She took her seat on Rolo's right side."Hurry," Violet whispered. "They're escaping with the lion now. I'll try to slow them down." With a grimace, she pulled herself to her feet, crouching behind a cargo box.She focused on Rolo's turned back. Idiotic of them for not restraining her. Violet slipped out two of her daggers and took aim, stealthily sliding closer to them.Nyma turned at the last second, eyes flaring. "Hey!" Violet quickly threw her knives at the female, forcing her to throw herself down to avoid them. Violet then leapt at Rolo, elbowing him in his big stupid nose as he turned. She activated her daggers from where she'd thrown them at Nyma, plunging them into the control panel. She whipped around, tossing a throwing star at Beezer. The weapon hadn't left her fingertips before a blast slammed into her back, knocking her down. Violet saw stars, her brain spinning and fading in and out of consciousness as Nyma lowered her gun."Why didn't you tie her up? She's broken our communication line!" Nyma yelled at Rolo, who was rubbing his nose."I thought I knocked her out. It's fine - Beezer can repair the transmission easily."Nyma harrumphed and stepped over Violet's stunned form, kicking her in the side for good measure. She took up the controls again, but alarms started blaring throughout the ship. Rolo brought up a camera, showing the four lions giving chase. Despite the ringing in her head and the pain all through her body, Violet smiled.Rolo quickly flew the ship into an asteroid belt, causing the lions to fall back. But the red lion pursued, nimbly darting from rock to rock."This kid's good!" Rolo exclaimed, impressed, as Keith spun under another asteroid."He's getting closer!" Nyma yelled, followed by a screeching siren as the red lion used its jawblade to disable the blasters, sinking its claws into the ship and forcing it to stop. Violet felt relief rush through her as the ship was brought down and the paladins raced into the cockpit.Keith knelt down next to her, "Violet? Are you alright?""I feel like a million bucks," she groaned, struggling to sit up. "Got knocked in the head, shot, and thrown around a ship a couple of times, but I'll be fine."She got to her feet, leaning heavily on Keith, as Shiro and the others brought Rolo, Nyma and Beezer out. Soon they were preparing to leave."You'll probably think I'm lying, but I hope you do take Zarkon down," Rolo said. "I don't think I would have ended up here if the universe hadn't been at war.""Good luck," Violet replied. "And we will stop Zarkon. Trust me. I've been you - escaping, running, doing what it takes to survive. But if anyone has a chance at bringing peace, it's Voltron."Rolo smiled at her, different from the smooth, angular ones he'd given them all before. This one was grateful. "I'm not forgiving you for trying to knock me out, though," Violet added over her shoulder as she limped away, tossing a grin over her shoulder.She made it halfway to her rooms, saying goodnight to Shiro, Pidge and Hunk, when the headache started, throbbing and poking at her brain. Violet winced as her mind tried to keep up, bits and pieces of memory flying around her head. Something caught her interest, and Violet blinked in surprise as the flashback surged over her like water in the tide.
The heavy tang of smoke filled the air. Violet's mask was designed to filter in oxygen, so the smoke had no effect on her lungs, but the fleeing citizens were coughing and gasping. She watched the flames rise, watched them balk at her, clad in black, standing alone at the top of the rise as she watched their village burn.
Not alone. He was standing next to her, smiling softly. It was a smile that seemed cruel, a smile you wore while watching destruction; but his smile was full of quiet satisfaction, the smile of victory. His face, always blurred in her memories, turned towards the light of the flames, blowing his hair back.
"You did good today."
"I trained from the best," she replied smoothly.
He chuckled. "Indeed you did. This village might seem small, but it was monumental in taking down the Olkari rebels that have been pestering us for so long."
"There were no Olkari here."
He smiled again - he was in a good mood today, then. "True. But their families lived here, the people they'd left behind to fight. Now the rebels will be focusing on their own while we strike the final blow."
Violet felt her lips curl. "And then the rebels will not be able to stop us from bringing peace throughout the galaxy. Monumental, then."
"Yes." His eyes stayed trained on the flames. "Soon, everything will be ours."
Violet stumbled, her headache flaring. If you got hit hard enough, could your brain fall out through your nose?She leaned against the wall, blowing out a breath. The fragmented memories, all of a faceless person, had come when she'd awoken in her cell aboard Sendak's ship.She knew they were of her past. Knew that she'd been an assassin working for this person she couldn't seem to remember. Violet had pieced it together long before she'd been rescued by Keith and Voltron.She hadn't been in a cell for seven years. She'd been traveling through the universe. Doing someone's bidding - wrecking cities, burning homes, generally destroying innocent people's lives. At first she'd tried to deny it - to pretend that it couldn't have been real, that she couldn't have been that person. But she knew. Her hands were stained with blood, and nothing could erase it."Violet?"Violet cursed under her breath. She didn't need anyone to see her like this - vulnerable, when she couldn't defend herself. Keith appeared in the hallway, frowning. "What happened? Are you okay?""Headache," she managed to say, tilting her head up against the wall. Her mind was still jumbled, trying to function properly through the splitting agony and the flashbacks that shot in and out of her brain.She felt a hand on her forehead. "You don't have a fever," said Keith. "Do you need a healing pod?"Violet shut her eyes, trying to gather enough strength to speak. "No, I'm fine. Just banged up.""I'll get you to your rooms."Violet nodded, and she felt his arm wrap around her waist. The light was still flaring behind her eyes, but she was able to walk to her room and fall onto the bed, pressing her palms into her skull."Ow," she muttered. Could you survive if an iron bolt was shoved into your temples? How hard had Rolo hit her? Violet grit her teeth."Are you sick or something? Violet, talk to me." Keith's voice was concerned, but ... talking did help the pain. Violet half-sat up, focusing on her breathing."Can you keep a secret?"He blinked. "Of course.""There's a chance someone took my memories." Violet peeked at Keith through her fingers. He just looked surprised. She continued, "I have a blank spot in my past - I can't remember the seven years I spent in Sendak's cells."She couldn't remember it because she hadn't been there. But Violet couldn't tell him. Not when Keith would look at her like she was a monster, someone who'd killed and destroyed and slaughtered - even if she was one.Besides, it was a half-truth. Violet remembered most of her past - fighting, training, laying ruin to cities and towns in the name of the Galra. But when she tried to recall who fought beside her, who trained her, who gave her the order to kill and destroy - she drew a blank. And, furthermore, when Violet looked back on the names of the cities, the planets and the people she assassinated, there was nothing. She had no memories of who she'd worked with."I get flashbacks," Violet added. "When something happens that triggers a memory. Or if I get hit really hard in the head. It's annoying, and feels like someone's shoving and barbed spike through my skull. But ... talking helps the pain. Which is what I'm trying to do now."Keith was quiet for a minute. Finally, he said, "Tell me about your family."She glanced at him; his face was entirely serious. "The people you left behind on earth. I'm guessing you loved them a lot. Do you have any siblings?""One. My little sister, Veronica.""What's she like?""Smart," Violet answered. "A lot smarter than me, even though I'm four years her older. Veronica's intelligence is her strength. She's calm, level headed in frantic situations, and always has a plan or some solution. I'm better at subtler things. Noticing everything that goes on. Sneaking. Lying." She smirked. "Once I convinced her that the moon was made out of cheese.""Shiro told me that once, too," said Keith. "I actually believed it for a while."Violet arched an eyebrow. "It's not.""I know.""Just checking." She grinned. "I told Ronnie it was completely mozzarella. All of it - one big ball of gooeyness. Actually, she was still believing it when I was taken. I think she might have realized the truth by now. Maybe not.""Maybe not?" Keith asked. "I thought you said she was smart.""You thought it was cheese too," Violet pointed out. "Besides, Veronica is - was - six. Now she has to be...""Thirteen.""Almost fourteen. That - seems impossible." Violet smiled, sadly. "I doubt she's changed at all, though."He smiled as well. "Is she like you?""Too much. Stubborn, headstrong, aggravating."Keith chuckled and said, "You're not stubborn. You're just ... defiant."Violet raised an eyebrow. "Defiant?""Like ... when we were training, and you got hit by the Gladiator because your hood had fallen off. The floor opened, but you refused to fall into it. You literally stabbed the wall to keep yourself from losing. That's what I mean by defiant."Violet considered it. "I guess you could say that. I just operate on the belief that we're more than our fates. If our destinies are written in the stars ... we might as well blaze as bright as the sun."Keith's lips quirked. "Destiny made a terrible decision the day it decided to mess with you.""Please," Violet scoffed. "Destiny doesn't mess with me. I mess with it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was a knock on her door. Violet quickly put on her mask and tied up her hair before opening the door to reveal Hunk."Allura wants us to go over the plan for when we arrive at the Balmera," he said. Violet nodded and they set off together. Her headache was gone from the night before, but what had happened before she fell asleep was blurry. She remembered telling Keith about her life before the Galra, and them talking. She couldn't remember what time he'd left, but it had to be late, because her headache had receded by the time he'd gone."About last night," said Hunk, and Violet felt a jolt of fear that he'd found out about her flashback, "Are you okay now? Rolo hit you pretty hard on the head, and you were limping all the way back to the castle."She blew out a breath. "Thank you for asking, Hunk, but I'm fine. I just needed to sleep."He peered at her. "Did you, though?"Violet's gaze flitted away. "Mostly.""It's okay," Hunk said warmly. "My mom had insomnia too when she was little, so my grandmother made her this tea to help her sleep. I can make it for you if you want - I might have to substitute some of the ingredients with space goo, but I guarantee it'll help."Violet blinked, surprised at his kindness. "That's really nice of you, Hunk, but I don't think anything could help me sleep now." Not when she was plagued by dreams every time she closed her eyes, so fragmented she couldn't tell if they were memories or nightmares."You haven't tried the tea," said Hunk, undaunted. "I'll bring it to your room tonight."Violet opened her mouth to protest, but they walked onto the bridge at that moment. Allura, it seemed, had started without them. "...freeing Shay and her people will not be an easy task," she was saying. "Right," Violet muttered. "Because everything we do is super easy.""So, what are we gonna do?" asked Lance. "We drop in in our lions, go 'chow, chow, cow' and stop the Galra?"Keith gave him a confused look. "What's 'chow, chow, chow?'""I think ... some kind of laser gun?" Violet replied, squinting at the blue paladin."Actually, laser guns are more like 'fooooom POW!'" said Hunk, making his own imitation.Keith winced. "Please stop."Lance noted, "That sounds nothing like it.""In theory," Pidge said, "They sound kinda like: pe-chew pe-chew pe-chew!"Shiro stopped the bad sound effects. "Either way, it's more of a 'bam! bam! bam! noise," he added.Keith turned to Violet with pleading eyes. "Please help me," he begged. "You're the only sane one here.""Damn straight." Violet smirked. "Besides, all of you are wrong. It's like this." She drew a gun from her pocket and fired three shots at the wall, the blasts echoing through the room. Violet slipped the gun back into its place."Violet!" Allura shouted. "Do not fire at the castle!""Sorry, princess," Violet replied, shrugging. "I had a point to make.""It doesn't matter, because we won't be able to just fire at the Galra. The planet is a living thing, but it might not stay that way for long. We can't injure it anymore that it already is," Hunk said passionately."Then we'll have to find another way," Shiro said. He began to describe what the paladins had to do.Allura chimed in as well with the plan. Shiro offered to fly Violet in his lion, since she didn't have one, when she insisted to go and help the Balmerans as well, but Violet decided to fly with Keith instead. "I have a better connection to Red," she explained. "And the black lion and I have some ... rough history. If Keith is hurt or I have to get back to the castle, the red lion might let me fly it.""Then go with Keith. Everyone suit up," Shiro ordered.They set off, Lance, Keith and Hunk attacking the mining rings around the Balmera, Pidge flying around the shafts to find traces of the Balmerans, Shiro heading to take out the ion cannon.As Violet and Keith flew among the Balmera, Keith said, "What did you mean by 'rough history?'"Violet grimaced. "The black lion might, um ... hate me. A bit."Keith didn't stop flying the lion, but it jerked to the side as he lost control for a second. "Violet the all-powerful lion whisperer, having a bad relationship with a lion? Impossible!""Oh, shut up. It's nothing, really. A while ago, I tried to control the black lion, and it ... shut me out."Keith glanced at her. "You tried to control the black lion?""When Sendak was taking over the castle and Shiro was getting tortured," Violet explained. "I tried to urge the black lion to escape, to save its paladin, but it didn't reply. I got the impression that it didn't think Shiro was its rightful paladin."Keith tensed. "That's stupid. Shiro's our leader.""I know," Violet agreed. "But I got frustrated. Now I'm pretty sure that Blacky's angry with me."Keith started to answer her, but an image showed up on his screen of some kind of fire feature. "Are those ... lava lasers?" Violet asked."I think I know what Red's telling me to do," Keith said, and activated the image. The red lion opened it's jaws and shot fire from its mouth, destroying several of the mining rings. "Whoa! Did you guys just see that? I got fire power!" Keith yelled excitedly."More like lava lasers," Violet interjected.Keith frowned. "That sounds lame.""Exactly."Lance whined, "Hey! I want that!" Suddenly, the blue lion opened its mouth and breathed ice to stop a Galra tower from crashing on the Balmera's surface. Lance whooped. "Ice rays!""Death breath," Violet corrected."That sounds so much cooler than lava lasers," Keith grumbled.Allura's voice came through their headsets. "Bad news, everyone. There are twenty Galra fighters ready to launch in a storeroom underground. They need to be destroyed immediately.""Violet, Keith, Lance, you guys take care of the fighters," commanded Shiro. "Hunk, go free the Balmerans in the cells. I'll stay here with Pidge."Following his orders, the red and blue lions flew down to the hangar. Violet, Keith and Lance left their lions and crept towards the hangar."There's only a few guards between us and the fighters," Violet noted. "Let's go get them." "Or," said Keith, "We could not do that. Because we can't cause a commotion that would alert more guards or hurt the Balmera. Remember?"Violet crossed her arms. "Then what do you propose?""If we can get to the control room up there, we could close the hangar doors," Lance suggested, pointing. "The fighter wouldn't be able to get out.""That's ... a good idea."They cut a path to the control room through the ceiling, knocking down the sentry operating it. Lance went to guard the doors, Violet keeping an eye on the ships below, as Keith fiddled with the control panel."You have to put your hand on the scanner," Violet said, doing just that. Alarms started blaring throughout the control room. "Intruder! Altean intruder! Open the doors!" Galra sentries looked up, starting to fire their rifles. Violet cursed and whipped around, thrusting a knife into the control panel. The bay doors, which had begun to open, snapped shut with a bang.She realized Keith was looking at her with a funny expression on his face. "What?""It said, 'Altean intruder,'" he said, his gaze catching hers. Violet's heart missed a beat. "I-""Guys, they're coming!" Lance yelled as the sentries started running to the control room. Violet crouched in a fighting stance as the Galra troops swarmed to room, almost thankful for the excuse to end her conversation with Keith. She and Keith began to fend them off, back-to-back.Violet threw her blades, cutting off a sentry's head. Another swiped for her, but Keith blocked it and parried, slicing it through with his bayard. He ducked easily as Violet activated her magnets and the dagger shot back into her hands; she whirled and lodged it in the chest of the sentry about to shoot at Keith. They continued fighting, blocking and defending the other. Violet barely had to think; Keith would already be there, like he could read her mind. Violet had never been as fluid with someone as she had with him."Hey, Violet," Lance said, shooting a sentry in the head, "Did you know bees communicate by dancing? Wouldn't it be awesome if humans did that too?"Violet decapitated the nearest sentry before replying. "That would be so cool! Then if I was annoyed with Keith for being too serious, I could just aggressively do the Macarena at him.""We're literally in the middle of the battle!" Keith shouted."Keeping talking, Keith, and you'll get Macarena'd," Violet sniped back."You tell him," Lance added cheerfully.Keith groaned. "None of you make any sense.""It's all part of my charm," Violet replied with a wink, shoving her dagger into the nearest sentry's throat.Lance began to say something else, but cried out in pain instead. "Hey!" Violet yelled, jumping over a sentry and throwing her blade. Lance had been hit in the chest by one of the sentry's blasters, and the robot was poised to strike the final blow. Violet's dagger cleanly severed its head from its body as it looked up at the sound of her voice."Stay away from him, you worthless piece of scrap metal," she hissed at the carcass, casting a worried glance at the blue paladin, who was unconscious."Violet!" Keith yelled. She turned, cursing herself for forgetting that Keith wasn't there to guard her back anymore. Violet reached for a weapon, realized she'd thrown the one she was going for, and had nothing to do but brace herself as a sentry struck her in the face, knocking her to the ground.Luckily, there were only a few sentries left, which Keith easily killed. He ran over to Violet, who was pulling herself to her feet, and stopped.Violet realized her mask had been discarded, knocked off her face when the sentry struck her, at the same moment she realized Keith was staring at her. Instinctively, she moved her hand up to hide her face, but it was too late.
Crap.
"You-" Keith couldn't seem to form words. "You're Altean."Violet felt herself flush. "Yeah.""But ..." Lance groaned in pain from where he was lying on the floor, stopping Keith mid-sentence. He exchanged a look with Violet that said, we're talking about this later when one of our teammates isn't critically wounded, and then you are explaining in lengthy detail how you're an ancient alien half-breed and why you decided that it wasn't relevant to tell me when I brought you into the team.Violet nodded, and together they hauled Lance up between them. As they left the hangar, Violet found her mask amid the wreckage of fallen robot carcasses and slipped it on. It had been faulty for as long as she remembered, which, to be honest, wasn't long, and any blow to her chin would knock it off. Luckily, though, it wasn't cracked, and she could fit it over her face once more. Keith silently watched as she secured it behind her ears, but said nothing.Calm down, Violet told herself. You knew this would happen eventually. It's nothing to be afraid of.But her hands still shook as she fastened the mask back on, refusing to steady."Shiro - Lance got hit full-on by a blaster. He'll be fine for the time being, but he's not going to be able to fight," Keith spoke into his headset."Do we have time to get Lance back to the castle?" asked Allura. "We can heal him there."Shiro said, "Violet, if we want to get through this, we're going to need Voltron. Can you pilot the blue lion?"Violet shook her head. "I'm sorry, Shiro, but no. I can fly Blue for a while, but I don't have the same emotional connection needed to form Voltron. Only Lance can do that." she paused. "Also, I can't fly.""It's really easy to fly these lions," Hunk spoke up. "They're different than normal-"Violet interrupted, "No, I mean - I can't fly. Trust me. I'm more than bad at it. There is no one alive who can fly worse than me. I tried to learn how to fly when I was eleven and I crashed into my own cruiser, maimed my trainer and cut open my arm from my elbow to my wrist. And it was a drone the size of my head." She peeled back the top of her forearm glove, brandishing the scar that ran along her arm."Alright then," Hunk said, sounding vaguely horrified. "You can't fly. Got it.""Guys, there are Galra troops heading down to the center of the Balmera," Pidge reported. "I think that's where Shay is being held.""Then we're going down there, too," Shiro said. "Violet, take Lance and fly the blue lion up to the castle. Hopefully, Lance will recover quickly enough to join the fight. Everyone else, get to the core. I won't lie to you all - things are looking pretty dire. But we have to save Shay and the Balmerans. Are you all with me?""Yes!" Everyone said enthusiastically. Violet nodded to Keith, taking Lance's weight onto her shoulders."Keith, Violet - there are multiple Galra about to intercept you!" Allura shouted. Cursing, Violet shoved Lance against the nearest alcove. He stirred but didn't move.Violet heard the sound of the troops approaching. She looked around for something to help her, and her gaze fell on a ladder leading to a higher rock shelf. "Keith, climb up the ladder," she ordered, taking cover next to Lance.Keith climbed up the ladder. Violet waited until she could hear the sentries' footsteps before opening her mouth and starting to sing."Just a small-town girl-" she raised her voice- "Living in a lonely world! Took the midnight train going aaaanywhere!"Keith winced, covering his ears. The Galra sentries spilled into the room, aiming their blasters. Violet threw a dagger at one, making her voice even louder. "Just a small town boy!" She ducked under the sentries' blasts. Keith dropped down from above while they were distracted, taking them down with his bayard. "Born and raised in South Detroit!" "Violet," said Keith. "They're dead. You can stop singing now. Please."Violet stopped, striding over and grabbing her blade. Keith had killed the sentries in a matter of seconds, and their bodies were littered over the floor. "Sorry, but Don't Stop Believin' has been stuck in my head for days and I needed to get it out. I wasn't that bad, was I?""I'm going to do you a favor and not answer that," said Keith. He started to say more, but a look of sadness crossed his face. Violet blinked, then realized that he knew who she was now. He'd discovered her secret.And she'd hid it from him. Violet looked down morosely. Keith probably hated her now. She couldn't blame him - she'd seen other Alteans and still hid her identity from them. For no reason at all. You didn't keep those kinds of secrets from your friends."See you at the castle," Violet said quietly, and left him, going over to Lance and hauling him up. She didn't let herself turn around as she walked away, didn't let herself see Keith's face one last time.Lance blinked wearily as Violet trudged along. "What's happening?""You got hit," Violet answered. "I'm getting you back to the castle so you can be healed enough to fly the blue lion.""But ... the Balmera. And Shay. And - wait. Are you carrying me in your arms?""Believe me, this is mutually unenjoyable," Violet grumbled."But you're tiny.""I'm not tiny!" Violet hissed. "Pidge is tiny. I am not tiny."Lance shrugged, which was immensely uncomfortable given the fact that Violet was lugging him around across her back. Honestly, she had no idea how she was doing it."This would be romantic if I wasn't injured, and if you weren't wearing a mask," Lance mused. "I could almost get used to it.""Please don't. Can you walk now? I think you can walk now." Violet set him on the ground.Lance grimaced, but, with her help, was able to hobble around faster."Allura, we fell straight into a trap," Shiro's voice cut in. "We're trapped in the core with Shay. Could someone help us over here?"Allura's voice came in. "Apologies, Shiro, but we're a bit tied up right now. We're under heavy attack by a Galra fleet and I don't know how much longer our shield will last. You must find a way out of the core as soon as possible!"Violet cursed so violently that Lance took a step back. "Is there any way to get out of the core?" she asked the paladins."If someone were to get it from outside, they might be able to open the doors," Shay interjected, her voice faint through the comms. "Perhaps my fellow Balmerans can lend a hand."Violet exchanged a glance with Lance. "How healed are you?""Not enough. I mean, I'll survive, but I don't know if I can fight yet."Before Violet could open her mouth - to curse more, if she was being honest - there were footsteps around the corridor. Violet took up a fighting stance, but was greeted with five or so Balmerans. They were Shay's family, her brother Rax crouching down, a hand on the earth, glowing blue."It's Shay," he said. "The Galra used her as bait to draw in the paladins, and now they are unable to escape from the core.""Then there is no hope left," his father said somberly.Rax stood. He took the blame for the paladins being trapped, as well as Shay getting captured, voice heavy with regret."There's still hope!" Violet cut in, anger rising. "Don't any of you want to be free? None of you have seen the sky at twilight, or felt the sun on your face, or heard the songs robins make in the mornings. Those things are worth fighting for. You can't just give up now!""What other choice is there?" Shay's father asked. "We want the freedom you speak of. But we are not a race meant to fight. We heal.""I know," said Violet. "Which is exactly what I need you to do." She held out Lance to them. "Heal my friend. Protect him from any troops coming his way, so he may rejoin the fight for you.""Wait, what?" said Lance."I have to help the paladins," Violet replied. "Can you do this, Balmerans?"Rax nodded. "Anything for Shay.""Good. Voltron thanks you." Violet turned and raced down the tunnels.-"Galra troops are heading down into the tunnels!" Coran shouted. "They're going to steal the Lions!""Paladins, sentries are headed towards the lions!" warned Coran. "If you don't hurry, they'll steal the lions!""We're trying, Allura, but there's not a lot we can do," Keith responded. "We're stuck in here unless someone breaks us out from the outside."Violet's voice came through their headsets. "One step ahead of you," she said with a smirk. Violet sprinted back down the tunnels to the Balmera's core."Violet! Are you going to save us?" Hunk asked."Of course I'm going to save you," she replied, drawing one of her knives as she reached one of the doors leading to the core. "Sorry, Balmera." Violet stabbed the door, slicing through the dirt.The Balmera began to wail in pain. Panting, Violet stopped. "I have to do this, okay?" she yelled at the rock. "I'm not trying to hurt you!"More wailing. Violet cursed under her breath. Stabbing the door wasn't getting her anywhere."Look, my friends are in there," she said, leaning against the rock wall. "I need to save them. They want to help you, but they're stuck. I know you're fragile, on the brink of death. But your people, the Balmerans, are still here. We're still here. And we're fighting for you. So fight with us." Violet let out a breath. "You don't have to do it alone."There was a groan. The earth around the doors began to compress, crushing them. Violet whooped as the door fell away, revealing the paladins and Shay standing in the core. "Yeah! Who's the most awesome Balmera ever? You are!""Princess, we're headed for our lions," Shiro said, the group dashing through the corridors. "We're getting to you as soon as possible.""Hurry," Allura said, voice panicked. "There's an ion cannon trained on us, and your lions are being stolen as you speak.""Not anymore!""Lance!"The blue paladin, fully healed by the Balmerans, was flying his lion, shooting at the Galra troops trying to steal the lions. "I know, I know. Thank me later."The paladins got to their speeders, arriving at their lions. Violet went with Red again, and the five lions swooped into the battle."Is everyone back in their lions?" Shiro called."Obviously. You don't think were inept, do you?" Lance asked, then promptly crashed into a pillar and spun away.Violet chuckled. "You want me to give you an answer for that?""...no.""On me, everyone," said Shiro. "Form Voltron!"Voltron formed, and Violet found herself entranced by the strange power as the lions fitted together. It was breathtaking being inside the lions when Voltron was formed, like being inside a rainbow.Voltron quickly defeated the ships surrounding the castle of lions, Allura and Coran firing at the rest of the Galra fighters and destroying them. Victory was in the air, but Violet didn't let herself relax just yet. Something was falling from the sky through the haze of smoke. "Does anyone know what that is?" Lance asked.Violet's eyes narrowed, and she moved forward to stand by Keith's side. "Whatever it is, it can't be good."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Maybe this is good. Maybe whatever that is friendly. Or maybe it's just a really big container of candy and confetti for us. Like a piñata," Hunk said nervously. "Please let it be a piñata.""Something tells me that's too much to hope for," Violet replied, peering at the large metal box standing still on the Balmera's surface. "I'm guessing this is some kind of weapon - it looks Galra. Shiro?""You're probably right," Shiro said from the black lion. "Paladins, get ready. Keith, form sword. Pidge, activate shield." The paladins did as told, forming a defensive stance.Lance warned, "The piñata's moving!" It was, the front opening to reveal a large monster with green arms. It fired its chest laser at Voltron, which quickly maneuvered away.The fight began; the monster's chest rays took powerful hits to Voltron's shield, which had to take the blasts to avoid the Balmera getting hit. Voltron tripped, losing its shield, and the lions disbanded, falling back to evasive maneuvers; however, the monster spread its arms and fired shots from individual tentacles."Keith, distract it - Shiro's coming in from above!" Violet called, and the red paladin moved his lion to the front of the monster; but its eyes rolled around its head and spotted Shiro, alternating blasts to both lions. Allura and the castle of lions tried to step in, but couldn't take the damage. Eventually, Shiro ordered everyone to fall back. The lions dropped into the mine shafts dotting the planet's surface, out of the monster's reach.Shay was waiting for them. "What's going on?" She asked as soon as Violet, Keith and Hunk emerged from their lions."Zarkon sent a robot to attack Voltron," Violet explained. "At first it looked like a piñata. But it's definitely not one. In case anyone was wondering.""A robot?" Shay exclaimed. "How could we ever hope to defeat it?"Hunk said, "Don't lose hope, Shay." The Balmeran's brow was still creased in worry, so he added, "Voltron can destroy it. Right, Keith?""I'm not sure. It's pretty tough," said Keith. Shay whimpered.Violet stepped forward, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "We can defeat it," she said, casting an annoyed look at Keith. "Voltron is the only thing in the universe great enough to bring peace, but that doesn't mean everyone else has to sit back and relax. We win by working as a team - five units combining to form a better version of themselves. Every person who fights with us makes us stronger. Which is why we need you."There was a beat of silence before Hunk said, "Wow, Vi. Do you just spout speeches like that all the time and we've never noticed? 'Cause that was pretty inspiring."Violet blinked. "It's true. And never call me Vi again."Shiro's voice came over their headsets. "Hey, did you guys feel that shaking?"The ground was rumbling. "Yeah," Keith replied. "What's causing it?"Shay's grandmother placed her hand against the ground, which caused it to still. "The Balmera," she answered. "The life is seeping out of it. Those tremors are its cries of pain." Her eyes closed, face somber. "Soon it will collapse, and we will all die."Hunk blinked. "Um ... what? Then why are you still here? You should evacuate the planet!""Leave the Balmera?" Shay asked, eyes wide. "It might be broken, but it is our home. And we do not have anywhere else to go, nor ships big enough to hold every Balmeran. We are doomed.""You might not have a big enough ship," Violet said, "But we do. Coran, do we have enough time to evacuate the planet before the core collapses?""I'm not sure," Coran replied. "We have a varga. Maybe less.""We must do it," Allura cut in, voice determined. "This is our only chance to save the Balmerans. I'm going to take one of the pods and fly to the surface to lead the Balmerans out.""Princess, it's too dangerous," Violet protested. "The monster will crush you to pieces. I'm already at the surface - let me do it. I'm no use in Voltron anyways.""Vi, are you sure?" Hunk said."I told you not to - gyah. Yes, I'm sure.""Alright then," Shiro said. "Good luck, Violet. Paladins, focus on keeping the creature distracted."The lions set off, provoking the monster and dodging its blasts. Violet watched them take off, then turned to Shay and her family. A rumble suddenly shook the earth; she placed her hand against the wall for support as the ground shook."We need to get all the Balmerans out now," she commanded. "Shay, Rax, Shay's grandmother - can you get word to the rest of your people?"Looking dejected, Shay answered, "We already have. I am sorry, but ... we are staying here, on our planet, no matter its state.""What?" Violet was shocked. Staying on the planet was suicide. Didn't the Balmerans want to fight for their home, for survival?"We would rather die in our home than live as refugees in some foreign place," Shay explained. "We cannot let Voltron put their lives on the line to help us. It is our final request."Violet's eyes narrowed. "No.""We don't want your assistance," Shay said desperately. "I beg you not to do this!""I listened to what you had to say," Violet said. "Do me a favor and listen to me. I need all the Balmerans to hear me. Can you get a message across?""Yes, but so can you," Shay's grandmother said, stepping forward. "The Balmera has taken a liking to you." She gestured to where Violet had put her hand on the wall for support, and Violet turned to look. She recoiled at the sight; her hand was glowing gold where it came in contact with the earth."Say what you have to say," the old Balerman said. "We are listening."Violet closed her eyes and placed her hand upon the wall again. Drawing a breath, she began to speak."People of the Balmera. My name is Violetta Evelyn Idalia, but you don't know me. I come with hope for your dying world."None of you have ever known freedom, but the oldest may recall stories of the sea and the stars. So take my word for it - your home is precious to you, but it is also your cage. I beg you now, for my friends and for all the universe: break free. Be free and know what freedom is, know what it's like to watch the sun rise over the desert and count the stars at midnight. Be free and rise up against the people who have enslaved you for so long. Join us in our fight, and live another day, for staying here is death. Believe me when I tell you that death is not a blessing, nor a noble sacrifice. It takes strength, and a lot of courage, to face it and manage to walk away. But we have that strength. We have that courage. The chance to be free is worth fighting for, even if you don't know how."Quiet followed her words. Violet removed her hand and turned to see Shay's family looking at her with tears in their eyes. "Thank you," Shay's grandmother said. "For giving us reason to hope again.""Yeah, Violet, that was awesome," Lance added from where he was currently attacking the monster. "Like, I was listening super intently, and I have a giant Galra creature trying to kill me. You even made Keith tear up.""No, you didn't," Keith growled."He was tearing up a little," said Hunk. Violet's lips curled into a grin."Balmerans, start moving up immediately. Coran, what's my status?"Coran answered, "You did it, Violet. The Balmerans are on the move. We're readying the castle to land.""That's good news. Shiro, how are you?""Great, thanks for asking," Shiro responded, followed by the sound of lasers firing. "We've got our hands full, though. Is everyone ready for evacuation?""Almost," Violet replied. The castle of lions lowered onto the ground as the people of the Balmera climbed slowly up the caves. Coran went down to the surface in a pod, motioning for the Balmerans to come inside.However, the ground jolted, causing the ladders and pathways up the mines to shake and collapse. "The Balmerans!" Violet cried."The Balmera is going to crash!" Coran yelled. "We need to get the Castle out of the way!""But not everyone is evacuated!" Allura shouted. "We can't leave anyone behind!""We're all going to die!" Shay wailed.Violet's chest hardened. "No. I won't let this happen. There has to be something we can do.""The ship," Shay said. Violet blinked in surprise; Shay was staring at the castle of lions. No, not at it - underneath it. "Everything your ship touches is restored. Look."Violet looked. The earth below the castle was glowing and healthy."Of course!" Allura exclaimed. "Alteans are connected to the energy of the universe. The ship's essence, and mine, is healing the planet! I know what we have to do." Her voice filled with anticipation. "I can do the ritual my father, King Alfor, used to do whenever he visited the Balmera. I can heal the planet!"Violet asked, "Ritual?"Coran explained the ritual of giving quintessence back to the planet. And the mention of the white energy, Violet felt herself recoil. Quintessence was bad news, even if it could save a planet. "I'm not sure if this is the right decision, princess," she said. "It seems like you're toying with things beyond your control. Are you sure you'll live through it?"Allura didn't answer, just said, "Coran, I'm coming down."Violet wasn't happy, but she met up with the princess as she set down and began the ritual, bright light starting to glow around her.Meanwhile, Voltron was still fighting the monster. Hunk used his bayard and formed a shoulder cannon, taking out several of the creature's eyes at once. As Allura performed the ceremony, quintessence began to spread across the Balmera. Keith used his lion to punch the monster in the face, and it fell.Underneath the castle, something was wrong. The fight had damaged the Balmera too much. Allura struggled, crying out, as the ceremony took control."It's draining her life force!" Coran yelled. "She has to break out of it! Allura!"Violet had no idea what happened next.Allura's feet had risen a good three feet off the ground, her eyes shut as quintessence leaked from her body. In desperation, Violet took a running jump and slammed into the princess, knocking her away, breaking the ritual.Instead, however, the ceremony turned on her. Violet gasped as the castle's crystal began to funnel her energy into the Balmera, purer light seeping into the ground. It was one of the strangest, most unholy things she'd ever felt. "Violet, no! You're human - you won't make it!" Allura shouted from where she was lying on the ground. Violet didn't bother trying to respond. If Allura's Altean essence wasn't enough, how could hers be? She was only half-Altean, anyway. Violet closed her eyes and prayed it was enough.She felt the quintessence transfer from her, the Balmera beginning to heal, knitting itself together. The paladins rushed from their lions to gather around her as the ceremony finished, the Balmera fully revitalized.The hold on Violet disappeared, and she collapsed, ritual complete. She got up, her feet steady, and frowned."I don't understand," she murmured. "There's more. I - I still have energy left to spare." The ceremony should have taken it all from her, and she did feel the empty space where some had been used to heal the Balmera - but there was still more. It was impossible."That's impossible," Allura said, mirroring her thoughts. "You're not even Altean. It should have killed you."Violet felt everyone's gaze on her, Keith's the heaviest. "Yeah," she mumbled. "How strange."She refused to look up, fixing her gaze on the ground. Suddenly, there was a rumble. They all turned. The monster was rising, preparing to crush them.Violet thrust out her hand - not towards the monster.But to the earth under it.On her command, crystals shot from the ground, encasing the monster and destroying it. Violet blew out a breath of relief, lowering her hand."Vi?" Lance's brows furrowed. "How did you do that?""The energy I gave to the Balmera," Violet said, staring at her hand. It was glowing with faint gold lines. "I ... I think I'm connected to it now. I can hear it." She closed her eyes. "It ... it sounds like music."Shay pushed past Violet and ran over to Hunk, her face alight with joy. "You did it!"Violet's brows lifted. "So did Allura and Coran and the rest of the paladins," she said as Shay wrapped her arms around the paladin. "I mean, he did a great job but - fine. Whatever."Hunk returned the embrace with a shrug. "Thank you," Shay said, and kissed him on the cheek.He blushed.-Violet sat perched on the deck of the castle, watching Hunk and Shay enjoy the sunset. They were peaceful and friendly together. She was happy they'd met."I didn't put you down for a spy, but maybe I should."Violet didn't turn as Keith walked over and sat beside her. "I am not spying. I am watching the sunset from a distance.""You're seeing if they start to kiss, aren't you?""It might happen."Keith smirked. "Like I said. Spying."Violet glared at him over her shoulder. "You're waiting to see if it happens too," she pointed out. "And who can blame us? They'd be so cute together.""Sure," Keith said. "Paladin who throws up too much and considers food to be a sentient being with a rock lady who's never seen the sun before. Definitely going to happen."Violet glanced quizzically at him. "What gives you so little faith in love? Hunk is kind and caring. He'll always be able to share new things with Shay. They're made for each other.""Hunk has to leave to fight the Galra empire," Keith retorted. "He might not be able to come back for her, and certainly not visit. They'll always be parted."Violet frowned at him. "That's such an emo thing to say.""Excuse me?""You're being too negative! Think of all the time they've shared. The best part of being here, in the Balmera, was the memories that were made along the way."He raised an eyebrow. "I almost died. Several times."Violet clicked her tongue. "That was my fondest memory."Keith made a disgruntled noise of protest. "You almost died too!"Violet's grin faded. "Actually, about Hunk and Shay - you might be right.""That's ... a new phrase for you," Keith said. "Did you just learn it?""Shut up. I mean it. There's no chance of Shay getting together with someone.""Why not?"Violet smirked. "Rax would tear them apart."Keith laughed, a bright sound that took Violet by surprise. She'd seldom heard him laugh outright, and it was lovely. She scrambled for something to say. "Serves Hunk right for nicknaming me.""Right," he said. "Vi. You do realize everyone is going to call you that now."She shuddered. "It's stupid."Keith grinned and said, "Secretly, you like it."How did he-? "I don't," she lied. "Violet is a nickname. I can't have two."He raised an eyebrow. "Who made that rule? And ... Violetta Idalia? That's not an earthen name in the slightest."She flushed. "Yeah, I'm assuming it was from my mom. Some kind of Altean phrase."They both looked down at that - at the reminder that she was half-Altean, and had kept it from him."I'm sorry," Violet burst out before Keith could speak. "For not telling you. I should have told you sooner; I should have told everyone today. I just-""It's okay," he said, and she met his eyes in surprise.Keith smiled. "I mean it. Sure, you're the direct descendant of a race that was wiped out ten thousand years ago, which means your mom is either a goddess or someone with contact to King Alfor, and you have more energy in you than Allura - which is impossible because you're not even wholly Altean - and you wear a mask and make everyone think you're hiding something huge, when really it's just your heritage, and there's the whole mystery of your birth and all that, but it's nothing really."Violet gaped at him. "I cannot believe you just said that with a straight face."His features remained completely serious. "It was really hard. Inside, I'm rolling on the ground hysterically."She rolled her eyes. "In all seriousness, Keith ... how was I able to survive that?""I don't know," he said. "But there's a lot of things about you I don't know, Vi. There's things you don't know yourself. So my advice is to just try not to think about it too much. A lot of stuff you'll probably never figure out."Violet groaned. "Every single time you say something helpful, and then you add something that completely ruins it. I'm going to be Vi for the rest of my life, aren't I?"Keith grinned. "Pretty much, yeah."Violet couldn't help it - she smiled. Before them, the sun peeked over the horizon, bathing the castle in warm golden light.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Hey, Violet!"Violet slowed her pace to allow Pidge to catch up. "Hi. Where are you headed?""Sendak's pod. Coran called a meeting there."Violet nodded. "Me too. By the way, I was wondering if you could help me out with something?"Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose. "Sure."Violet drew one of her blades. "That magnetism on these has been acting up. They're built kinda like boomerangs, I guess, but I was wondering if you could fix them." She handed the dagger to Pidge, who grabbed it with eager fingers."I don't usually work with weapons, but oh, man, this is awesome," the paladin said excitedly. "The blade here is double-edged, see? That means one side is steel, and the other is silver. The silver is sharper, but the steel is more powerful."Violet blinked. "I ... did not realize that.""Can I see the magnets on your wrists?" Pidge asked eagerly. Violet rolled up her sleeve and showed her the thin metal bands encircling her wrists that pulled her knives back to her hands."Hm ... I'll see what I can do. I'll have to take the magnets on your wrist, though." Violet nodded and unclasped it, handing it over.She and the paladin arrived at the detainment room then, halting their conversation. The others were already there, crowded around Sendak's pod. Coran had hooked the Galra commander to an AI pod that would serve as an interrogation to get information directly from his brain. Violet shivered as she saw him - eyes closed, face clear. It was disarming how peaceful Sendak looked, when she knew the malice in his heart.The paladins waited for Sendak's memories to be extracted, but with an unwilling participant, it was taking some time. Everyone began to space out, save Shiro, who was staring intently at Sendak's frozen face. Eventually Keith left to hit the training deck."Welp," Violet said, standing and stretching, "If I'm being honest, I prefer staring at the wall in my room to staring at the wall here. Bye, pala-dudes."She strode from the room. Violet was bored, but she'd prefer the solitude of her quarters, where she could take off her mask. Besides, it was insufferable enough with nothing to do but stare at Sendak's pod, where his eyes stayed firmly shut. She found her rooms and locked the door behind her before slipping off her mask.She couldn't help but think of Keith. He now knew what she was - who she was. It was oddly freeing to know that she didn't have to keep secrets from everyone. And it was refreshing not to have someone balk at her markings, not regard them with disgust or fear. Back at home - could she even call it home anymore, now that it'd been so long? - nobody understood what they were. The teachers thought she'd drawn on her face with markers. Violet had learned how to use concealer at six, but however much she put on, layers and layers until her face felt heavy and stiff, the markings still shone through. She learned other things, too: how to ignore the nasty comments when they came, and, when that didn't work, how to silence them with her fists.Violet glanced at herself in the mirror dryly, taking in her figure. She would have turned out a rough kid strange markings or none, she knew. Having skin just a few shades too dark to look like her father's daughter earned enough pinched looks and harsh words to make her into a girl who punched first and asked questions later. Violet had often studied herself in the mirror just like this as a kid, poking at those strange blemishes under her eyes that no one seemed to understand, poking at her strange skin that didn't look at all like her father's. She'd wondered if her mother's skin was dark as nightfall, rich like ebony and obsidian. She wondered if her mother's hair was wavy-curly like hers, maybe even curlier. She thought her mother and her father must have been two huge melting pots poured together into one big bowl, then stirred and mixed around until something like her came out: tanned, brownish skin like caramel that wasn't quite either, her mother's copper eyes and her father's hair that was purple when it caught the light, her mother's secrets and her father's grief and both their guilt. Violet blew out a long breath and lifted the locket she wore on a gold chain around her neck from under her shirt, popping it open with careful fingers. Folded inside was a small photograph, the only thing she had left home. Her father had gifted her the locket only a few months before she was taken; it was chance that she'd forgotten to take it off before heading to bed that night, the night that would become her last on Earth. It was a selfie taken by her father during a day trip to the town carnival for Veronica's birthday; in the background, she could make out the red-and-golds of the striped tents, the looming ferris wheel, and the air glimmering with fire poppers and brightly-colored confetti. Veronica was beaming widely, having the time of her life, gaps in her teeth and a paper cone of artificially blue cotton candy in her sticky hands. Her father had taken the photo right after he had tried to take a bite of the candy without using his hands, at Veronica's demand, and there was a smear of blue sugar on his nose, on which his glasses were precariously perched. Violet was laughing too, her and Veronica's mischievous smirks nearly identical, her face uncovered - there had been a huge face-painting booth by the turkey legs, so no one looked twice at her markings, which put in her in an unshakable happy mood. Her father was taking the selfie, his arm lifted slightly as if to reach out where the pocket of space lay that her mother was supposed to fill. They were all laughing, her father struggling to get Violet and Veronica to hold still, and although Violet's fingers subconsciously moved to trace the outline of where her mother should've stood, the photo's carefree joy still bled into her through the paper's worn edges.She used to miss them, every day. Now it had just faded, a throbbing pain she'd gotten used to sometime in those first couple months, where thing were cold and scary and she pinched herself once a day just in case it really was all one big nightmare.Violet whispered their names - if only to say that someone knew them, that she was still out there, still trying to come home. She felt tears sting her eyes and cursed. She folded the thin picture back into her locket and went to the bathroom. She turned on the tap, splashing her face a couple times to clear her head.Once she was sure the tears were gone, Violet suppressed another sigh and glanced at herself in the mirror. There was no sign she had been close to crying; she switched off the water and turned to leave the bathroom.But the water didn't turn off.Violet frowned, confused, jogging the switch as the water rushed from the tap. She turned the nozzle, but the water didn't stop, pouring out even faster. Then all of a sudden, it stopped, like it was drawing breath. She shrugged and turned away.Mistake. The water shot from the tap like a geyser, then the second sink too, then the shower-bath. The drains were spouting water too now; Violet yelped as it splashed against her shoes, quickly overflowing the sink's basin. She tried to turn off the water again, but the nozzle wouldn't move. What was going on with the castle? Was there some malfunction?The water was steadily pooling at her ankles, and it didn't seem to be stopping. Violet frowned. She'd go talk to Allura or Coran, see if they could fix it. But she stepped in front of the bathroom door, it stayed shut. She tried again, stepping around where she usually stood for it to slide open with whatever magic powered the castle. But the door didn't budge. "What the-?" She tried to move the doors apart herself, but they didn't budge.Panic flared low in her gut. She was trapped."Hello? Who did this?" She shouted, banging on the door. Had Lance or Pidge locked it from the outside, somehow? "This is some joke, guys. You all need to work on your humor!"There was no sound but the gushing of the taps, the water now sloshing around her ankles. Violet cursed. Whatever this was, it wasn't any of the paladins. Which meant she was on her own.She attempted to open the bathroom door again, shoving her shoulder against it, which left her with an aching shoulder and a still annoyingly shut door. The water rose to her knees. Giving up, Violet drew one of her blades and jammed it in the crease between the doors, silently pleading for any kind of leverage to push it open. She pushed against the hilt of the blade with all her might, straining as hard as she could-Her dagger made a terrible screeching sound and jerked back, throwing her off balance. Her soaked shoes slipped against the bathroom tiles, and she fell, head going under the water. She rose, flailing and gasping, having dropped several of her knives in the process. Violet fumbled for them, cursing colorfully under her breath. She banged on the door again, praying one of the paladins heard her.She didn't know how to get out of this.The water was at her hips. She cried out in frustration, slamming her hands against the door. Her wrist sparked with pain. "Paladins! Allura! Coran!" She screamed. "Someone! Help!"No one was answering. Violet felt panic flood through her, sharp and true, as the water reached her waist. "Come on! Pidge! Hunk! Lance! Shiro! Keith! Please!"Finally, she heard the murmur of voices. Footsteps, and then-"Violet?"Violet almost sobbed at the sound of Keith's muffled voice. "I'm trapped in my bathroom!" She yelled through the door. "The room's filling up with water - you have to get the door open!"There was the sound of her bedroom door opening, the shuffle of footsteps, and a second later Keith's voice was right in front of her. "Violet, what-?""I don't know," she said. "Either the castle is on the fritz or someone is messing with me - I don't really care. Just get me out of here.""Is Violet in there?" Lance. She heard Keith confirm, and Lance say, "Well, get her out!" The door shook as Keith tried to get it open, with no luck.The water had risen to her chest. "Keith, hurry," Violet said. "Please, please hurry.""Move over," Lance's voice snapped, followed by a swarm of grunting and pushing at the door to no avail. "It's no use," he said finally. "The castle's holding the door in place!""What? Why?""There's something wrong with the castle," Lance explained, his voice muffled. "Keith got attacked by a robot and I almost got sucked into space. It's like it's turning on us.""That's ... disturbing," Violet muttered. "The water level's reaching my shoulders. I think I have ... a minute or two until the room fills entirely."There was a growl of frustration from Keith and a loud banging on the door, like someone had thrown themselves at it. "Don't worry," the red paladin said forcefully. "We'll get you out. Lance, go find Coran or Allura - see if they can do some kind of Altean magic on the door and make it open."Footsteps retreated, and Keith said quietly, "Violet, could you do something? Your Altean energy might connect to the castle."Violet blinked, then shook her head. "I don't think it'll work. If I'm connected to the castle at all, I don't think it would be trying to kill me. Besides, if there is some malfunction going on, I'll be intercepted."The water lapped against her shoulders. "Keith, do something," Violet said, starting to panic. She was losing touch with the floor; soon she'd be floating in the water, which was not good."I'm trying," Keith replied, voice tense. "Nothing is working. How long can you hold your breath?""Not long enough." A strange calm settled over Violet. "Keith, if I don't make it out of here-""Don't talk like that," he snapped. "Violet, you're one of the most defiant people I know. You're not going to let a bit of water take you down."Violet smiled. "If I don't make it out, tell the others who I am. I've been keeping secrets from them - from everyone, really - and I want them to know who I am before I go. Tell them about my heritage. Tell them how I was captured by the Galra. Tell them about the blank spot in my past.""Violet, don't give up," Keith said. His voice was defeated - pleading.Violet felt tears rise at his words. The water was at her chin. "I won't, Keith. But ... do me something?""Anything.""Cut off Zarkon's head for me."A beat of silence, and then - Keith laughed hoarsely. "It would be my honor.""Thank you," Violet said, and grinned. She swam up to the ceiling, where the last of the air was. She'd be underwater soon. Just for kicks, she tried to connect with the castle, like Keith had suggested - draw on her Altean energy. Nothing happened. Violet knew there was little hope left, so she moved as close to the door as possible so she could talk to Keith, who was still valiantly trying to get to her."My sister Veronica, and my father. Tell them that I was still alive, all those years. Tell them I've always been trying to get back to them.""Vi-""Tell the paladins," Violet said, her words choked, "Tell them thank you. For letting me into their circle, if only for a while.""Violet, please," Keith begged.Violet only smiled sadly. "I'm sorry," she said, and her head went under the water.-There was a pounding in her head, her heart.Muffled sounds failed to reach her ears.Then - light. Bright, searing light. Violet's eyes flew open, and she rolled to her side, vomiting water all over the floor, her lungs contracting. "Thank fuck," someone said, and Violet sat up, wiping her mouth. She was lying on the floor in her room, surrounded by puddles. Keith was kneeling over her anxiously.Violet tried to speak, but her throat wouldn't work. Her body felt ravaged, and her chest let out pangs every few seconds that told her there had been water in it."Are you-" he started to say, but Violet held up a finger for him to wait and turned her head, vomiting up more tap water. When she was sure she was done, she struggled to her feet, waterlogged clothes pulling her down."Keith, are you there?" Lance's footsteps grew louder. "Is Vi alright?"Violet quickly snatched up her mask from where it lay on the floor and slipped it on as the blue paladin came into view with Coran right behind him."What happened?" Coran exclaimed. "Lance told me the castle was trying to drown you, kill Keith and eject him into space.""First things first. How am I alive?" Violet rasped, checking herself for her knives to make sure she hadn't lost any. She looked over at the door that had almost killed her, then shook her head to clear it and looked again."I had to use my bayard to cut through the door," Keith explained. Violet peered at the door to her bathroom, which was literally split down the middle, hanging open in two cleaved sections. Water was still filtering meekly from the taps, but certainly not enough to drown anyone."Sorry," the paladin muttered, gaze dropping. "It was the only way to get you out.""Don't be," Violet said, and flashed him a grateful glance. "I owe you one, Keith.""Yeah, about that ... it looks like a lot of your stuff drowned," Lance cut in, picking up a waterlogged scrunchie. "We can try to salvage some things, but...""It's fine," Violet said, her hands brushing the bulge of where her locket sat, in the hollow of her collarbones. "There isn't anything in there worth keeping."
Coran was looking into her room. "Maybe the castle is malfunctioning," he said thoughtfully, tapping his chin. "The castle must've been more disrupted than I assumed when Sendak took over.""Sendak..." Violet and Keith exchanged wide-eyed looks. Keith asked, "Guys - where's Shiro?"Violet cursed. Without another word, the four of them raced to the detainment room. Lance kept pace with Violet, making sure she was fine.They stopped at the crystal's chamber to find Pidge and Hunk laying on the floor. "Oh, come on!" Lance cried. "We almost die and these two get to doze off?""Doze off? I was betrayed! By my own lunch!" Hunk shot back, picking himself up. "I won't be able to sleep for weeks!""I almost drowned in my own bathroom," Violet cut in. "I think I win.""Well, I-" Pidge stopped. "Wait, what?""That's it, Coran. The castle has gone insane!" Lance yelled."We need to find Shiro," Keith ordered. "He's still in the detainment room. If Sendak is the real reason behind all this, then Shiro's in danger."The group nodded and rushed off. They found Shiro crouched on the ground, eyes wide, Sendak's pod nowhere to be found."What happened to Sendak?" Violet demanded. If he'd gotten free somehow... "I could hear him," Shiro answered, his voice hoarse. "He ... I couldn't let him stay here. He's too dangerous."Violet cast a concerned look to Keith, who helped Shiro stand. "Who's behind all this, if not Sendak?" she asked. "Lance was seconds away from getting thrown out of the castle, Hunk and Pidge had to fend off wayward space goo, Keith fought the Gladiator, and my bathroom filled up entirely with water - while I was in it.""It's the castle," Lance said."Why would the castle be trying to kill us?" Hunk pointed out. He cast a betrayed look at the wall. "I thought we were friends.""Never try to make friends with a wall," Coran chastised, shaking his finger in the air. "They're quite rude. The last one I tried to be friends with utterly rejected my invitation to a tea party."Violet threw up her hands. "Every conversation I've had with you people gets more and more absurd!""You say that like you're not part of the family," Hunk shot back. "Well, I've got news for you, Vi. You're already on the Christmas card."Beeping sounded throughout the castle, cutting him off. Coran frowned and pulled up a screen, and gasped in shock. "We're headed into a wormhole!""But the only person who can make wormholes is Allura," Violet said, confused. She looked around and realized Allura wasn't with them. The group exchanged fearful looks and rushed to the bridge.Allura was flying the castle through the wormhole. They emerged right into a cataclysmic scene: a fiery mass of bright light. It was a star on the verge of explosion. "Princess, what's happening?" demanded Shiro."We're going back home," Allura replied dreamily. Her words were slurred, and she didn't turn to look at the paladins - something was terribly wrong."This isn't your home! Princess, what are you doing?" Violet cried. She tried to get to Allura, but bounced off a force field around the princess. A holographic image of King Alfor appeared next to his daughter, glaring at her. Violet yelped."Get back!" The Altean king hissed. "You have no place here, half-breed!"Violet winced, hoping no one else had heard him. "Snap of out it, princess!" Shiro called frantically."Sendak's Galra tech has invaded the AI of Allura's father," Coran said, eyes wide. "He's putting us on the collision course with an imploding star!""No," Violet breathed, and lurched forward, slamming her hand against the force field. "Allura! Why are you doing this?"Allura turned, brows furrowed. "So I can go home. I long to see Altea again and be with my people.""But what about your people here?" Violet shouted desperately. "What will the paladins do without you? What will I do without you?""I..." Allura blinked. "Violet?""Where are we in this fantasy, Allura?" Violet asked. "Where is Voltron? Where is everything you've been fighting for?"Finally, the princess's gaze cleared, and she spun towards the explosive star. "That's not Altea!""The explosion caused by that star will wipe out the Castle and everything in it," Pidge said frantically. "Including us. Princess, you've got to wormhole us away, or we'll be killed!"Allura pleaded with her father to turn the ship around, but Alfor's AI was fracturing. Allura stepped out of the force field, distraught. "To stop Sendak's infection from spreading, I'll have to permanently wipe Alfor's AI," she said quietly. "What was left of my father will be erased. But it's the only way."Shiro nodded in understanding. "We'll use Voltron to push the ship away from the explosion. Give you a little more time." The paladins ran to the hangars to fly their lions; Allura headed to the AI chamber."What can I do?" Violet asked Coran, who was frantically tapping at the controls."Just stay put for now," he replied. "We have to wormhole out of here - it's all up to Allura now."Violet nodded, though she still wanted to do something. The five lions pushed against the castle, but the star was seconds away from combusting.And then Allura was there, stepping into her spot on the bridge and raising her hands. "Get back inside the castle, paladins," she instructed. "We need to go now." The wormhole appeared - and the star drew in on itself. "It's about to explode!" Pidge shouted. Allura gritted her teeth, forcing the castle to move faster, but it was too late.The star went supernova, crashing into the castle and the wormhole. Violet cried out as the force of the flames hit them. The alarms were blaring, and everything was red. "What's happening?" She shouted to Coran."The hangars haven't closed!" he shouted back. "The lions are getting sucked from the castle!""We've lost control of the wormhole!" Allura cried.The paladin's shouts could be heard over Violet's headsets as the lion was pulled into the sides of the wormhole, vanishing into the universe. The castle shook violently, and Violet was flung into the wall. Pain shot through her head and everything went black.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Stars," Violet groaned, "I really hate getting knocked out. But twice in the same hour? That's practically dancing with death."She picked herself up off the floor. Allura and Coran were standing at the bridge, trying to get control of the castle. Rubbing her head, she limped over to them."I'm going to try and find out where we're headed," said Coran, typing onto his control pad. "Violet, see if you can do an energy scan so we'll know if the lions are nearby." He passed a holographic scanner over to her."On it," Violet replied, pulling up the screen. "Scanning.""Coran, Violet! I can see the end of the wormhole," Allura exclaimed. "It's some kind of black void, and we're going to crash into it!""That's odd. The castle isn't registering the void. It's like there's nothing there," Coran reported. "Scanning complete," Violet informed them. "Voltron is nowhere to be seen. They've been hurled to the edges of the galaxy.""Get ready - we're about to make impact!" Allura warned.There was a thud as the castle made contact with the black void, and the room shook; Violet was hurled against a wall, slamming into it. Her vision spluttered, pain slicing through her head.She groaned, fighting to stay awake. After a second, the pain receded enough for her to struggle to her feet.Violet realized there was something wrong with her eyes. Everything was black, but there were two bright bursts of light standing by her, and the room was glowing blue. One of the lights was orange, and the other was blue and pink."I'm going to try and find out where we're headed," Coran's voice said - only it was coming from the orange light. "Violet, see if you can do an energy scan so we'll know if the lions are nearby. Violet? What's wrong?""What's wrong with you?" she asked. "You just said that.""You did," the pink and blue light said, concerned. "We just crashed into a black void. Remember?""Like the black void we're about to collide with now?" Coran's light said. "That's odd. The castle isn't registering the void. It's like there's nothing there!" Allura gasped. "Coran, you're young!""What do you mean?" Violet asked. "I kind of can't see anything. Except the two of you. Mostly.""You're blind?" Allura said. "This is bad. This is very, very bad. Get ready - we're about to hit it!"There was a rumble and a crash. Violet braced herself as she was thrown into the wall. Again. This time she did black out, for a moment. When Violet came to, her vision was back, and she sighed with relief. The agony in her head, though, she could do without. As she got to her feet, she realized she felt different. Violet looked down at herself and almost screamed - she was Galra. Her skin was purple, her hair was darker than before, and her irises were yellow. Violet touched her face. Under her mask, her markings were gone."I'm going to try and find out where we're headed," Coran announced. He was now middle-aged, wearing a sleeveless shirt that showed off his biceps.Allura blinked. "Coran, you're twenty again! I'd almost forgotten you were young once!""Every time we go through the void, time takes a day off," Violet said, her voice weak. "Coran gets younger and younger and I keep ... changing. You're the only one who's still normal, Allura." Allura turned to Violet and jumped back. "I know," Violet said before the princess could speak. "Hopefully, it'll disappear the next time we crash into the black void."Coran said, "What is it, Prin - eek! Galra intruder!"Violet rolled her eyes. "It's me, Coran. Allura, can you enter coordinates so we can escape?""I'm trying, but the castle won't accept an end point," the princess said."That's odd. The castle isn't registering the void," Coran noted, still regarding Violet with suspicion. "It's like there's-""Nothing there," Violet finished. "We know.""And there's no way for us to wormhole out of here," said Allura."I'll make a wormhole with my bare hands!" Coran exclaimed, flexing his muscles dramatically. "Don't give up, Princess and Galra Violet!"The castle hit the black void before Allura could warn them to brace themselves. Violet was hurled against the wall, but she twisted at the last second, hitting it with her arm rather than her head. She winced at the pain, but at least she wasn't knocked out. And - thank the stars - she wasn't Galra anymore, back to her half-Altean, half-human self.Except no one was saying anything. Violet looked up to see Coran, now a moody teenager with a ponytail, grouching at Allura and waving his arms angrily - in total silence. Violet turned her gaze to Allura, who was stomping her foot at Coran, saying something she couldn't hear.She was deaf.Violet staggered over to the Alteans, clutching the princess's arm. Allura turned to her and said something, but Violet spoke over her. "I can't hear, princess." Her words sounded garbled and strange, like she was underwater.The princess' face was lined with concern. She said something that looked like what? or how?, but Violet shook her head and pointed to her ears. Allura nodded reassuringly, and turned to Coran.They were speaking quickly, but Violet tried to read their lips, without much success. Coran was sulking. Allura was frantically entering coordinates, presumably trying to get out of their predicament.The black void was approaching. Violet turned towards the wall, bracing herself, and palmed one of her daggers. The castle began to rumble as it entered the void, but Violet was ready. As the floor heaved, she jumped towards the wall, using the added momentum to spin and pull her legs up to her chest. Violet hit the wall feet-fist, springing off it and landing nimbly in a crouch next to Coran, who was now a small child."I'm going to try and find out where we're headed," Small Coran said. He paused, scratching his head. "Can I take a nap first?"Allura turned to Violet, distraught. "All of my attempts have failed," she cried. "If we go through the void another time, Coran will be wiped out until all that remains is his mustache! How can we - by the ancients, Violet! You're white! Why are you white?""Oh my god, Allura," Small Coran whined. "You can't just ask people why they're white."Violet looked down at herself and gasped. Her skin was as pale as the moon. Her hair was silver, and she was betting that her eyes were white as well. Violet had been entirely washed of color - even her markings were light gray."How are we going to get out of this?" she asked Allura desperately."Just make the void go boom!" said Small Coran, clapping his hands together. He spun around in a circle, making cheerful explosion noises.The girls exchanged a look. "It could work," Violet said hesitantly. "Do the ship's defense systems work on black voids?""There's only one way to find out," Allura said, and started firing into the void. However, the shots simply rebounded off the void. "It's reflecting the attack!" the princess exclaimed. One of the blasts shot straight for the castle. "Pretty," said Coran, and blew a raspberry. And then the blast hit, and Violet was thrown off her feet, only given a second to shift her body as she slammed into the wall."Imma find where we're headed," a toddler said with bright orange hair. His stomach rumbled. "Actually, I don't wanna. I gonna eat instead."Violet picked herself up off the floor, wincing. Every part of her body ached. You could only get thrown into a wall so many times before you cracked. She stood and limped over to Allura, who was trying to stop Coran the toddler from stomping on the control panel. "Don't play with that!" Allura scolded him. "You could - AAAH!""What now?" Violet asked impatiently, looking down at herself. She blinked. She was wearing a blue dress, and she could feel her hair brushing her lower back, and there were pink earrings dangling from her ears. She..."Violet," Allura managed to say, "You're me."It was true. The wormhole had changed Violet into a duplicate of the princess, complete with the Altean accent and markings. Allura looked like she'd been given quite a fright. "Violet," she said, "Does my hair always look that unkempt? It's hideous.""Focus, princess," Violet snapped, flipping her new hair over her shoulder. "We need to think - I refuse to get turned into a duplicate of Coran the next time we got through this thing. What if we stopped the castle? We could slow our descent into the wormhole.""That might work!" Allura exclaimed, shutting down the thrusters. "I've paused all power - but we're still being sucked in! This is hopeless!""I wanna EEEAT!" Coran wailed.The castle hit the black void, tossing Violet into the air. She winced as her head slammed against the wall, pain splitting through her temples. Luckily the huge mount of white hair on her head cushioned her skull. No wonder Allura preferred it in a bun - how could anyone deal with that much hair?Violet blacked out, and when she came to, Allura was holding a baby Coran in her arms, cooing softly. Violet struggled to rise as Allura called, "Violet, I need you! We've got to fly out of here, or Coran will cease to exist!""Loora," baby Coran gurgled. "Ahloora." He turned to Violet and made grabby hands at her. "Vylet."Violet managed to make it to her feet, hobbling over to the princess. "What can I do?" she rasped. We have to save Coran. Can we still try to find coordinates?""I'll do one last search. Take the baby," Allura replied, handing Baby Coran over. She pulled up the screen, her expression mirroring Violet's. This was their last chance.Allura gasped. "Coordinates! It looks like we haven't lost just yet, Violet. This is going to get bumpy!"A second before the castle hit the black void, a wormhole opened next to it. Violet cried out as she was hurled around, clutching Baby Coran for dear life. Allura, somehow, was able to keep steady, channeling her concentration to make the jump. Violet only caught a glimpse of what they arrived at - a wasteland with the green lion proudly sending up a beam of energy - before she was thrown into the wall, protecting Coran with her body. There was a crack, and bright, hot pain, and Violet plummeted into unconsciousness like a stone.-"You rescued us, Pidge!" Allura said happily. "We were stuck in the wormhole! Coran was a surprisingly adorable baby and Violet - oh, no. Violet!"The girl was crumpled in a heap at the side of the wall, curled protectively over Coran, who was fully grown and no longer a newborn. She looked bad - but of course, getting tossed around, going blind, deaf, almost drowning, getting leached of color and shape-shifting yourself could do that to a person."She needs to get to a cryo-pod," Allura ordered. "Coran, make sure there's nothing broken. Pidge, get to the castle. We must find the other paladins."Coran checked Violet for injuries. "Seems like she broke one of her ribs, but some time in the healing pods will have her good as new," he informed them.Allura found Keith and Shiro, who'd crashed on a desolated planet, first. Shiro had been clawed by a monster, and had to be healed as well, but Keith was fine. Next, they wormholed to Lance and Hunk, who had saved an underwater city from a narcotic plant.They all gathered at the healing pods, telling each other of their adventures. Keith stood apart, watching over Violet and Shiro. He was worried for her, not just because of the bruises. He'd insisted to Allura for her mask to remain on while she healed, even if it stifled her breathing. Violet was going to have to come clean about her identity soon - and he didn't know if anyone else would take it as well as he had.Lance walked up and stood next to Keith, staring at Violet's pod. Keith raised an eyebrow but said nothing.Eventually, the rest of the paladins filtered out of the room. Only when they were alone did Lance say, "She's Altean, right?"Keith masked his surprise. "I have no idea what you're talking about."Lance glared at him. "Come on, Mullet. What do you think I am, an idiot?""...yeah," Keith said. "That's exactly what I thought. You caught me red-handed."Lance smirked. "Told you I - wait. Did you just-?""Yep."The boy groaned. "Look, I wasn't entirely knocked out when we were fighting those bots in the hangar on the Balmera. I saw her mask fly off. And I caught a glimpse of the photo of her family before she grabbed it. At first I thought the bottom half of her face was just gold and sparkly, but I pieced it together. Vi has Altean markings ... but her ears aren't pointed. And I heard King Alfor's corrupted AI call her a half-breed. So ... half-Altean, right? I'm guessing it was her mom?"Keith blew out a breath. "Yeah. That's how she was able to perform the ceremony on the Balmera; she had enough energy to fill in the gaps Allura left."Lance was quiet for a moment. Then he said softly, "Why hasn't she told us?""She's been hiding her face her whole life. And she's been away from her family for seven years, abducted by the Galra. Violet hasn't shaken off the reflex to conceal herself yet. But she will, because we're her friends.""Right. I still don't know why she decided to tell you first, though."Keith sighed. "Because unlike some people, I can keep a secret.""That's it?" Lance asked, smirking. "Nothing ... else?"Keith chose to ignore that. Instead, he said, "Why haven't you flirted with her?"That shut him up. "What?"Keith met Lance's eyes. "You haven't - not with Violet. Why?""Do you want me to flirt with her?" Lance asked, raising his eyebrows suggestively. Keith just gave him a look. Lance sighed and conceded, "You know I'm bisexual, right?"He did. "How could I not?" Keith answered. "You flirt with everything that has a pulse."Lance grinned. "I can't even deny that. But ... I've never had any romantic feelings at all for Vi. I couldn't imagine her as anything but a friend." He shrugged. "Can't say the same for her, though. Don't get jealous if she has a crush.""On you? She'd never," Keith shot back, ignoring the pang that went through him at the paladin's words. Does Violet like Lance?Lance smirked. "Keep telling yourself that. Later, Mullet." He strode from the room arrogantly, leaving Keith behind to watch over Violet and Shiro.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Ready?"
She nodded and jumped off the cruiser, landing smoothly on the top of a building. Violet drew two of her blades and began sprinting, staying in the shadows. She was the night, swift and lethal.
And he was beside her.
Violet knew, in the fragments of the memory, that this was rare. That he did not usually fight by her side, instead managing from above, out of the fray. But he was here now, falling upon soldiers and knocking them out with an easy grace she'd never been able to master. Violet leapt down next to him, falling onto a soldier's back and knocking him over the head with the butt of her dagger. He crumpled, and she jumped off him, facing the soldiers surrounding them. She smiled under her mask. This would be easy.
"Surrender now," one ordered. "You're outnumbered." Violet smirked and attacked, slicing and hitting with her blades, her partner doing the same. They were like one, moving like water over the rocks in the riverbed. When she let her guard slip, he was there, blocking the blow meant for her and cutting down the soldier who dared strike it. Violet found herself smiling as the two of them wrecked carnage and catastrophe, like fallen stars exploding into deadly light.
-Violet was cold.It seeped into her bones, pickled at her skin. She felt like she was covered in ice.Then there was a whoosh, and a blast of warm air hit her in the face. Violet realized with a start that there was nothing between her and the ground but air at the same time she fell. Arms caught her before she could eat the floor; Violet looked up. Her face was inches from Keith's.She awkwardly pulled away, cheeks flushing. "Sorry." She wasn't wearing her normal clothes, but her mask was still on. She must've been in a healing pod, then. What had happened?"It's fine." he paused, hand hovering uncertainly above her shoulder. "Can you stand?"Violet tested her legs and stumbled; Keith caught her again. "Nope." she muttered. "How long was I out?""Two days." he led her to a seat by the cryo-pod, which she sank into, knees wobbling. "A lot has happened while you've been healing. The others will be glad to know you're awake."Violet blinked at him. Keith's voice was tight, and he wasn't meeting her eyes. "What's wrong?" she asked.Keith seemed inclined to avoid the question, but after a second he asked stiffly, "Do you have a crush on Lance?"Violet stared at him in utter shock, and his face flushed. "I didn't-"She burst out laughing.Keith reddened more as Violet doubled, over clutching her stomach. "Lance? She asked, wiping away tears. "I - me and Lance - just...no." she grinned, her chest still heaving. "Stars. You didn't actually think - please tell me you didn't really think Lance and I were a thing." At his expression, she launched into another bout of laughter, struggling to catch her breath long enough to form words. "Honestly, Keith. You have the least reception for human emotion on this ship, and we're with Coran and Allura."He frowned, irritated. "You don't have to be rude."Violet stood shakily, trying to plaster on a straight face. "You're right. Sorry. I just ... it seems preposterous to me. Lance and I are friends - nothing more."Keith relaxed slightly. "Good, because he knows you're Altean."She went rigid, and forced herself to calm. "Okay. That's ... that's fine. I was about to tell everyone anyway.""Now would be a good chance," said Keith. "Look, I know neither of us have a problem with lying, but it's not something you do to the people you care about."Violet nodded. "I know."It was at that moment that the door burst open, and Hunk practically flew out. "Vi! You're alive!" he leapt forward and practically tackled her, hugging her so hard she felt like her ribs were being broken - again."Hunk," she wheezed. "Ribs." Hunk quickly set her down sheepishly. "Sorry.""It's alright." Violet looked down at herself. "This isn't the first time I've broken a rib. I know how to deal with it.""Let's get to the bridge," said Allura. "You can get some food."Everyone began to head out. "Wait," said Violet. She pushed down the nerves roiling in her gut. "I ... have to come clean.""What do you mean?" Coran asked.Violet sighed, a long exhale of breath, and sought Keith; his face was reassuring. Slowly, she lifted her hands to her mask and untied it, slipping it off.There was a collective gasp. "You're Altean?" Pidge exclaimed."Half. My ears aren't pointed and I'm not as strong as a normal Altean," Violet corrected. "I'm sorry I didn't tell any of you sooner."Allura, thankfully didn't look angry, just speculative. "How is that possible? Could there be more Alteans who survived the decimation of our planet?""I wouldn't know," Violet replied. "My mother died shortly after she had my sister." Not that she believed that. Violet's father had always been secretive about her mother's death, and as far as Violet's life was going, she wouldn't be surprised if her mother was alive. It made it easier to deal with, too - she'd never known her mother, so she felt guilty that she couldn't grieve. But clinging to the belief that she didn't have to helped."Well, I already knew, but it's good that you told us," said Lance."You definitely shouldn't have kept your face hidden as long as you have." said Coran. "And yet ... I get that you're hesitant. Alteans have been hunted and exterminated for generations. There is a deep-rooted sense to hide ourselves that, naturally, was passed onto you.""I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner," Pidge added. "Whenever we did an energy scan, there were always high rates of quintessence from the castle, but I just assumed it was from Allura's and Coran's life forces. But it was you, too, Vi.""Also, you might be able to power the castle if Allura is unable to," Shiro said. "Your energy is connected to it.""I don't think of you any differently," Hunk said. "But now you won't have to keep your mask on all the time!" He hugged Violet again, eliciting a surprised laugh from her. The rest of the group joined in, and Violet breathed out a sigh of relief. Keith was standing uncomfortably outside their group hug. "Oh, get over here," Violet said to him, grinning. He rolled his eyes but joined in.Violet felt like a huge weight was lifted off her shoulders. "Thank the stars you all weren't mad," she said as they drew away. "It makes me feel stupid for not wanting to tell you.""Vi," said Hunk, "Why do you keep saying that?"She blinked. "Keep saying what?""'Thank the stars,'" Hunk replied. "Or just 'stars.'""Oh." Violet cocked her head to the side in thought. "It's an expression, I think. Probably Altean." She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I do it without thinking.""It's not anything we've ever heard," said Coran. "Alteans aren't really oriented with the night sky.""That's true," Allura added. "If any race was the most connected to the stars, it ... would probably be the Galra. Their star charts are some of the most advanced in the universe's, and they have their own unique constellations based off heroes and legends."Violet's eyebrows raised. "Huh. I never pegged the Galra as such a symbolic people.""They're not," Allura replied. "I don't think any Galra care much about the stars anymore.""It's not the weirdest we've heard, anyway," Lance pointed out. "Coran says 'holy yalmor' when he gets excited.""Speaking of current events," said Shiro, "We have a lot to tell you, Vi.""But ... we weren't talking current events," said Hunk.Shiro barely spared him a glance. "We are now. While you were out, we got information from a Galra named Ulaz that helped me escape Zarkon. He was working for a rebel group called the Blade of Marmora, which we could have a potential alliance with. However, Zarkon found us again while you were out. Ulaz ... he didn't make it. So we've made the decision not to meet up with the rebels until we know how Zarkon has been tracking us." "However, I've come up with few tasks for you and the paladins," Allura added. "Some of it is mechanics, but the first task is an activity with your lions. Coran had an idea about the connection between each pilot, and we're going to try something to help you all strengthen your bond." She nodded to Violet. "Violet, you can use your own bond with the lions to help out.""Sounds easy," said Pidge, and that was how Violet found herself in a strange room with clear white walls, the five paladins sprawled out in various positions around her. "Coran and I are going to try and experiment with the lion's energy," Allura said. "Stay here and focus on your lions. If you feel anything, turn on this radio and tell us." She held up a radio and left, the door closing behind them.A minute passed as the paladins focused, Violet casting out her senses for any spark. Nothing happened.Another minute passed. Then two. Then three."Nothing's happening," Hunk noted. "How long will we have to do this?""Let's ask," Keith said, grabbing the radio. He tapped the button and said into it, "Princess, you there?"Nothing."You didn't turn it on," Lance cut in, taking the radio and pressing a different button. "Hey, Allura?"Also nothing.Pidge groaned. "Give it to me." She examined the radio, turning it over. "Okay, I'll be honest: I have no idea how this thing works. Why are there so many buttons?""Just be patient," Shiro advised."Or," said Violet, "We could not be patient, because let's face it, we all have the attention spans of mice high on caffeine, and just press all the buttons until one of them works."Lance shrugged. "She's not wrong." He started presses the buttons. "This isn't working.""You missed something," said Keith."No, I didn't," said Lance. "I'm pressing every button on this thing!""Don't hit it, just press it gently.""I am pressing it gently! It's not working!" Lance yelled."Everyone stop yelling!" Shiro yelled.There was a pop, and the radio let out a hiss of smoke. Lance dropped it a second before it exploded, bits of metal shooting through the air.There was a beat of stunned silence before Lance turned to Keith and said, "Now look what you've done.""What I've done? I didn't even touch the radio!" Keith protested. "You were the one that didn't press the buttons gently!""I pressed those buttons gentler than you ever could have!""Actually," Pidge cut in, "'Gentler' isn't a real wo-"Shiro put to fingers to his mouth and whistled, causing everyone in the room to wince and clap their hands over their ears."I suggest," he said, "That we stay quiet. And find Allura and Coran to tell them that whatever this is, it's clearly not working. I haven't felt anything with my lion since we've been put here.""Wait, I think I feel something!" Hunk said excitedly. "Like ... like a spark! I think it's working!" he closed his eyes, brows furrowing.Everyone waited. "Dang it, it's gone now," Hunk said, opening his eyes in defeat.And then Violet smelled it."Hunk!" She yelled, jumping on top of the closest available object - Shiro - and waving her hand in front of her nose. "Gross!"Pidge sniffed the air and doubled over, coughing; Lance gagged. "Hunk, man, what did you eat for lunch?""Now that I think about it, I'm not sure," Hunk mumbled, cheeks red. "That might have been the problem.""That's it," said Keith. "I'm out." He stood, walked over to the wall, and blinked. "Um ... is there a door here?""The wall slid open when Allura walked out," Shiro offered. "Try walking closer."Keith stepped closer. And closer. And bumped into the wall. "Guys, I can't find the door.""It probably only works with Allura," said Pidge. "Because her energy is connected to the castle." Hunk blinked. "So ... we're stuck in here?"Violet let out a noise of defeat and flopped off of Shiro, pressing her face into the floor. "I'm dreaming," she said, words muffled. "this is all one bad dream and I'll wake up now." Pause. "Or now. Or now.""This is going to be a long day," Shiro said with a sigh.-"Okay, Keith, your turn," said Lance. "Truth or dare?"The red paladin frowned in thought. "Given the fact that Pidge has to moonwalk like Michael Jackson everywhere for the next three hours, courtesy of Violet, I'm scared of what dare I'll get." He shrugged. "So truth.""Bad decision, my friend," Pidge said, moonwalking over. Her face split into an evil grin. "Bad. Decision." The five paladins and Violet had been playing Truth or Dare for half an hour. Thanks to Keith, Shiro had been forced to spill the secret of his boyfriend, Adam, a pilot from the Garrison; in turn, Shiro had dared Hunk to make him tea every night. Which, according to Violet and Pidge, shouldn't count as a real dare because Hunk was going to do it anyway.Saying the girls had been competitive playing the game was an understatement. They were out for blood. And unfortunately for Keith, Pidge was the one to come up with his question. Pidge rubbed her hands together, casting a sly look at Shiro. "I know. Tell us, Keith: why did you get kicked out of the Garrison?"Keith's eyes widened, his face filling with fear as silence descended over the room. Then-"You WHAT?" Shiro yelled, parkouring over Hunk. "Keith Kogane, you are grounded.""But-""No. Buts. You're washing the dishes every night until we get back to earth so you can apologize to Iverson and re-enroll." Violet leaned away, but he gave her a get back here, I can't face this alone look and she reluctantly settled back down on her spot on Lance's shoulders. (What could she say? There wasn't any furniture in the room, and Lance was oddly comfortable.)"You still have to answer me," Pidge added as Shiro leaned back, face still furious. "I've always wondered what you did to make Iverson so mad you got expelled."Keith coughed nervously. "Do I have to say it?""Rules of the game, Kogane," Violet replied, grinning. "Spill."He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I threw a lamp at Iverson and told him to lighten the hell up."Violet snorted so hard she fell off of Lance. Keith cast her a bemused glance, but she and the others were already rolling on the ground laughing, except for Shiro, who crossed his arms - though the proud hint of a smile flickered across his mouth.Once they recovered, it was Lance's turn, who chose Truth. "This'll be easy," he boasted. "Hunk's too sweet to embarrass me."Hunk smirked. "Kiss, Marry, Kill: Zarkon, Violet, Keith."Lance stopped gloating. "Kill Zarkon, obviously. Marry Violet, cause I wouldn't mind having to live with her, and-" he cut off abruptly, face going bright red. "Well. Vi, you're up next. Truth or Dare?"Violet raised an eyebrow, but said, "Dare. Idalias never back down from a challenge.""Hm..." Lance snapped his fingers. "I know. Balance a spoon on your face for the rest of the day."Violet blinked. "That's easy." She grabbed a spoon from her bag and tilted her head back, placing it on her nose. "In fact, I can probably do, like ... five. Maybe ten. Hunk, spoon me."Hunk grabbed a bunch of spoons from his pockets, Violet adding each one to the ones already on her face. One became two, then four, then seven, then nine..."Vi, I ran out of spoons," said Hunk."Dammit," Violet said, throwing up her hands. "I could've kept going.""I doubt that," Keith replied. "I mean ... how could anyone manage to fit sixteen spoons on their face, let alone more?"Violet sketched a bow, the spoons somehow staying on her face. "One of my many talents. Dagger-throwing, material arts, balancing spoons on my face, gymnastics..."Lance chuckled, draping an arm across her shoulders. "Every day we discover something new about you."Violet laughed with him, but the truth of his words hit her like ice. They did find out new things about her repeatedly - except sometimes, they were secrets that weren't as carefree as balancing spoons on her face. Soon, they'd find out about her past, and the blood behind it, and Violet knew they wouldn't be smiling.But they were now, and Violet let herself relish in the moment, despite the sinking feeling in her gut that this bit of happiness wouldn't last long.At that moment the wall slid open. "Paladins!" Allura exclaimed, making Violet jump so high each and every spoon fell of her face, hitting Lance in the head. "Coran and I have been radioing you for the past twelve doboshes! What have you all been doing?""Balancing spoons on my face," Violet replied. "What else would we be doing?""The bonding exercise??""Ohhh, right," said Lance sheepishly. "We forgot about that one.""We were still productive, though," Violet said, but as she was speaking, she lost her balance. The spoons crashed to the floor, all sixteen of them, causing the paladins to wince at the loud noise. Allura facepalmed.-After a long scolding from Allura, the six of them were sent out to repair the castle form space. "There are some gears on the outside layer of the ship that need to be fixed." She instructed. "Get on your suits."They all put on their armor, Violet donning a protective space suit over her normal gear, and headed out of the castle. Allura and Coran directed them to a cylinder protruding from the side of the ship."I'm opening the cylinder," said Shiro, popping off the top. "What's next?" Coran rattled off a stream of odd terms Violet knew for a fact weren't actual words. Hunk looked lost, so Allura stepped in, though she only made their confusion worse. Lance tried to fix the cylinder as well, failing enormously. Eventually Pidge fixed it, to their relief.Before they could get back inside, Violet noticed small, clear orbs floating towards them. "Wha-""Paladins, get ready," Shiro said, activating his shield. "We've been trained for this situation. Do not come in contact with the projectiles if possible. Everyone get behind m-"He broke off as one of the squishy orbs hit him, splattering all over his face."Oops," said Lance. "Sorry. I was aiming for Keith.""Your aim is terrible," said Keith, smirking. "Here, let me show you how." He flung one of the orbs at Lance, smacking him across the face. The ball exploded, splattering the paladin with blue goo. Hunk squealed, "Yeah! Squishy space ball battle!" He flung a ball at Pidge, hitting her in the face. Violet grinned and launched herself at Lance and Keith, who were battling. She didn't have a shield, but her agility made up for it. Mainly because the rest of the paladins moved like sheep in mud. She met Keith's eyes and grinned. Together, they hurled squishballs at Lance, pelting him in the chest."No fair! You guys are double-teaming!" He cried, falling into Hunk. Keith held his hand up for a high-five, to which Violet returned by smacking him across the face with a squishball. Keith yelled in betrayal as Violet brushed herself off."I win!" She shouted, only to be hit in the back. Pidge grinned, shielding a throw from Lance.And so the fight began. Shiro tried to get them to stop; Violet put an end to him by repeatedly striking him with squishballs. Keith was determined to get revenge from Violet double-crossing him; he snuck up behind her as she exchanged hits with Lance.Violet spun around as he hurled his squishball, grabbing Lance and pushing him in front of her. The ball hit him right in the face, and Lance went down."Nice try," Violet said, "But it won't be that easy.""I was just warming up," Keith shot back, summoning his sword. Violet threw squishball after squishball at him, which the red paladin sliced in half. Keith went on offense, grabbing a ball and tossing it at her. Violet ducked easily, then charged, jumping over Keith and aiming a squishball at the back of his head.She was attacked by Shiro before she could finish Keith, a squishball striking her. Violet shouted in outrage and she crashed onto the ship's side."That's enough," Allura ordered. "Everyone head back inside for exfoliation."Grumbling, Violet and the paladins complied, being put through a series of washings to flush off the weird space orb goo."I'm not going to forget what happened back there," she warned Shiro. "You'd better watch your back, Shirogane, because I swear, I will be coming for you.""You're one to talk," Keith said. "You stabbed me in the back! Literally!""I didn't stab you," Violet shot back. "I hit you. With a squishball.""Same difference," Lance interjected, annoyed. "Keith and Vi shouldn't be able to team up anymore. They're too dangerous.""Agreed," Hunk added. "Vi stole my shield. She literally forced it out of my hands so that I was defenseless when Keith attacked me. I almost feel sorry for Zarkon.""Don't be," Keith huffed. "I'm not forgiving Vi anytime soon.""Lighten up, Kogane," Violet scoffed. "It was war.""It was a snowball fight with squishy alien snowballs.""Exactly. War."Keith rolled his eyes, and they departed the decontamination chamber. Pidge examined the squishballs and found a code in them, which turned out to be a plea for help and coordinates to a planet."Ah. I should've known," Coran exclaimed. "The orbs were created by a very advanced race called the Olkari. They surpassed every other species in architecture, able to build whatever they wanted with just a thought." "My father and I had the pleasure of seeing one of the Olkari's great cities in person," added Allura. "It is one of the few things I can recall in perfect clarity from ten thousand years ago." "Cool," Pidge breathed."They must have a pretty awesome city, then," said Hunk. "With awesome techy food, like deep-fried chimichangas and little soup dumplings.""How is that techy?" Keith asked."It doesn't matter, because the distress call is coming from the woods by the city," said Coran.Pidge was disappointed, but nevertheless they all got to their lions and flew to Olkarion. Violet insisted on being part of the mission. "You can ride with me," Pidge volunteered. "I need to give you back your daggers anyway."Violet's mind was blown for a full minute when the green paladin returned her blades. They were so shiny. And sharp."I've never seen anyone other than me be so in love with gadgets before," Pidge chuckled as Violet ecstatically examined her new knives. "It's nice not to be the only o - Violet! Do not throw your daggers at my lion!"Violet lowered her arm, pouting. "But I need to test them," she whined."Not on Green! I will not have you stabbing her while I'm piloting." Pidge cast her a stern look.Violet started to say a reply, but something whizzed by the green lion. Pidge gasped in surprise as more shot from the trees. Violet felt the green lion's panic as one of the things latched onto it. "Is something trying to attack us?""I'm not sure, but the black lion's being pulled down to the ground," said Shiro."Mine too," Lance added, with noises of agreement from Hunk and Keith. The lions swerved down, landing on the forest floor. There were people before them, holding bows and launchers, with big eyes and treelike figures - Olkari.The paladins emerged from their lions, hands in the air. "We're here to help!" Shiro said calmly."Please, lay down your weapons. We mean you no harm," said Violet. The Olkari leader saw her and stepped back in fear."Zarkon's assassin," She hissed. "How dare you show your face here again? Leave now, or by Lubos I swear we will strike you down."Violet exchanged confused glances with the paladins. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said. "I'm with Voltron.""We'll see about that," The Olkari spat. "You are not welcome here.""I think you have Violet confused with someone else," Shiro said slowly. "She's been a prisoner of the Galra for seven years. How could you two have met?" He looked to Violet questioningly."I - I don't know," she answered. "I don't remember ever being on Olkarion."The Olkari begrudgingly let her pass, though she still eyed Violet with mistrust. "I am Ryner," she announced, and proceeded to lead them around. The trees had houses and buildings built onto them, amazingly engineered. "Three deca-pheobs ago, the Galra invaded our city, forcing us to seek refuge in the woods. We tried to fight back, but there were too many off them. Many lives were lost in the process. My husband fought until the end to protect our home. He ... did not make it.""I'm sorry," said Shiro. "That must have been terrible for you."Ryner dipped her chin in acknowledgement. "However, the Olkari are strong, and so am I. Even under the treeline, we evolved to the mighty city you see here." She gestured to the plant city around them."Voltron can take out the Galra on your planet, no problem," Violet said. "Easy. What's the catch?""When the Galra invaded, they captured our ruler, Lubos, as hostage," Ryner explained. "If we challenge them, they might harm him.""Then we'll save him first," Shiro said confidently.-"As much as I do not trust the assassin, you will need weapons in your battle," Ryner said, leading the group to a clearing lined with flowers. "This is we supply ourselves with armor." She demonstrated by putting on a device and placing her hand against a nearby tree. Light shot up the trunk, connecting to one of the seed's pods and causing it to fall and transform into a machine for someone to drive.Pidge whistled in appreciation. "Can I try?""Yes," Ryner answered. "You can each have one, except the one you call Violet. I'm sorry, but I don't feel comfortable giving the Galra's assassin one of our machines.""I understand," Violet said. "I don't mind."Ryner nodded her thanks and continued, "The five of you can use these bands to help center the impulses from your nervous system to the device." She held up something along the lines of a headband, handing one to each of the paladins.Lance blinked. "So ... what do I do?"Hunk was licking his. "Mnm. Not as good as one of my mom's empanadas, but those are high standards."They are the universe's only hope, Violet thought. She sighed. The universe is doomed.Pidge tried hers, succeeding in creating one of the machines like Ryner's. The other paladins tried unsuccessfully to activate theirs. Eventually they all rode in Ryner and Pidge's to the city."Given the fact that you have lions, your best plan will be to sneak in from the roof," Ryner informed them. "No one will be expecting an attack from above."Keith noted, "That's a long way down.""But it's a better option that ricking being taken down by the guards at the front."Violet noticed a huge black cube hovering near the city. Lance saw it too and asked, "What's that? It looks like a weapon.""By Lubos!" Ryner gasped. "I must be seeing things!""What is it?" Lance prompted."An Omni-cube," Ryner replied. "They're usually supposed to be toys for children to use, but one of this size could only be a weapon." She faced the paladins gravely. "And it looks like it's completed.""Then we'll need to be quick," ordered Shiro. "Here's what we'll have to do. Pidge, your lion can turn invisible, so we'll get to the top of the tower inside it. Once we're there, we can scan the building for any Olkari, locate Lubos, and get him out. Pidge, if we're in trouble, don't hesitate to blast through the building."Pidge grinned, her eyes gleaming in a way that made Violet feel almost sorry for the Galra base.The paladins hopped into the green lion, Pidge turning on the cloaking system and flying undetected to the top of the tower. She dropped the five of them down, and Hunk used a device to scan for any Olkari, finding two - one of which the king."Here," said Violet, pressing her ear to the door she was standing before. Screams and cries could be heard from inside it. "They must be hurting him.""On my mark!" said Shiro. "One, t-""Three!" Violet shouted, forcing open the door and storming in. An Olkari man was sitting in a reclining chair, eating grapes and watching what looked like a soap opera with another Olkari feeding him the food. The noises were coming from the people on screen, who were wailing dramatically."Lubos?" Shiro asked. The man turned around, a grape sliding from his open mouth."Who are you all? The karaoke team I asked for?" he said, and waved a hand at them. "Go on, sing something.""No," said Violet.Lance coughed. "Er ... do you know Beyoncé?""We're supposed to rescue you," Keith said, brows furrowed. The Olkari servant was gesturing wildly at them, something along the lines of go, go, go."In that case..." King Lubos slapped a button on his chair. The wall to their left slid up and disappeared, revealing several Galra troops ready to fire.Hunk groaned. "Now I wish Lance would've just started singing.""What's this, Lubos? A rescue attempt?" the Galra commander said, smirking gleefully. "Look at them, trying to figure out that you're here by your own free will.""You turned your back on your people to save your own skin?" Violet demanded. "Let them become slaves while you sit around eating grapes?""First off, they're not grapes. They're an Olkarion delicacy," Lubos snapped.Violet snapped, "Hunk, tell him where he can stick his grapes.""In the fridge.""Hunk, no."Lubos glowered at them. "You idiots don't get it - this was the only way to save the Olkari! By agreeing to let them do service for the Galra, I avoided any bloodshed or war. All I ever wanted was peace.""This isn't peace," Violet said, drawing her blades. "This is cowardice.""You're giving up on your people," Keith continued. "You're denying them the right to fight for themselves." The two faced Lubos, fierce and unyielding. Violet said, her voice filled with ice, "You don't deserve to be king.""This has gone on long enough," The Galra commander cut in, motioning to his gaurds. "Take them."The sentries aimed their blasters. Violet readied herself to let two of her blades fly, but before shots could be fired, the green lion crashed through the wall, causing Lubos to scream shrillily."Sorry I'm late," Pidge said with a grin. Violet climbed aboard, dragging Lubos with her. They flew back to the forest, where Ryner and the other Olkari were waiting.Violet stormed out of the lion and threw Lubos to the ground at Ryner's feet. "Lubos!" Ryner exclaimed, startled. "What happened?""While his people starved, imprisoned and enslaved, Lubos was working with the Galra, turning his back on the Olkari," Keith said,his voice ringing over the trees. "He gorged on their food, spent his days reclining and sleeping, and helped build the weapon the Galra now posses, while his people were forced into labor beside him." Gasps echoed throughout the forest."Ryner," said Shiro. "I know you must be devastated, but your people need you. Fight the war Lubos never wanted to wage. Free your people from the cold hands of the Galra!""We're forming Voltron right now and defeating the Galra," Violet added. "You don't have to fight. But for your people, for your home, you should."Ryner looked down at Lubos, cowerign at her feet, at back up at Violet. Their eyes met, and Violet saw the woman's eyes harden with determination. She turned, adressing the Olkari. "We will stand with Voltron," she declared. "And we will take back our home!"And from the trees, cheers rose, so loud they seemed to shake the sun.The paladins got to their lions, forming Voltron. Violet stayed back with Ryner to oversee the fight."I must have mistaken you for someone else," Ryner said as Voltron formed its sword and began to face off against the cube. "When our city was taken, there was a person - a girl - who fought us. She took on and captured our king, causing us to fall to the Galra. But you cannot be her, for you are helping us now."Violet felt her blood grow cold at the Olkari's words. "I..."Ryner eyed her. "Strange, though. The girl wore a suit similar to yours." She laid her hand gently on Violet's shoulder. "But the Olkari believe that people can change. Your past does not define you, Violet. We are grateful for your help today.""Thank you," Violet whispered. Ryner nodded.In the fight, things weren't going well. The cube had come alive to fight the paladins, and reflected all of Voltron attacks. The lion disbanded, trying to break apart the cubes, but nothing was working. Violet was force to watch as the green lion took a hit, crashing into the forest."The green lion!" Ryner cried."Pidge!" Violet yelled, rushing over to the collapsed lion.Ryner placed her hands on the green lion's side, and they began to glow. "Pidge? Are you there?"Pidge answered, "I'm here. How are you talking to me?""Olkari metal trick," Ryner replied. "We need to get you back into the fight. I can heal your lion, but if you want to fight with it again, you must bond." "I can help," Violet added. "The green lion trusts me. I can convince it to bond with you. But you'll have to make the connection alone.""I'll do it," Pidge said firmly."You can do this," Ryner assured her. She nodded to Violet, who closed her eyes and reached out. She'd never done it intentionally before - the lions were a presence by her side, one she'd always been accustomed to. Violet dipped her head to the green lion in a gesture of respect.They need you. Your paladin needs you, Violet urged. Hear her; let her connect with you. Let lion and paladin become one.There was a flash as the green lion's eyes glowed. Pidge whooped as her lion sprang back onto its feet and leapt back into battle with a roar.The paladins were in desperate need of aid. The cubes were hitting them harder and harder. "Pidge, come in!" Shiro yelled."Pidge!" Keith shouted."Hold on, everyone!" Pidge ducked under a cube's laser, coming to her friend's rescue."Pidge! You're back!" Hunk said, relieved. "What happened?" "I don't really know, but I can feel my lion's spirit," Pidge replied. "I know what to do!" "I'll aid you," Violet said, reaching out to the green lion once more. She felt the new power, just unlocked, shimmering at the surface. Violet pulled it up, bringing it to the lion and its paladin.The green lion shot a blast from its mouth at the nearest cube. The cube absorbed it, but then something happened. Vines erupted from the cube, entangling at and forcing it to plummet to the ground. Pidge aimed the vine laser at another cube, bringing it down as well.Violet pumped her fist. "Yeah! Plant power!""Gather round, you overgrown rectangular prisms! See if you can take this!" Pidge yelled at the cubes, taking down three more."Plants," Hunk mused as Pidge took out the last of the cubes. "That's really not how I thought we'd defeat these death-cubes." The Olkari swarmed the city, fighting off the Galra invaders. With their weapon defeated, the Galra had no choice but to flee."Thank you, Voltron," said Ryner as they gathered to celebrate the victory. "Without your help, we never would've gotten our home back. Not just because you took down the Omni-cube - but because you gave us the strength to fight for ourselves." She dipped her head. "And for that, I will never be able to thank you enough.""Assist us in our fight with Zarkon, and we'll call it even," Shiro replied. "We could use the Olkari's help." He turned to Pidge. "Good work out there, Pidge. We would've been goners if you hadn't arrive din time to save us.""Yeah, well, I never would've done it without Violet and Ryner," Pidge said modestly. "Ryner healed the lion, and Vi was able to push it to bond with me.""Speaking of ... how did you do that?" Lance asked, turning to Violet.She frowned. "I don't know exactly. Like I said before, I have a connection to the lions. I can ... sense their energy somehow. But the real hero was the green lion. She was willing to bond with her paladin, and unlocked the power easily."Nods. "Wait ... she?" Keith said. "The green lion is female?"Violet raised an eyebrow. "You don't see a mane on the green lion, do you?""Wait. Does that mean..." Keith's eyes widened. "All the lions are female? Red is a girl?" He cast a betrayed look to his lion."They're like five sisters," Violet said thoughtfully. She grinned. "I wonder if they fight as much as we do.""Nah." Lance wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "No amount of squabbling could top that."Eventually, it was time to leave, and the paladins boarded the castle of lions and set course from Olkarion. However, as soon as they were out of orbit, alarms started blaring throughout the castle.Violet's face paled as Zarkon's fleet appeared in front of them, ready to attack. There were gasps of surprise from the other paladins."Well," she announced, "We're all screwed. Can I panic now, please?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Zarkon!" Allura exclaimed. "He's here!"Shiro said, "We need to think fast. Princess, get us a wormhole. Coran, get us away from the Galra fleets. Paladins, stay on the bridge. We shouldn't form Voltron unless there's no other option but to fight." the paladins rushed to their seats, Violet standing behind Allura's spot. Lance, Keith and Violet began piloting small drones to shoot at the Galra fighters attacking them."Lance, fighter incoming!" Violet warned."I see it!" Lance replied, making to shoot at it. However, Keith's drone got to it first. "Wha - Keith!""You were too slow. Sorry," Keith said, not sounding sorry at all.Lance rammed into his drone is retaliation. "Who's slow now?""Why, you..."The boys began engrossed in an all-out drone war. "Focus, Keith, Lance!" Violet snapped, ducking to catch a fighter on her ten. "Fight the Galra, not each other!" She elbowed her way in between the two drones. Grumbling, Lance and Keith separated."Violet's right," said Shiro. "You're stronger together. Pidge, Hunk, what's our status on the defense systems?""Low. Eleven? Twelve? I'm not sure. I'm so tired I can barely see!" Hunk replied."I know our energy is depleted, but we need to fend off Zarkon's army."Keith asked, "Which will be when?""Never if you keep missing the fighters like you're doing now," Violet grumbled, swooping to hit another fighter. Keith glared at her."Oh, it's on.""I've already taken down two while you both were bickering," Lance boasted, shooting at another fighter. "That's three. Eat my dust.""Oh yeah? I'm on five," Violet shot back."That's six for me," Keith said. "I'm winning.""Not for long!" Lance cut off the red paladin, obliterating a fighter before he could get to it."I'm on eight," Violet informed them, smirking. "Just try to keep up, boys. I'd like to have to actually try here."Coran interrupted, "We're still not far away enough! If we wormhole now, Zarkon can just follow us through!""Time for plan B, then," said Shiro."Plan B? Shouldn't this be, like, plan M?" Violet pointed out.Lance's eyebrows shot up. "Is there a plan Z?""Yes," said Shiro, "But you die in plan Z."Keith smirked. "I like plan Z."Allura's eyes widened. "I know what to do!" She added a strong burst of speed to the castle's thrusters."Princess? What's happening?" Pidge cried as she was jolted from her seat."I'm going to use this moon to our advantage," Allura replied, bringing the castle closer to said moon. "The gravity generated by it will draw us away from Zarkon." Lance, Keith and Violet paused as they cleared the fighter's range.With a jerk that had everyone half-falling from their seats, the castle was sucked towrads the moon - and away from the Galra. "We're far enough away!" Coran shouted. Allura gritted her teeth, opening the wormhole and flying the castle through it.As the castle flew through the wormhole, though, it started to die out. "How come there are still alarms sounding?" asked Lance. "They're starting to hurt my ears.""Yeah," added Keith. "We escaped from Zarkon. What's wrong?"Coran pulled up a screen and gasped. "The lens of the teludav are cracked! We won't be able to hold the wormhole for long!" As he spoke, the wormhole opened and the castle exited it.They were in a solar system that looked like the place where ice went to die. "Cool," Violet breathed. "What is this place? Coran, what's the status?""Let me see," Coran answered. "We didn't end up where we intended, but there's a significant distance between us and Zarkon." Lance saw Allura, who'd collapsed. "Allura!" They all ran over. "You look exhausted," Lance said, brows furrowing in concern. Allura shook her head to clear it, sitting up. "It's fine. I'm fine.""You've got to stop draining all your energy like this," Coran said, and began to exit the bridge. "I'll go take a closer look at the teludAAAAH!" Coran cut off with a shriek as he skidded on the floor, sliding all the way to the far wall and crashing into it."Coran! You good, man?" Hunk asked."Yes, I'm great, thank you. I bet there was just a wee puddle right there. Someone please clean that!" he ordered, pointing to a puddle at his feet. Coran stepped out of it, only for another to form."I think ... you're sweating, Coran," Allura said, sounding amused. "You could have gotten the slipperies.""What? Ha, not possible, no thank you," Coran denied quickly. "The slipperies are for old people. I'm anything but old." Violet raised an eyebrow. "Coran, you're over a thousand years old.""Not by choice!""What do the slipperies do?" asked Lance."It's an Altean sickness that is usually for older people," the princess explained. Violet watched her closely - as she talked, she seemed to get stronger, chin lifting. She cast a thoughtful look to Lance, who'd been the one to prompt her. Maybe for once in his life, Lance knows what he's doing. "It lasts five days at most, but it makes your pores produce an abnormal amount of sweat.""Ick," Pidge muttered, Violet voicing her agreement."Ick is right! It's disgusting, so I'm fortunate that I don't have the slipperies!" said Coran."You shouldn't be embarrassed, Coran. Plenty of Alteans get the slipperies.""Maybe if I did have it I'd be embarrassed. But I don't! So I'm not!" Coran shouted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go check the teludav lens and get the castle back up and running." He attempted to walk away and ended up sliding across the room with a holler."...okay, then," Shiro said. "Now that Zarkon's out of our hair, we can focus on other things. Pidge, can you find the coordinates Ulaz gave us to that rebel group, the Blade of Marmora?""Yeah, lemme check the - oh, wrong thingy." Pidge groaned. "I'm too tired for this. I can't think straight.""Same," Lance added.Violet grinned. "You don't think straight ninety percent of the time," she said.Lance squawked in outrage. Coran then appeared on the screen, saying, "Hi there, everyone! I took a closer look at the teludav." He wiped off the sweat forming on his forehead. "There's good news and bad news. The good news is, we're not dead. The bad news is, we're going to be. Many of the teludav's lenses are chipped, which means that wormholing will be next to impossible until I can repair the lense-stones." He paused to wipe off more sweat. "Also, I'll have to convert more of the ship's energy to make up for the fuel we lost.""So it'll take ... an hour? Two?" asked Violet.Coran shook his head. "It will be at least a quintant."Shiro conceded, "Okay. We'll take some time off and rest while Coran fixes the teludav. Tomorrow, we'll get back to work."-Violet walked into the pool room with her swim bag and blinked.She rubbed her eyes. Was she dreaming? Why was the pool upside down?Violet groaned. "Stupid Alteans!" she yelled. "Stupid Altean pools!"The doors opened, and Lance and Keith walked in. They were wearing trunks for swimming; Violet herself had borrowed a tankini and white cover-up from Allura."Vi," Lance said, "You're Altean. You just called yourself stu - gah! Why is the pool on the ceiling?"Violet threw up her hands. "I don't know. Because ancient Alteans are weird and take pleasure in not letting their poor descendants go for a swim." She crossed her arms, glaring at the upside-down pool."But how are we supposed to swim?" Lance whined. "I had to spend three awkward minutes riding an elevator with Keith for nothing!"Violet perked up. "You did what now? Tell me more.""No," they both said simultaneously.Violet smirked. "Well, I might as well stay here, even if I can't swim." She grabbed her book from her bag and plopped down on the nearest chair, which was, thankfully, on the floor, and began reading."What are you reading?" Keith asked, looking at the title. "Avatar: The Last Airbender. That sounds ... interesting."Violet rolled her eyes. "I love that you're at least trying to be polite. But at least try it before you judge it. You do read, right?""Um...""Keith Kogane! Do not tell me you decided to go on a long-time trip to space and didn't bring any books!" Violet said, slapping her book shut. "Lance! You read, right?"He scratched the back of his neck. "Back at the Garrison, sure. And it's not our fault we didn't bring any books. The castle does have a library.""I'm disappointed in both of you," Violet snapped. "Very disappointed. You should've - wait. WAIT. Did you say library?""Yeah, we passed it on our way here," said Keith. "Didn't you know?""I - I've been on a ship for weeks with one book to read and you're telling me there's a entire goddamn library?" Violet shouted. "I have to go!" She leapt from her seat, and dashed toward the elevator. Lance shrugged and walked in beside her, Keith following suit."Vi, you're wearing a bathing suit," Lance said as the elevator began to rise. "A really cute one, but still, a bathing suit.""I don't care! Can't this thing go faster?" Violet demanded, poking the sides.There was a rumble, and the elevator stopped. Violet blinked. "I just jinxed it, didn't I.""Yep."Violet groaned. After a few minutes of sitting and waiting for it to move again, she cut a hole in the ceiling of the elevator with her knives. "Alright, there should be a vent or something farther up the shaft. I don't suppose either of you can fly?"Lance's face was a mix of confusion, exasperation and total doneness. "Take a guess, Vi.""Yes?"He glared at her. "Take another guess.""...Yes?"At the boys' expressions, she sighed dramatically. "Come on. I have secret heritage and memory gaps and awesome fighting skills and you're telling me you're all just normal humans? Not likely.""Violet," said Keith. "We can't fly.""Fine." She drew a length of rope from her pool bag and tied it into a lasso, handing it off to Lance. Then, she grabbed one of her biggest blades and aimed, then threw it at the wall five or so feet above Keith's head.It pierced the wall, thankfully holding firm. Violet mentally made a note to thank Pidge again for her amazing knife-upgrading skills. "If I can climb up there," she mused, "And stick another dagger into the wall, it can serve as a handhold..." She frowned down at herself. "Do either of you guys have a jacket or something?""Unlike you, Vi," Lance said, "We don't have everything in our pool bags. Why did you think to bring a lasso to swim?""You have to always be prepared," Violet shot back. "Like I said before. When Allura pretended Zarkon was attacking and you showed up in a bathrobe and face mask."If Lance had longer hair, he would've flipped it. "Those lion slippers were excellent for running. I would've been faster than all of you. Besides, I need to moisturize my skin, or it'll get dry."Violet rubbed her temples. "I can't even - ugh. Just wait here." She tied her cover-up around her waist and grabbed the rope, giving it a few experimental tugs before beginning to climb. She made it to the dagger with minimal effort, though the blade wobbled to support her. Violet stabbed another knife into the wall, then, hanging from it with one hand, undid the rope from the first blade. It was tricky to untie the knot with one hand, but she managed it. Violet called down to Lance and Keith, "I don't suppose either of you are willing to stand on each other's heads?"Their faces gave her her answer."Vi, wait. There's a vent next to your head," Keith said. Violet twisted herself around and looked up; sure enough, there was a vent a foot or two above her. She gauged the distance and sighed. This was going to make her sore later.Violet reached into her pool bag, cursing herself that she'd decided against bringing her handgun. She peered into the bag. What was heavy enough? She needed something with enough weight to push open the grate on the cover of the vent, and there was only one thing.Violet pulled out her copy of Avatar: The Last Airbender remorsefully. "You're sacrificing yourself for a noble cause," she told the book. "Please forgive me."Violet hurled it at the vent. The book slammed into the grate, pushing it open. Violet winced at the clang, watching sadly as the book plummeted away."Violet! You just threw your book at the wall!" Lance yelped."I'm aware!" Violet shouted back, feeling tears threaten to sting her eyes. "Tell it I'm sorry!"Lance's brow furrowed. "Vi, it's great how close we are, but talking to inanimate objects is where I draw the line," he muttered.Keith groaned. "Vi says she's sorry," he told the book. "There. Happy?" He peered up at her. "Are you crying?""It was my favorite book!" Violet cried."Just jump!" Lance shouted.Pouting, Violet bent her knees, let out a breath, and leapt.Bringing her feet up, she flipped, using the dagger in the wall as leverage to bring herself up higher. Violet spun in midair, her hands reaching, reaching, reaching.They found the lip of the vent's opening and held. Violet let out a breath as she dangled in the air and hauled herself into the vent, collapsing against the wall.Lance and Keith were waiting, gaping, far below. "Here," Violet called, tossing them the rope. She activated the magnets on her blade, unsticking it from the wall as Lance climbed up the rope first, jumping to reach the end. Violet stretched it down further, and helped him clamber into the vent and start going down it. Keith went next, climbing ungracefully.Violet reached out her hand, and he grasped her wrist. She pulled him up and brought up the rope, tucking it back into her pool bag."You can't walk around with a book, lasso, and two daggers all the time," Keith said as he leaned against the side of the vent, catching his breath. "Why did you bring all that to the pool?""Are you looking for honesty or sarcasm?""Truth."Violet blew out a breath. "The night I was taken from Earth, I woke up to a loud noise outside our house. My father was already awake, and I saw him run outside, so I followed him. I was wearing my nightgown and flip-flops. The Galra knocked my father down and dragged me onto their ship. I kicked their ankles and punched their chests and shrieked into their ears. And it did nothing." She closed her eyes. "I've regretted that day my entire life - how vulnerable I felt. Defenseless. Unable to stop what was happening. It's kind of a phobia, I guess. Things in space happen without warning, like now." She shrugged. "That's why I always come prepared. Because I hate being caught off guard, because it means I'll be helpless, if only for a second."Keith was quiet for a second before he said, "I grew up without knowing my parents; my father died when I was young, and my mom left before that. So I was alone." His gaze fell. "I didn't mind it much at first, but because of that I've never trusted easily. I find it easier to rely on myself rather than others."Sometimes, though, relying on other people is better. Now, when we're all a team, you don't have to do everything yourself. We'll be there to guard and defend you so you never have to. It's hard at first, but it's worth it. Trust me."Violet blinked. Could she? She'd never admit it, but she hadn't slept well since her capture. Which made sense, considering the only nights she remembered were the cold ones in her cell a couple months before she escaped and found the lions - the only thoughts of her past that brought her comfort were ones of Veronica and her father. But even at the castle, she woke up at every noise. It was because the last time she'd woken up and gone outside, she'd been ripped from her family and taken away.It would be nice to be able to sleep peacefully with the knowledge that there were other people beside her that would wake first. That she could rely on her teammates to defend her when she couldn't. It would definitely be hard, trusting them. But she wanted to. If only to give herself a break, and to see Keith grin at her when he saved her, that familiar light coming back into his dark eyes."I'll try," she said. "I promise. But I can't say I'll be able to do it."Keith smiled. "You're Violet Evelyn Idalia. You've flipped off an eight-inch knife into a vent two feet above your head with a ten-pound bag in a swimsuit. I think this will be no problem."Violet hid her smile by looking down at her pool bag. "It's not ten pounds," she muttered. "I only brought one stick of dynamite today.""Yo!" Lance shouted. His head appeared at a dip in the vent. "If you two are done socializing, I found the lounge. I'm getting out of these stupid vents, grabbing a piña colada from the cafeteria, and finding Coran so I can passive-aggressively complain to him about Altean's twisted ideas of swimming. Are you coming or not?"Violet turned to Keith. He shrugged. "Coming," she answered, sliding down the vent towards Lance. "But after, I'm finding the library and getting books." It lifted her spirits just to think about it.She emerged from the lounge with Keith. They were headed to the cafeteria for beverages when alarms started blaring red.The three of them exchanged looks and raced for the bridge. Allura and Shiro were standing at the center, their faces shocked. "What's wrong?" Violet demanded. Hunk and Pidge emerged behind her.Allura brought up a screen that showed Galra fleets surrounding them. "Zarkon," the princess exclaimed. "We're hundreds of solar systems away. How could he have found us?""Zarkon?" Hunk exclaimed, eyes fearful. "That's freaky. I'm freaking out. Are you guys freaking out?"Violet shrugged. "Not really," she said. "I've already lived longer than I expected.""That's not reassuring, Violet!" Hunk shouted anxiously."Particle barrier activated!" Allura said. "Coran, where are you?""Here, princess!" A screen opened to reveal Coran at the teludav room, slipping and sliding around. "Now I'm here! Now I'm-""Zarkon found us again!" Allura said, cutting him off. "Is the teludav repaired?" Coran answered, "I'm afraid not. With the scaultrite lenses fractured, wormholing won't be easy. The teludav won't have enough fuel." "We'll make it work," Allura replied. "We have to find a way to escape." "Do we?" said Violet, her eyes narrowing in challenge. "We could stay and fight back. Voltron could take on Zarkon.""His fleet is too big!""Zarkon could find us even if we did manage to wormhole again," Keith pointed out. "Our best chance is to fight him.""The princess is right," Shiro decided. "Zarkon's army is too powerful, even for Voltron."Coran reported, "Engines are on full blast. Still trying to fix the tel-" he screamed as he slipped and fell. "Everyone, I think that there's a chance I might have the slipperies. I apologize for shouting. Pidge, I could use some help down here.""On it," said Pidge, rushing out of the control room."Violet, Lance, Keith, return fire," ordered Shiro. "We can't let the fighters get near the ship.""It would be my pleasure," Violet said, activating her drone and starting to fire. "Lance, there's one on your ten.""Thanks," Lance responded, getting it. "Three are assembling to your right. They might make a synchronized attack."Violet started to fire at the three fighters Lance had pointed out, but had to swivel to get a fighter Keith missed."Tha - look out!" Keith shouted, aiming his drone at the three fighters that were now going for her. Violet turned and cursed, firing at them. Keith took down the first, and the second she pinned before destroying, but the third -A blast pushed her drone back. Lance had shot the last fighter that was coming for her. Violet blinked in surprise and caught Keith's eye from his seat, remembering what he'd said. Huh."I'm at five, Mullet," Lance shouted from his spot. "You?""That was my sixth," Keith shot back, exploding a fighter."Boys, please," Violet said. "Watch and learn." She paused, letting four fighters assemble in front of her, and shot up, flying over their heads. The drone was small, but it was fast. Violet swept behind the four fighters and fired two shots, hitting perfectly. The first drone's wing exploded, taking out the other three.Lance spluttered, "That - that still only counts as one!""I'll count it as one if you get this stupid fighter off my tail," Violet replied, spinning her drone."I got it." Lance moved towards the fighter, but his drone lost power and stopped. "Wait, nevermind. I don't got it.""I can get it," Keith said, aiming for the fighter as well, but his drone died too, along with Violet's. "Huh. What's happening?""We're converting the energy from systems that aren't essential to get fuel for the wormhole," Pidge explained, appearing next to Coran."I'm pretty sure blasting fighters to bits is essential," Violet argued."Not if we want to make it out of here in one piece," Coran replied. "Alright, Pidge, hit it! We should have enough power to make a little wormhole.""Will it hold?" Pidge asked.Coran gulped. "We'll see."The wormhole opened, Allura exerting all her strength to fly the castle into it. Violet held her breath as the wormhole closed behind them."Oh, stars! The teludav lenses are cracking!" Coran yelped. "We're going to exit the wormhole!" He paused. "I just said 'stars,' didn't I? Violet must be growing on me.""Zarkon was able to find us again," said Allura. "It's as if he knows where we are. He could've planted some tracker to follow us. Someone who was in long-term exposure to the Galra could've been unwittingly implanted with a ... chip of some sort." Her gaze flashed to Violet's, who frowned.The Galra couldn't be tracking her. She was certain she hadn't been in her prison cell for seven years; she'd been traveling the galaxy, working for them. But she didn't think they'd stick some kind of tracker to her. It wasn't like them, and she would've found it by now.The castle exited the wormhole with a shudder. "Well, there's no guarantee. We need to assume that Zarkon could arrive any second," said Shiro. "We've got to be sharp and foc-"Hunk started to snore.Shiro frowned. "Sharp and-"Hunk snored louder. Violet stifled a laugh.Shiro's brows furrowed in determination. "We've got to be sharp and fo-"Hunk produced a snore that was roughly the sound of an ambulance siren, causing everyone to dissolve into laughter, and Shiro stopped trying.Hunk would not be daunted. He continued snoring, so much so that a giant mucus bubble formed. Violet, disgusted, grabbed one of her knives and poked the snore bubble gingerly. It exploded, causing Hunk to shoot bolt upright, shouting. Violet grimaced, wiping off her blade before tucking it away."Whoa! Whoa, what happened? What did we do? Why is everyone looking at me?" Hunk said, whipping his head around wildly."You woke yourself up snoring," Keith retorted. "Actually, Vi woke you up. In the most disgusting manner possible.""Oh, I can be much more gross than that," Violet said, winking.Shiro looked like he was reconsidering his life choices. Honestly, Violet couldn't blame him. Who would want to volunteer to fly a metal rainbow lion with five teenagers? Especially when one was Lance? And another was Keith? And her? They were probably the least controllable bunch possible. Violet wondered how Shiro hadn't lost his mind."How's it going, Coran? Are you making any progress?" Shiro asked, rubbing his temples.Coran responded cheerfully, "Somewhat. I've mastered my case of the slipperies! I can walk around without slipping now, while also shining the floors!" He did a pirouette for emphasis. "Any progress on the teludav?" Violet asked dryly."Unfortunately, no," Coran replied. "The wormholes rendered the teludav's stones almost completely broken. We won't be able to make another jump until I can adjust the lenses to make up for the damage.""Guys, look at this," Pidge interjected, presenting a screen she'd pulled up on her scanners. "It looks like there's a metal storm in front of us. If we can go though it and hide in its eye. Zarkon won't be able to track us because of the interference form the storm." "We've got nothing to lose," Shiro said, and they flew into the hurricane."Pidge, you're a genius," Allura said happily. "We're free of any scan, radar, tracker or other gadget! Zarkon will never find us he-""Don't say it!" Violet shouted.Allura paused, startled. "I beg your pardon?""Because Zarkon will find us," Violet retorted. "It's dancing with the devil. Haven't you heard of karma? Irony?" Alura's confused expression made her groan in annoyance. "Gah, freaking ancient Alteans. The point is, don't say it.""Princess, Vi's right," Hunk added. "If you say something like that, the opposite will immediately happen."Allura scowled. "That's improbable. And I can say whatever I like, Violet. Besides, there is no way Zaron could find us right now."Suddenly, alarms blared throughout the castle, flashing Allura's stricken face in red. "It can't be!" She gasped, then seemed to realize Violet was crossing her arms at her.Allura sheepishly faced Violet, who was tapping her foot. "Why, hello, Violetta. Didn't see you there.""Anything you want to say to me, princess?" Violet said.Allura looked down. "It occurs to me that you ... may have been accurate ... in your prediction of events." Each word seemed to take a massive effort.Violet grinned. "We'll work on it. And never call me Violetta again.""How did he find us?" Hunk exclaimed, eyes filled with fear."I don't have the slightest clue, but it couldn't've been with any normal means of tracking," Pidge answered, browns furrowed. "The only possibility would be if ... Zarkon was tailing one of us."Silence fell throughout the room, and everyone exchanged glances.Allura narrowed her eyes at Violet. "I don't think it's Hunk, Lance, Pidge or Keith, because they've never come into contact with any Galra before," she announced. "Coran and I have high energy levels that could be tracked because we're ancient Alteans, but we've already invented protocols to erase that. Shiro was captured by the Galra, but it appears his arm was used by rebel groups, not them. And we've already scanned it." She frowned at Violet. "But you've been a prisoner of the Galra for seven years. They could have experimented on you while you were in the dungeons."Violet felt her gaze harden. "What exactly are you saying, princess?""No matter who's being tracked, we got into this together," Shiro interjected. "We're getting out of it together, too.""And how would we do that? We're surrounded by storm on all sides," Hunk pointed out.Shiro answered, "There's only one thing strong enough to withstand the storm." He faced the paladins, eyes set in determination. "Voltron.""What! Shiro, are you crazy?" Lance squawked."Yeah, right!" Hunk stammered. Yeah, why would we do that?""It's not the best option, but it's the only one," said Shiro. "We can use Voltron as bait to divert Zarkon's focus from the Castle of Lions. It'll buy time for Allura and Coran." "To do what?" Allura asked."To wormhole away. I know that you said fixing the teludav was next to impossible, Coran, but you'll have to do it.""Of course," Violet muttered, "Because when has anything been easy for us?"Shiro ordered, "Okay, team, let's get Voltron in the battle!" The lions formed Voltron and flew into the storm to face Zarkon's fleet. They diverted the Galra's attention from the castle, giving it time to escape the storm. Suddenly, Shiro cried out, the black lion faltering."Zarkon - he's in my head. Trying to take over my lion," Shiro panted. "I'm fighting him for control."Violet said, "I may be able to help. Tell me if this works." She could feel the lions as Voltron, the bright light that flickered at the edge of her vision. She centered in on the head of Voltron, the leader, Shiro and the black lion's entwined spirits. But there was another, greater force pushing it, worming its way through them. Drawing in a breath, Violet shoved, casting away Zarkon's power. Then turned on the black lion.What the literal hell? Shiro's your paladin! Why would you let Zarkon try to take control of you?The black lion couldn't speak, but she felt its uneasiness. Shiro was born to be the black paladin, but true leaders were never born.They were made."He's gone," Shiro said, sounding relieved. "Vi, what did you do?""I just..." Violet pushed down the questions in her head. Was Shiro the right paladin? Of course he was. He had to be. She'd never bow to someone like Zarkon. "I can feel like lions. I can feel all of you connected to them. I just pushed his force away.""Whatever it is, it worked," said Shiro. "Lions, get back to the castle. We need to wormhole now.""Unfortunately, Shiro, we can't!" Coran said as the lions disbanded and went to the castle. "I managed to scrape together enough fuel, but the teludav lenses are still fractured. I'd have to replace them, but to do that I'd need more scaultrite, which we don't have.""Hold on," said Pidge. "Scaultrite? I know that word. I think ... I think we do have it." Her eyes lit up. "That's it! Hunk was baking disgusting cookies and scaultrite was one of the ingredients!""They weren't that disgusting," Hunk grumbled."Er, Hunk ... scaultrite is an ore found in a Weblum's stomach intestines," Allura said. "It's not for cooking.""Can we use them to wormhole?" Violet demanded.Coran and the other paladins dashed over to the cafeteria. Coran examined the flat, clear blue cookies that looked like they could crack your teeth in two. "By the ancients! These do have scaultrite in them. We can replace them with the cracked lenses with the teludav!" He paused. "But without magnetism, they won't be able to hold themselves in place. We'll need people to do it manually..."That was how Violet found herself hanging from the ceiling holding a cookie between her toes inside the teludav. The other paladins were in much less graceful positions then hers, and Violet had a good laugh watching Lance try and fail at holding them in place."Alright, Vi, we're switching places! I can't hold this!" Lance cried as he fell onto his face for a third time. "Hanging from the ceiling is easy."Violet rolled her eyes. "Fine." She flipped onto the floor, then slid into the splits with a cookie on either hand.Kieth muttered, "Show-off," from where he was sitting with his feet propped against the wall. Violet stuck her tongue out at him as Lance took her place dangling from the ceiling."Alright, done! Don't move, because if you do you'll die," Coran instructed, putting the last cookie in Shiro's hand."I moved a little! I think I moved a little!" Lance yelled."You're probably fine," said Coran. "I'm going to go power up the teludav!" Hunk asked, "Coran, wait! Is this dangerous?""If I'm honest," said Coran, "I've never done anything more dangerous in my life, and I've ridden a yalmor with a sinus infection. But life is short, so let's do this! Good luck, paladins and Violet! If you all don't have any last words, I'll go now. Bye!"There was a beat of silence. "I don't know about you all," Violet said, "But I've found I don't really like it when Coran is honest.""They're ready!" Coran shouted."Lance, stop screaming!" Keith shouted."Pidge, I used your toothbrush to clean the goo I got on my shoe a week ago!" Hunk shouted."WHAT?"There was a hum as the teludav powered, but the beam wasn't generating. "Coran, why haven't we wormholed? Zarkon's right here!" Allura shouted."The lenses don't have any starlight dust! They're not reflecting!" Coran replied. "I've got to shine them up somehow..." he wiped sweat off his brow, then blinked at his hand. "Stars, that's it! Allura, start the wormhole in ten ticks!" He rushed back into the teludav generator, rubbing his hands together and swiping them over the cookies Shiro was holding."Um, Coran, what are you doing?" Violet asked, worried for the man's mental state.Coran shouted, "Everybody stay still! I'm going to shine up these lenses - lucky you, I have the slipperies!" He covered more cookies in his sweat, effectively making them shimmer and shine. Violet cringed as he rubbed his hands on the scaultrite cookies she was holding by her ankles.The castle began to wormhole; Coran leapt forward, shining the last cookie with his face, just as the castle powered. Allura flew them through the wormhole, leaving Zarkon behind.The paladins all collapsed from their undignified poses, lying heaped on the floor. "Thank god," Hunk exclaimed."I never want to do yoga for the rest of my life," Keith grunted, pulling himself to his feet.Violet rolled her shoulders. "That was pretty refreshing, actually. I liked it.""Oh, shut up, Vi," Lance said. "No one wants to hear about your awesome contortionist flexibility when we have none.""How are you so flexible?" Allura asked, entering the room. "I doubt many people could match you in speed and agility, Violet." It was said as a compliment, but her words were suspicious."Thank you, Allura," Violet said sharply. The tension between the two was palpable.Shiro cleared his throat. "Well, right now we're all exhausted. Let's get some rest. We'll reconvene tomorrow."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet was leaving her room when the door a little ways across the halls opened and Keith walked out."So," he said. "Does Allura really think you're the reason Zarkon's tracking us?"Violet laughed without humor. "You picked up on that, huh?""I'm pretty sure everyone is. But ... you have no idea what they did to you when you were their captive. Could it really be you?"Violet said sharply, "It's not me, Keith. I know how the Galra work. This isn't their style. And I wasn't even a prisoner for that l-"She cut off, clamping her lips shut. Keith blinked, watching her quizzically. "What?""Nothing," she mumbled. On that happy note, the doors opened and the two of them entered the bridge."Now that we're all here, we need to determine how Zarkon is tracking us," Shiro announced. "Does anyone have an idea?""I think it's me," said Keith. "I - I have this dagger. I've had it my whole life, and I think the Galra are tracking it somehow.""It's not you," Violet said fiercely."Violet is right," Allura cut in. "If it is an object, we would've found out by now. It has to be one of us.""Really? Who?" Hunk asked. "None of us have any correlation with the Galra.""That's not exactly true, Hunk," Allura said, her gaze falling on Violet."I don't understand," said Hunk, still not getting it.Violet's eyes narrowed. "It's simple," she said. "The princess thinks it's me.""What? It can't be Vi! She's on our side!" Lance exclaimed, looking to Allura for confirmation. Allura's silence was answer enough."I know I have a suspicious past, but I know as much about it as you do, princess," Violet snapped. "I was a prisoner of the Galra. All I know is that I escaped.""I don't believe that," Allura said, voice dark with challenge. "Why would no one retrieve you when you were captive? Why leave you to rot, forget about you, when you're an Altean? Why let you keep your weapons, your hood, your mask? And how could you escape? None of it makes sense." The princess glared at Violet. "How do I know that you're not a spy for them? You could be the reason Zarkon is tracking us, Violet. And how could we know any better, when we know nothing about you?"Prove to me that you're trustworthy. Tell me the truth about what happened to you when you were a prisoner."I can't. Allura was right - Violet wasn't telling her the truth. But how could she, when it would make everyone else look at her like the princess was now - like a monster?
I can't.
"I can't!"Allura's gaze was unforgiving. "She's right, princess," Keith said. "Violet's proven herself enough."Allura didn't seem to hear him. "Tell me the truth," she shouted to Violet. "Stop lying!""I'm not lying!""Yes, you are! Are you even really Altean? Can you confirm that Zarkon is tracking us through you?"Anger burned in Violet's gut. "What is wrong with you?" She yelled at Allura. "You're making speculations! I know I have a shady past, but that doesn't mean I'm not trustworthy! Alteans are supposed to be the most advanced, modern race in the galaxy. So how can you be so stupid? No wonder you all lost the war."Allura's eyes blazed, and she shoved Violet. Violet stumbled back, Allura's strength startling her. The princess grabbed her by the arm and dragged her from the bridge, much to the other's paladin's shock."Let me go!" Violet shouted, struggling. She wouldn't draw her weapons on the princess - it hadn't come to that yet. But she still tried to fight."This is for the good of the team," Allura said coldly. "If you are the reason Zarkon is tracking us, he'll be unable to locate you. I'm putting you in our containment chamber until we know for sure we can let you out.""Those chambers are known to drive people mad!" Coran said, racing after them. "Princess, you can't!"Allura didn't stop. "If we can determine Zarkon isn't tracking you, then the issue can be resolved," she said. "In the meantime, we cannot trust Violet."She was right. She was utterly, horribly right. Violet's shoulders slumped. They shouldn't trust her - she'd been working for their enemy, fighting for him, tearing apart entire worlds. How could the paladins, who'd chosen to fight against that evil force, to liberate rather than enslave, create rather than destroy, trust her - someone who'd gone against everything they stood for?And yet they did. And now the truth Violet had tried so desperately to cover up was coming undone, and sooner or later, the rest of them would follow Allura and turn their backs on her.Allura marched into a room with cells lining the walls. They were cramped, solid, and unforgiving, and Violet felt her stomach tense.Allura opened the first one and shoved her inside the cell. Violet sprang to her feet, watching as she locked the door.Keith was shouting at Allura, but Violet couldn't hear him. She couldn't hear a single thing. Not the steady hum of the castle's mechanisms, not the running of the pipes through the walls, not the breathing of her friends. Even her heartbeat sounded distant and faint. Panic rose in her chest, a swelling that felt like the castle itself had lay down on top of her to take a nap.Violet slumped against the cold wall, feeling it bite into her back. She couldn't hear, and the room had no smell, to taste. There was nothing to touch, no cracks to run her hands over. Violet's breaths quickened, her mind spinning dizzily. The cell was akin to her cell at the Galra dungeons, a memory she really, really didn't want to revisit. The others had left, and Violet felt truly, utterly alone.She could almost hear the sound of the Galra's footsteps. One, two. Pause. One, two, just outside her cell. She couldn't reimagine the moans of the other prisoners, however. Violet pressed her palms against her temples, trying to clear her head.A headache was pounding in time to her pulse, and with it her mind fractured and split open. Violet began absently rocking back and forth, trying to push it away.But it came.The memories hit like a wave crashing over the shore, and with it, truth. Violet turned away. She didn't want to know, even though the curiosity burned through her every second of the day. She'd been an assassin. She'd killed people. And the worst part was, she'd done it with utter obedience. To someone cruel enough to use her as a weapon. The faceless person in her memories, always just beyond her reach. Smiling at her like they were friends.
"Grip it like this. Your thumb should be here," he instructed, putting his hand over hers. Violet did as he said, adjusting her grip on the dagger. "Now throw."
She aimed and threw it. The blade hit the center of the ring ten feet from her, landing squarely in the inner circle. He smiled. "Very good. Try again."
She used a throwing star next, hitting perfectly. And then a whip. And then boomerangs. And then longswords. And then a handgun.
"Try a bow next," he said, pointing to the tall bow on the rack. She nodded, drawing an arrow and knocking it on the string.
"Pull back. More. Lift your chin."
She did, letting the arrow fly. It barely made it to the outside ring of the target, landing flimsily and bouncing off.
Violet frowned in distaste, as did her mentor. "We'll work on it," he said, words dripping with displeasure. Violet winced at the dissatisfaction in his tone.
That night, she returned to the ring and grabbed the bow again. She knocked the arrow, pulled back the string, and let it fly.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Until the arrow hit the inner circle perfectly, the bow's string vibrating violently.
Violet set down the bow and returned to her room, unaware that he'd been watching her from the shadows, as always.
Violet tried to force the memory away, to no avail. She didn't want to see it. She didn't want to know any of it.
"Surrender," Violet hissed, her words low and coated with menace.
The soldiers' shoulders trembled under his armor, but he held firm. She'd left one - left one and strewed the other six's bodies across the floor, their shapes unmoving. Unconscious - Violet couldn't bring herself to give them more than bruises and aching bones. They were innocent.
"Never," the lone soldier standing said, but Violet heard the slight waver in his voice.
Quicker than he could see, she darted forward, grabbing his arm and yanking him towards her. She twisted it at the elbow, an inch away from tearing it from its socket, and pressed a blade against the hollow of his neck.
"Where is he?" she whispered into his ear. "Tell me, and I will spare your family's life. They are fighting now, are they not, against the invaders? It's only a matter of time before one of them is struck down."
He shook. "Please. Please don't hurt my family."
"Tell me where the king is," Violet said, "And I swear that they will live to see another dawn."
"The top floor, west wing. That's where he lives."
"He's not on the ground, fighting for his people?" Violet hummed in thought.
"I'm telling the truth," the guard said, voice filled with fear. "Please. My wife - I can't lose her."
Violet pushed him away, sheathing her dagger. "You've been very helpful," she said, and turned. Top floor, west wing.
And then the guard's staff struck her in the back and she crashed onto the ground, rolling to her feet. His eyes were alight with desperation as he brought the weapon down-
And made a gasping noise as a sword cut through his stomach.
Violet bit back a scream.
The guard tumbled to the ground next to her. He was standing there, blade extended, and now covered in blood. "It's a shame. That one fought bravely." He offered his hand to her.
There were flecks of red coating his fingers. Violet stared at the guard's body, unable to move.
She didn't even know his name.
Lotor's eyebrows arched. "Come, Violet. You're safe now."
And, because she wanted more than anything to be able to believe him, she did.
"Where is the king?" Lotor asked as they walked away, sliding his sword back into his belt.
"Top floor," Violet managed to say. "The west side." Lotor nodded, his face empty of emotion.
"Are ... are we going to kill him?" She didn't know if she could.
"No." Lotor's lips curled into a smile. "He is a coward, and we can exploit that. With a bit of negotiation, I believe we can convince King Lubos to join our path - the path of peace."
And so they walked away, a trail of blood and ruin in their wake.
-On the planet Taujeer, Voltron worked to help its civilians escape from the planet, which was on the verge of collapse. They escorted the civilians to a nearby moon, but as they set down the last ship, alarms sounded."Zarkon found us again!" Coran exclaimed."How is that possible?" Allura gasped. "Violet is still in the containment chambers - there is no way she can be tracked right now.""Has it occured to you that maybe Zarkon might not be tracking us through her?" Keith snapped. "Coran, get her out of the cell right now.""Coran is needed to man the castle's defenses," Allura cut in."Not anymore, he's not," Lance shot back. "Vi shouldn't have to stay in that cell for any longer than necessary. She's innocent."Alluras face was pinched, but she stepped aside to let Coran pass."If he sends for reinforcements, we're done for," Shiro said. "We need to scare them off now. Everyone get ready - this could be the fight of our lives. Keith, form sword. Aim for the cruisers and take them out.""Roger that." Voltron began the battle as Coran headed down to the containment chambers for Violet.She was shaking as he cracked open the door, huddled in the far corner of the room. "Violet? Are you alright?" Coran helped her to her feet, his face concerned.Violet's face was pale, but she shook it off. "What - where am I?"Coran frowned. "You're in the castle of lions. Zarkon found us again, which proves that you're not the thing he's tracking."She seemed to draw in on herself, eyes hardening. "Right. So ... how?""If I had to guess, I'd say it was Zarkon's connection to the black lion," Coran mused as they staggered towards the bridge."Because he was the original black paladin."Coran stumbled. "I - how do you know?"Violet's ragged face held no emotion. "I can sense his connection with Blacky. It's pretty obvious. And if I can get a hold of him, I can sever the connection. Zarkon won't be able to track us anymore.""Are you sure you can?" Coran asked. "You don't look too well, Violet.""I'm fine. Just ... old ghosts."Coran nodded, though he didn't look convinced. "I understand. Those cells can dredge up some horrid things. I can't believe Allura would lock you in one.""I can," she said, so softly it was almost a whisper.They entered the control room, Violet able to stagger along without Coran supporting her. Allura turned as they entered, and her gaze fell."Violet's back, everyone," she said softly into her earpiece. "She's alright.""Good. Coran, we need the castle now," Shiro ordered. "I-" he cut off with a groan. Violet watched from the bridge as Voltron faltered, the black lion stopping. "Zarkon," Shiro panted. "He has to be tracking us through the black lion. His grip is too strong."Keith said, "Fight it, Shiro! We can't do this without you.""You won't have to," Violet said. "I can get rid of Zarkon - for good.""Do it," Shiro hissed through clenched teeth. Violet closed her eyes and stretched out to the black lion.
Hey.
The lion growled in reply. Violet smiled.
Nice to see you, too. Look. Do you trust Shiro?
She was enveloped with emotion - trust, warmth, reliability. All towards Shiro. The black lion trusting its paladin with its life.
That's what I thought. Do you trust me?
The black lion nodded, filling Violet's head with feelings of companionship.
And ... do you trust Zarkon?
Pause. The black lion was conflicted, unsure of itself. It didn't know how to answer her.It's okay, Violet said. Can you show me?She was hit by a memory, watching through the lion's eyes. Zarkon was there, looking impossibly younger, his eyes no longer glowing, piloting the black lion. Their bond was strong, connected forever. Violet felt the hundreds of battles they'd fought, the countless enemies they'd faced together, as a team. The trust you gained by that - it was an unbreakable bond. You couldn't just erase it.But then the lion showed her Zarkon lying to his team, entering the quintessence field. The black lion felt its paladin change - felt that withering, crushing vileness suck him in until there was nothing left. Any good in Zarkon had been lost ten thousand years ago. But the black lion was the leader. It would never give up on its teammates.That is not your paladin, Violet thought forcefully. Zarkon was - was good once. She forced herself to get the words out. But that is gone now. The person you had such a strong connection with - he is dead. No matter what anyone tells you, you must believe this is not him. You know that - you need to let go.The black lion agreed. It showed her Shiro - the calm, levelheaded way he dealt with problems, the way he led the team through the worst circumstances, the way he and the lion were bonded. Violet reached out for the lion's energy, feeling Zarkon once again trying to wrestle control from it.
Ready when you are, Blacky.
The black lion sprang. Its eyes blazed as it let out a roar, pushing away Zarkon's connection at the same time as Violet ripped away the Galra emperor and the black lion's spirits. Zarkon fell back, his control slipping. Shiro lunged for the chance, blocking him out entirely. Violet felt Shiro and the black lion's connection strengthen even more. She returned to her body, almost immediately crumpling."Violet! Are you alright?" Coran exclaimed, rushing over to her.She managed to reply, "I'm great, thanks for asking." Coran helped her to her feet."Thanks, Vi," Shiro said gratefully. "Now let's take these cruisers out!""Yeah!" Everyone shouted. Voltron charged, using its sword to cut through the cruisers like butter, destroying them quickly. Some were able to deploy fighters, but the castle of lions quickly took them out. Luckily, without the full force of the Galra reinforcements, and Zarkon's connection to the black lion broken, Voltron was able to be victorious.The paladins, Violet and Coran and Allura met up on the bridge. "I'm ... sorry I accused you," Allura said to Violet, her face guilty. "I never should've talked to you like that, or put you at the risks I did."Violet hadn't spoken beyond her work with Shiro and the black lion, and she didn't now, gaze fixed on the floor."I understand," she said quietly. "Allura, you ... were right."Allura blinked. "I know, but about what?""I - I don't know how to tell you this," Violet said, drawing in a breath. "I guess I should start with, well ... I've been lying to you all. Again. And withholding information that I really should've shared."Their faces were open, encouraging, and utterly unaware of who sat before them. Violet swallowed hard. They'd all hate her after this."I wasn't in the Galra prisons for seven years. I was traveling the Galra empire, serving and training under their name. I was an assassin - I took out entire rebel organizations, villages and towns we had they had no need for anymore, captured prisoners and slaves.... It - what I did was terrible. And I was good at it, too. The best."I don't know the extent of who I killed, who the people were, because two months before now, the people I'd been running from since the day I was taken by the Galra caught up to me. They put me about Sendak's ship, at the far reaches of the galaxy, and took my memories. I can't remember who caught me, or how I got into my cell, but ... I was only there for a month or two before I broke out and met you all."She looked up hesitantly, and the shock on the paladin's faces broke something inside her. "You probably won't be able to trust me ... ever again," Violet said. "I get that. I can't erase what I did. But I do know that now I fight for Voltron."Allura's face was contorted in anger. "Violet, I understand that, but ... you could've been the reason why the Galra's reign lasted so long. You could've been the reason why they're still in power.""It's worse than that, Allura," Violet said, emotion swelling like a lump in her throat. "I killed innocent people. I mean, I never killed children - only a true monster would do that - but I ruined villages where nobody had done anything wrong.""That settles it," said the princess. "I'm sorry, Violet, but I will never think of you the same way again. I just-" shaking her head, she turned and left the room.Violet winced."Did you ever kill Alteans?" Coran asked quietly.Violet blanched. "Never.""That's enough for me. Thank you for telling us, Violet." Sadly, Coran turned and followed Allura.Keith had been silent the whole ordeal, but now he burst out, "You knew this all along and it never crossed your mind that maybe the best course of action was to tell me?""I was hoping it wasn't true," Violet replied. "Praying that I'd gotten it wrong somehow. I can't remember everything - there are cracks and holes in my memories. But Olkarion - I remember it. I was the one who got Lubos captured in the first place. I kidnapped him and handed him over. That's why Ryner thought I was an assassin - she recognized me. In fact, I'm kinda surprised Lubos didn't." She closed her eyes. "I ... I was there when her husband was killed."Keith's face went blank, which was worse than when it was filled with fury. "I can't believe you didn't tell me," he said. "Allura might've had a problem with it, but I wouldn't have cared. There was no reason for you to lie. But you did.""Keith-""You're as bad as the Galra," he said, and turned away.Violet's heart splintered, and she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to keep the pieces from falling out."That's it." Lance stood up. "What is wrong with all of you? Vi has saved our lives more times than we can count. Our pasts don't define us. Sure, she was evil for a while. No big deal. But, if you'll remember, Zarkon used to be good too. We've all figured out by now that he was the original black paladin. The black lion chose him because he was fair and just. And look at him now. If people can change that drastically from good to bad, why not bad to good?" He stood beside Violet. "This is Vi we're talking about. The Vi that compared Hunk to a hippo, and then laughed when we couldn't prove her wrong."Hunk cracked a smile. "I remember that."Lance continued, "This is the Vi that recognized that Pidge was a girl in seconds - before me and Hunk, and we'd been sharing a dormitory for her the entire time we were at the Garrison.""That doesn't count. You two are the most oblivious people on the planet," Pidge muttered, but she was grinning."This is the Vi that just helped Shiro bond with the black lion - and also single-handedly beat down Zarkon in the process. Vi's our friend."Violet smiled, standing and hugging Lance. "Remind me to never tease, mock, or laugh at you again," she said, sniffling."Yeah, we both know that's impossible," Lance said, wrapping his arms around her.Hunk bawled, "Aw, let me in on that!" and made it a group hug, to which Shiro and Pidge were obligated to join in on."Thank you," Violet said as they broke apart. "For not being mad.""I know what it feels like to have your memories stripped away," Shiro said warmly. "And to be a prisoner of the Galra. I understand.""Good," Lance said. "Now, I need to go find Keith and beat him up." Noticing the way her smile splintered at Keith's name, he added, "And, Vi, feel free to stop by my room anytime, okay? I've been stealing Coran's skin cream - we can have a spa day or something."Violet grinned. "Looking forward to it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Two days later, Coran took Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Keith and Violet to some kind of black market to shop for scaultrite to fix the castle's teludav. Keith had been avoiding Violet the whole two days, which was a blow to the chest every time he'd refuse to meet her eyes. She'd stopped Lance from going to have a "nice little chat" with him - she deserved it. And she'd deal with Keith on her own.For now, though, it just hurt.They took a pod to the market, which turned out to be a space mall. Coran gave them all ridiculous disguises to wear to blend in, and left them to wander around the mall, browsing.Violet examined her ripped cloak that was just short of a rucksack, fake horns, and fire-red mask covering most of her face. Grimacing, she pulled it all off and dumped it into the nearest trash bin. "I might as well do something productive while we're here," she said. "I'm going to go find the nearest bookstore, since all the books in the library are in ancient Altean." With that, she set off, the rest of the paladins following suit.Violet walked around for a while, searching for a bookstore to go into. At one point she passed Pidge and Lance, who were standing in a fountain with their pockets full of coins, Hunk, who was operating a small café, and Coran, who was bartering with some moody teenage girl, still in his odd clothing. She spotted Keith, who was at some kind of knife-stand, and shrugged to herself. He couldn't avoid her forever."Ah, young miss!" The shop owner said as she walked over. "What brings you here today?" Keith glanced at her and looked away, slipping something back into his pocket - some kind of blade."I wanted to see if I could buy a of knife-sharpener of some sort," said Violet. "I've been whittling down my blades with stone, but if I want them to stay sharp, I'll need something of higher quality." She offered the shopkeeper one of her daggers."The metalwork is phenomenal," he mused. "If I'm right, this is a starlight blade - its very rare, made by Galra blacksmiths ten thousand deca-phoebs ago. There's only five or so left.""Five?" Violet said,surprised. "I have eight."The shopowner slammed his hand onto the table. "How much do you want for them?"She frowned. "Sorry, they're not for sale.""Really. Name your price," the owner continued, ignoring her. "I'll give you whatever you want for two of the starlight daggers.""No," Violet repeated. "Give me back my blade."He only tightened its hold on it. "How about I keep this one and you tell me where you got the others, then get out before I have you arrested? You could never pay for a starlight blade, let alone eight. They're clearly stolen."Growling, Violet leaped across the stall and snatched her dagger from the shopkeeper's hand. She jumped back to Keith's side and grabbed his arm, leading him away."Thieves! Stealers! Someone stop them!" the shopkeeper yelled, pointing at Violet. "Security!"Violet cursed and launched into a sprint. Keith followed, and they ducked around shoppers and stalls, eventually pausing for breath."I think we lost him," said Keith, looking over his shoulder."Hey! Stop right there!" A pudgy man on a speeder skidded to a stop and charged at them."We did not lose him! We definitely did not lose him!" Violet yelped, fleeing once more. They sprinted away from the security man, but running seemed to only draw more attention."He's gaining on us!" Keith warned."How is that possible?" Violet said. "He's, like, half our size, and looks like he's never run a day in his life! And he's on a scooter! Run faster!""Wait," said Keith, grabbing her arm. Violet skidded to a stop as he slid over one of the shopping booths, following suit. They crouched behind the stall, panting.Almost accidentally, Keith met her eyes. Instantly the tension between them snapped back into place, and Violet's gaze dropped."Vi-"A loud yell cut him off that could only belong to Hunk. Frowning, Violet peeked over the side of the stall to see the yellow paladin running around and flailing his arms as he was chased by the man on the scooter."Come on, Hunk's in trouble," Violet said to Keith, vaulting over the shop stall and rushing to her friend."You too! What luck!" The security guard yelled. "Get back here!""No!"The man faltered. "Oh, okay. Never mind then." Remembering what he was doing, he yelled, "Hey! Stop trying to trick me!"Violet ran away with Hunk and Keith on her tail. "Good news, he's an idiot," she shouted back to them.They found Lance and Pidge departing some kind of game store with - was that a cow? No time to question Lance's decisions. "Let's go, people!" Keith yelled. "Mall security's after us!"Thankfully, Lance didn't hesitate. "Kaltenecker's big enough for the five of us! Everyone climb aboard!""The ... cow?" Violet said. "That you bought?""It was fifty percent off!" Pidge replied as they all piled on uncomfortably. Kaltenecker the cow sped off with a moo."We need to find Coran!" Hunk called over the rushing wind and joyful cow noises."Found him!" Violet shouted back, pointing to where Coran was bartering with a shopkeeper. "Time to go, Coran!" They careened towards him, Violet grabbing him by the collar as they skidded by and hauling him onto Kaltenecker."I bought the supplies we needed!" Coran said cheerfully, then seemed to notice his surroundings. "Why am I riding a cow?""No time to explain!" Pidge shot back.The security guard stopped pursuing them as they sped towards the exit of the mall. "Hah!" Lance taunted, facing backwards. "Look who's the-" he slammed into a low-hanging beam, getting knocked right off the cow and promptly falling to a heap on the floor."Goddammit, Lance!" Violet yelled, frustrated. Flipping off Kaltenecker, she dashed over to Lance and grabbed him, drawing her lasso. The security guard began to close in on them; she tied the rope and tossed it after the escaping cow. "KEITH!"He grabbed the lasso, and she gripped the rope as it was yanked forward, clinging to Lance's arm. Keith pulled her back onto Kaltenecker, making sure Lance, who'd been knocked out, didn't slip off again.A second of silence while they all caught their breath. Then - "Was the extra flip really necessary?" Keith grumbled.Violet smirked. "No. But it was awesome.""Show-off."She sketched a bow, which was hard considering they were riding a flying cow. "In the flesh."Keith looked away so she wouldn't see him smile.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Based on the coordinates Ulaz gave the team, they set off for the Blade of Marmora base. Kaltenecker was officially part of the family, gaining her own stall in a room at the castle with plenty of grass and water."What's our ETA to the Blade of Marmora's base, Coran?" asked Shiro."A few doboshes," Violet answered. "Am I right?""Yes. Doboshes are equal to earthen minutes."Violet smirked, leaning back in her chair. "Obviously. I wasn't born yester-quintant."Allura turned away from where she was operating the ship, and Violet's shoulders slumped an inch. Out of all the group, the princess still hadn't come to terms with Violet's assassin days. Her and Keith, of course."I'm so excited to see what it's like," Pidge fangirled. "They altered space in just an outpost - imagine what the real thing is going to be!"Violet stopped. "Wait. What?""Oh yeah, you weren't there!" Lance grinned. "It was awesome. The castle flew into this field of magic rocks, and then boom, alternate space hole! And then we got to fight the monster thing!""And then Ulaz died," Keith muttered. Violet flashed him a look that he pretended not to see."Yeah, I guess, but their base is going to be awesome!" Pidge exclaimed.Hunk said, "Pretty awesome, I say. Maybe it'll take the shape of a space cake. Or maybe it'll be round, like a space almond kringle. Or a space brownie with chocolate shavings on top. Mm. Or, as Violet would say, that's the stars."Violet rolled her eyes. "'That's the stars' isn't even right," she muttered. "It's 'by the stars.'""Fine," Hunk said. "By the stars, space brownies are good."She sighed. "You ruined it.""People, we need to be serious," Keith snapped. "This isn't a mission where we can goof off.""Keith's right," Shiro added. "We're coming up on the base now. Coran, guide us in.""That might be a tad difficult," Coran said, pulling up a screen. Everyone gasped at the sight - the base was made of some kind of double black hole that sucked in everything around it."A black hole," said Lance. "Aw, man. How are we supposed to get in there?""Actually, it's two black holes," Coran corrected. "And a white star. Which means that going through will result in most of us either freezing to death or getting burnt alive."Violet frowned. "Coran, you're not helping.""So ... it's like when you're trying to reheat a frozen taco for dinner, but you don't put it in long enough and the inside stays cold while the outside is all hot?" Hunk said."Aw, now I'm craving burritos!" Lance complained.Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "Please stop talking. Coran, I'm going off on a limb here and guessing to get to the base, we're going to have to fly through that black hole/white star thing?"Coran nodded.Violet whistled in appreciation. "As hard as it'll be to get to, it's a pretty good place for a hideout.""And a pretty good place for a trap," Allura said."I agree with Allura. Maybe we just fly away and have a relaxing brunch? Eggs benedict with hollandaise?" Hunk said nervously."What?" Keith shouted, furious. "We came all the way out here to find these people! We have to do this!""Okay, okay. take a chill pill," Lance said. Violet squinted at Keith. There was definitely something wrong with him; she resolved to find out what it was. Even if he still hated her.Suddenly, there was a beep and a voice came over the speakers. "Hailing unknown vessel. Identify who you are.""This is Voltron, defender of the universe," Shiro replied. "Ulaz sent us in the hopes that we could be allies."Silence."Two are allowed to visit the base. Come without weapons.""Why must we be unarmed to see them? It feels risky," said Allura. "We shouldn't split the team up.""We can't waste this opportunity. Shiro, get your lion ready," Violet replied, checking her blades. "Blacky's strong enough to resist the pull of the black holes." She looked down at her daggers. "They don't mean entirely unarmed, right?"She looked up. Everyone was staring at her. "What?"It was Shiro who answered. "Violet ... you can't go.""What? Why?" She demanded. "This is our chance to form a new alliance. I'm not just going to stand by! Give me one reason why I can't go."Lance sighed. "There are many reasons, Vi. One of them being that you'd never part with all your weapons.""I could!" Violet said indignantly. "Look!" She grabbed her daggers, shucking them off, then took out her throwing stars and knives. Seeing the other paladin's unimpressed gazes, she groaned and drew her lasso and the hidden blades at her boot."Still not enough, Violet," Shiro said almost apologetically. "You could use a book as a weapon.""I know. That's why I won't bring my book," Violet shot back."What Shiro is trying to say is that You could use anything to harm someone," Lance cut in. "You're dangerous, Vi, whether you're trying to be or not. We don't want the Blade of Marmora to be threatened by you.""Threatened? Shiro's arm is glowy purple Galra metal and we're going to be entering the base in a space lion!" Violet cried. "How is that not threatening?""It's not just that," Allura snapped. "What if the Blade of Marmora recognizes you? You could've tried to take them down when you - before."Violet's blood went cold, and she stopped. "I...""It's settled, then," Shiro said firmly. "I'm taking Keith.""Wha - why?" Lance spluttered. "Keith is the least diplomatic out of all of us! He'd rather shoot these rebels than talk to them! It's like taking a rabid wolf into a den full of not rabid wolves!""Keith's lion is the most agile, and has higher heat resistance," said Shiro. "We won't be able to enter the base without it."He nodded to Keith, and the two paladins turned and left. Violet stood at the bridge with the others as long as she could, hands curled into fists, before she lost composure and scrambled after them.They were almost to the red lion's hangar when Violet caught up to them. "Shiro, please let me go," she said, walking backwards so she could face them. "I promise not to kill anyone. Or maim them. Or even scratch them."Shiro sighed. "Vi-""Please. I have to do this. I have to know if - if I've done something to these people ... before. I know it could jeopardize the mission, but I have to know." Violet hated begging, but she'd resort to it. She wouldn't take no for an answer.Shiro saw this in her eyes and let out another long breath. "Keith, walk ahead. We'll be right with you," he said. Keith nodded and kept walking, while Shiro stopped in the middle of the hallway."I don't have a problem letting you go, Violet," he said, lowering his voice slightly, "But someone needs to be there for Keith. He - he's been acting differently lately. And he's still hurt about your past. Before I can let you go, I have to know that you'll protect him."Violet put her hand on Shiro's shoulder. "I'd give my life," she said softly. "I know what Keith means to you. And to the team. And, if it helps ... he means a lot to me too."Shiro's lips quirked. "Believe me, I know." Violet frowned, but before she could ask what he'd meant by that, he said, "Now go. And don't make any arrangements with the Blade of Marmora without us. No offense, but your people skills aren't that strong.""I can be very convincing when I want to be," Violet assured him, and started walking away. She called over her shoulder, "I won't let you down, Shiro."He smiled, a worn-out smile that was as bittersweet as it was affectionate. "You could never."-Keith wanted to punch himself in the face.This was for many reasons that changed throughout the day; right now, it was because of the way he was treating Violet Idalia, who'd just revealed her bloody past to the team.To be honest, Keith didn't really care that she'd been some kind of Galra assassin weapon for half her life. That probably made him an idiot, but he knew Violet, and she'd put her past behind her.But ... she'd lied to him. That hurt more than ever. In the world, there were four people Keith trusted most: Pidge, Hunk, Lance, and Shiro. But only Shiro he trusted with his whole being. They were brothers in a sense - Keith had let himself be completely open with Shiro, a vulnerability he didn't like to have. Shiro, however, had shown him time and time again that letting him in had been the right decision.And, somehow, Violet had managed to do the same. Sometimes Keith felt like there were walls surrounding him, fifty feet tall and made of dark stone. Walls that blocked everyone out. It was what made him the loner of the team. He had thought that the walls protected him; and then, inexplicably, Violet had found a way through, shattering half the wall in the process. Keith didn't know how, or when, but she was there, and he trusted her with his life.When she'd lied to him, it had broken that trust. The walls had shot back up, blocking Violet out once more. Keith told himself it was for the best, but it felt empty with her gone.And so he'd been acting like a buffoon since. Which wasn't fair to Violet, or to himself. But every time he tried to apologize, the words clamped up in his throat.So Keith had avoided her as much as possible. Once again, not the best decision. Because now they were on a mission together, alone, and Violet still thought he hated her.All together, it was the most awkward lion ride he'd ever been on.She'd opted not to wear her mask, which he was proud of her for; it was odd seeing the sickle-shaped marks under her eyes, but they fit her. Keith flew the red lion through the black holes while Violet stood next to him for three minutes of strained silence before she said, "I'm probably not the best person to ask this, Keith, but ... is everything okay?"He blinked. Why would she care? "I'm fine."Violet rolled her eyes, making the gold flecks in them stand out. "You were being grumpier than usual when Lance and I were goofing off, and I know you've been under a lot of stress lately - we all have. Is there a reason why you wanted to go on this mission?"Typical Vi. Always seeing straight through him. "I just ... want answers.""About what?"Keith debated telling her for a second, then said, "The dagger that I have. I know it's an alien weapon, and it has this group's insignia on it. I need to know where it's from and why I ended up with it."Violet frowned. "Why does it matter so much?""My mother gave it to me.""Oh." Violet blinked in understanding. "Do you remember much about her? Your mom?"Keith shook his head. "Only what my dad told me."She nodded. "I have one memory of my mom. I think it was from when she was pregnant with my sister, because I remember her belly being really big. And ... dark hair. Kinky like Veronica's, almost surrounding her face. Really white teeth. Her eyes would crinkle at the corners when she smiled, like tissue paper." She shrugged. "But I can piece together what else she looks like because Ronnie is her spitting image."Keith cocked his head to the side. "Don't you mean 'looked'?""Huh?""You can piece together what else she looked like. Past tense. Because your mom's dead. Right?"Violet looked away, her hands clenching on Keith's seat. "Yeah. That's what I meant."He could agree with her. Nod and look away and change the subject, because every time their eyes met, he felt a flash of guilt and regret. They could continue like this, her face turned away, both of them pretending the hurt in their eyes wasn't there. It would be easier, but it would never be the same.Could he? Keith knew that he probably didn't have any chances restoring their friendship. But ... if he got to look into her eyes again, see them light up as if they were full of stars - if he got to banter with her, laugh because of something she said, sneak peaks at her when no one was looking - wasn't it worth a shot?"Vi," Keith said gently, wishing he could give her his full attention, "Look at me."Slowly, she turned around, meeting his eyes. "Okay, maybe I'm harboring some fragment of hope that my mother's still alive. I know it's pretty improbable, but there's always been more to her than my father's told me. I think she's strong enough to escape death.""It's okay," Keith said softly. "I get it. You don't want to not have a mom."She relaxed. "Yeah.""For what it's worth, I think she's still alive too," Keith added, returning his focus to the red lion.Her eyes shot to his face. "You do?""If she's anything like you ... definitely."Violet smiled. "Thanks. I ... don't know which is worse. Knowing that your mother's gone, or knowing that she decided to leave you.""Knowing that she decided to leave you." Keith smiled bitterly. "I'll never know what made my mom want to leave. If it was me, or-""It wasn't you," Violet said, so fiercely he stopped speaking. "Besides. Maybe you'll find out soon. I'll help you figure out the dagger's origin; you deserve to know.""Thank you," Keith said quietly.Violet offered him a tentative smile. "Anytime."Keith looked at her, really looked at her, and for a second he was able to forget. Every horrible thing he'd said to her, every lie she'd told him, the distance between them - all of it he let go, in that single moment trapped between time. Even the task they were going to do, and the mission waiting for them back at the castle -And, apparently, the lion he was driving.The red lion swerved to the side as Keith grazed the side of one of the black holes. It immediately sucked them in, jerking the lion to the side. Violet let out a muffled curse, struggling to keep her balance. "Keith!"Keith was already thrusting his lion's control forward, giving the red lion a boost of speed. They flew past the black holes, entering the space in between.Keith landed the lion, and he and Violet hopped off. They were on a large asteroid that looked normal; there was a flat plane of rock off the side. Violet headed towards it, poking the wall with a frown."I'm pretty sure this is the entrance to whatever secret base is in this asteroid, but to be honest, I have no idea how to get to it."Keith tapped the wall experimentally, finding only stone. "Maybe it's a door." He slid his fingers along the rock until - there. A narrow crease, running along the asteroid wall in the shape of a door. He pushed it, to no avail."Go over there and push from that side," Violet suggested. "I'll push here."Keith shrugged and did as she said, bracing himself against the door and pushing it as hard as he could. Nothing. Violet groaned and walked over. "This is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought it would b-"There was a click, and the wall slid in, the stone sliding silently back. Keith stumbled, startled, and accidentally tripped over Violet. She went down too, still holding onto the door; they both tumbled onto the ground, Violet somehow managing to land on top of him.Keith's face flamed as he lay there, stunned. Her body was flush against him, making him all too aware of the weight of her chest, the way her legs were entwined with his, the flutter of her breath against his face.So of course, the only thing he said was, "Ow."Violet, going red, quickly rolled off him and stood, her weight leaving him. "Sorry." She offered him a hand and Keith took it, pulling himself to his feet.There were two people standing before them, presumably the ones who'd opened the door; they were wearing masks and hoods that concealed their faces, and their suits bore the insignia on Keith's dagger.With a start, he realized they'd probably watched the whole ordeal, and his face flushed again. Violet, to her credit, straightened and took on a formal look, as if she hadn't just fallen on top of her teammate, though her cheekbones were still colored pink. "Do you have a leader?"One nodded. "This way."They led them to an elevator, which lowered deeper into the rock. It opened to reveal a long cavern with more people lined on either side, wearing the same suits and hoods. There was a raised platform at the end where one person stood with an air of importance; Keith and Violet walked towards him."I lead the Blade of Marmora," he said. "You may address me as Kolivan.""My name is Violet, and this is Keith. He's a paladin of Voltron," Violet answered.His gaze was unreadable. "I'm aware.""Then you know what we're here for," said Violet. "Voltron is ready to assist you, if this organization really is a rebellion against the Galra." She cast her gaze around the room. "But given the creepy hooded people, I'm guessing we're not exactly welcome."Kolivan didn't reply, his gaze sliding to Keith. "Not when you are not trustworthy to us. You were ordered to not bring weapons."Keith blinked. "The lions are our means of transportation. We wouldn't have been able to get here if we didn't have them."Kolivan tilted his head. "I wasn't talking about your machine."In a flash, one of the guards beside them shot forward, sweeping Keith's feet out from under him; he toppled to the floor, feeling his arms being pinned behind his back."Hey!" Violet darted forward, but another agent stepped in front of her, drawing their sword. The one holding Keith down grabbed the blade hooked to his belt and slid it easily from its sheath, baring it to the light. Violet sucked in a breath, as did many of the people surrounding them."This is a Marmoran blade! Did you take this from someone?" The guard demanded, his voice finally betraying a sliver of emotion - fury."No!" Keith retorted, struggling to free his hands. "It's mine, and it has been my whole life!""You're lying!"Kolivan, who'd been regarding the scene with nonchalance, said to Violet, "Can you validate what he claims? Is the blade his?"Violet hesitated for a second before saying, "He's telling the truth. We came here to form an alliance, but also to get answers. Can you tell us what this blade means?""The Blade of Marmora is founded off of reliability and trust. We cannot trust you." Kolivan's voice was cold. "It is in all of our best interests that you two leave."Keith lifted his head as best he could. He wouldn't go - not when he was so close. He knew this was where the truth lay, hidden beneath layers of rock and space. He just had to fight harder for it. "I'll leave once you tell me how I got this blade. Did one of you give it to me?"Kolivan was silent. "You want the truth?""I want answers.""Here, there is one to get them.""What do I have to do?" Keith demanded."Keith...." Violet cautioned.He didn't look at her. "I'm sorry, Vi, but I have to know.""Then you will be put through the trials of Marmora," Kolivan said. "If you don't die, you will win the answers you seek.""Die? Keith, this is insane," Violet snapped. "They clearly don't care about an alliance. We should return to the castle."Keith shook his head. "Not yet. I can't."Kolivan eyed him, face hidden by the mask. "Give him back his dagger, Antok."The guard - Antok - stepped off of Keith and handed him the blade; Keith stood and took it, relaxing slightly at the feel of the worn hilt in his hands."I will face you again," said Antok, voice sharp.Keith only slid the dagger back into its sheath. "Looking forward to it."-Violet knocked away the guard holding her back and turned to Keith, wanting to grab his shoulders and shake some sense into him. "Keith, did you get hit on the head or something? There has to be a better way to find the truth. You can't risk your life over it."Keith didn't meet her eyes. "I've gone too far to stop now. I can't turn back." He faced Kolivan. "When do I start?""Now." Kolivan gestured to the guard that had stopped Violet, and they motioned for Keith to follow them.Violet bit her lip, trying to find something to say. Nothing seemed right, so the space between them hung empty as Keith turned away, following the guard out of the room."Come," Kolivan said to her. "We must oversee the trials."He led her to a different elevator, and they waited as it rose. Violet drew in a breath and said, "How long have you been a part of this group?"Kolivan didn't move. "A long time.""Do you ... recognize me? At all? From missions or anything?" she asked.He blinked, the only show of surprise on his face. "Should I?"He hadn't known her before. Violet let go of the breath she hadn't realized she was holding, feeling as light as Pidge. She hadn't encountered these people during her time as a weapon for the Galra."No," she said. "You shouldn't."She offered up nothing more, and Kolivan didn't ask, for at that moment the doors slid open and they emerged into a room with a large screen up showing some sort of arena, much like the training deck at the castle. Four more guards stood next to the image, still as statues.Violet peered through the glass. As she watched, someone walked into the room. At first she thought it was another Blade of Marmora agent - they were wearing a suit, and had a blade in one hand. But she couldn't miss the mullet.Keith.A panel opened in the floor, and a real member of the Blade of Marmora appeared. "You will lose this fight. Give up the dagger."Keith simply launched himself at the agent, bringing his dagger up in an arc; they easily avoided it, moving as fluid as water, and struck with their blade. Keith parried it, but couldn't block the blow to his shoulder. He cried out in pain as the agent grabbed it and twisted, yanking it out of place.Violet rounded on Kolivan. "What is this? You're hurting him!"Kolivan said simply, "He agreed to the trials. He brought this upon himself."Keith shouted in pain again, bringing Violet's attention back to the fight. The Blade of Marmora member had his arm locked behind him, their blade resting against the back of his neck. "Give up the dagger," they repeated. "Accept defeat."Keith panted through his teeth, eyes narrowing with anger. "No.""Then you will keep losing." The agent released him, pointing to a door across the room with their blade. "You are not ready to open that door."Keith straightened, favoring his shoulder, and walked towards the door, breaking into a run.The video changed to an identical room; Keith walked in, and two Marmora agents were lifted up through the floor. He launched himself at them without hesitation, the clang of metal sounding like screams to Violet's ears.One of the agents kicked Keith in the stomach, and he went down. Violet tore her gaze away. "Kolivan, stop this! This fight isn't fair!""Few fights are fair. The one we are in even less so," said Kolivan, still watching the battle.Violet's fists clenched. She couldn't stand by and let them hurt Keith. She'd promised Shiro that she'd keep him safe. She wouldn't break it, not when he'd put his trust in her."Give up the dagger and accept defeat," the Marmora agent said again, pointing their sword at Keith's neck. "This is not a fight you can win."He glared at them. "We'll see about that."The two of them stepped away. "You are not ready to open the door."And so it went; Keith stepped through the door to face three agents, then four, then five, getting beaten every time, until finally he walked through and collapsed, unable to keep himself up. "He won't stop," Violet said, turning to Kolivan. "You're going to kill him!"Kolivan clasped his hands behind his back. "We must test his limits to ensure that he can be trusted. Knowledge or, unfortunately for your friend, death.""Knowledge or death, my ass," Violet snapped. "We're leaving. Now."The four guards strode forward, drawing their blades to form an X in front of her. Violet reached for her daggers and realized they were gone.Kolivan's eyes narrowed. "You cannot interfere."Her eyes narrowed. Violet let her shoulders slump, admitting defeat. The guard's blades lowered an inch.And she sprang, elbowing one in the diaphragm and grabbing their blade, pressing her fingers against their wrist so that they let go. She swung the blade up and parried a swipe from the second, slipping under it and sprinting for the door."Here's a suggestion, Kolivan," she said as the doors closed in front of her. "Don't tell me what I can and can't do."-Get up, Keith told himself. You have to keep fighting.But he couldn't. He blinked past the blurriness in his gaze, trying to think past the blinding pain coursing through his veins. He had to find out the secrets of the blade. He just needed to stand.And yet his body betrayed him, too weak to even sit up. Keith fought back unconsciousness, gritting his teeth."Keith."His vision cleared enough for him to see her. Violet was walking towards him, her gold marking glowing in the damp light. "You've done it. We can go now."She held out her hand, and he took it, pulling himself to his feet. "That Blade guy, Kolivan, said you proved yourself in the trials," Violet continued. "You don't have to continue anymore."Keith blinked in confusion. "Huh? What do you mean?"Violet only smiled. "All you have to do is give up the blade, and we can go home."Keith's brow furrowed. He couldn't - he still didn't know the truth. Violet understood that, didn't she? "I won't give it up," he said.Violet's eyes flashed with anger. "Why not? It's only a dagger from some person who didn't even want you."Keith recoiled. "It's the key to finding my mother - and discovering the truth about my past. You, more than anyone, should understand that.""And I, more than anyone, should know that it's stupid," Violet shot back. "You all discovered the truth about my past, and look it got me. You hate me. We'll never be the same again."His gaze fell. "I could never hate you, Violet. But I have to keep going.""No, you don't!" Violet snapped. "Your mother didn't even want you. She left you. And now I know why. You never think about anyone but yourself. All you do is hurt people for no reason. All you do is hurt me for no reason."Keith's eyes widened. "You ... you don't mean that.""I do." Violet glowered at him. "All you do is push us away. When do you think we'll start pushing back, Keith? When we realize that you're not worth our time? You're a lost cause - just some broken boy looking for attention."He flinched - actually flinched, feeling like there was some kind of sharp thorn being stabbed through his chest, with every word that she said."This is all your fault," Violet spat. "You did this - you're the reason you're alone." She turned and stalked away, receding into darkness.Keith stared at her back, the dagger still gripped in his hands. He felt like his chest was breaking apart - not because of what she was saying, but because she was right. He had pushed her away, had pushed everyone away, too scared to let them in."Violet." He started after her, but she only seemed to disappear quicker. "Violet. Vi!"Too late. White light engulfed them both, and Violet vanished into smoke and mist.
Keith blinked in surprise. He was in his old house, standing by the doorway. Everything was exactly how he'd left it.
"Hello, Keith."
Keith turned, recognizing the voice. His eyes widened in shock. "Dad?"
His father smiled. "It's good to see you again, Keith."
There was a crash from outside the shack, followed by a second bang that shook the whole house. "What's happening out there?" Keith asked.
"Nothing you need to worry about," his father replied easily. "As long as we keep the door closed, we'll be fine. Don't you want to talk? Get some answers?"
"How could I not?" Keith said. This was it - the moment when he was given the truth. All the pain, all the endless nights wondering - it had all led up to this.
But then another loud crash came from outside, and something that sounded distantly like screaming. Keith glanced at the window, but it was blocked. "What's going on?"
His father just smiled. "We're all fine."
Keith frowned. He drew away the curtain over the window and jerked backwards in shock.
Ships.
So many ships their dark shapes blotted out the sky, every one of them Galra, their ion cannons powering up with purple magic. People were fleeing in terror, running as fast as they could.
It didn't take much to know that it wouldn't be fast enough.
Keith let the curtain fall back into place, feeling sick. "I gotta go. I'm really sorry, Dad, but I can help those people."
"Don't you want to know the truth about this?" his father asked, holding something up - the knife. "It was given to me by your mother."
Keith froze. "Mom gave it to me?"
He nodded. "She's coming home. She'll arrive any second."
Another explosion shook the earth. The Galra ships had begun to fire, blasting apart bits of rock and stone. A flash of red caught Keith's eye, and he looked closer at where the ships were firing.
His breath caught. The red lion sat proudly on the ground, eyes blank and utterly still, as the ships' fire got closer and closer.
"I don't have time to wait," Keith said, and turned towards the door. "I've got to leave."
His father's voice turned to ice. "If you leave, you'll never know who you are."
Keith paused, his gaze falling. Could he really give up when he was so close to finding the truth?
And then another explosion hit, mere feet away from the red lion, and any doubt vanished from Keith's mind. He'd gladly give up if it meant keeping the people he cared about safe.
"that's the thing. I already know. I always have," Keith said, and opened the door.
And, perched atop a rock deep in the folds of space, a lion's eyes began to glow.
The sky was falling.Keith couldn't make out much from the pounding in his head, but he could see chunks of the ceiling crashing down around him. Something was attacking the Blade of Marmora base, hitting it again and again, so hard that it was coming down around him.If he didn't move soon, he'd get crushed under the rock, but he was too tired to move an inch. Every muscle screamed in pain, drowning out all coherent thoughts, and yet he could only lay there, waiting to die.And then - something broke through the blazing agony like a torpedo slicing into a body of water. A voice, one he'd recognize anywhere.Violet.He managed to lift his head as he felt her fall on her knees beside him. He could make out her copper-brown eyes, bright with worry. He'd always thought her eyes were unnaturally captivating, deep enough to lose your way in. "Keith? Keith, are you okay?"He wasn't, but there were other things he needed to say first. "Vi." Keith's eyes closed. "I'm sorry."She blinked. "For what?""For ... pushing you away." There. He'd said it. Keith felt new energy fill him at the words, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. "I've ... been acting like an idiot to you. I'm sorry."Violet helped him stand, letting him lean against her for support. "Make it back to the castle without dying and we'll call it even."Footsteps sounded; Kolivan and four other agents ran into the room. "Halt this!" he shouted. "Stop your monster!"Violet's gaze was furious. "The red lion is only defending its own," she said. "You brought this upon yourself when you hurt its paladin. Now move. We're leaving.""Not without returning the dagger to us," Kolivan shot back, and Keith remembered his dagger, the handle still held firmly in his hand. "It is not yours. You didn't open it!"Open it? "That doesn't make any sense!""Surrender the dagger!" Antok yelled, drawing his sword.Violet only took a defensive stance. "We're leaving. I don't care if I have to rip this damned place to pieces to do so."No. That wasn't right. These people weren't their enemies. Keith's grip tightened on the dagger. "Stop!"Antok paused, seconds away from attacking. "If you want the knife, take it," Keith said, raising the blade. "I don't need it to know who I am. We're on the same side. If making you guys realize that means I hand over the blade, then I will."Violet and Antok stilled, the former casting him a concerned look. Keith simply flipped the blade so that it was hilt-first, the mark on it glowing in the light.He blinked. That wasn't the light. The blade was shining - as he watched, it grew, stretching and morphing into a full sword.The Blade of Marmora agents gasped. "You opened it," Antok said, his words disbelieving.Kolivan's voice was grave. "Only the Galra can do that.""But ... that's impossible," Keith said, his brows furrowing. He stared at Kolivan, his words replaying over and over. "I'm Galra?"-"Wait, wait, wait, hold up." Violet put up her hands, turning on the Blades. "You're saying Keith is Galra? Look at him! He's not purple! He can't be!""You must be an Enduk. A half-breed," said Kolivan. He straightened. "You are officially a member of the Blade of Marmora. We will listen to your talk of an alliance." He nodded to Antok, who stepped aside."You beat up my friend, called him an En-duck-whatever, and now you want to be allies?" Violet snapped. "What-" she cut herself off, blowing out a breath. She couldn't jeopardize this for the team. Even if Kolivan was an idiot. "Fine," she muttered. "But if Red decides to eat you instead of letting you aboard, that's not my problem." She led them onto the castle of lions, focusing on helping Keith.Allura and Coran were waiting for them at the bridge. "Alfor's daughter. It's good to see that you escaped death after all this time," Kolivan said, inclining his head."Zarkon did too," Violet muttered.Allura frowned at her. "Can we form an alliance with your group in our war with the Galra emperor?"Kolivan answered, "You can, but we do not have much time to form our partnership. I recently got a message from a Marmoran working as a double agent for Zarkon. They know there is a spy amongst them. We must speed up our plans.""When will we start taking action?"Kolivan's gaze cut into hers. "Now."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet fidgeted outside of Keith's room. Shiro was in there, tending to him, but she hadn't worked up the courage to walk in. She had no idea how she felt about Keith now. He was Galra, the race she'd fought for and against.Violet decided it didn't matter. She doubted that she'd see him any differently. Unlike some people.Allura, apparently, wasn't above discriminating. She'd refused to speak to Keith, and ignored anyone who tried to talk to her about him being Galra. For a princess, she could be outrageously short-sighted.Violet chewed on her lip, wondering if Keith had woken up yet. She hated the Blades for what they'd done - unreasonable, she knew; Keith had gotten himself into it. She hated the way he'd looked when she'd found him, lying on the ground as if he didn't want to get up. He'd come to a second after she found him, but not quickly enough that she didn't hear what he'd been mumbling.Her name. Over and over and over. Violet, Violet, Violet.Most of all, she hated herself. The look on Shiro's face when he saw Keith, battered and bruised - Violet had failed him. She'd failed to keep him safe.Shiro had already forgiven her for it, but she hadn't yet forgiven herself.The door cracked open, and Shiro slipped out. "Is he okay?" She asked."Yes. You should go in," Shiro replied. He smiled. "He wants to see you, even if he won't admit it."Violet felt her cheeks flush, but she ignored it and stepped in. Keith's room was ordinary, similar to hers. It looked like he didn't own much. Keith was sitting up in the bed, testing out his arm."How are you doing?" Violet asked him.He grimaced. "Fine. I think I dislocated my shoulder."Violet sat down on the chair by his bed. "I mean about finding out you're Galra."Keith blew out a breath. "I think the real question is, how is everyone else doing? I'm guessing Allura hates me now.""She doesn't hate you," Violet protested. "She just needs some time to accept that you're part of the race that destroyed her planet, killed her father and slaughtered all of her people." She paused. "Okay, she might hate you a little bit. Well, she hates me too, so it's no big deal."Her gaze fell, and there was a moment of awkward silence. Violet drew her courage and said softly, "So ... we're cool? About me being a murderer and not telling you?"Keith smiled at the floor. "Yeah. We're cool. Just ... tell me in the future instead of keeping it to yourself, okay? I promise not to judge.""I know I should have," Violet said quietly, "But I didn't want you to think of me any differently. Every time I look at my hands all I see is the blood on them. I didn't want you to see that as well.""I know what it's like to be blamed for something you can't control. Now more than ever." Keith blew out a breath. "Did we get the alliance?""Yeah." Violet frowned. "I still don't trust the Blades as far as I could throw them. But you're one of them now - congrats, by the way - and they have survived this long against Zarkon's reign." She added, "Did they teach you some kind of secret handshake to become a member? Or do you just have to let them beat you up?"A smile flickered at the corners of his lips. "Nope, they just beat me up.""Do you think they'll give you a nickname?" Violet wondered. "Like, when Shiro was a prisoner, they called him the Champion. Are you going to get some cool code name?"Keith looked perplexed. "What would they call me?""How about ... Key?"He glared at her."Fine. Maybe they'll just shorten your name a lot. Like Kuh or something.""Right," said Keith. "The Blade of Marmora is going to call me Kuh. Great nickname, Violet."She threw up her hands. "It's not my fault your name is too short! Besides, they obviously have some kind of nicknames. What kind of name is Kolivan?""It's a Galra name." Keith's brows furrowed. "I think.""Or," Violet speculated, "It's a nickname, because what kind of parent would name their poor child Kolivan?""It's an honored name amongst Galra." Violet whipped around so fast she almost fell out of her chair. Kolivan was standing in the doorway, glowering. "And carries much more meaning than Vi."Violet winced. "Please don't call me Vi. It sounds really weird if you're not one of my teammates.""Fine. Violetta.""Yeah, no. Just - Violet." She stuck out her hand. "Nice to meet you."He stared at her hand.Violet's shoulders slumped. "Do Galra not shake hands? Stars. What are you here for, anyway?""Keith," Kolivan said. "And you. The others want you at the bridge - we're formulating our plan to defeat Zarkon."Violet exchanged glances with Keith. "We're on our way.""I wanted to speak to Keith in private," Kolivan said, and Violet's eyebrows rose. So that was why he offered to play messenger. Violet helped Keith stand. He still favored his shoulder, but other than that he was mostly healed.He walked over to Kolivan. "Keith?" she said, and he turned."If you ever want to talk about the whole the-truth-about-my-past-is-out-and-apparently-my-entire-life-is-a-lie thing, my room is next door, okay?"He grinned. "You, too."Violet walked away, Keith and Kolivan talking quietly behind her. She and Keith's lives had just been turned upside down. Maybe they could start a club.She entered the bridge, where Hunk was snoring in his chair. "Good, you're here," said Shiro. "Kolivan and I have been brainstorming, and we've formulated a real plan." He motioned to a map of Zarkon's command ship. "It's risky, but if everything goes right-""We will be able to purge Zarkon's darkness from the Galra once and for all," Kolivan finished, entering the bridge with Keith. "And we can restore them to the peaceful, intelligent race they once were." His gaze turn to Allura. "Maybe then you will accept that not all Galra are incapable of change."Violet didn't miss the princess's gaze fall on Keith, who was standing to the side. "I wish I could believe you.""So, how will the plan work?" asked Pidge.Shiro began to answer, but he was interrupted by Hunk, who was snoring. He sighed. "Can someone please wake Hunk?""Not it," said Violet and Keith at the same time, then again, "I nominate Lance."They blinked at each other and burst out laughing, Kolivan watching with a disgruntled look."Hey!" Lance said, offended. "Someone just poke him and let's get on with it," Pidge grumbled.Groaning, Lance trudged over to Hunk and poked him. Nothing. He poked Hunk's face. Still nothing."Oh, I know," said Violet. "HEY, IS THAT A DEEP-FRIED CHIMICHANGA?"Hunk jolted awake with a start. "Where? Wha - huh?" He looked around to see everyone cracking up. "What's going on?""Nothing much. We just discovered how to take down Zarkon." said Lance, the first to recover.Hunk's eyes widened. "Seriously? I took a five-minute nap and you all found a way to vanquish the most powerful emperor in the universe?""You've been sleeping for two and a half hours," muttered Pidge.He waved her off. "Eh, same thing.""The plan is awesome!" Lance said ecstatically. "Kolivan's Blade of Marmora spy guy is going to hack into Zarkon's ship and inject it with a virus. Meanwhile, Voltron will draw his fleet into a wormhole, transporting him across the galaxy. The virus will power down Zarkon's ship, so when he emerges from the wormhole and is like 'dur, why is my ship broken,' Voltron can come out of nowhere and be like 'blargh, it's me!' and stab him until he surrenders! Then we win and go to the nearest plant to have a party!""Stars, Lance, that was a terrible explanation," Pidge said, irritated. "We can't stab Zarkon's ship; we're going to blast apart strategically placed points so that the neuro-cells in the - aaaand you stopped listening." She flopped back into her seat with a sigh.Violet patted her shoulder. "If it helps, I started listening when I heard you say 'stars.' I'm so happy it's catching on."Keith asked Kolivan, "So when can we actually go through with this plan?""As soon as we have the required materials to make a wormhole large enough to engulf Zarkon's fleet," Coran said, bringing up an interface diagram of a teludav."Wormholing? I thought the teludav broke the last time we tried to do that," said Hunk. "I mean, I'm fine with baking some more scaultrite cookies so we can make the jump. Is that my job? Do I get to bake cookies?""I'm afraid not," Coran replied. "You're going to be flying into the stomach of a huge beast known as a Weblum, and hoping that it will fart you out before you get decomposed to death by its stomach acids."Hunk visibly deflated. "It's not the best, Hunk, but it's a vital part of the plan," Allura said, trying to comfort him. "You're going to be collecting scaultrite, but there are a lot of other things we need.""Think of it like cooking something," Lance added. "You're just gathering one of the ingredients." He patted his friend's shoulder. "We'll handle the rest.""If we need more stuff to build the teludav, then maybe the best place to steal - I mean, buy - it is the space mall," Violet suggested."Vi, we escaped a security guard by flying on a fifty percent off cow without paying for anything we'd bought," said Keith. "I don't think we're going to be allowed back."She slumped. "Oh, yeah."Kolivan turned to Shiro and said, "Should I even try to understand?"Shiro shook his head. "I stopped a trying a while ago.""Keith is right," Coran continued jovially. "Unilu shops won't have the right ingredients for this. If we want to be successful, we'll have to split up."The group headed to the yellow lion's hangars. "Keith, Hunk, you'll go first. I've programmed a video onto your scanners that should help with your mission," Coran said.Pidge and Hunk enthusiastically shook hands. "Stay safe," Violet ordered Keith."You know me," he replied, smirking. "I always stay safe.""Keith."His lips quirked. "Violet."She sighed. "Just don't die, please."Keith grinned. "I wasn't planning on it, but thanks for the encouragement."He and Hunk departed, Allura opening a wormhole.Next, Shiro, Pidge, and Lance left for the blue lion. Violet stood uncomfortably at the sidelines as the others made tearful farewells. Lance, who'd been flirting with Allura, noticed and pulled her into a hug."Be careful, Lance," Violet said as they broke apart. "Okay? Don't go running headlong into dangerous situations.""That's Keith, not me," Lance pointed out."Yeah, but Keith won't listen, and I have to tell someone."Lance grinned. "Don't worry, Vi. I'll come back safe." With an affectionate pat, he left as well, the blue lion disappearing into the wormhole.Coran left in a pod next. He and Allura said their goodbyes, Coran flying off. Kolivan left as well; Allura and Violet went to the bridge and began their mission: retrieving crystals from the Balmera.After a few minutes of silence, Violet said, "So. What should we do when we get there?"Allura's spine stiffened. "Just - let me do the talking," she said brusquely, turning away.Violet sighed. This was going to be loads of fun.-"Princess Allura! It is good to see you."Shay was with her family, as usual. She didn't look much different from the last time Violet had seen her, maybe a little tanned."And you as well, Violet. We can never thank you enough for saving our people," Shay added, smiling. "Is Hunk with you?""Hunk was needed elsewhere, gathering supplies that will help us end Zarkon's reign," Allura replied."End Zarkon's reign? What can we do to assist you?" asked Shay's grandmother. "We will never be able to repay you for saving us. It is the least we can do."Allura smiled warmly. "We were glad to help. How are you doing with your new houses?""It is amazing," Shay gushed. "The Balmerans are finally living above the surface! It was a struggle at first, but in the end, we managed to build a whole village." She gestured to the houses surrounding them. They were pretty well-constructed, too; Violet couldn't believe Shay's people had managed to evolve so quickly. "Some of us still prefer to be underground," Shay added. "But I do not. The sunsets here are so beautiful."Violet smiled. She couldn't help it; Shay's joy was contagious. "It's nice to see you living in peace," she said. "We're here because we need a stronger crystal for our teludav. Could your people help us get it onto the ship?""We would be pleased to aid Voltron," Shay replied. "I will gather my people." She walked off towards the village."It's amazing to see how much this planet has changed," Violet said to Allura as they followed Shay. "I'm so glad we freed them."Allura said nothing, only looked away. Apparently Violet was going to get the cold shoulder the whole trip.Shay returned with other Balmerans. "We will load the crystal onto your ship. In the meantime, feel free to visit the Balmerans. They would love to meet you."Violet smiled. "Thank you, Shay."-Violet and Allura went from village to village, visiting the Balmerans. The small town was alive, children laughing and running around in the streets, citizens out for walks and strolls to enjoy the fresh air of the surface. Almost all of them recognized Allura and Violet, thanking the two girls profusely or shaking hands with them.A group of Balmerans children ran up to Violet. "Are you really the one who healed our planet?" One asked."It was a team effort," Allura cut in from where she stood. "All of Voltron helped."Giggling, the child threw her arms around Violet and hugged her. Violet was taken aback, but she forced herself to relax. This wasn't an attacker trying to shoot her, or a training bot attacking her. It was a Balmeran child."Thank you for saving us," another child said shyly. "I'm glad you're here to protect us, to make sure that the Galra do not return."Someone pushed Violet away. "Alright now, you'd better get back to your parents. Nice meeting you, goodbye," Allura said stiffly, tugging Violet away from the children."Hey!" Violet said. "Why'd you do that?"Allura looked away. "You ... you don't want me to be near children," Violet realized. "You think I'll hurt them. Because of what I've done.""You don't understand," Allura hissed fiercely, meeting her eyes at last. "These people have been living in fear of the Galra and what they've done their whole lives. You sowed that fear. There are hundreds of planets similar to these that haven't been freed. They could still be in slavery, and it would because of your efforts to bolster the Galra empire."But these children don't know that. They look at you like you're they're hero." Allura spread her arms. "How can I allow them to believe that?"Violet was stricken. "I might not be a hero, princess," she said coldly, "But I am certainly not a murderer. I would never hurt these people. I would rather die than let the Galra enslave them again. You know that. You know me." "I don't," Allura said softly. "I thought I did, but I don't. None of us do. Not even you."Violet opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Blood rising, she spun on her heel and stormed off, leaving Allura behind.As soon as Violet rounded the nearest corner, she slumped against the side of a house, her breath coming in gasps.Allura's words seemed to stick to her brain like they'd been glued there. The worst part was, she was right. There had been so many planets just like the one Violet was on that she'd helped enslave. There were countless people who had never seen the sunset, like the Balmerans, or whose leader was captured, like the Olkari, or whose planet was falling apart, like the Taujeerans, because of her.Keith's voice rang in her head. Everyone runs from the past. And everyone has blood on their hands. As long as you don't dwell on who you were, you can focus on being who you are. But who was that? Allura was right. Violet didn't know herself at all. Once, when she was a girl living on earth, and everything was so much simpler - but the Galra and her captors and had ripped that world away from as surely as they had her memories, her life, her identity. How could you rely on anything when you couldn't even rely on your own mind?Something hot and wet pinched behind her eyes, and Violet dug the heels of her palms into her eyes. Somewhere inside me, she thought desperately, there is a small girl wearing a nightgown and flip-flops who doesn't know where she is. Her favorite color is dark blue and she likes to imagine herself up in the stars and beyond that, I don't know the first thing about her. And I want to. I really do. But she alone and she's scared and I want to call out to her but I've forgotten her name."Princess Violet?"Violet looked up. A girl only a little younger than her - maybe fifteen - was staring at her. She was wearing a lavender cloak, and her eyes were smaller than any other Balmeran's Violet had come across, with defined pupils and yellow irises.Violet stood, walking out of the shadowed alcove. "I'm no princess," she said. "Call me Violet. What's your name?""Leilani."Violet smiled. "Leilani, were you here when Voltron freed the Balmera?"Leilani nodded eagerly. "I was one of the Balmerans who made it to the surface. I saw you heal my planet." She added shyly, "You were glowing. I thought it was only because of the ritual, but now that I see you, I can tell you are always glowing."Violet chuckled. "I can't tell if that's a good thing.""Oh it is, Princess Violet," Leilani said. "My people thank you for what you did for us.""Still not a princess."Leilani smiled quietly. "Balmerans do not have royalty. We have no kings or queens here. But we believe someone who has led us well, or done a great deed for us, should be given a title so they can be recognized." She met Violet's eyes. "We address Princess Allura as royalty not because of her blood, but because of her service in healing our planet. So you might not think so, but you are a princess as well."Violet was oddly touched. "Thank you," she said. "I - that means a lot to me."Leilani beamed. She began to speak again, but a rumble shook the earth. The ground shook, and gasps of surprise floated above the village."What is happening to the Balmera?" Leilani cried as another rumble made her stumble. Violet grabbed her to steady her."Leilani, where is your mother?" she asked hurriedly. "Go find her. Can you do that for me?"The Balmeran nodded, racing off. Violet fought her way through the panicked streets to Allura, and they ran towards the castle.Once they cleared the village, Violet spun around, and her face paled. The robobeast the paladins had defeated their first visit to the Balmera was encased in crystals, effectively trapping it.But now, the beast was cracking the crystals, breaking through its cage. As Violet and Allura watched, horrified, it freed a leg and stepped onto the earth, the ground shuddering in its wake."Get to the castle NOW!" Violet shouted at Allura, sprinting towards the castle of lions. Shay and the other Balmerans met them there, looking scared."Is the crystal loaded?" Violet demanded."Yes, but-"Violet cut her off. "Get everyone under the surface. You still have homes there, right?"Shay nodded."Then evacuate as many Balmerans as possible. Get them below ground where the monster can't reach them."Allura added, "We'll draw it's fire from the village. The castle of lions can hold it off long enough for Voltron to arrive."They raced to the castle. Allura ran to her spot on the bridge while Violet took Coran's place. "Activating thrusters now," The princess said."It's free!" Violet warned. The monster had broken through the crystals, but some were still stuck to its back in what looked like shields. "We need to distract it before it turns on the village!"The castle rose into the air, speeding towards the robobeast. "Activating particle barrier now!"The monster was preparing to fire on the village. It's lasers powered, shooting for the unprotected Balmerans-And then the castle of lions was there, taking the brunt of the blast. Allura grunted as the particle barrier began to dissolve. "Contact the paladins now!" She ordered Violet."Opening a hailing frequency," Violet said, sweat sliding down her brow. "Hunk! Keith! Can you hear me? Get the Balmera, pronto - we're under attack by the robobeast from before!"Static. Then - "It's Keith. What's happening?" said Keith."Get to the Balmera! It's under attack, and we can't hold it much longer!" Violet repeated, gripping the control table to keep from being thrown to the side as Allura jerked to castle away. "Princess, open a wormhole. I'm sending you the location.""Opening a wormhole will leave us defenseless," Allura replied. "We need to hold it off. Activate lasers!"The castle began to fire at the robobeast, pushing it away, but the monster wasn't felled. It's attacks increased, viciously striking the castle. "Get to the far side of the planet, Allura," Violet said. "The monster will follow us. Keeping the Balmerans safe is our top priority."Allura nodded, flying off. The robobeast followed. They left the village; cliffs and canyons made of grayish stone began to appear. "We have to make the wormhole now," Violet said. "Allura, get Hunk and Keith here.""But-""Just do it!" Allura lifted her chin angrily but did as Violet told her. A wormhole formed, Keith and Hunk flying out of it. They'd just made it when a blast shook the castle, alarms blaring."The particle barrier is down!" Allura shouted. "Hunk, give us cover!""We got you," Hunk said, the yellow lion slamming into the robobeast. "Focus on getting Shiro, Lance and Pidge here.""Already on it," Violet reported. "Lance, come in.""We're here," Lance replied. "Once we get to the Balmera, Hunk and I can draw it's fire long enough for the others to get to their lion.""Sounds like a good enough plan," Violet said. "Coran, where are you?""I'm closing in on the Balmera," Coran's voice replied. "I should enter the atmosphere in about forty ticks.""Good. Allura, there's a lot of mountains coming up. If we use one as cover, we can escape the beast long enough to make a wormhole," Violet said. "Shiro, Pidge, Lance, get ready."The castle ducked behind an alcove, temporarily blocked from the monster's view. Hunk took it on, but his lion couldn't get through the crystal shields that protected the robobeast."Forming wormhole now!" Allura said, and the blue lion emerged, zooming down from the sky.Suddenly, there was a crash. "Guys!" Kieth yelled. "Look out!"The monster had shot a laser at the rock hanging above the castle. Violet only had time to take cover before the mountain collapsed, burying the castle of lions underneath it. The control room shuddered. Violet was knocked around the room, the world going black.She came to quickly; she'd only been out for a couple seconds. Keith was shouting something; with a start, Violet realized it was her name."Violet!""I'm okay," Violet groaned, pulling herself to her feet. The castle's lights were blinking frantically, flashing red, but at least she wasn't being crushed under rubble. She looked for Allura. "Princess?"There was a groan to her left. Violet stood shakily, finding Allura sprawled on the ground. She offered her hand.Allura hesitated before turning away and standing by herself. "Paladins, what's your status?""We're fighting the creature," Shiro reported. "Keith's trying to get to his lion. Is the castle still functioning?""Enough to open the hangars, but we won't be assisting you anytime soon," Allura answered. "Hold on, a pod just entered the castle - oh, it's Coran. Coran, get to the bridge immediately.""Heading over now," Coran said. "And I got the materials." There was a clang, and the door to the control room popped open to reveal Coran. He rushed to Violet's place, trying the controls, but they were dead. "The power's out. What can we do?""We can't do anything now that the castle is down. We should go back to the village and help the Balmerans," said Violet. "It needs to be prepared for the robobeast to attack it. I can take one of the pods. Princess, Coran, you stay here and try to fix the castle.""I can't do anything to help it right now," Allura said. "I'm coming with you.""There's a bit of a problem," Coran said, pulling up a screen. "See, the rock collapsed on a section of the castle here. You'll have to go through the debris to get to the other part of the castle. It will be dangerous, but there are tunnels that go through the rock my sensors are picking up."Violet nodded. "We'll do it." The two made their way out of the bridge. "Coran, can you pinpoint our location?" Allura asked. "Find the nearest tunnel.""I'm downloading the map onto your armbands," Coran said. "The path is highlighted in blue."Violet pulled up the screen on her wrist. Together, she and Allura made their way through the castle. The castle didn't look too damaged, but the way to the pod room was cut off by huge chunks of rock and debris. They found the nearest tunnel and entered a large hollowed-out cavern."Violet, I'm sorry," Allura said suddenly. "I know you'd never hurt the Balmerans.""No, it's fine," Violet replied. "You were right, you know. About the things I've done." she shook her head. "To be honest, I wouldn't forgive me either.""I'm sorry I can't trust you," Allura said. "I just - I don't know what you've done. You're unpredictable, in a way. What if we come across a planet that knows you?"Violet winced. "Then I'll deal with that myself," she replied. "Look, I know you need time. But we can't help our blood. We have no control over the past. Keith ... you shouldn't be angry at him for being Galra."Allura's eyes blazed. "Yes, I should! The Galra destroyed everything I love. I can no longer see him without seeing his Galra side. What if he turns Galra during a mission? What if he attacks one of us?""Keith would never do that," Violet said firmly. "He's only half-Galra, and from what I've seen, he has no fangs. Wait, does he?""I don't have fangs," Keith said dryly. "You all know we can hear you, right?"Violet yelped. "Dammit! I thought I turned this thing off!" She fumbled with her communication device. "Keith? Can you still hear me?""Yep.""Don't stop," Lance added, and Violet could hear his smirk. "This is like those Cuban reality TV shows my mom loves. I'm getting deja vu. Actually, the only thing different here is that you guys aren't speaking Spanish. Vi, call Allura a gran idiota.""Lance, shut up. Coran, tell me how to turn off my earpiece thingymajigger! I want to have a private conversation!" Violet snapped."Here." Allura held out her hand, and Violet slipped off the chip hooked around her gold earring and handed it over. Allura flicked a switch and the communication device turned off. She showed Violet how to turn it back on, giving it back."Thanks," Violet said. "Anyway. You shouldn't hate Keith just because he's Galra. He can't help it, or change it." They entered another cavern, with a yawning gap ten or so feet wide. One of the castle's columns had fallen, and Violet leapt nimbly onto the fallen pillar, carefully walking across the hole. Allura followed."Forgive me if I need time," Allura snapped. "The Galra killed my mother, you know. Zarkon left her for the foot soldiers. They didn't even bother with a sword. They just snapped her neck and left her."Violet's eyes widened, and she turned backwards, slowing to meet the princess's eyes. "I - I'm sorry. I didn't...""You didn't know," Allura finished, her eyes cold. "It's fine. But I will never forget that.""Yeah, but ... Keith wasn't the one who killed your parents. He wasn't alive back then.""All Galra are evil," Allura retorted sharply. "That's a fa-" she stepped on a chunk of the pillar and it crumbled away. Allura cried out as she slipped, falling off the stone.Violet moved without thinking. She jumped forward, grabbing the princess's wrist. Then she was falling, too; Violet dug her feet into the pillar, crouching and half-falling onto her stomach. Allura's hand gripped hers so hard she was losing circulation in her wrist.Violet hauled the princess up onto the pillar again. "You good?"Allura gasped out, "You saved my life."Violet shrugged. "I do that a lot with you people, and yet no one seems to notice. How about we don't talk and walk at the same time?"Allura nodded, eyes still wide, and the two of them stood and crossed to the other side of the gap. Violet checked her map, and they veered to another tunnel."Coran, how close are we?" Allura asked after a few minutes, tapping her earpiece."Almost there. The paladins are fending off the robobeast, but they can only defeat it if they form Voltron. But if they do, they'll be leaving the castle unguarded.""Just do it. The castle will be fine," Violet ordered."No, it won't, Violet," Allura shot back. "We're helpless against a blast."A rumble shook the castle. "The monster's headed towards us!" Coran said, panicked.There was a crash as something connected with the castle. Violet grunted as the world trembled. Rocks began to dislodge from the ceiling. "This place is gonna collapse. Allura, we need to get out of here!"Allura nodded. "Let me pull up a-" her eyes flared with shock. "Violet!" She leapt at Violet, ramming into her shoulder. Violet flew to the side, landing hard on the ground. She was on her feet, but it was too late. The rock that had loosened from the ceiling above her head had already fallen.And Allura, who'd pushed her out of the way, was now directly under it."NO!" Violet scrambled over to the rock, trying to get her hands under it. "Allura!" she felt tears rise. Allura was crushed under the debris - Violet had to get her out, dig her from the ground-Violet bit back a sob, a tear sliding from her cheek and dropping onto the ground. "Please."And, deep below the earth, something answered her call. Violet's ears perked. Under the layers of dirt, there was a faint sound.Music. Music that sang of the sea and stars, of the warmth of the sunrise on your face and counting the stars at twilight and the melodies of robins at dawn. The Balmera. Threads of gold light began to shimmer below the ground, rising to greet her; as Violet watched, they broke through the surface of the earth and twined around her. She sucked in a surprise breath. It felt ... energizing, filling her with strength.The gold light moved towards the rock Allura was under. Help her, Violet thought. Please, please help her.And the Balmera answered her call. There was a crash, and a rumble, and the rock that had crashed to the ground lifted, slowly rolling to the side. Violet sobbed in relief when she spotted Allura. Her Altean superstrength should've stopped her body from getting pummeled, but if she'd been wounded....Allura groaned. "Are you hurt?" Violet asked, checking the princess for injuries."I was crushed by a rock, Violet," she croaked. "Everything hurts.""Are you making a joke?" Violet said worriedly. "That's bad. That's really, really bad. We need to get you out of here." "Violet," Allura said, her voice weak but clear. The fragments of what once might have been a smile flashed across her face. "It's okay."The breath left Violet in a whoosh. "Thank you, Balmera," she whispered. Together, the princess and the assassin limped back the way they came together, the earth falling apart around them.-Violet switched on her earpiece, Allura sitting down next to her. "Coran, are you there?""Voltron is defeating the robobeast," Coran reported. "Are the two of you alright?""Er ... not really. Allura got crushed under a rock. She's fine, though.""WHAT?"Violet peered out of the tunnel. It was blocked off. "Huh. We're also trapped in here. On second thought, Coran, we could use some help.""Voltron will be able to dig you out," Coran replied. "Hold tight. Princess, are you there?""I'm here," Allura said weakly. "Did we win?"Coran's voice was fond. "Yes, Allura. We won."Allura blew out a breath and sat next to Violet, leaning against the rocky wall. "Thank you," Violet said to her. "You saved me.""You saved me first. It was the proper thing to do," Allura replied. "Violet - you are right. I shouldn't have treated Keith as I did." Her gaze fell to the rocky floor. "Nor you."
"Thank you," Violet said quietly."Don't thank me." Allura tilted her chin back, resting her head against the wall. "My entire life, I was raised to be perfect. Flawless. Alteans do not falter, much less Altean royalty. When the war started, that confidence in myself was what held me together. It makes me arrogant, but ... I needed it, then. I needed to be able to rely on myself, that I knew what was right and what was wrong."And my father ... well, if I saw myself as perfect, he was like a god. I worshipped him; in my eyes, he could do no wrong. Because I knew him. We were the same." Allura closed her eyes."But then he trapped me in the cyro-pod. And I woke up ten thousand years later, scared and alone, my world burned.""You wish he had let you die," Violet whispered.Tears slipped past the princess's eyes. "I wish that it wouldn't hurt so much. Every day since I awoke, I have mourned a life I never got to have. One where everything was simpler. And my father was the one, ultimately, who tore me away from it. It took me a while to come to terms with that, because it meant I had to come to terms with that fact that he could make mistakes. Which meant I could make mistakes. I felt betrayed. I thought I knew him, but I was wrong, and it forced me to question everything. To feel unsure of myself. And that - that has always scared me the most."I have mourned a life I never got to have. Wasn't Violet just thinking about that, right before she'd met Leilani? Wasn't she just grieving her own sense of loss, her own hesitance to rely on herself?
She and Allura were more alike than she'd ever realized. Maybe that was why it felt like they hated each other.The words slipped past Violet's lips. "I'm sorry." "It's not you. That's my whole point. It's not you.""I know," she said. "But I'm sorry anyways." Allura turned her face towards Violet, something pained and raw and immensely grateful in her eyes, and Violet couldn't tell if it was Allura's emotion or her own reflection."Friends?" Violet rasped.The princess smiled. "Friends."There was a rumble, and rocks were shoved away. Light greeted Violet, and she shielded her eyes, blinking up at the black lion. The paladins quickly dismounted, rushing over to them. Lance helped Allura stand; Keith offered Violet a hand, and she took it, pulling herself to her feet.They all went back to the bridge, and flew back to the Balmera with the lion's help. Shay and her people were happy to help repair the castle of lions. Violet and Allura were allowed to rest, and they sat together in the lounge, chatting."You know," Violet mused, "You and Coran are most of the last Alteans, right? And you're the last descendant of the throne." Allura nodded. "So ... why are you just princess Allura? Technically, shouldn't you be queen by default?"Allura's eyes widened. "I have never wanted something more," she breathed.Violet gulped. "I think I made a mistake."Keith walked in. "Hey, Allura. Hey, Vi. The castle of lions is ready to go.""It's queen now," Allura commanded.Keith blinked "Okay. Hey, Queen Vi.""That's not what she - actually, I like it. I'm Queen Vi from now on," Violet announced.Allura cast her an irritated look, and Violet grinned. "Also, Allura, don't you have something to say to Keith?"Allura blinked and looked down. "Yes. Violet, would you mind...?""Of course," Violet said breezily, striding to the door. Keith looked inclined to run after her, if only to stop him from having alone time with Allura, but he let her pass.Violet paused outside the door. Allura was speaking. Everything sounded like it was going well. Smiling to herself, she left and ran into Lance, who'd just returned. "Oh, hey Vi. Have you seen Allura?" He asked."I just left her. She and Keith are together."Lance blanched. "Together? You mean they like each other? Like, sitting in a tree like each other?"Violet rolled her eyes. "God, no. They're making up. I forced Allura to apologize for being rude to Keith."Lance visibly relaxed. "Ah. Okay." He frowned. "That's good. She was being really mean to the two of you, so it's nice to see her have a change of heart."Violet smiled. "Yeah. It really is."They joined everyone on the bridge; after a few minutes, Keith met up with them, and they watched the sun dip below the horizon. "What's everyone thinking of?" Lance asked after a while."Zarkon," Shiro said without hesitation."Paninis," said Hunk."According to all known laws of the world, there's literally no way a bee should be able to fly," said Violet. "It has a fat little body and tiny fairy wings that are half its size. And yet it flies, because bees don't give a crap about what is and what isn't possible." She hummed thoughtfully. "I like bees."She realized everyone was staring at her. "What? That's a completely normal thing to be thinking about!""I'm thinking about what will happen if we do defeat Zarkon," Pidge murmured. "If we win, the universe will be freed. No one will have a use for Voltron anymore. I'll get to go home." She looked up, her eyes bright. "I'll be able to start searching for my family.""Maybe I'll look for mine," Violet said. She felt an odd thrill rush through her - Veronica would be on earth with her dad. They were waiting for her."We can't fail," said Shiro. "This is what we've been preparing for." He met each of the five's eyes, the stars reflecting in their irises. "We're in the beginning - of the end."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
There was a little man with eight arms hitting the teludav.Violet tensed, hands going for her blades, before she realized that this must be Slav, the prisoner Shiro, Lance, and Pidge had brought to help."The work here is useful," the alien announced, jumping to the ground. "Flawed, and clearly made by someone whose skills are far inferior to mine, but useful." He turned, ignoring the exasperated faces of the paladins, and his eyes locked onto Violets'. "An Altean? With gold markings? But ... that means that the survival of this reality is decreasing by 46 percent!" He leapt forward, grabbing Violet's shoulders - or tried to. He was so small he only managed to cling onto her elbows. "Altean! What is your middle name? Tell me! The fate of reality depends on it!"Violet looked around worriedly. "Um ... Evelyn."Slav gasped. "No. This is worse than I thought." He shook her. "Do you have a brother? A grandmother? Any others like you that you know of?""Alright, Slav, enough with the interrogation," Shiro cut in, pulling the alien off of Violet. "Go mess with the teludav some more.""I can't! If I don't do something, there's a eighty-two percent chance Violet will be crushed! Bones broken! Unescapable death!" His voice drowned out as Shiro dragged him away, his normally calm face irritated. Violet rubbed her elbows, wondering how Slav had known her name.Lance flashed her a look, his eyebrows raised so high they almost touched his hairline. "Evelyn?""Shut up," Violet grumbled. "It's a very common name for girls.""I don't mean that. It's just..." Lance grinned. "I thought your middle name would be Twilight Sparkle or something.""Twilight Sparkle?" Pidge asked. "Isn't that ... one of those ponies in that kid show? My Baby Pony or something?""My Little Pony," Keith corrected. "And yeah. Twilight Sparkle is one of the Mane Six ponies, but she's also a princess that can transform into a Pegasus."There was a beat of silence as everyone stared at him. Then Lance scoffed, "She's not even that great. Everyone knows Rainbow Dash is the true star of the show.""Are you kidding?" Keith shot back. "Rarity is the best. She's cooler than Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash combined.""How dare you! Rainbow Dash is the better pony! She's loyal, funny, smart-" Lance cut off, seeming to realize that everyone was staring at him and Keith. "What? My nieces watch the show. They're obsessed with Twilight Sparkle, but we all know Rainbow Dash is the real favorite."Violet turned on Keith, who coughed embarrassedly. "I might've watched an episode or two when I was seven. Or three. Or six. Or all of the seasons available."Violet tried to picture a smaller Keith excitedly watching My Little Pony and burst out laughing. "I," she managed to gasp, "Am never going to let you forget that."Keith's eyes narrowed. "Violetta Twilight Sparkle Idalia, if you tell a soul, I will slip Weblum stomach acid into your food, and trust me, accidently ingesting those things is not something you want to do."Hunk frowned. "'Violetta Evelyn Idalia.' I have to agree with Lance. That's a mouthful.""And 'Twilight Sparkle' isn't?" Pidge pointed out."It is," Lance replied, "But it has flair. Pizzazz. Sparkle." He made jazz hands."I already have a middle name - and it is not, nor has it ever been, Twilight Sparkle," Violet said dryly, and Lance dropped his jazz hands."Well ... how about 'star,' then?" suggested Hunk. "Since you say it so much.""Or something cool," Pidge added. "Like Storm. Or Sunset. Or Neurobiology."Violet rubbed her temples. "I'd rather be Twilight Sparkle.""Come on, it's not that bad of a name," said Keith. "Neither is Evelyn."Pidge raised an eyebrow. "What, like your middle name is so bad?"Keith cringed. "Really?" Violet asked, eyes widening. "What is it? Tell me. Now."He sighed. "Yurak.""Gesundheit," said Hunk.Keith cast him a glare. "I think it's a Galra name, okay? My mom wanted to make it my first name but my dad said no, so she settled for middle instead."Lance's face stretched into a grin. "So you're one parent dispute away from being a Yurak?"Keith blinked. "I guess."Violet laughed. "Meet Yurak Kogane, everyone. Yurak, don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"Keith winced. "I'm thankful every day that I've never had to hear those words spoken aloud."Shiro returned to the bridge then, Slav-less, while Kolivan, Allura and Coran followed. "All right, guys, listen up," said Shiro. "Allura, Coran, you two power up the teludav and wait for our signal to make the wormhole. I'm going to reconnect with Zarkon through the black lion and draw him to you. Violet, that's where you come in - I'll need your help to reinforce the link."Violet nodded. "Should be easy enough.""Once Thace makes contact with Kolivan, he'll program the virus into Zarkon's ship. That's when we give the castle the signal and we transport Zarkon across the universe."Allura frowned. "I still don't like relying on someone we've never met," she said. "Especially if you haven't heard from him."Especially if he's Galra, her eyes said."It's a risk we'll have to take," Shiro replied.Kolivan added, "Thace is one of our most reliable sources. He's been working with us for over fifteen deca-pheobs.""Then what are we waiting for?" Violet asked. "Let's do this."Shiro got into his lion, flying it into position. Violet reached out to the black lion, informing it of what they needed it to do. The black lion sent out a signal to Zarkon."He's coming," Violet reported, letting out a breath. "Shiro, can you feel him yet?""Not yet, but I can sense Zarkon's presence drawing closer," Shiro answered. "Is everybody ready?""We haven't made contact with Thace," said Kolivan. "He should've sent us a signal by now.""They could've found him.""Or they could've killed him," Kolivan said grimly. "We cannot go through with the plan. We need to abort. Now.""We can't abort! We're too close!" Allura said angrily."The princess is right," Violet put in. "It's too late to abort now. We need to go through with the plan.""We Blades take no chances. It's the reason why we're still alive today," Kolivan shot back.Violet snapped, "It's the reason why you haven't won this damn war. Voltron has come closer to stopping Zarkon in a matter of days. You've had ten thousand years."Kolivan's eyes slitted. "Thace is a key point in this mission," he snarled. "Removing him could put the entire Blade of Marmora - and your friends - in jeopardy. Either way, we don't have enough time to get another spy to infiltrate Zarkon's ship."Violet stared him down, even though he was two feet taller than her. "Then send in me.""What? Violet, no!" Allura exclaimed."I can take a pod with Pidge's cloaking," Violet said, thinking aloud. "I'll infiltrate Zarkon's command fleet - I'm the stealthiest out of all you. I can upload the virus and escape, with or without Thace.""It's highly dangerous," said Kolivan. "I would never let a Blade member as young as you go on a mission like this.""I've lived longer in seventeen years than most people have in decades," Violet said, her voice quiet but coated in venom. "I was trained to infiltrate and destroy rebel ships, including yours. I know how the Galra work. But unlike before, I'll be working against them.""No matter how good you are, it will hurt no less when you die," Kolivan replied. But then he relaxed, and what could have once been a smile ghosted his face. "However, I've been warned not to tell you what you can and can't do. I won't stop you."Violet grinned, surprised, and found her dislike of Kolivan fading. "I appreciate it."Shiro, who'd been listening in, said, "Violet, it'll kill you."Violet strode from the bridge and grabbed as many weapons as she could carry - daggers, stars, explosives, handguns, tether cord. "Only if I die.""Yeah, that's what 'kill you' means," Lance pointed out."My definition of 'kill you' is not the same as yours," Violet replied. "I won't die. Promise.""You can't promise that," Lance said, but he subsided. Violet prepped her pod and readied herself to fly."Violet?"Allura was standing next to the ship. Violet hopped out to greet her.Allura said, "Be careful, alright?" she bit her lip. "I just gained you as a friend. I can't lose you so quickly."Violet smiled fondly. "Aw. I'll come back, princess. I always do."Allura returned the grin. "I know you do."Violet waved farewell to Allura before flying the ship out of its hangar. "Activating cloaking device in three ... two ... one."She flew over to where Shiro and the black lion were battling Galra cruisers. "Shiro, do you know that old Bible story where Moses raises his staff and splits the Sea of Reeds in half, letting the Israelites cross through?""No. But I get what you mean," the black paladin replied, a small row of fighter jets exploding in his lion's wake. Violet flew through them, steering the ship toward the Galra fleet.It was a bumpy landing, but Violet managed to sneak aboard the central control cruiser. She slipped through the hallways, avoiding the Galra sentries, and made it to the control room, scanning the control panel."Zarkon's sending reinforcements. Are we in position?" Shiro asked, followed by the sound of metal claws tearing a hole in a Galra cruiser.Kolivan answered, "Not yet. Violet needs to get to the command station. We need you to keep holding them off."Shiro grunted. "For how much longer?""Not much. I'm at the hub," Violet interjected. "Kolivan, walk me through this. I need a passcode to input the virus.""Reset the system and then put in the code," Kolivan ordered. "I'm uploading it to your wrist scanner now."Violet pulled up the screen connected to her wristband, watching it load. Suddenly, she sensed static behind her. Violet ducked as a blast of dark power shot for her, rolling out of the way. Two druids stood in the doorway, hands raised menacingly."Step away from the panel," One ordered. "Surrender now and we will give you a quick death."Violet tapped her chin. "Let me think about that for a second," she said. "How about no?"The druids began to shoot blasts of power at her. "Fine! You don't want a no!" Violet yelled, flipping and jumping out of the way. "How about a 'maybe later?' or an 'I'm not in the mood right now?' or a 'not a chance in hell?'" She lashed out with one of her blades, but the druid dissolved into smoke and the dagger struck the wall.On instinct, Violet grabbed a second blade and thrust at the air next to her just as the druid reappeared. The knife sank into its shoulder; the druid gave a howl of pain, stumbling back. Violet raised her blade for the killing blow, but the first druid was there, forcing her back with bolts of black power. Grunting, Violet dodged the blow, drawing a throwing star and attacking in response. She flipped over to the far wall, where her throwing dagger had lodged itself firmly into the wood, and forced it out, meeting the druid head-on. She ducked and parried, relying on her agility to keep herself from getting hit.The druid leapt at her, but Violet dropped low, and, seeing her opening, punched it in the face. Her fist rebounded against the metal mask it was wearing, and she winced. The druid looked offended. Maybe a bit annoyed."Fine, then. We'll do it the old-fashioned way," Violet muttered, grabbing a dagger and plunging it into the druid's chest. It vanished, but she spun, taking out her handgun, and waited. A shimmer of black smoke appeared in the air, and Violet fired.The druid gasped as the shots tore through it, staggering forward. It raised its hands in a feeble attempt to summon more power, but Violet lunged forward and sank her blade into its chest. The druid slumped.Something grabbed her ankle and twisted. Violet slipped and crashed to the floor. The druid she'd injured was back on its feet, aiming a black sphere of fiery death at her.There was a clang, and a sword shot out of nowhere, cleanly slicing the druid in half. Violet blinked up at her savior: a Galra man who looked like he'd been through hell and worse, favoring his leg and holding a Marmoran blade.Violet rose. "Thace, I presume? I'm Violet. I fight for Voltron."Thace nodded. "Good to know there's still a fight.""I wouldn't miss it," Violet said. "Come. I need your help to input the codes into the system.""It won't work," Thace said. "They changed the passcode.""What? Then there - there must be another way." Violet raced over to the control board, frantically tapping random buttons. "Thace! Help me! I'm half-Altean - I can't let the thing scan my hand."Thace blinked in surprise, eyes flashing to her mask, but walked over to her. "There is no other way to hack into the system without the passcode," he said, and she could hear the defeat in his voice."Hey, Vi?" Lance's voice crackled over her earpiece. "We don't have much time left. How's it going?""I found Thace," said Violet. "They switched the passcode - we're trying to find a loophole. How many seconds can you buy me?""None," Shiro reported breathlessly. "Zarkon's fleet is leaving the teludav's area of effect. It's now or never, Vi."Violet hissed in frustration. She could hear footsteps behind her; reinforcements were coming. "I failed them," Thace said to himself. "We've lost."Violet smacked him in the face. "Don't!" She shouted at him. "There is still hope. There is always hope. A really annoying eight-limbed alien obsessed with alternate realities and my impending doom taught me that there's always a tiny chance things could go wrong - or right. There's still a chance for that to happen. So I can't give up until it's truly over." She let out a ragged breath. "I need to get back, Thace. People are waiting for me. My friends - my family - are waiting for me. So we haven't lost. I'd rather let everything explode into a billion pieces."Thace's eyes widened. "That's it! Do you have a bomb?""What kind of person do you think I am?" Violet asked. "Of course I have a bomb." She handed one of the explosives she'd been carrying to him."This could do it," Thace said, kneeling down to hook up wires to the bomb. "If we can use the main power to override the system, it'll cause enough charge for the virus to be uploaded. I can amplify the blast on this explosive enough to do the trick.""Your amazing solution is to blow it up?" Violet asked disbelievingly. "That ... that's genius."Thace nodded, standing. "Thank you, Violet. There's an emergency exit on the second floor. If you jump off this floor, you can make it. Go.""Not without you, too," Violet shot back. "I won't abandon you when you've done so much for us."Thace laid a hand on her shoulder. "Violet, do you know the reason I switched sides?""No?"He smiled. "I fell in love with a Balmeran woman. I had a family that wasn't bound on death and war. My wife was killed by the Galra, but - I have a daughter. She's just like you."Violet didn't want to point out that she'd only known Thace for three minutes and ruin the moment, so she just nodded. "This is where my path ends," Thace continued. "You have a bigger mission; you have to go. But if you ever see my daughter, Leilani ... tell her that I love her, and I'm sorry I lied when I said I'd return home. That, one day, I'll see her again."Shock burst through Violet. Leilani - no wonder her eyes had looked so odd. They were Galra."Go home, Violet," Thace ordered as sentries began to pour into the room. Guessing Violet would protest, he shoved her away, off the side of the platform with the control panel and down to the second deck. Violet tumbled a few feet, standing at the exit. The sentries opened fire on her, and she leapt back, straining to see Thace.He was using the control panel as cover. With a start, Violet realized the blasts from the sentrie's guns were going to activate the bomb. But Thace was still there. He had a second to jump down with her - he could make it-Thace met her eyes across the room, and he smiled. It wasn't a happy smile. Violet felt tears fill her eyes.No.The room exploded into fire and ash, and Violet was flung back through the exit. Her last glimpse of Thace was as he was engulfed by the flames, his face content - ready. And then there was darkness, and Violet saw nothing more.A galaxy away, a fifteen year-old hybrid girl with unusual eyes for her race felt something shudder through her bones, her soul, and fell to her knees.-Violet wasn't responding.It was the only thing that could register in Keith's brain as he shouted her name over and over again. Please, was all he could think. Not her. Anyone but her.The explosion that had rocked the ship and allowed Kolivan to enter the virus into the system had lessened. Zarkon's ship was going through the wormhole. If Violet didn't make it out, she wouldn't be able to catch up.Finally, a tiny spacecraft flew from the exploded ship, zooming towards the wormhole as it closed."Violet! What happened?" Allura said, relief evident in her voice."Thace is dead," Violet said flatly. "He sacrificed himself to activate a bomb that would download the virus. I got knocked out from the explosion."They exited the wormhole after Zarkon, Violet close behind. "I'm headed back towards the ship," Violet added. "You guys have less than half an hour before the power is back on.""Then we'll have to be quick," Shiro said. "There are four main points on Zarkon's ship that will fatally cripple them; you all have those points highlighted in red on your screen. Now let's take Zarkon out - once and for all."-Violet watched, her ship speeding towards the castle, Voltron laying havoc to Zarkon's fleet. It was almost over - they were going to win. She slumped back in her seat, her body aching. Grief still hollowed out her stomach. Leilani was now an orphan. Violet would have to be the one to deliver the news; Allura would let her make a pit stop to the Balmera.There was a crackle; Violet sat up as a mass of writhing energy gathered, spearing towards Voltron. "What is that thing?" Lance cried.Kolivan breathed, "No."The power struck Voltron full-on. Voltron was forced apart, the lions powerless. "Guys!" Violet screamed. "Pidge! Hunk! Shiro! Lance! Keith!""How could Zarkon have done that? His ship has no power!" Coran gasped."That energy was not from his fleet," Allura replied grimly. "It was something else."Violet's eyes flared. "Magic.""It was a device created to suck the life force from whole planet, made by Zarkon's witch," Kolivan said, his voice grave. "The Komar. We had only heard rumors, but ... it appears that they're true."Coran spoke the words they were all wodnering. "If it sucks the life force from planets, what affect did it have on Voltron?""Voltron, come in!" Violet yelled. "Paladins!"Static then - "Vi?""Oh, thank the stars," Violet said. "Keith. What happened to you all?""I don't know, but my lion isn't moving," Keith grunted.Lance added, "Blue's not responding either. What happened?""Zarkon's witch has struck you with a beam of magic that sucks out your life force. You need to keep fighting, or you may not be able to take another hit like that!" Coran exclaimed.Something was coming. Violet blinked, rubbing her eyes, and focused her ship's screen in on the thing. It was some kind of monster, almost as big as Voltron. "Hey, guys, does the thing coming towards us look sweet at all? Maybe friendly or on our side? 'Cause I'm really hoping it is.""You have to get moving," Allura said. "Don't give up." Her voice was tense.Violet groaned. "That's Zarkon, isn't it?"Allura said, "Er ... no?"Violet rubbed her temples. "Alright. This is nothing we can't handle, right? Voltron's not working. Zarkon has evilly black magic and, apparently, a space suit and a really cool weapon. I'm stuck in a tiny ship trying to reach the castle, and we're about to face the brunt of Zarkon's fleet in, oh, ten minutes. Perfect.""We need to distract Zarkon. Get the ship closer to him," Allura ordered. "On my mark, fire at him with all the power we have."Coran exclaimed, "Princess, we won't be able to protect ourselves against an attack!"Allura's voice was firm. "It is our only choice. Paladins, I beg you: remember. Remember everything you've gone through together. Remember the failures, the victories, but remember fighting as one. Don't stop now. Fight with everything you have. Coran, fire!"The castle fired a blast toward Zarkon. Violet veered out of the way as Zarkon shielded it, the blast going sideways. The beam took out several Galra ships, arching back towards Violet. She cursed. There was only one way to go to avoid the hit - going back towards Zarkon's fleet. She swerved towards the side, evading the blast of power."Princess, look out!" Lance yelled. Violet looked up. The beam the castle fired had rebounded off Zarkon's shield. It slammed into the castle, cracking apart the ship. There was a crash, static, and then utter silence."Allura!" someone yelled. Violet couldn't tell who, but she was too horrified to ask. She swallowed down the terror like a pill in her throat, forcing her rage and pain and fear and guilt into a blade."Paladins, listen up," she said. "You all have no idea how many battles I've seen. I've seen people die. I've seen whole worlds destroyed. Usually I've been the cause of that. Sometimes it seems like life is created just to be stamped out."She drew in a long breath and let it out. "Throughout it all, there have been flashes of light in the darkness, but none of them were ever strong enough to challenge the black void the universe was in. Until now."Voltron can win. It's the only thing I've ever seen come close to defeating Zarkon. It will win this not because it's a super-powerful metal lion weapon, though that certainly helps - but because of the people inside it."As much as Zarkon hates to admit it, he's alone. He has nothing to fight for. But we do. That's why it doesn't matter if you're flying a space lion or a cardboard box. Because all of us have people we need to return home to. Those people give us the will to fight, even when our strength has failed us and hope seems out of reach."Pidge. Your brother and father are still alive. They're still fighting for you. Are you going to give up on them?""No." The green lion's eyes glowed, coming back to life."Hunk. There are people in this world who don't know what it's like to be free. And, somewhere on earth, your family is waiting for you to come home. Will you return to them?""Always," Hunk said, and the yellow lion shone bright."Lance. Allura is in the castle right now, unable to fight with us. She could be hurt. Will you defend her? Will you defend your niece and nephew, your parents and their parents, who are waiting for you to come home?""To my dying breath." The blue lion growled, eyes brightening."Shiro. You're the leader of this team. The universe relies on you. But most importantly, your friends rely on you. The other paladins need you - the black lion needs you. Will you let them down?""Never." The black lion blazed alight.Violet took a breath - the last one was going to be the hardest. "Keith. You've been a loner your whole life. But now, you have people to fight for. You have a purpose - to all the other paladins. And ... your mom is out there. I don't know if she's fighting, but ... will you fight for her?"Keith paused. "I will, Vi. But not for her. For you." His lion roared, bearing its claws, and Violet felt her face stretch into a smile.The five Voltron lions flew together, burning brighter than the sun, and met Zarkon head-on."Feel the bond within your lions," Violet instructed. "You are the hope that guides the universe.""On my mark, everyone," Shiro ordered. "FORM VOLTRON!"Everyone yelled, and Voltron came together in a blaze of light."Violet? We're here." Allura's voice came in, faint. "The castle is down. But we need to protect Voltron from another blast like that from Zarkon's witch. I don't know how we can stop it.""I do," said Violet. "We cut it off at the root.""I don't follow.""We can't stop the magic itself," Violet explained. "But we can stop the witch that's causing it. I'm going tooo engage her.""You're going to need backup," said Allura. "Kolivan, do you know a way to get to the witch?"Violet frowned, debating whether or not she should let the princess come. But ... she knew Allura, and she knew the princess wouldn't take no for an answer. "I'll pick you up," Violet said. "I'm almost at the castle."Allura nodded. "Good. Let's end this battle once and for all."Violet flew the ship in, and Allura and Kolivan flew over to it via jetpacks. Violet made her way to the source of the blast of power. Two druids stood on some kind of platform hovering in space, with a hooded figure - Zarkon's witch - standing between them."Kolivan, Allura, get the druids," Violet said. "It's time the witch and I had a little chat."She dropped off Allura and Kolivan, jumping out of the ship and landing with a roll. Violet stood. The witch was standing before her, clad in dark purple robes. She had white hair falling out from her hood, but the rest of her face was obscured.Violet demanded, "Who are you?"The witch smirked beneath her hood. "Your executioner."Grinning, Violet palmed one of her knives. "I'd never let myself be felled by someone as ugly as you. I'd rather it be a handsome prince, or a giant silver beast."The witch growled, lifting her hands; black energy coalesced in front of her, forming a fiery sphere. "You talk too much."Violet didn't give the witch a chance to hurl it. "I talk a reasonable amount. Everyone else doesn't talk enough." Leaping, she attacked, dodging the blast of power the witch sent to her. More followed, but Violet swerved and ducked, slowly closing in on the witch. She blocked a shot of magic, and, seeing her opening, kicked the witch in the face. She fell back with a grunt, hair flying. Panting, Violet stood over her.The witch's hood had been tossed off, her face revealed. Violet gasped sharply. She was Altean."How?" Violet gasped. "You-" she stumbled back. "Why?"Too late, she realized the witch had been gathering her power. A shock of black electricity shot towards Violet; she only had a split second to dive to the side as the magic hit her in the leg.It was like someone had set fire to her skin. Violet cried out, clutching her calf. The witch rose, leering over her, and formed another bolt of power to finish her off.There was a crash, and something knocked into the witch, bowling her over. Violet staggered to her feet as Allura raised her staff and charged at the witch, face furious.The witch vanished, dodging her blows; Violet fought against the pain, drawing a dagger. As the witch made to shoot Allura with a dark blast, she threw her blade; it sailed across the platform and hit the witch squarely in the wrist. Crying out, she stumbled back.Allura and Violet stalked towards her. Violet felt her marks burning, so hot her mask fell away. The witch gasped in surprise as she saw Violet's Altean markings, glowing. Violet raised her blade, Allura hefting her staff."You will never harm another planet again," Allura said almost peacefully, eyes alight with rage."You will never rip apart another family," Violet said. As one, the two girls drove down their weapons. The witch disappeared a second before the blades hit home, fleeing to whatever dark space there was in between the folds of the world.Kolivan joined them. Violet spun towards where Voltron was fighting Zarkon. The two entities were clashing, springing apart, and battling again. Violet watched in horror as Zarkon grabbed Voltron's head, crushing it, and the red lion's sword sank into his chest. With a roar, Zarkon fell back, defeated; Voltron disbanded again, the black lion drifting lifeless."Did we win?" Lance asked. "Is he gone?""For now," Violet answered. "Coran, get over here. We need to go!""Guys, the black lion isn't moving!" Keith exclaimed. "Shiro must've been knocked out. We'll have to carry him to the ship."The caste of lions picked up Violet, Allura and Kolivan as the lions moved the black lion into it's hangar. The group rushed over to it, entering the cockpit. "Shiro! Are you okay?" Keith cried.The cockpit was empty. Violet's face widened in shock. "Shiro's gone."
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Brighter than the stars: A Voltron fanfic (Keith X OC) Part IIIt had been only a few weeks since Shiro disappeared during their fight with Zarkon, but it felt like forever. Now, Violet tries desperately to hold the team together, especially Keith, who she's grown closer to since he rescued her from Sendak's ship so long ago. Violet has always found the strength to fight when it seems like the world is against her, and she knows that her friends will too, despite the loss of their leader. But villains much worse than Zarkon are stepping out of the shadows, and Violet will have to face her past - and the blood-soaked truth behind it - before it destroys her and everything she loves.
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"Roughly twenty-five ticks to the target," said Violet. "You up for this, Kolivan?"He nodded. "We're ready."Violet grinned, readying herself for what she was heading out to do. Over the last few weeks, she grew over her distrust of the Blades, and Kolivan had been showing her dagger techniques that were awesome. They'd gotten close - by now he could be her grumpy uncle or something.Suddenly, the blue lion banked, causing Violet to be wrenched to the side. She planted her feet firmly - the last time she'd been knocked into Regris's tail, which had not been a pleasant experience."Sorry," Lance called back. "Fighters on my tail. Had to take evasive maneuvers.""There's only one - you're fine," Violet shot back. Two more appeared, tailing the blue lion. "Okay, only three, that shouldn't be too ha - wow, now there's four, and - yep, that's another. We're screwed.""Hunk to the rescue!" The yellow lion slammed into all five fighters, knocking off Lance's path. Hunk pulled up in his lion. "That was awesome. Wait - I think we flew passed the target spot, Lance.""We're in the middle of a battle. We can't pause now," Lance replied. "Kolivan?""Let us out. We can take this from here," Kolivan commanded. The door to the hangar of the blue lion swung open, the Blades jumping out of it. "Go!"Violet leapt from the lion, letting out a whoop of delight as the wind whipped through her hair. She free fell to the ground, activating her boosters and rolling on impact, and sprung to her feet with the others, beginning to sprint towards the base."I don't think you're taking this as seriously as you should be," Kolivan said dryly, running up to her side.Violet's face stretched into a grin in response. "You take the fun out of everything, Kol. This is going to go great! We jetpack to the ground, take out a couple of fighters, generally look awesome-"Blasts peppered the ground at their feet, cutting her off. Violet let out a stream of curses. Some kind of cannon hanging from a canyon was aimed at them, too big and too far for her to take out on her own."Lance!" Violet shouted into her communication device. "We're in a pickle over here, and it's stopping me from punching some Galra faces. I'm going to have to settle for Regris's Galra face if I can't get to a fighter soon enough, and then he'll probably kill me, which is bad, so ... help us.""On it," Lance replied. "I can see the cannon." He and Hunk blew it up, allowing for Violet and the Blade of Marmora to claim the base and free the town it looked down upon.They returned from the victory to a party from the citizens. Lance took selfies with the ladies, while Hunk taste-tested all the hors devours. Kolivan and the other Blades stood off to the sides, watching with grumpy expressions."If you start to say how 'fun' that was," Kolivan warned as she walked over, "Then we're leaving."Violet sighed dramatically. "Fine. But you have to admit - we looked amazing. All the townspeople love us."Kolivan's angry gaze flitted over the crowd, who gave him suspicious looks in return. "They love you," he corrected. "And the paladins. They look at us and only see Galra."Violet rolled her eyes. "Maybe because you are Galra? Also, you look like you're about to murder someone, Kol. Try looking happy and they'll be much more friendly."Kolivan glowered. "Do not call me Kol.""Sorry, not gonna happen," Violet shrugged. "You're Kol now."The leader of the town stepped forward, bowing his head. "Voltron, I am highly grateful to you for freeing my people.""We wouldn't have been able to do it without Kolivan and the Blades," added Violet. "They helped a lot.""We were honored to do so," said Kolivan.The leader swept his gaze over the Blades, distrust evident on his face. Violet winced softly."Right," he said. "I hope that Voltron will not hesitate to reach out to the planet of Puig for aid. About that, where is Voltron?" The crowd began cheering excitedly, chanting Voltron's name. Violet's gaze fell.Ever since Shiro had vanished, the team had seemed to be falling apart. Morale was low; everyone looked to empty space for guidance, and Shiro's calm demeanor had left them frazzled. Worst of all was Keith. He'd been drawn off from the rest of the group; Violet was worried about him. She was the only person he hadn't shut out, and she didn't want to break that.She, Lance and Hunk regrouped at the castle of lions, where the rest of the team was waiting in the lounge. After giving the report of the mission, Hunk brought up the elephant in the room."Here's the thing," he started. "Every planet we liberate thanks us, but they'd rater thank Voltron. Except Voltron's not here, and they're starting to wonder what happened when we fought Zarkon.""I can tell you what happened. We lost Shiro. Not just Voltron," Keith replied sharply.Allura took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for the paladin's reactions to what she was about to say. "I know it will be tough, but I think it's the right time to reform Voltron. We need a new black paladin."Violet flinched. She hadn't told the others, but ... the black lion did have a different sense to her. Shiro wasn't its paladin any longer.Keith stood abruptly, face flashing with anger. "Never! I won't stop searching for Shiro. He's still out there. We can't replace him." He stalked off.Everyone looked over to Violet. She sighed. "I'll go after him. And, guys... Allura's right. The black lion needs a new paladin." Her eyes strayed to the door Keith had just exited from. "But every member of the team has to be ready for it before we can move on.""You're the only one who can talk to him, Vi," Lance said quietly.Nodding, Violet got up and followed Keith.She looked in the training room, then the library, then Red's hangar. Violet sighed in frustration. It felt weird going into a boy's room, but ... she and Keith were friends. It was perfectly fine. She wouldn't mind if Lance was in her room; in fact, he had been there more often than usual, lounging around and stealing from her candy stash.Violet knocked, and with Keith's permission, pushed open the door.He was sitting on his bed, hair disheveled as if he'd been running his hands through it. Before Violet could speak, he said, "Look, I don't want a lecture or anything. I know I shouldn't have stormed off. I just can't stand the thought of replacing Shiro."Violet said, "I didn't come here to chastise you, Keith. It's okay that you don't want to replace Shiro - he's done so much for us, it's practically impossible to imagine moving on without him." She chewed on her lip. "I was wondering - would it help to have some kind of ... distraction? To take your mind off current events?"He leaned back. "Definitely. It's like there's an empty spot where Shiro would be - I'd do anything to escape from it."Violet smiled. "I know how you feel. So ... we're going to the Balmera."-Keith didn't protest, or complain. Allura looked slightly confused, but agreed to make a wormhole for them. In the red lion, they flew to the Balmera. Violet told him how she'd met Leilani as he piloted his lion, the way her eyes had looked odd. She told him about Thace, and how he'd revealed to her he had a daughter.Keiht listened to her the whole time. Violet knew he understood - why it was so important to her. That she felt responsible for Thace's death. That she had to deliver the news, because no one else would, and she didn't want Leilani to be alone.There was something else, nagging at her memory - of another girl, a half-breed orphan, looking up at her with the same wide eyes as Leilani's. But the memory vanished whenever Violet reached for it.They talked to no one else, save a greeting to Shay upon arrival. Violet found the right home, and when she couldn't find the courage to knock, Keith did for her.Somehow, Leilani knew as soon as she opened the door. Violet didn't have to say anything; the look in her eyes was enough.The worst part was, she didn't cry. She didn't scream or shout or yell. Leilani just backed away, her eyes horribly empty, and collapsed onto her chair.Violet sat with her, trying to offer as much comfort as she could. Leilani insisted they stay for the sunset; they'd come all this way, and besides, sunsets were now a special event on the Balmera. "The sky turns green right before the sun vanishes over the horizon," Leilani explained. "It is beautiful."That was how Violet found herself on Leilani's roof with Keith. Leilani was staring at the sun, tears brimming in her eyes."Every time he left for one of his missions," she whispered, "I'd always beg him not to go. Because I was so scared that he wouldn't come back, that he'd leave us to the hands of the Galra. But then Voltron freed us, and he said he'd have to go for a while, because he was going to be a spy." Tears leaked down her face. "I finally stopped being so terrified that he would never come back, and then he didn't."She sounded human. Violet scooted closer to her. "He asked me to tell you that he loves you," she said softly. "Those ... those were his last words."Leilani turned towards her. "He died to save you, princess. And I know it is unreasonable, but I cannot help but feel anger towards you on my father's behalf. Could you not have saved him?" With that, she stood and left, her words clanging through Violet.All of Violet's breath whooshed out of her, and she fell back against the roof. "Now Leilani hates me," she muttered. "Awesome.""She doesn't hate you," Keith said. "She just needs time to accept the fact that her father died and that he gave his life to save you." he paused, grinning. "Yeah, she might hate you a little bit."Violet laughed at the remembrance of the words he'd thrown back at her. "Hey, Allura doesn't hate you anymore, so ... maybe I have a chance too.""Yeah, but that was only because you practically shoved her into it.""I didn't shove her into it!" Violet squawked. "I nudged her in the right direction, because Voltron is about forgiveness and all that boring stuff.""She didn't forgive me, though," Keith said. "She just came to terms with me.""Hey." Violet put a hand on his shoulder. "There's nothing about you anyone needs to 'come to terms with.' You're Galra, but you're also our friend.""So are you." He met her eyes. "I know you've been getting flashbacks lately. They haven't stopped, have they?"Violet winced, curling in on herself. "I get one every day at least. Most of the time it's either training or ... destroying, but other times I get these - images." She sighed. "I was working for someone when I was an assassin; I don't know who he is, but he's dangerous. And I'm pretty sure we're about to meet him.""As a friend or foe?" Keith asked."I don't know." Violet's eyes shuttered. "But I do know we're going to need to pull the team together if we want to face him."Keith looked away. "I don't know how we can, Vi," he said quietly. "No one will ever be able to lead the team like Shiro could. Who could step up for him?"Violet steeled herself for what she was going to say. "That's what we need to figure out. Keith, the black lion's spirit is still connected with Shiro, but their bond is broken. The black lion - it needs a new paladin. It needs-""Don't," Keith whispered. Every line of his body was tense. "Don't say it. Not now.""I won't," Violet said, and he relaxed. "But you're going to hear the words soon enough.""You're right," said Keith. He stood, offering his hand to Violet. "We need to find a new paladin for the black lion. And form Voltron once more."
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"So..." Lance cracked his knuckles. "How should we do this? We need to choose a new paladin for the black lion. Who should it be?""Violet," Pidge said, "Your connection to the black lion was strong enough to sever Zarkon's connection with it. Maybe you could be the new paladin."Violet raised an eyebrow from where she was sharpening her daggers. "Would you guys really accept me as your leader?"Hunk hummed thoughtfully. "You do have the whole motivational speech thing down. And you're smart. And you have a lot of expertise when it comes to taking down the Galra."Violet shook her head. "It's not me. I'm not a leader - I stay in the shadows. I was trained to be a weapon, to be unseen. And I can't fly a paper bag. It has to be a pilot.""Besides," Allura said, "It's the lion that chooses its paladin, not the other way around. The black lion should be the one to choose."On that note, the group headed to the hangar, where the black lion lay immobilized. The paladins began to try to start the black lion, with little success. Violet went after Lance. She entered the cockpit and sat in Shiro's seat.
Blacky, you there?
The black lion flickered to life. Violet drew in a breath. Then let's cut to the chase. Who is your paladin?She was flooded with so many memories she almost fell off the seat. Violet paused, sorting through them. Keith in the black lion, flying it; Keith's presence in the red lion, the feel of recognizing someone but not being sure about them. Until Shiro had disappeared, and now the black lion was drawn to Keith more than ever.Violet stood. She'd seen enough."Was it you?" Hunk asked as Violet exited the black lion.She looked up, eyes glistening. "I - the black lion told me. Keith is the black lion's paladin. There is no one else.""What?" Lance cried. "Keith can't be the new paladin!""There's only one way to find out," Allura said somberly. "Keith, you're the only one who hasn't gone. Try to awaken the black lion."Keith walked up to the black lion, entering the cockpit. A few seconds later the black lion roared, getting to its feet. Keith stepped out, hanging his head."I'm glad Blacky chose you," said Allura. "You were always meant to be a leader."Hunk added, "I agree. Congrats, man."Violet said nothing, carefully watching Keith's expression. She knew he would be a great leader, better than Shiro even - but he had to come to terms with the fact that Shiro was gone. Which he wouldn't."No," he said, lifting his head. "I'm not a leader, and I won't be one.""But you have to. Blacky decided that you were its paladin," said Allura, confused.Keith's eyes blazed. "Well, I'm not - Shiro is! I won't replace him. I'm never going to be the leader he was, and that's final."Lance put a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, Keith looked up. "No one can be the leader Shiro was, Keith," he said. "No one can replace him. But we're not asking you to. Blacky recognized you as its paladin because it knew you were the best choice to lead us. It doesn't want you to be Shiro. it just wants to have a paladin again."Keith gazed up at his new ride. "But if I'm the black paladin, who will fly Red?"Suddenly, Coran spun into the room, face panicked. "Puig - the planet Lance, Hunk, Vi and the Blades freed - got invaded again. They need Voltron!"Everyone looked at Keith.His throat bobbed, but his eyes were determined. "Then we go to Puig as soon as possible. Tell them help is on the way."The paladins departed for their lions. Violet paused before leaving, watching Keith stare up at the black lion.He noticed her. "Vi? What is it?""I know it's not what you want to hear right now, Keith," Violet began, "But you're our leader now. I can already see that you're going to be the best leader we could ask for - better than Shiro. But just because you're stepping up for him doesn't mean he's never coming back. Just know that Blacky chose you in Shiro's stead. You can do this."Keith smiled fondly. "Thanks, Vi."The paladins went to their respective hangars, but only three lions exited the castle and flew into the fray. "Why isn't Lance with you?" Violet asked, frowning."Huh? Lance, you good?" Keith said."Blue won't open for me," Lance replied, sounding dumbfounded."Well, get her to open and catch with us quickly," he replied. Suddenly, as the three lions entered Puig's atmosphere, hundreds of Galra ships appeared before them. Violet drew in a startled breath.A male voice cut through the intercoms, swift and cool and utterly familiar. She knew that voice. Had heard it every day for the past seven years. Had heard it in her memories, her dreams.Pain split through her mind, the flashbacks storming in, and Violet cried out, clutching her head. She couldn't think past the pain, couldn't speak, couldn't function-Breathe, Violet commanded herself. You're fine. Take a damn breath.She was most certainly not fine, but Violet gasped shudderingly, forcing air into her lungs. She was dimly aware of Allura by her side, asking what was wrong, and Keith's frantic voice over her earpiece. "Focus on the battle," Violet croaked, her throat dry. She shoved away the memories, the truth in them. "I'm okay."She slumped against the side of the wall, trying to block out the pain crashing down on her like a tsunami.But she couldn't, and the waves washed over her.
The world was blurry around the edges, unreal.
He was there, as always, standing beside her. "I've been thinking, Violet," he was saying. "There are more like you in the galaxy - half-breeds, tossed out by their own. With a potential for greatness." He smiled down at her. "What if I had a group of misfits, outcasts, discriminated people to defend me? Generals, who would serve me like you. Who could be given a chance to be more than just their race."
"That sounds amazing," Violet breathed, pushing down any doubt. "Others like me - like us? Given a better place in the world, with the honor of standing by your side?"
"Also, you would have friends," he said.
She rolled her eyes. "What, are you my mother now, trying to get me to make friends? Besides, I have you. I don't need anyone else."
He smiled at her and held out his hand. "Indeed."
Don't take it, a small voice inside her whispered. He wants to make others like you to serve him, people he can take like they took you, people who won't be missed. He wants to turn others like you into his own weapons. Do you really wish your life upon anyone else who could be spared?
Violet hesitated. He noticed, and cocked his head to the side. Quickly, she took his hand and stepped towards him. He smiled, forgetting her uneasiness.
She tried to forget as well. But she knew she never would.
No.Not now. She didn't want to know.Take it back, Violet begged. Take it away. Don't make me remember.Through sheer defiance, she beat back the agony ringing through her head, shoved it into a chest and locked it. Later. Just not now.Violet blatantly refused to remember, to give the memories an inch of room inside the locked chest she kept it in. The agony roared in her head as loud as a siren. She grappled with it, biting and clawing and frantically pushing it away, until the flashbacks had faded and the ringing in her brain had lessened.Then someone was touching her, pulling her into a sitting position. Arms wrapped around her, pressing into her, holding her together. Violet felt warm and safe, a feeling she hadn't felt in a long while.The agony in her skull was steadily receding, like the tide washing from the shore, and Violet opened her eyes to find the worried faces of the paladins peering down on her. And the person holding her - Keith.Violet felt her face heat, and she quickly sat up. "Vi," Lance said, face twisted with concern, "What happened to you?"She rubbed her temples. "Like I told you - my memories were taken when I was put in the prisons. I get flashbacks occasionally."Keith frowned. "I've seen that happen. This wasn't a normal flashback."
You're right. It's not. It was brought on by the person who just attacked us, who I know so much about yet remember so little. I know every rhythm and underside to his words, his voice, and yet I don't know his name.
Violet didn't say any of that. She just shook her head slightly. "I don't know." She hoped Keith got the message.He nodded, helping her stand. Thankfully, the rest of her body was fine. Violet focused on Keith's hand in hers, grounding her. "What happened to the battle?" she asked."Red opened up to me!" Lance exclaimed, face lighting up. "At first I thought the blue lion was shutting me out because it didn't want me to be it's paladin - but then the red lion called me over and I accepted it!" he grinned. "Now Allura's the blue paladin."Violet blinked. "Congratulations to you both. Did you bond with the lions?""Not exactly," Allura mumbled. "We didn't try to form Voltron, but ... we will have to practice to get the feel of our lions.""Once all five lions entered the battle, though, it was practically over," Hunk added. "When we realized you had been hurt, so we raced back to the castle. You've been unconscious for, like ... ten vargas? I think?""What?""He means ten doboshes," Allura corrected.Pidge pushed her glasses up her nose. "On further note, we really need to talk about what happened back there. We were seriously uncoordinated and unpracticed. I say we train more, get the feel of the new lions.""Yeah," Lance added, "We really need to work on that. Red doesn't have any breaks. At all. You either go fast or you go faster."Keith raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? I distinctly remember the last time we trained Voltron."Violet smirked. "I distinctly remember Hunk slamming into your lion whilst screaming 'combine' at the top of his lungs to try to form Voltron."Keith grumbled, "Don't remind me."Violet wiped away a fake tear. "It was beautiful.""It would just be Allura, Lance and Keith," Pidge added, "So it wouldn't be as much of a disaster as last time.""Good try," Keith said, "But the team works together. We need to be able to form Voltron with all the lions - you're not getting off so easily."Violet clapped her hands eagerly. "It's settled, then," she announced. "Everyone, back to your lions while I go microwave some popcorn. We're going to form Voltron!"-No one managed to form Voltron.Violet could see it. The lion's weren't bonded correctly - they needed to connect with their paladins, and to do that, they needed something to bond over. An experience. But short of calling Lotor back to attack again, there was nothing they could do but wait and hope the next time Voltron was needed, they'd be ready.The paladins trudged back to the ship. At least Allura had bonded with her lion - she was able to accept the fact that Blue wasn't the castle, and was able to form the sonar wave thing that Lance had discovered during one of their battles with Shiro. He'd seemed to have mostly gotten the hang of the red lion. Keith could fly Blacky alright, but his bond still didn't go as deep as Shiro's. Keith and the red lion had been matched - it wasn't the same now. However, Violet had hope for them. With time, Keith would make the best leader for Voltron.She knew he'd wanted to go after Lotor, though. Violet found him in the training hall, taking on three druids at once. She watched him for a second, slicing them apart with his sword. They were better than him, though. Keith barely dodged a blow from one's staff before hacking it to bits, but he left his guard open for the last to strike.A dagger thudded into its spine before it could deal the blow. "Sorry," Violet said, striding into the room. "Reflex."Keith rolled his eyes. "You can never stand to let someone win something, can you?"Grinning, Violet answered, "I can't say that's a lie. But I am better than you. It would be weird if I wasn't, honestly.""And why, pray tell, would it be weird?" Keith asked.Violet gripped her blade and drew it from the bot's back. "Because I can disembowel someone three different ways and you've been training for - what, a month? Two? It would be embarrassing if you beat me." She straightened, sliding her blade back into its sheath. "Also, I spent seven years being trained by-"She stopped. Trained by what? By who?"By..." Violet couldn't finish the sentence. She knew the answer was there, but it was blocked from her mind by a wall of pain.Keith noticed. "It's fine if you're not comfortable telling the others, but I know they're getting worse. You can talk to me.""I just ... don't like not knowing what's going on in my own head." Violet sighed. "I'm close. Back there, the people who attacked Puig - everything almost came crashing down. I can't let that happen. We have too much happening, with Shiro gone and the new lions and everything. I don't want to be distracted.""What would help?" Keith asked."Training," Violet replied easily. "Fighting. Moving - not having to think or use my head. I'd fight the Gladiator, but the bots are too predictable." She paused as a thought occured. "Would you mind - sparring with me?"Keith blinked in surprise, but quickly recovered. "Sure." he smirked. "We can finally see who's the better fighter."Violet drew her daggers, but she was grinning as they began to circle each other, each looking for an opening. "I'd hate to fight you, but you are good, Keith. This is going to be the most fun I've had in a while.""Likewise." Keith sprang, lashing out with his sword; Violet ducked, expecting the strike. She spun away, twirling to escape his bayard, and tossed her blades, hilt first so she wouldn't accidentally stab her friend - that would put a slight damper on things.They danced along the room, dodging and diving and sweeping and throwing. Violet was better at close combat, since Keith's sword had the longer range, but she was quicker than him. Violet led him on, looking for his tells. Keith was agile - almost as much as her - but there were moments where he dropped his arm slightly, or sucked in a breath-There. Before he swung his sword, his grip tightened on its hilt. Violet grinned, attacking with two of her blades. Keith's knuckles whitened, preparing to swing; Violet waited as he brought up his sword, dropping at the last second and hooking her leg around his ankle, tripping him. Keith went down with a grunt, and Violet was on him, her blade pressed against his chest and one arm pinning the one with his sword in it. She grinned in triumph.Keith only smirked in response. His bayard vanished and reappeared in his free hand, arcing towards her.Violet let loose a stream of curses, jumping out of the way to avoid being cut in half. "That's not fair," she hissed as Keith stood, brushing himself off. "My blades can't do that!""Maybe you should get a bayard," he said, unimpressed. Violet's eyes narrowed, and she sprang.Time seemed to pass in a blur. Violet knew she'd beat Keith eventually; he was tiring, and she wasn't. Violet had endless energy thanks to her Altean blood, which was useful in a fight. Any moment now, he'd falter, and she'd get to finish him.And make it look awesome while she was at it.Violet let Keith corner her to the side of the training room. She felt the wall press into her back - perfect."I'm a little scared that you're smiling," Keith said, his voice wary. "Technically, I should be killing you now. But you won't let that happen, will you?""You know me so well." With that, Violet crouched and jumped. She cleared Keith's head, landing behind him with her dagger already against the back of his neck.Keith twisted to gape at her. "How-""Practice," Violet replied, grinning. "And a lot of falling." She withdrew her dagger. "I win."Keith didn't seem to care. "Show me how."So she did - demonstrating the way you had to put pressure on the balls of your feet before you sprang, the way to use the wall as momentum, and the way to twist in midair so you could land behind your opponent. Keith insisted he should try it, which resulted in Violet having to bite back a laugh as he failed spectacularly, over and over. But he got up and kept trying, even after it had been over an hour since Violet had entered the training room."Try again," Violet instructed. "Watch me." She did the flip again, slowing it as best she could. "You're still locking your body when you leap - you need to trust yourself. It's okay if you fall.""It's not," Keith said, wincing. "Seriously. I'm going to be really sore in the morning."Violet clicked her tongue. "If you don't let yourself fall, you'll never make it to the ground. I know the way you fight, Kieth. You rely on your instincts to give you an advantage. If you want to do this, you'll need to forget that."Frowning, Keith said, "I don't know how to do that. I'd have to rely on something else.""Rely on me, then," Violet suggested. "You can trust that what I do is right, and that if you copy me, it'll be fine."Keith smiled. "I already do, Vi."Violet felt her face flush for no reason. They were friends - friends trusted each other. "Then this should be no problem," she said quickly.Hesitantly, Keith took up the position on the mat they'd laid out on the floor, and jumped. He could get high enough, but the landing wasn't working. He flipped wrong, landing on his feet wrong, and flopped onto the floor with a noise that vaguely sounded like a startled chicken.Violet burst out laughing, clutching her stomach; Keith didn't bother to sit up. "It's no use," he groaned. "This is hopeless."Violet flopped down beside him. "It took me three weeks to learn it, so you'll be fine. You just need more practice.""It feels so weird," he said, shuddering. "You have to belly-flop onto the ground and then twist at the last second.""When I was learning how to do it," Violet said, "I didn't want to put that much faith in not falling, like you. So I thought of it as a defiance - to the world, to life, to the ground. That everyone was expecting me to fall, but I didn't." She shrugged. "It'll be different with you, though. Just - put caution to the wind. If you use the move to save someone else, your bond with them should override any reflex to mess it up.""I hope you're right," Keith muttered.Violet paused, brows furrowing. Something - those words. She'd heard them before-Pain flooded her mind, and Violet shot up, gasping. The memory hit her like a brick wall.
Violet made her way through the rubble, kicking over large pieces of fallen buildings. The village had been punched flat thanks to the explosives they'd set off. Violet had made sure there wasn't mass death, but she wasn't guilty, not this time. The girl she was looking for had lived among these people as they scorned her and shut her out. These villagers didn't deserve her mercy, for how cruel they were to a child.
Soft sobbing could be heard from the wreckage; Violet ignored it. She doubted it was a child or an elderly person. Maybe a cowardly soldier who didn't dare face them. Even if it was the person she was looking for, if they were crying, then they weren't good enough. They had to be strong and vicious. Tears had no part in that.
Violet peered under an alcove and spotted a crumbled house. She strode towards it, examining the clutter. She ducked under a fallen pillar into a shadowed space.
Before she could get a good look, something shot out at her. Violet sidestepped, catching a glimpse of one of the villagers, a teenager, before she pushed their back and they stumbled forward, off balance. Violet grabbed the villager by the shoulders, holding them up by the collar.
It was her.
Violet smiled and set the girl down. She looked about her age, maybe even older, but small and weak. The girl's face was furious, however, though she didn't try to attack again. A half-breed. Half-Galra, it seemed.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Violet said gently, taking off her hood. "What's your name?"
The girl glared at her, but said stiffly, "Acxa."
"And how old are you?"
Acxa bit her lip but finally answered, "Fifteen."
Violet blew out a breath. This is good for the girl, she told herself. Acxa will never again know fear or prejudice. Besides. You were ten.
"I'm fifteen, too," she said. "My name's Violetta, but you can call me Violet. Everyone does."
Acxa lifted her chin. "Even your enemies?"
Violet grinned. She liked this girl already. "Especially my enemies," she said. "You can choose who you want to be, but I'd rather we'd be friends. I haven't had much female company these days." She held out her hand. "Acxa, I'll be harsh. Your old life is ruined. Your village is destroyed, and any survivors of it have fled to the forest. But from what I've heard, they deserved it. They treated you wrong, because you're a half-breed, like me. I'm offering you a chance - to fight back. To have a purpose, and to get revenge for all the times they hurt you. To be able to be faster than them, stronger than them. Better than them."
Acxa frowned, but Violet could see the glitter in her eyes. She wanted it.
Finally, she said, "You're a half-breed too? Are there more of us?"
Violet smiled. "Yes. there will be." Acxa nodded and took her hand, and Violet led her from the carnage of what used to be her home. The girl looked back as they walked over a hill, but Violet gently turned her face away.
"Don't," she said. "That only makes it harder."
"I hope you're right," Acxa said softly, and didn't look back again.
"Violet!"The flashback ended, and Violet was thrown back into the present, panting. Keith was kneeling next to her, hands on her shoulders, as if he'd been shaking her. He slumped back, exhaling. "You really have to stop doing that to me, Vi."Violet winced, massaging her head. "Sorry. It's just, someone else said those words to me - 'I hope you're right' - and it triggered the memory."Keith looked up at her. "Are you okay?"No. "Yes." she stood, stretching. "That's enough sparring for one day, though. If I jump around any more my head's going to explode."Keith took her offered hand. "Fine. But if you have another flashback, come to me. Even if it's the middle of the night. Okay?"She nodded, knowing that Keith meant it. She could knock on his door at three in the morning and he'd let her stay."Thank you, Keith," she said as they left the training room. He looked back at her, eyes fond in a way she couldn't explain.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The group was gathered in the bridge when an alarm went off. Violet frowned - she hated the blaring - and turned to Coran, whose face was pale."What's wrong?" Hunk asked. "you guys look like you saw someone rise form the dead.""That's somewhat accurate," Coran replied, his normally cheery face twisted into something that resembled a ghost. "This is a call for help.""That's nothing new," said Keith."Right. But it's a call for help from an Altean signal."Violet sucked in a breath. "You mean - Alteans sent that distress code? We're not the only ones left?" Her feet moved of their own accord, rushing to the control panel. "Get the coordinates. We have to find them."Keith said, "Hold up. What if it's bait? Just because it's an Altean signal doesn't mean Alteans used it." Violet whipped around, about to snap at him that they had to find the ship, had to rescue it, but Allura said for her, "The call came from an Altean vessel, Keith. We've got to know who sent it."Keith didn't look happy, but he conceded. Violet paced around the ship as Allura wormholed it to the coordinates. Alteans. This opened so many new doors - maybe there could be a secret army, or a chance of an alliance, or-Violet refused to give the thought hope, in fear she'd jinx it."That looks like a research vessel. My father used them for exploring the far reaches of the universe," Allura said as they exited the wormhole. A ship was stuck in what looked like a bright black hole, half of it protruding.Coran informed them, "The ship's mainframe says it was sent for scientific discovery. But I don't see any other records ... strange.""So how did it get inside that wormhole?" Lance questioned.Hunk asked, "That is a wormhole, right?""If so, I haven't seen any other wormhole like it," Coran replied."There's huge levels of energy coming from it, and quintessence readings are off the chart in the center, where the vessel is," Pidge reported.Violet turned to the paladins. "What is someone is trapped aboard it? We have to help them.""Vi, we don't know what the wormhole is capable of," said Keith. "We could be destroyed.""Not Voltron," Violet shot back. "It's the most powerful weapon in the universe. Voltron could take it.""Violet is right," said Allura. "Voltron should be able to withstand the force of the wormhole. It is our responsibility as paladins to aid anyone in there in need of assistance.""I still have a hunch this is some kind of elaborate setup," Keith replied, brows furrowed."Even if it is, aren't we relying on 'should be?'" Hunk asked. "We don't know for sure that Voltron can take this.""You don't understand!" Violet snapped. "We have to go in. There could be Alteans inside there. My-" She paused before she could say the words. My mother could be in there. "I'm going," she finished, lifting her chin defiantly. "With or without Voltron.""Cool your jets, Vi," said Lance. "We'll go."Violet relaxed slightly. "Good."The paladins went to their lions, forming Voltron. They approached the black hole."Okay, let's be cautious," Keith instructed. "Pidge, what are we looking at here?""It's a really big wormhole."Keith blinked. "Isn't there anything ... techy you want to say?""There's nothing to say," Pidge replied. "I've never seen anything like this before.""I'll do a bio check," volunteered Hunk. He got back a beep. "Huh. There aren't any life sources on the vessel."Violet's heart sank. "But who made the distress call?""Probably someone on the other side of the ship," said Allura. "We must go through the wormhole to find them.""Are you referring to the almost certainly dangerous, explosive sparkly wormhole?" asked Lance. "Sounds safe," Violet said cheerfully. "Let's go.""Watch Voltron's energy levels, Pidge. Everybody else, get ready to back out if things get heated," Keith ordered, moving Voltron towards the black hole.Voltron inched forward into the white mass of energy. Violet gasped as it was enveloped, a strange feeling washing over her, sort of like a weighted blanket made of the warmth you felt when you were sitting in the sun. It wasn't exactly unpleasant, and was gone the next second as they came out the other side, but left a tingling sensation along her limbs.She exchanged glances with Keith, who was looking at her with a frown. "That's weird," he muttered, half to himself."What?""For a second there, you looked ... like..." he shook his head. "Different. I don't know. It's probably nothing.""Ooookay," Violet said slowly, wondering if the tingling feeling hadn't been shared among the rest of the paladins. "Coran, have you managed to-" she cut off. "Wait. Coran?"Nothing. Voltron turned around to where the Castle of Lions should've been - where there was now nothing but empty space.Hunk detected multiple biorhythms aboard the ship, oddly. The only choice was to enter the spacecraft and find the Alteans.Violet let the hope she'd been cultivating grow. Could her mother be one of the Alteans on the ship?Violet and the others snuck onto the ship, entering an abandoned chamber. "Can we get a message to broadcast over the speakers?" suggested Violet. "Some kind of announcement that we're here?""Uh, guys?" asked Hunk."No," Allura replied, cutting over him. "We don't have access to the ship's mainframe. It seems to be broken anyways.""Could we power it?" Violet prompted. "Because we're Alteans?""Guys," Hunk said, louder. "You really need to-""You shouldn't," Keith interrupted. "Both of you. We don't know what kind of ship this is, or who's on it. We shouldn't engage.""Guys!" Hunk yelled. "The biorhythms are getting really close to us!""What?!" Violet yelped, frantically smoothing down her hair. "Why didn't you say so sooner?"Before Hunk could answer, the doors banged open, and people entered the room. Violet stifled a gasp as she saw their faces - Alteans.The woman who looked to be in charge had raspberry-colored hair, her gaze fierce as she scoured the group. Her eyes fell on Allura, and they widened in surprise. "Your Majesty!"Allura looked around, confused. "I - I beg your pardon?"The woman dropped to one knee. "Are you Allura, former Empress of Altea?""It's just Princess Allura," Allura replied. "Stand, please.""My name is General Hira," the woman said, rising. "How can you be alive? You were killed over ten thousand years before. All the same, we are honored to be in your pre-" She finally saw Violet, and she stepped back in shock. Hira recovered, her face contorting in anger, and shouted, "It's her! Guards!"The people behind her in armor rushed for Violet. "What is the meaning of this?" Allura demanded. "We come here to help you!"Violet drew her blades as the guards circled her. "So Allura gets bowing for being Altean and I get attacked? This seems kind of unfair." "I apologize, Empress," Hira said, as if Violet hadn't spoken at all, "But this is the Scythe."Violet snorted so hard she almost dropped her dagger. "Excuse me?"Hira turned her angry gaze on Violet, finally acknowledging her. "Thanks to Empress Allura's work, Zarkon's reign ended before it could begin. But some Galra still gathered their armies. They bided their time, growing stronger, until they had enough power to begin attacking Altea. They were aided by one of our own - an Altean."Violet's smirk slipped off her face. She had a feeling where this was going."With the Altean's knowledge, they were able to target the palace, slaughtering anyone in their way. The betrayer snuck into the castle and killed Empress Allura herself. We call her the Scythe, for the quick, unyielding blow she dealt upon us. It was only a life-saving invention that halted the Galra long enough for us to drive them out."Violet's daggers hung limp at her sides, forgotten. "You're saying I still fought for the Galra?" she asked softly. "That I - that I killed Allura?""That can't be right," Pidge exclaimed. "Guys, I think this is an alternate reality. We must have passed through it when we entered the black hole.""Wherever you came from, we still cannot allow the Scythe on our ship," Hira said, voice cold. "Iraj, take her away. You know what to do."A man with teal markings and glasses nodded, stepping towards Violet. The fight had gone out of her; she didn't protest as the guards grabbed her roughly by the shoulders."Violet stays with us," Keith protested, stepping in front of her. "This isn't the same person who betrayed you. She's part of the team.""She will not be hurt," Iraj said mildly. He smiled. "We won't put her in a cell or harm her. Empress, surely you understand why we cannot let the Scythe roam free aboard our ship."Still looking startled, Allura stammered, "I - of course. Violet, will you...?""No," Keith snapped. "I won't let you.""Keith." Violet put a hand on his shoulder. "It's fine. I'll be okay."Thousands of conflicted emotions raged across his face. "Promise me," Keith said softly. "Promise me you'll be okay.""I promise."Begrudgingly, he let her pass. Violet refused to look back as the guards led her away. She followed Iraj to a room, where he stood at some kind of panel. "Please, sit," he said, still smiling that odd smile. "You are welcome here."Violet frowned. "Do you ... is there anyone else on this ship?"He shook his head. "Only our scientific discovery unit. Why? Do you remember someone?""No," Violet said quickly, her heart deflating. She blew out a breath. "Would you mind telling me more about - about who I was in your world? I'd like to know as much as I can.""Of course." Violet tried not to shiver. Stars, his voice was creepy. "Empress Allura was one of the greatest leaders of our time. Not only did she defeat Zarkon, she invented the hoktril, our civilization's most advanced technological achievement. She created it shortly before her death. It was the sole reason the Alteans survived the battle.""The ... hoktril?" Violet sounded the word out on her tongue. "Only a bit weird. I cannot imagine Allura saying that, though. What does it do?""You will find out soon," Iraj said pleasantly. "The hoktril saps the will of its host. They have no intent to fight, or do anything beyond what we tell them. We can control them. Using the hoktril, Alteans were able to use it on the Galra. We now use it to spread peace and stability throughout the universe.""Go back to the 'saps the will' part, please," Violet said. "It - it takes away their free will? They become slaves?""Oh, no. Slaves can rise up and fight," Iraj corrected, beaming. "Hosts of the hoktril have no will do to so. their lives are preserved without conflict.""You're taking their minds," Violet said, appalled. Her voice rose. "You're not spreading peace - you're spreading corruption. I have to warn Allura!"She spun on her heel to race from the room, but the guards stopped her. "I'm afraid you cannot do that," Iraj said calmly. "Restrain her."Violet drew her throwing stars. "Try me, old man."The guards attacked, but she was ready. Violet tossed two of her stars, aiming for the first's eyes; she spun before she could see if they'd hit, ducking under it's legs and stabbing the second in the chest.It let out a choked gurgle, grabbing her by the arms. Violet wrenched herself free, but not before she lost precious seconds; she whirled, instinct bringing her longest blade up as the third guard brought its gun down.There was a blast, and Violet cried out as a shot from one's gun grazed her side. Her grip faltered, and the guard pushed her away. Violet regained her balance, preparing to spring for them-And felt something cold at the back of her neck.Violet stopped.There was ice rushing through her head, slowly frosting over every thought. She straightened, spine stiffening, daggers slipping and falling to the ground. Iraj stepped out from behind her, smiling. There was something attached to the back of her neck - Violet tried to reach for it, but she couldn't move her arms. She couldn't speak."You didn't have to struggle," Iraj said, irritation flashing on his face as he poked at the two guard's unmoving forms on the ground. The last, with her stars still protruding from its eyes, was stumbling around incoherently. "Hira should have gotten the empress to do her work for her by now. She always was a master manipulator." He smiled gleefully at Violet's unblinking form. "Soon, with an ancient Altean to power our ship, we will be able to fly back to Altea. With the legendary Scythe, now a servant to us - if will be a message of peace to everyone. And a warning to all the pesky rebels that have been poking our sides for too long."Violet was screaming internally. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think - the ice was marching down her veins, clouding over every part of her body. She felt the broken fragments of her mind begin to freeze over, encasing her in a wall of stone-Iraj snapped his fingers, and she moved. Violet had no control over her body; she walked without thinking. He was controlling her. She fought wildly, trying to break out of the thing he'd put her in, but it was too late."Ah, there we go," Iraj said as a hum started up through the ship. Lights began to turn on, bathing the room in blue. They walked back to the room where Violet had exited ten minutes ago. Keith and the others were standing where they'd been before, but Allura was at the controls - she'd powered the ship. Violet tried to speak, to get a word out, but it was impossible.Keith jumped to his feet when he saw her. "Vi? What - what did you do to her?" He rounded angrily on Iraj."Do not be mad, Keith," Violet said, except it wasn't her voice and she wasn't the one moving her mouth. "I'm much better than I was before." She felt her lips curl into a smile."What have you done to Violet?" Allura demanded Hira."I do not know what you're talking about," Hira said smoothly."Her pupils are white," Lance retorted. "Look at her. Vi, what's wrong?""General Iraj fixed me," Violet said brightly. "I am in debt to him."Keith's gaze caught on the guards. "What happened to the others?" he asked. "You left with three. Now you have one. She fought you. What did you do?""I think we've tolerated you long enough," said Hira. "You all have conspired with the Scythe." She turned to Allura. "Empress, come with us. You can go back to Altea. Leave these betrayers behind."For a second, Violet thought Allura would agree. But she lifted her chin. "These are my friends," she said. "Even Violet. I am not your Empress."Hira's lip curled. "Oh, I'm aware. But it is fine - with our ship powered, we no longer need you. Guards!"More guards swarmed into the room - far too many for a scientific discovery unit, Violet noted. The paladins took on battle stances, activating their bayards. "Do not do this," Violet said, looking at Keith. "There is no need to fight. I must return to Altea. Let me go."His eyes narrowed. "Never."Violet felt her face twist in fury, though it wasn't hers. "Then you will die with your friends."The guards attacked, firing at the paladins. Allura engaged Hira, while Hunk, Pidge and Lance fought off the guards. With horror, Violet found herself striding towards Keith. Her hands slid over her dagger's shafts. Which shall be the one to plunge into his heart?Run, she screamed at him. Keith, please, please run.He did no such thing. Violet drew her blades and charged. Keith dodged her first attack, nimbly avoiding the second blow to his unguarded side. They began to fight, without the easy way of yesterday. Violet felt sick. She was going to kill him.The ice in her veins slowly creeped into her blood, sliding towards her heart. Violet poured every ounce of defiance into stopping it, preventing it from covering her entirely. She could only watch as she swiped at Keith, her blades coming within an inch of his face. He went for her side, and feinted, catching her off guard. He grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the nearest wall. Violet cried out as the thing at the base of her neck was crushed; in that instant, the ice transformed into fire, writhing and choking her.Violet gasped. She felt like her head was burning, but it was finally her head again. She had control. "Keith," she gritted out.He paused. "Vi?"And then she was gone, and she couldn't move again as she leapt at him. Keith staggered back, barely managing to get out of the way in time as her blade passed a hair's breadth by his throat.She fought viciously for control, beating back the fire in her blood with everything she had. Violet drove Keith back, aiming for his chest, and jerked her hand away before it could land the blow. She dropped the dagger, forcing her hands open."You're still here," Keith said, relief evident in his voice. "Fight it, Vi.""You don't understand," she replied, drawing another blade. "I don't need to. I am so much better off now than I was with you."He flinched, and she sprang, knocking Keith against the wall. Her knife pressed into his chest, and Violet wrenched control back to herself, stopping the blade."You promised," Keith said. Something in his voice cracking open. "You promised you'd be okay."She felt tears rise, and then stop - stop, as that thing in her veins moved again, speeding towards her heart. "I am okay, Keith," she said. "I'm more than okay."Keith's eyes were full of pain. "No, you're not."He kicked her in the stomach. Violet stumbled back, caught off guard, her dagger falling from his chest, and Keith jumped.He leapt over her head, Violet watching, frozen in wonder. Keith landed behind her, the movement flawless, and cut off the hoktril attached to her neck with bayard.The fire in her veins shrieked, recoiling. Violet cried out, knees buckling, as her mind tried to reorient itself, to push out the flames, and the-With a final shove, Violet forced the fire and ice from her head, and with it came the memories.They filled the gaps in her mind, storming through her, and Violet remembered.She remembered his face, the first one she'd laid eyes on after being taken from Veronica.She remembered how at first, when she'd screamed and thrown things and demanded to be taken back to her family, he'd waited patiently before explaining to her that her family had left her, and that she had to leave them behind in that composed, always-patient way of his.She remembered how at first, she'd agreed to spend time with him if only to try to aggravate him and see him flustered. How she was able to do so easily, and she lorded it over him at every chance.She remembered the first time she agreed to go outside with him, if only to taste the air again. How they were attacked by someone, and he saved her - how that act earned her trust. How later on, she'd realized he'd planned it up in the first place.She remembered how after that, they'd become allies - not yet friends, until the day he'd opened up to her about his parents, his lineage, and she hadn't balked. Hadn't run, like everyone else.She remembered how they were a team, conquering the world together. How they were unstoppable, and how great it felt to be fighting with him.She remembered how that all stopped when they'd burned a village, and she'd realized there were people in there, innocent people. That was when the doubt crept into her mind, when she began to look more closely at what he did.She remembered Acxa - her silvery laugh, the way the two of them would stay up until the sun rose and talk, like sisters. How, when Violet began to doubt her loyalty to him, Acxa's only grew.She remembered how she felt when she uncovered his lies - he was the one who'd taken her from earth, not a Galra cruiser that would've put her in their slave camps. He wasn't her savior; he was her capturer. She'd felt betrayed, and furious at herself for believing him, but most of all, sad. Sad that he wasn't who she wanted him to be; sad that what she'd thought they'd had together wasn't real.She remembered Ezor and Zethrid - how she'd been friendly with them at first, but their passion for evil had been overwhelming. How when she revealed the brunt of what they did, the lives they destroyed, they hadn't flinched. How they had slowly turned on her, until their group was nothing more than rivals vying for his approval.She remembered Narti and Kova. Narti had always been distant, her muteness and Violet's lack of conversation skills stopping them from ever becoming close; Violet was actually closer to Kova, who would slip into her room sometimes during the night. Violet assumed it was because she was good with cats; although Kova did hiss at her often throughout the day, she woke up enough times covered in cat hair to understand he was a bit afraid of her, too.She remembered packing her things in the middle of the night, taking little, remembered the nervousness and anticipation that had curdled her gut. She remembered the Galra cruiser, then the darkness, and just before that his face, the last thing she saw, eyes folded fondly, mouth curved into a smile.Lotor.Violet snapped back to the present with a hoarse cry, her brain feeling like it had been sucked out through her ears, turned to jello, played with, and then inserted back into her head. She was on her knees - it seemed only a few seconds had passed.She looked up. Before her was a boy with dark hair and darker eyes. He was calling her name."It's me," she said. "I - I'm so sorry." With a jolt, she remembered what she'd done. She tried to kill him. Tried to stab his heart with her knives.He caught her shoulders, his grip light but firm. "Don't be." He had a shallow cut on his arm - had she done that? "Just ... tell me you're okay."She met his eyes. "I'm okay. For real this time." Keith nodded, releasing her. Violet felt the back of her neck. There was an imprint on her skin where the hoktril had been - it didn't hurt, but it might scar from where it had been stuck to her.Had been stuck to her. Blinding rage coursed through Violet, and she stood, legs wobbling. It looked like they'd won - the bodies of the guards were strewn about the floor, and Allura had Hira on the ground. Iraj was cowering by the door.Violet rounded on Iraj. "I'm going to shove your stupid fist down your stupid throat so far you won't be able to make your stupid smile," she growled, starting towards him, but Lance caught her arm. He looked wary."It's over, Vi. We need to get out of here."Violet looked around. "Fine. What happened while I was being a mind-controlled zombie slave?""Hira told me that I could power the ship," Allura spoke up. "I did, and then they turned on us." She looked queasy. "It is my fault all of this happened. I trusted Hira immediately. I can't believe I was so gullible!""Allura, it's not your fault," Violet assured her. "We all rushed into this headlong. Guys, I'm sorry - I was the one who insisted we come here in the first place." She sighed. "I thought there was a chance my mother would be on the ship, but ... she wasn't."Keith didn't seem surprised. Violet wondered if he'd guessed - if he knew her that well. "I understand. Let's get back to the lions."The team left the room, going back to their lions. Violet rode with Keith as Voltron flew back through the black hole, emerging on the other side to a frantic Coran. "Thanks the stars!" he exclaimed when he saw them. "You're back! Paladins, are you okay? What happened?""We're good, Coran," Keith replied. "And boy, do we have a story to tell you.""Starting with mine," Violet added. "When Keith cut off the hoktril, my memories came back." Her gaze fell. "All of them."They returned to the castle, where Violet sat in the lounge."When I was ten, I was captured by the Galra. I thought it was a warlord, like Sendak, who was going to kill me. However, the ship I was held in was broken into. A Galra rescued me, and let me aboard his ship. His name was Lotor."There was a collective gasp. "I demanded to go back to earth," Violet continued. "I threw things at him. Once I actually managed to nail him in the head with a lamp. But he was ... persuasive. He convinced me that I'd been abandoned, that this was my life. I never stopped missing my family, but as the months passed, the thought that I'd ever see them again got less and less likely. I didn't have anywhere else to go, so I joined him. Eventually, he earned my trust."Lotor was the one who trained me. He gave me my mask, my weapons, and fought with me. I think ... I think I got 'stars' from him. He said it a lot and I caught on."Pidge blinked. "So using 'stars' as an expression really is a Galra thing.""He told me we were liberating the planets we hit." Violet shook her head. "We were destroying them. Lotor told me there wasn't a difference. He said there was no good and bad, that there was only power, but that he didn't want it."Lance snorted. "That's a lie.""I believed it, though," Violet said quietly. "I ate it all up. He said the towns we wiped out were innocent, but that they were cruel, bad people, and that they were calculated sacrifices made so that other planets, like Earth, could be safe. We were friends - he told me about how he grew up, and I told him about Veronica and my life on Earth. For a while, everything was good. I began to recruit others - half-breeds like me, that Lotor saw potential in. The first, Acxa, was very close to me. But everything he'd given me was a veneer, and once I ripped it away, I was horrified."Violet paused. "Everything after that is a blur. I confronted him; I told him I was going to leave. I think that was when he took my memories. Wiped away all the ones I had of him. One of the generals, Narti - she comes from a race that has the power to steal memories. She was utterly devoted to Lotor - she would have done it if he'd asked." Her fists clenched. "He passed me off as a prisoner. He left me. But I escaped - I don't think he planned that. And I met you all, and now..." she trailed off, unable to finish. Would they hate her? Probably. Violet hesitantly glanced up.She was taken aback by the affection in their eyes. "Vi," Keith said, "We don't blame you for working with Lotor."Allura chimed in, "We've already accepted that you've done bad things in the past. This doesn't change anything.""You're one of us now," Lance finished. "Besides. If you messed up Lotor's perfect hair when you hit him with the lamp, you're more than forgiven."For the first time in what felt like days, Violet grinned.-Dreams of Acxa and Lotor's face chased Violet from sleep. She used to have nightmares back at home, so she was used to it - strange visions of flashing lights behind her eyes and small, clipped fragments of a woman with short, dark hair and golden eyes. Violet gave up on sleep and began sharpening her blades. She'd gotten an actual metal rod to use as opposed to another blade, but it was loud, and it was the middle of the night.Violet was about to leave her room and flop aimlessly about the castle when she felt her mind darken. And then she heard the black lion, repeating one word, over and over again in her head:
Shiro.
Violet sprinted from her room and down the halls to the hangar. Keith was already there, deactivating the barrier around his lion. He turned when he heard her enter. "Vi, it's-""I know," she said. "We have to go."Keith nodded, and they entered the black lion, taking off under the cover of the night. "Blacky, give us coordinates," Violet commanded. "Show us. Where is he?"In response, a blinking red dot appeared on Keith's screen. He pushed the thrusters forward at a faster pace, and they hurled through the galaxy."Do you think it's him?" Keith asked quietly after a beat of silence."It has to be." Violet didn't know what this would mean for the team, but they were getting their leader back. "The black lion can feel him."They reached the coordinates - a single Galra fighter was drifting, alone. A man was slumped in the cockpit, with long hair and ragged clothes. Violet almost didn't recognize him."He's alive," she said to Keith, her voice catching. "Knocked out, but - it's Shiro."She heard him release a long breath. "Okay. Bring him in."She flew Shiro to the black lion, its jaws opening with ease. Barely five seconds later, Keith emerged from his seat, rushing over to Shiro. "I can't believe it."There was a crackle, and Allura's voice came over their headsets. "Keith, Vi, come in. What are you doing? It's the middle of the night! You went off in the black lion without any warning! Alone!"Violet simply said, "Wake everyone up, Allura. We found Shiro."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
After the better part of the night and the next morning, Shiro awoke in his former room. Keith hadn't left his side the whole night, and Violet hadn't left his. All she could think was, this is wrong. Keith is the black paladin now - where will Shiro fit in? Then she'd felt guilty for thinking too tactically about their roles. Shiro was their leader, their space dad; he belonged on the team."All I can recall is fighting Zarkon for control of Blacky," Shiro said as Violet poured him a cup of water. "He hit Voltron right where I was - I remember being in pain. Then ... Blacky told me to use my bayard, and ... black. I woke up on a Galra cruiser.""Why would Blacky do that?" Violet wondered. "Maybe she did something when you used your bayard, unlocked some kind of power."Shiro looked skeptical. "Unless the power is transporting me onto a Galra ship, I'm not sure what it could be." He shook his head. "At least I'm here now.""Yeah. At least you're here now," Violet echoed.Keith placed a hand on his shoulder. "The paladins would be really happy seeing you, if you feel up for it. They need their Shiro back."Shiro nodded. "I know.""We'll be with the others," said Violet. She and Keith exited the room."Keith?" asked Shiro. The paladin turned at the doorway. "What?"Shiro smiled wryly. "How many times will you rescue me before we end this war?" Keith grinned back. "As much as I have to."Violet poked her head in. "Are you two are done with your special bro bonding moment? If you need more time to chest-bump or anything, tell me, because I won't wait up." She ducked out.Shiro chuckled softly. "How has everyone been since I've been gone?""You should see for yourself," said Keith. "A ... lot has changed." he glanced back to the space where Violet had left. "There's some stuff you need to catch up on."He looked back and realized Shiro was raising an eyebrow at him. "What?"Shiro cleared his throat. "There's nothing ... going on with you two? You seem much closer than when I disappeared."Keith's face turned bright red. "No. Shiro, that's not - I'm going now. Bye." He scrambled out of the room."If there is, then I approve!" Shiro called.Violet, apparently, had waited. She was standing a little ways away from the room, her head cocked quizzically to the side. "Approve of what?"Keith looked more flustered than she'd ever seen him, his ears pink. "Nothing. Let's go."-There was a knock on her door. Before Violet could say 'come in,' Lance walked in and plopped down on her bed."Thank you so much for respecting my privacy," Violet said, annoyed. "What if I didn't have clothes on and you walked in on me?"Lance waved his hand in her general vicinity. "I wouldn't care. We're friends. And besides, I knocked."Violet was about to scold him when she noticed his face. Lance wasn't smiling. He looked troubled, which concerned her more than anything. "What's wrong?"Lance sighed. "Something's nagged at me for a while, and you're the only one with half a brain cell on this ship.""True," Violet noted. "Keep going.""Now, if my math is right - and it usually isn't, but in this case it is - we have six paladins now that Shiro's returned and five lions."Violet had a guess where this was going, and she didn't like it. But she said, "Substantial math.""I'm just thinking ... once Shiro's back as the black paladin, Keith might want Red back. And Allura's already connected to Blue - maybe more than I ever was. So ... maybe, it's in everyone's best interests if I step down as a paladin. Leave all the fighting to the others.""What?" Violet exclaimed. "How could you believe that, Lance?"Lanced replied dully, "This is war. People's lives are on the line. And they need someone who won't mess stuff up."Violet sat down on her bed, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Lance. How could you ever think that you're not a valuable part of the team? Voltron needs you. We all need you. And not just because you're an asset to the team, but because we'd fall apart without you."Lance didn't look convinced; Violet pressed on. "Look, I know you don't see it, but I do. Everyone has their place: Shiro is our leader; we can rely on him to always have our backs. Keith is the loner; we can count on him to see the whole picture, and to take risks we normally would never take, to push ourselves to be the best we can be."Pidge is the smart one; she stays practical in every situation, is good under pressure, and always has a way out. Hunk is the kind one; he values our opinions, makes sure we're all doing okay, and is scared for us when we can't let ourselves be."Violet met Lance's eyes. "You - you're the glue holding us together, Lance. You're the one who always looks out for us, but it's more than that. You could face down an army of Galra, Zarkon himself, and still go down swinging to protect us. You mess a lot of stuff up, but never when it comes to being a paladin. You're always there to defend us, to fight for us, and we need that in the team. We need you." Lance's eyes were lined with silver. "Thanks, Vi." he grinned. "But I'm not the glue that holds us together. You are."Violet blinked in surprise. "I can't explain it as well as you," he said, "But without you we'd crumble, Vi. Everyone knows we'd all have been dead twice over if it wasn't for you, in more ways than one."Violet felt her eyes mist, and she threw her arms around Lance. He hugged her back, smiling affectionately. "I know, I know. I give amazing pep talks."There was a knock on the door. "It's Keith. Can I come in?"Violet broke away and stood, opening the door for him. "See, Lance, that's what a polite person would do," she said. There was a flash of something on Keith's face when he saw Lance on her bed - almost like jealousy? - Violet shook it off."Pidge built some kind of crazy tech gizmo with Hunk," said Keith. "It's some kind of surprise bonding activity we're supposed to do.""We'll be right there," Violet said, turning to Lance. "Do I need to give another motivational speech, or are you good?"He stood. "I'm good. Let's go."Violet nodded in acknowledgement, trying to convey silently that she was there for him. They filed out of her room. "Lance, one last thing," Violet asked, pausing as he came last."What?"Violet smirked. "Let Pidge to the math from now on, 'kay?"-When they got to the bridge, Pidge had a glint to her eyes that deeply unnerved Violet. "You guys have to see this!" she exclaimed. "It took a while, and we didn't want to let anyone down so we didn't show it at first but now it's ready and this is going to be the best thing EVER.""Pidge, slow down," Violet said. "What did you do?"Hunk stepped forward, drawing something out from behind his back. It was a metal rod with a red button. "Introducing the lightsaber 2.00 Space Edition!" He flicked the button, and a beam of light shot from the side, glowing yellow.Violet shrieked. "YOU MADE LIGHTSABERS?" She practically tackled Hunk. Veronica had still been in her Star Wars phase when she'd left - she would love these. "Do I have one? Where is it?""Here," Pidge said, pulling out a box. "They're each responsive to the color of our suits; I'm green, Keith is red, Allura's pink, and so on. Coran, you're orange; Shiro, you're purple - like Mace Windu - and Vi, you're silver."Violet grabbed hers and flicked it on. A silver beam of light tinged with purple shot from the side. She grinned, giving it a few swipes. This was going to be fun."I don't think I understand," Allura said, holding hers confusedly. "What is a saber of light? Some kind of weapon?""It's from Star Wars," Lance explained. Seeing their faces, he gasped. "You mean - you've never seen Star Wars?" he smirked. "So you don't know that Darth Vader is Luke's-"Violet was across the room with a dagger against Lance's throat in less than a second. "Do not finish that," she warned. "I really, really hate spoilers.""Clearly," Lance peeped."Well, Princess, Star Wars was a movie about space," Pidge explained. "The weapons they used were called lightsabers - ultraviolet beams of light equal to the mass of a tiny sun that could slice through basically anything if given enough force. Hunk and I were mostly able to replicate the machinery, though the complex function used to power the heat was tricky, so mostly they're only light beams because of the radiation flares-""In other words," Violet cut in, "We're going to have the most epic lightsaber fight in the history of lightsaber fights." she twirled her saber.Keith smirked. "You know what would make it even better?""What?""If it was in the dark."-Pidge and Violet had decided on the rules, with input from Shiro.Once Allura turned off the castle lights, the game began. There were four rooms you could be in: the training room, the cafeteria, the lounge and the control room. Hallways were fine. No trespassing. No light allowed other than the sabers, which would give you away once you turned them on. Once you were run through with the beam of light, you were out.Violet started out in the hallway, making her way to the cafeteria. With her training and her Altean senses, she had the most advantages out of the team - proved by the fact that she could hear Lance making vwoom vwoom noises somewhere in the lounge. Keith would be hard to beat, since he matched her in strength and agility, but in the cover of the darkness, she was nothing more than a shadow.This would be too easy.There was the sound of footfalls. Violet quickly pressed herself against the wall, barely breathing. She couldn't see anything but the faint outline of a person.She entered the cafeteria, careful not to make a sound, and listened. Heavy breathing coming from her left, probably behind the counter. She listened for another set and found nothing - one person, then. Maybe Hunk.Violet sidled up to the counter. Keeping her footfalls even, she slipped over the side and flicked on her lightsaber. The bright silver glow illuminated Pidge's terrified face as she brought down the saber, effectively spearing the girl in half. Pidge screamed.Violet smirked, withdrawing her saber. "Sorry, Pidge. Looks like you're out.""Aw, man," she muttered. "I hate being bait."The words registered at the same time Violet heard the quiet click of a button being pressed. She dove to the side as a yellow glow lit the room and Hunk's lightsaber sliced through the air where she'd just been, the girl sprinting from where she'd been waiting in the shadows.Cursing, Violet leapt to her feet. Hunk already had the saber pointed at her chest. "Yeah!" Pidge cried from where she was cowering under the counter. "Team Punk for the win!""Wait!" Violet yelled. "Hunk, please!"He stopped, his lightsaber still raised. "Don't listen to her, Hunk," Pidge warned. "Take her out!""You fools," Violet hissed. "Don't you get it? I'm the only one who can stop Keith from winning. We both know Shiro could never take him out - he's too soft. Do you want him to be gloating about it for the rest of time?"Hunk looked dubious. "Don't fall for it, Hunk," Pidge warned. "She's trying to trick you."Before the paladin could move, there was a blaze of light, and with a hum, blue light burst out of Hunk's chest. He gasped, looking down, as Lance withdrew his lightsaber from where he'd stabbed her. "Whoops. Sorry, Hunk."Violet smirked as Lance helped her to her feet. She'd heard his lightsaber sound effects pause, and had stalled Hunk long enough for Lance to arrive at the cafeteria. She knew she could use him if she talked about Keith winning."Let's team up to get Keith," Lance offered.Violet smiled back, savoring the moment where she could plunge her saber into his back. "Looking forward to it."She paused as they passed the hallway by the training room. She could detect quiet breathing, so faint her ears strained to pick it up. Stiffening, Violet peered into the shadows, making out the faint outline of someone about Lance's height - with a mullet. Keith."Vi?" Lance whispered. "What is it?"She turned away. "Nothing. We should go to the bridge. I think that's where Keith is."Lance nodded. "Good plan." as they walked away, Violet glanced behind her one last time, but he was gone.-"H-hello? Paladins?" in the darkness, Coran's voice rang off the walls. "I can't get to the button on my saber ... could anyone help? Hard to see in the dark." A nervous chuckle. "...guys? Allura? Anyone?"Nothing. There was a fumbling, as if someone was trying to turn on their lightsaber, and a loud clang. "Oh, quiznak."-Once they got to the bridge, a faint, reddish glow could be seen. Nodding to Lance, Violet crept around a pillar and waited, listening to the person stumbling around."Lance? Violet? Is that you?"Violet blinked, and motioned frantically for Lance to stay back. Lance did no such thing. He stepped out from his hiding spot, raising his hands. "Sorry, Allura. Thought you were Keith."Allura had her lightsaber raised like a lantern. "Lance! Please don't kill me. I have no idea how to play this game, and it's dark, and I think Keith is out to get me-" she broke off, shivering."Here," Lance said, drawing her closer. "It must be unnerving, in the dark. You can team up with us."Allura beamed. "Of course," she said. "May I see your lightsaber? I think mine might not be working properly."Lance said, "Uh ... I don't think-"Allura batted her eyelashes at him.The blue lightsaber was in Allura's hand within the span of a second, Lance blushing furiously. "Anything for you, princess," he said flirtatiously.Allura drove the saber into his gut.Letting out a choked noise, Lance fell to his knees. Allura deactivated the blue lightsaber, tossing it to his feet. "You can come out now, Violet," she called. "Or Hunk or Pidge. I don't know who Lance teamed up with, but I can hear you."Violet stepped out from behind the pillar. "Very clever, princess," she said. "I could use you on my side. Keith and Shiro are battling in the training room. I say we let them finish each other off and take out the survivors."Lance gaped. "But you said-""I would love that!" Allura said cheerfully. They strode from the room, leaving Lance on the floor. "Earthen games are so fun!"-Shiro was in the training room where he saw the red glow."Go now, Keith," he said, back turned. "I don't want to have to fight you."He heard footsteps behind him. "It's going to happen sooner or later, Shiro. Might as well be sooner." There was a hum as a lightsaber was drawn, a red glow brightening the room.Shiro turned to face Keith, his purple lightsaber whooshing out as well. "Then I'm sorry I have to do this."Light flashed, purple against red, filling the room with the sound of battle.-Violet and Allura paused at the doorway to the training room. Blinding bursts of crimson and purple flashed against the darkness of the room, paired Keith and Shiro's grunts and clashes and they fought."Come with me," Violet murmured to Allura. "I'll deal with them." she slipped into the room, fingering her saber. She could make out Keith's face, bathed in red, as he panted, bringing his saber up in an arc. Shiro ducked, diving for Keith's unguarded side and knocking his saber away. It clattered to the floor, skidding and gently knocking against Violet's feet.Shiro stood over Keith, triumphant. He raised his lightsaber. "We both know it had to end this way," he said. "No hard feelings."In the purple saber's light, Keiht's eyes flashed to where his lightsaber was on the floor, illuminating Violet's boots. His eyes widened."Keith!" Violet yelled, throwing the red lightsaber. Hearing her voice, Shiro looked to where she was, puzzled, as the saber sailed across the room. It landed in Keith's palm, and, flicking the button, he drove the beam of red light into Shiro's heart.Violet watched as Shiro gasped in shock, watching the saber sticking out of his chest. Losing his balance, he tumbled to the floor, Keith rising.Walking over to where he stood in the center of the training room, Violet said, "'Scuse me, Keith," and spun towards the doors, drawing her saber and slicing it clean through where Allura was standing, watching the ordeal. She cried out as the pale light cut through her body, staring at Violet in betrayal. "How dare you!"Violet pulled back her saber, facing Keith. "Looks like it's just us."Keith smirked. "Was there ever a chance it wouldn't be?" He began to circle her. Violet noticed the others creeping into the room, Lance and Pidge and Hunk, to watch.Violet sprang at Keith, her saber cutting through the air; he dodged, ducking away. They exchanged blow after blow, Keith meeting her hits, the white and red light like blood and bone providing the only illumination.Violet flipped away after another clash of sabers, deactivating her saber. Quieting her breaths, she slipped into the shadows off the hall. Keith was skilled with one long blade, while she preferred smaller ones. He had the upper hand - which meant she'd have to improvise.As Keith looked around, trying to spot her, she drew her zipline cord - which she'd bought after her lasso broke - and attached it to her gun. As quietly as possible, she readied herself, and shot.The tether cord whistled as it shot through the air, lodging itself on the ceiling. Keith shot around to where the blast from the gun as it released the cord came from, but Violet was already swinging through the air like Tarzan, letting go of the cord at the last second and dropping directly behind Keith.He let out a noise of shock as she hooked her leg behind his, grabbed his saber and forced it from his hand. Shocked, Keith could do nothing as she angled the red lightsaber down, right onto his throat.Violet grinned, releasing Keith. "I win.""You cheated," he grumbled. "Besides, you haven't won anything."She raised an eyebrow at him. "Is that so?"He straightened, smirking. "There's one person you haven't taken out yet."Violet whipped around, but too late. There was a flash, and light speared through her chest like a gold beacon. Coran had finally managed to turn on his lightsaber, and the orange light had hit Violet full-on.She let out a scream of rage, leaping for Coran and knocking the lightsaber from his hand. "No!""It's too late, Violet," said Allura, clapping her hands. The lights blinked back on, illuminating the rest of the group gathered around her. "Coran won.""I did?" Coran asked. "Are you sure?"Violet groaned something that her father would have smacked her for saying out loud and deactivated her lightsaber defeatedly. "I was so close."Shiro chuckled from where he'd been watching on the sidelines. "What you did back there was impressive, Violet," he said. "This was really great, Pidge. Hunk, too.""Yeah," Violet admitted. "I'm going to need you to make a smaller one when we go home. Veronica would be fanatic about real lightsabers.""I still can't believe you stabbed me in the back!" Lance said to Allura. "We had a bonding moment!"Allura frowned. "Are you sure? I can't recall it.""THAT'S HOW IT FEELS!" Keith yelled, pointing an accusing finger at the two.Everyone dissolved into laughter. Looking at her friend's faces, Violet felt an unexpected burst of warmth in her chest. Funny how you realized how much you loved someone when you were rolling on the floor laughing with them.After they had composed themselves, though, the break was over and everyone headed back to the bridge. A few vargas later, Shiro made an announcement."Paladins, suit up. We found Lotor."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The castle arrived at the Va'Kar quadrant, where they'd tracked Lotor to. However, it was a different Galra cruiser that they found, not Lotor's ship."He's definitely there, though," murmured Pidge. "Whatever Lotor is doing on that ship, it's not good."Though she felt sick just to say it, Violet said, "Then we should check it out. This is our chance to stop Lotor before he can do anything worse than he already has."Both Shiro and Keith spoke at the same time. "Alright, everybody," Shiro said, while Keith said, "Here's what we'll do." They both paused for an awkward moment before Keith stepped back. "You take this one, Shiro.""Are you positive he should?" Violet asked, frowning. "No offense, Shiro, but Keith has experience with Lotor. He might be the best leader for this mission."Keith said, "He should. I'll help you guys from the castle; Shiro can take Blacky."With the mission set out, the paladins went to their hangars. However, Shiro didn't fly from the castle like the rest of them. "You good, Shiro? Where's the black lion?" asked Lance."You might have to be the leader for this, Keith," replied Shiro."What? Why? What happened?"Violet couldn't detect any jealousy or irritation in Shiro's voice as he said, "Blacky shut me out. You must still be its paladin.""I knew it!" Violet shouted. "I mean, you're a great leader, Shiro. You'll still be really instrumental at the castle.""Yes, you always do seem to be right about everything, Vi," Keith said dryly. "Hold on. I'll be there in a second."Soon, the black lion joined the others. "It's vital to find out what Lotor is up to on this mission," Shiro instructed. "You'll have to be stealthy. Be quiet and-"There was a loud crash as Lance smacked into a rock pillar, causing it to burst apart. "Got it, Shiro. Quiet. Anything else?"Shiro sighed. "Just ... be careful."As the group snuck aboard the cruiser, Violet began to feel heavy. The feeling worsened as they roamed the ship. It didn't hurt her, but it was strange and intense. She felt her breaths coming in quicker gasps.Noticing, Keith asked, "Vi, are you good?""Not really," she replied. "I'm feeling something."Lance grinned. "You mean your Altean senses are tingling?"Violet had the urge to smack him upside the head. "More like crushing me. It's coming from that direction." She pointed to a path. "And ... it kinda feels like how I felt when we went through that wormhole with the Altean ship in it.""The ship where we almost got stuck in an alternate reality and you almost got turned into a slave-zombie?" Lance asked dubiously."I don't like saying this, but maybe you should go back," Keith said, concerned.Violet rounded on him. "I'm fine. I won't slow you down."He shook his head. "That's not what I meant. If the feeling you're getting is the same from before, this is probably going to be a mission just as dangerous. You just got your memories back, and before that you were, as Lance said so eloquently, a slave-zombie. I don't want you to get hurt again because you pushed yourself too hard.""I have to do this, Keith," Violet replied, her voice intense. "Lotor is my problem. I have a score to settle with him, and I'm not going to just sit back and watch you all try to face him alone." She straightened. "And I'm not sick, or pushing myself too hard. I know my limits."Keith sighed. "Alright." He looked at the group. "We're going straight towards the thing triggering Violet's tingly Altean senses, aren't we?""No doubt," said Lance.Keith grinned. "Then what are we waiting for?"-The thing that tingled Violet's Altean senses was a rock.It looked like a normal ore, except that the power radiating from it almost made Violet fall to her knees. The intensity rolling off it in waves was like something pressing down on her heart."Allura, can you tell us what we're seeing?" Kieth asked. "Pidge, do your thing. Vi-""I'm good," she replied firmly. "It's ... strange, but I'll manage."Pidge was scanning the ore on her wristband. "This is stranger than anything I've seen before," she breathed. "The quintessence levels alone - there's only one possibility. It's Voltron.""Um," said Hunk, "I think you're confusing this comet with the five rainbow lions we left a couple miles away. You see, this is a creepy chunk of space rock that makes Vi's Altean senses tingle, whereas Voltron is the giant dude we form to defeat evil."Pidge batted him away. "I know. I mean that this ore is part of the same material that created Voltron.""Isn't that impossible?" Lance asked. "Voltron was built, like, thousands of years ago by King Alfor. Lotor can't be that old, can he?" He tapped his chin. "How does he still look so pristine and perfect all the time? I wonder if he's using some kind of moisturizer. Do you think he would let me borrow it?""No, he'd kill you," Violet told him. "Lotor caught me trying to steal his hair gel once and refused to talk to me for a week.""Guys, focus," said Shiro. "Princess, can you explain this?""Voltron was built from a comet that crashed on Altea," Allura responded, sounding troubled. "It's possible Lotor could have found another.""Wait," Coran said. "Look, something's happening to the cruiser." There was a gasp. "There's part of the teludav being loaded from it!"Violet said, "But Lotor can't make wormholes if he doesn't have an Alt-" she and Allura gasped at the same time. "This is bad," Violet announced. "This is really, really bad.""What?" Keith demanded.Allura answered in a desolate voice, "The witch working for Zarkon - the one that made the komar - she was Altean. She could be secretly one of us, another survivor. With her to power the teludav, and the ore, Lotor could build a new Voltron. One he could use to conquer the universe.""Does anybody else feel like they're freaking out?" Hunk asked."I do. I am definitely freaking out," Lance confirmed.Keith activated his bayard. "If the comet is here, Lotor has to be close. We should find him and take him out.""We cannot allow Lotor to take that ore," said Shiro. "You have to stop him. You need to form Voltron!""If we take down Lotor, it won't matter if he has the comet," Kieth argued. "I say we put a stop to his scheming. Permanantly.""This is too important. Lotor can easily slip away from you. The ore can't.""I want to get rid of Lotor as much as you, Keith, but Shiro's right," Violet said. "If Lotor gets this, the universe is doomed."Keith blew out a breath. "Fine. We'll get back to the lions. Shiro, if you get an open shot at the teludav, blast it apart."The group abandoned all sense of stealth, running back the way they came. "Paladins, wait," Shiro said suddenly. "The teludav is being loaded onto a cargo ship. You might be able to get to it and attack it before it takes off. I'm sending you the location.""We're on it," Keith replied. They changed course, aiming for a large door. Keith sliced the panel with his sword, and the doors opened.Violet skidded to a stop when she saw who was there. The teludav was there, being loaded onto a cargo ship by Narti, Kova perched on her shoulder. Behind her stood Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor.Narti's head whipped towards them. Being blind, Lotor's general saw through her companion, Kova's, eyes. Kova hissed when she saw Violet - they were back to hating each other, it seemed. Acxa turned, saw them, and went white, eyes locked on her former friend. For a good second everyone just stood there in shock.Then Zethrid grinned. "If it isn't little Violetta," she said. "Switching sides yet again? It's a good thing you're not dead - now I can kill you myself." She leapt into the air, bringing her fist down. Violet jumped out of the way as Zethrid punched the ground so hard smoke rose into the air."Get the teludav!" Violet ordered the paladins. "These are Lotor's generals. Don't-"Zethrid shot out of the cloud of dust, straight for Violet. She ducked again, drawing her blades. Ezor launched herself at Keith, her long legs and agile body sailing through the air, Narti taking on Pidge and Hunk. Violet circled Zethrid, waiting for the general to attack."Have you managed to gain Lotor's approval yet now that I've left?" She taunted Zethrid. "He always knew you weren't good enough." With a roar, Zethrid lunged for her; Violet sidestepped, her daggers slashing down. Zethrid knocked the blade away and charged again, but Violet knew her too well. She'd always beaten Zethrid when they sparred.Violet jumped into the air, relying on her grace and speed to combat the general's strength. She threw her stars in midair, causing Zethrid to stumble back, holding her arm out to defend herself. Smoothly, Violet grabbed her arm, using it as momentum to slide under Zethrid's legs, popping up and stabbing her in the leg before she could turn around.Zethrid roared, more out of fury than of pain. Knowing the weapon wouldn't halt her for long, Violet quickly scanned the rest of the battle.Mistake. Zethrid, despite the blade sticking out of her thigh, jumped for Violet, eyes alight with rage. Before the general could attack Violet, though, Keith leapt at her from behind, raising his sword. Zethrid had little choice but to meet him in combat, growling angrily.Violet blew out a breath, then made to run over to Hunk and Pidge, who were fighting Narti. The click of a gun stopped her in her tracks. Violet turned around slowly, holding up her hands.Acxa was pointing the barrel of a blaster at her chest. "I told you not to come back.""When have I ever listened?"The general's face didn't change. "C'mon, Acxa," Violet said placatingly. "I'm not going to fight you. But I need to help my friends."Her knuckles whitened on the holster at the words friends. "You didn't have to leave, Violet. But most of all, you didn't have to come back. I let you go because I thought you would go home to your family and leave it all behind. But this? You could never step down. Not even for your own life.""We both know I would've died if I stayed," Violet said quietly. "Don't pretend that I would've been fine. Don't pretend that what we did was right, Acxa.""It was for the good of the empire.""It wasn't for the good of anyone else," Violet snapped. "Lotor lied to me. He tricked and he deceived and he lied. To all of us. He took my-""Not to you," Acxa hissed. "Never to you. He - he cared for you, Violet. You're the only person he's ever felt that way about before. And you did too."Violet felt defiance rise in her. "I never felt anything for that monster!" She snarled. "He is evil, Acxa." She sighed, the breath whooshing out of her. "But you aren't. That's why I know you won't fire that gun."Acxa's gaze wavered. "I will," she whispered, but it was a broken plea. "I swear I will."Violet smiled sadly at her. "It's okay that you can't," she responded. "Acxa, if you ever need somewhere to go, I'll always be there. Even if you do manage to pull the trigger."Shaking, Acxa's arm lowered.And with a roar, Zethrid tackled Violet, hurling her away. She skidded across the room, hitting the wall head-first in the narrow space directly under the teludav.Violet blinked up at its smooth underbelly, stunned, her body aching and her spine pressing into the floor. She looked to the side in time to see Kova, Narti's cat, leap up onto the panel holding the teludav in place and press down on one of the buttons with her paw.With a screech, the gears keeping the teludav in place stopped, and it collapsed. There was a rush that drowned out everything else, and then a sickening crunch, and through it all Kova's eyes blazed into her, something alien glinting in his eyes that was only surpassed by the white-hot pain, and then everything went blindingly, agonizingly white.-
"I really don't get why he likes you."
Violet grinned, looking up at Acxa but keeping her hand on Kova's head, gently scratching him behind the ears. He was curled against her thigh were she sat on her bed, Acxa pressed against the wall on her other side, as far as possible from the cat."Cats always like me," she said confidently, and Kova purred, as if to voice his agreement. "And he always stays with Narti when she's near.""That thing is not a cat.""It's close enough." Violet scratched his chin, and he tilted his head back. "Did I tell you about me and Veronica's cat? He would get so fluffy in the wintertime that-""That you had to brush him every day, and you hated it because it was boring, but your dad made you do it because you were the oldest," Acxa finished, giving her an Acxa look. "You've told me about the cat."Violet laughed softly, leaning back against the wall. "Sorry."Acxa was quiet, and for a few minutes they just sat in silence. Things like that were common; in comparison with Zethrid and Ezor, who both loved to talk, and Lotor, who had recordings of his own voice as an alarm clock, she and Acxa were often silent. Violet knew it was how Acxa got her thoughts in order, and she had that furrow in her brow that meant she was leading up to something big, so she continued to stroke Kova's fur in silence.
"You talk about your family a lot these days," Acxa said finally, her tone careful.Violet tensed. "So?""I mean, I get that they were a big part of your life-""Are.""What?""They are a big part of my life," Violet said quietly, looking fixedly down at Kova. "It's not like they're dead. They're still out there.""Violet," Acxa whispered, and Violet knew she'd said too much. She lifted her gaze to meet the other girl's eyes."You're going to try to go back to them."It wasn't a question. Violet swallowed, staring at her best friend's face, the girl she'd known for years, the girl she'd trained beside and fought beside and killed beside."Acxa, I-""Don't," Acxa said, her voice sharp as a dagger, and Kova rose, nimbly jumping off Violet's bed. He was gone a second later, presumably back to Aarti's room. "Don't say anything else. I don't what to know.""Okay," Violet said softly, fiddling her hands in her pockets."Just - swear to me one thing." Axa's eyes burned into her, desperate and angry and afraid. "Swear that once you're gone, you'll stay gone. Don't return - not for me, not for him, not for anything. It will only hurt you worse. "You can't ever come back."-The gun slipped form Acxa's hands, her face pale with terror. "VIOLET!" Keith yelled, skidding towards the teludav. One second, they had been fighting; the next-
Her foot was peeking out from under it, horribly bent. He frantically scanned for some way to lift it up, to get it off of her- Someone pushed him aside. Keith almost lashed out before he recognized the white hair. Allura. The princess placed her hands under the teludav, her face set with grim determination.Allura - with unbridled strength from her Altean blood.She hefted the teludav above her head as if it weighed as much as a book, revealing Violet's slumped form under it. Keith brought her out of its shadow and Allura let go, the teludav crashing back onto the ground.She wasn't moving - she had brought up her arms when it fell, and her hands were now dangling limply at her sides. Her limbs were twisted at odd angles, bones broken beyond repair. Lotor's generals were all surprised, frozen; the paladin's faces were contorted in horror. Keith felt like his insides were covered in ice that was slowly creeping through his blood, the cold sting a welcome pain.Acxa looked like she was about to vomit, but she picked up her gun. "Let's go," she ordered the other generals."But we could finish them now," Zethrid argued. "They're vulnerable-""Zethrid," Acxa said, "Let's go." her voice was cold, withdrawn.Glaring, Zethrid retreated, Ezor and Narti following. Acxa cast one last look at Violet's still form and left as well, leaving the broken teludav and the broken paladins behind.-Keith wasn't talking. "We need to get her back to the castle," Lance said, voice frantic. "Or a cryo-pod. Something. Anything.""It's too late," Allura replied softly. "There's nothing we can do to help her. Either she survives now or..." she trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.A beat of silence filled with enough misery to dampen the air. And then-Violet's heartbeat, weak but steady, echoed through the room.Lance heard it first. He let out a shuddering breath, glad he'd been able to keep the tears in. Allura was crying, and Hunk looked awfully close. The princess's head snapped up, and met his eyes. Lance smiled. Vi had done it again.Keith was shaking; Lance put his hand on his shoulder. Listen.The paladin blinked in surprise, lifted his head from Violet's prone body.She did it, he thought. I don't know why we're still surprised. Of course Vi did the impossible. When has she ever not?"She's still alive," Allura managed to say, her voice thick. "Vi-" she cut herself off. Keith had never heard her call Violet Vi before.Gently, he slid his arms under her shoulders and lifted her body bridal-style. "Shiro, we're going back to our lions. Be ready to pick us up. The battle's over."No one argued. As they left the hangar, Keith nodded to Hunk; without hesitating, the boy holstered his arm cannon and fired on the teludav, exploding it in a burst of fire and light.They got to their lions, Keith setting Violet down next to his seat.She'd wake up. She had to.If she didn't ... Keith didn't let himself think past that. The teludav's weight should've killed her, but she was Violet, so of course she hadn't died. But ... without access to a cryo-pod and Altean magic, she might.And it would be his fault.The words seemed to ring in his head as Keith and the other lions made their way back to the ship: His fault. His fault. His fault.Over and over and over.
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Brighter than the stars: A Voltron fanfic (Keith X OC) Part IIIFour months. Four months after the battle with the teludav that had left Violet on the verge of death, leaving her confined to a cyro-pod while her broken body patched itself back together. The paladins had mourned after Shiro had gone, but this was a blow they could barely survive. Lotor was a threat they had all underestimated far too greatly, and Violet had paid the price. But Violet was never one to give up.After emerging from her long healing process stronger than ever, Violet finds that many things have changed, one being Keith's distance from the team. Voltron will have to continue the fight against Lotor and Zarkon once more - even without their black paladin. But plans have already been set in motion, and if Violet and the others can't stop them in time, they won't survive the aftermath.
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"Is it on? I don't think it's on.""Yeah, shouldn't we be able to see ourselves? I want to make sure I look good.""It won't matter. No one will see this. There's really no point in it.""Don't be a party pooper, Keith." The camera turned on. Three people faced it: a small girl with glasses, poking the screen; an older boy with dark hair, glaring at the person next to him, who'd been speaking."Did you guys get it set up?" A tan-skinned boy with an orange bandana came into view. "It looks like it's working.""I don't know..." there was a shudder, and the camera toppled off a table, crashing to the floor."Pidge!" The black-haired boy yelled angrily."Ack, sorry!" There was shuffling, and the camera blinked off.After a minute of silence, the blackness receded. The four teenagers from before were sitting together, a man with a metal arm standing between them. He looked to be the leader. "Hi," he said. "I'm Shiro, a Paladin of Voltron. This is Keith, Lance, Pidge and Hunk. Recently, Coran found an old recorder. We've all made video recordings that are stored here. This video was for our friend, Violet, to give a one, but..." he trailed off, and the five Paladin's faces fell. Keith crossed his arms, focusing on the floor.Shiro cleared his throat and tried again. "Anyway, Lotor hasn't made a move in weeks and we're all bored, so we're going to be filling in for Vi while she recovers. How should we start?""Well ... Vi was a prisoner for the Galra before she escaped and joined us," said Lance. "She's been helping us since then in our fight. She's half-Altean, so she has the markings but normal ears, and she's super hot."Everyone turned irritated looks on him. "You can't deny it," Lance defended himself. He added to the camera, "Vi's my friend, by the way. For some reason everyone who sees us seems to think we're together.""Maybe it's because you go around telling everyone how you think she's hot," Pidge pointed out.Keith stood. "You know what, this is getting nowhere. How about we each go one at a time?""That sounds good," said Shiro. "Pidge, you can start. Everyone up." He stood, the others following and leaving Pidge to face the camera."Okay ... I'm friends with Violet. We met when Keith brought her to the Castle of Lions," Pidge began. "We actually became friends later than that, though. I think ... the actual point where it happened was a little while after Sendak attacked the castle of planet Arus."Pidge added, a guilty look passing over her features, "I'd actually planned to leave the team before that to search for my family. But ... after everything that happened, I realized that Voltron was my family. And I couldn't give that up." She smiled at the ground. "Vi found me that night, crying in my room. A lead I'd had on Matt, my brother, had just proven to be dead, and I had nothing else to go on."Vi and I talked for the better part of an hour. Then she revealed that she'd found Lance's diary while snooping in his room. It's pretty private, so all I'll say is that as much as he proclaims to hate Keith, he talks about him a lot." She grinned. "That was when Violet and I became friends. She's almost three years older than me, but I feel like there's no age difference at all. It's something about her. She understands us all on a really deep level. I ... I miss her."Pidge looked up, her face fierce. "It's partly my fault that she got hurt. But I push away the grief, because I know Vi wouldn't want me to be torn up over her. If anything, it's driven me to continue the search for my family. They've been lost long enough." She reached for the camera and clicked it off.Then the screen flashed on again, and Hunk was sitting in Pidge's spot. "Uh, hi. I'm Hunk, and I pilot the yellow lion. Coran, what was my prompt? Oh, yeah. Vi's best quality." he paused, smiling hesitantly. "All of her is awesome. Do I have to choose only one?""Aw, Hunk," Lance's voice said from off the camera. "You're too sweet for us. But yeah, choose something.""Fine. Well ... probably Vi's reliability. She's the most skilled out of us all, but it goes past fighting. We can trust her to have our backs. She'd throw herself in front of an ion cannon for us.""Vi would throw herself in front of an ion cannon for fun."Hunk glared at Lance. "Is it your turn or mine, Lance?""Fine. Yeesh."He turned back to the camera. "As I was saying, I can rely on Vi. I can trust her to be my sous chef and to pretend that my food tastes like anything other than space goo. But we can also trust her to be there for us, to lend a hand. We know that she'll push herself to save us and take the hit for us every time." His face fell. "She did just that. It wasn't supposed to be her. Anyone but Vi. And yet she's the one in the cryo-pod, and we're the ones talking about her to ease our guilt."Tears filled Hunk's eyes. "Sorry. It's just really hard without her here. We might pretend otherwise, but without Vi, the team's falling apart. There's no one to calm Keith down, or give us inspiring speeches, or gossip with Lance or help Pidge search for her family or be my sous chef." He sniffled. "I'm going to go make cookies and sob hysterically. You know, the secret to my space goo brownies isn't actually space goo - it's the salt of my tears.""Oh my god, Hunk, you did not just say that," Lance said, and he appeared in the camera, helping Hunk stand. "Shiro! I need you to give this guy a pep talk!"He gently moved Hunk out of the way. "Besides, it's my turn now." Lance sat down on the chair Hunk had left unoccupied. "Hey there. The name's Lance. Let's talk about my amazing friend, Violetta, who will beat you up if you ever call her by the name 'Violetta.'" He grinned. "Vi and I are super close. I think my favorite thing about her is how she always knows what to say. Like, I get homesick for my family a lot, so Vi tried to learn Spanish for me. She utterly failed - to this day the only words she can say in Spanish are mango - which, by the way, is the exact same as the English version - and Satan. I don't even know how she learned that one. But it still helped a lot."Lance smiled, but not the jaunting ones he'd worn before. This one was honest. "Vi is the heart of the team. When we were fighting Zarkon the first time, and he'd knocked out the lions, when everything was going wrong, Violet gave us this speech. She reminded us who we were fighting for. What we became paladins for." Lance's face turned determined, and he stood. "I'm fighting for my family. For my sister and brothers and parents and everyone else. Because I know I'd fight for them as hard as Vi does for us."The camera blinked off. Shiro was the one who turned it on again, his metal arm resting on the table. "Hello. I'm Shiro, and I lead the paladins of Voltron. I guess that means I also lead Violet, but she doesn't take orders from anyone. We're friends, mostly." He shrugged. "If anything, Vi should outrank me. As much as she protests her flying skills, she could probably pilot the black lion single-handedly. Actually, she could probably fly Voltron and defeat Zarkon and Lotor single-handedly, cussing like a sailor all the way."He chuckled, leaning back. "Vi is a natural-born leader, despite having the dirtiest mouth I've ever seen. We're all lucky to have her." His smile turned amused. "Keith especially."All I'm saying is, if Keith is going to lead Voltron, he'll need Violet by his side. Together they could fill the spot I'd leave." Shiro blinked as he realized what he'd said. "Not that I'm planning my death or anything. It's just ... good to have a plan B. You know what, I think I've said enough. Keith, you're up."The screen went dark, turning on again a few moments later to focus on Keith's frowning face. "Hi," he said. "I'm Keith. I'm supposed to talk about..." he leaned towards something out of the camera's view and blinked in surprise, cheeks coloring. "My relationship with Violet? What does that mean?"Lance poked his head in. "I think it means based on the status of the team," he said, smirking. "You know, if you think she's an asset to our group. Not in the romantic sense. Jumping to conclusions, eh, Mullet?"Keith glowered. "Whatever." Lance's smirk didn't fade as he withdrew his face. "I guess Vi and I are closer than any of the others," Keith continued. "We're friends. I've told her things I've never told anyone and she's shared with me the things she tries to hide. But ... Vi has believed in me from the start. She thinks I'm the best leader for the team." His face darkened. "I'm a terrible leader. All I've done is let people down, and now I've let Vi down in the worst way. It's ... it's my fault what happened to her. And if anything happens to her now, I won't - I can't let that happen." He blew out a breath."She needs to survive. I want to hate her for doing this to us. For making us worry about her. For scaring us. But I can't, because she'd do it all over again if she could and not hesitate. Because that's what she does. Because she's Violet." His gaze fell. "Sometimes I'll see something, and I'll look for her to tell her about it, or I'll find myself walking to her room because I want to hear her voice, and then I'll realize she's not there, and it's my fault, and every time it's like being stabbed in the gut." He stood abruptly. "Not that you'd know anything about that. Because you're a camera."The video clicked off, and the screen went blank once more."Hey again." Pidge turned the camera back on. "My question was, if I could use one word to describe Violet, what would it be?" She paused, thinking. "My answer is resourceful. I'll be working on a gadget, and I'll need a double-edged screwdriver, and Vi will pull one out of nowhere and hand it to me like it's nothing." She chuckled. "Vi always comes prepared, no matter the occasion."The video cut to Hunk. "A fun fact about her?" he asked. "Simple. Violet cheats at cards. A lot." He scratched his chin. "Except she's so good at it no one can ever tell she's doing it until she wins. The only way we can tell is that she cheats outrageously. We were playing poker, and Vi didn't look at her hand before going all in. And then she showed her cards, and she had a royal flush, Maverick style." He grinned. "She's not allowed to play poker any more. Oh! Also, she can balance an uncanny number of spoons on her face."The video switched off again to Lance. "One word to describe Vi," he mused. "Easy. Indescribable. Eh? Eh?" He finger gunned the camera."Alright, Lance, you're done," Shiro said. "Go sit with the others."Pouting, Lance slumped off, and Shiro sat down, rolling his eyes. "Okay. A word to describe Violet? Probably ... attentive. She's always been able to tell when one of us is faltering, and she's always there to get us back on our feet. Even me - I've been getting these headaches ever since Keith and Vi found me and brought me back to the Castle of Lions. I've been trying to hide it from the paladins - I don't want them to worry - but I think Violet noticed anyway. She brought me this tea one night and wouldn't leave until I had drunk it all." Shiro's mouth tugged upwards."Vi ... isn't a very openly caring person. I don't think I've ever heard her say 'I love you.' But ... we know. Because of the things she does, things like being able to tell when we have headaches and getting us tea. Those little things - that's why we love her. Even if we don't say it a lot either."The camera went dark, and Keith turned it on again. "Um, a fun fact about Violet is..." he paused, thinking. "She talks in her sleep. But not the endearing kind. The evil I-will-murder-you-kind. One time, when she had a flashback and I had to stay with her, she fell asleep and I stood there for a while-" he coughed - "Anyway, she started murmuring, so I leaned closer, and she snapped at me, 'Go away, Satan - I have a mango and I'm not afraid to use it' in Spanish. It was the weirdest thing I've heard her say, and I've heard her say a lot of weird things."Keith thought for a second before adding, "Also, once she threw a dagger at me while asleep. With her back turned and her eyes closed. It almost took out my eye." He chuckled. "Vi's spontaneous like that. You never know what she's going to say or do. It's one of the things I love about her." He paused for a second before turning bright red. "I didn't mean to say that. How do I delete this? Gah. No one will see you anyways. Because you're just a camera. Right?" He looked at the screen for support. "Right? Argh. Coran, how do I turn this thing off?" He stood. "Coran!"Coran's voice called faintly, "Sorry, Keith! I'm waxing my mustache!"Keith groaned. "Well, how do you think I keep it this pristine in space?" Coran called. "If I don't wax it once a movement, it gets frizzy!""Coran, just - forget I asked," Keith replied, dragging a hand down his face. He glared at the camera. "Fine. We'll do it the old-fashioned way."There was a sharp smack, and the camera was flung off the table. It hit the floor with a crack, and the screen went dark.
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Allura found Lance where she knew he'd be, in the infirmary. He'd been there more than usual recently - two, maybe three times a day, staring at the cryo-pod. His grief was still fresh, even fourth months later; it worried her, but then many things worried her these days.He didn't turn when she entered the room, his gaze focused on Violet. Every time Allura saw her, any hope that there would be any sign of life in her was crushed anew. She hadn't moved, hadn't stirred, since they'd laid her in the cryo-pod that day four months ago. If not for the thin movement of her chest that Allura had to concentrate on hard enough her gaze went blurry, and the steady beeping of the machine that she'd started to hear in her dreams, Violet could've been a statue. Could've been - dead.
It was hard to even think the word, like an uncomfortable poking in your throat when you swallow something sharp. When Narti - really, Narti's cat, Kova - had sent the teludav crashing down on her, she should've died right there. But at the last second, Violet had brought up her hands, protecting her upper body and head from being crushed. The brain was by far the most fragile organ; it was also the one they knew about the least. Her final action had saved her life - but in doing so, her hands and forearms had been pulverized. Allura still had nightmares about what she'd looked like after they'd pulled her out from the teludav - joints twisted at odd angles, one leg bent under her, wrists mangled and broken. Even if she recovered fully, she'd never use her hands the same again.Hunk, when sad, took to baking. Allura had pretended to like countless batches of earthen cookies for him so she wouldn't hurt his feelings, not when his round face was so scrunched up with hope. Hope that if he could make perfect cookies, then everyone would be happy and Violet would wake up. A feeble belief, but Allura let him hang on to it, because her father had always told her pain made you strong but what good was strength now that they'd failed, and Hunk was already stronger than any of them anyway.Pidge had, in wake of her grief, devoted all her time to searching for her family. Allura assumed the loss had driven her to look harder. Shiro was the least affected out of the group, simply because he couldn't be. He was the one who held the team together.Allura spent the first few nights crying in her room, in a grief she only ever felt when she was missing Altea and her father. She knew it was partly her fault Violet had come so close to death. If she had only been more careful, if she had fought harder or moved quicker... but she knew she couldn't let herself think in those dark, terrible ways. Violet would expect better of her than that. Lance had borne her grief with her, and sometimes she'd join him in those silent periods of time where they watched Violet's sleeping form, monitoring that minuscule rise and fall that brought her comfort when she woke up screaming from her chest breaking under the teludav, instead.And Keith ... old fury fluttered in Allura's chest every time she thought about him. He'd distanced himself from the rest of the paladins, utterly disregarding his role as leader. She'd come to accept him being Galra, and part of the Blade of Marmora, but he was also Voltron's leader and the pilot of the black lion. Now, he was more of a stranger than any of those things. He was grieving, so she did her best to have pity, but he couldn't turn away from them for any longer. Soon he'd have to choose.Lance gave a tiny jump when he noticed Allura. "Oh, hey, Allura.""Hello, Lance."After a second, Lance said quietly, "Do you think she's ... getting better?"Sadly, Allura shook her head. "I'm sorry I cannot give you more happy news. But Violet's body was ... ruined. Blunt trauma force is the hardest for our technology to heal. Even now her bones are still mending."Lance nodded, already expecting the answer. "I just hope she'll be back soon. We need her now more than ever."Allura nodded but said nothing, because there was nothing else to say. Violet wasn't dead or dying - the cryo-bod's beeping confirmed that - but they were all still grieving. Those first few days, they had waited with baited breaths, the failure of the mission hanging in the air until it grew stale and cold. But Violet hadn't woken up, and eventually the months started to pass and they had to keep going about their missions, adjusting to a life without Violet in it. She wasn't dead, but time crushes hope like nothing else, as surely as a teludav crushes bones. Allura and Lance stood there for a few minutes longer, in comfortable silence, until Coran called them to the bridge to set course for Reiphod, a planet where Voltron was going to lead a parade.However, Kolivan interrupted with news that the Blades had discovered a supply ship in a strange part of the galaxy, and wanted to sneak on. Keith immediately volunteered to go on the mission, leaving the paladins to go to Reiphod without Voltron.It was a disaster. The people wanted to be able to hope, and to do that, they wanted Voltron. But without the black lion, there was nothing to do but spin half-heartedly around in the four lions.After the show, Allura passed Keith on his way back from the mission. He said, before she could speak, "I know you're annoyed, Allura, but I'd really like you to not lecture me right now.""I was going to ask if you're alright," said Allura, biting back the sting of irritation at his words. "Kolivan told me that Regris didn't make it." He didn't look up; she wondered if he'd even heard. The only people he'd ever really listened to were Violet and Shiro, and now even Shiro's attempts to talk to him were futile. "I'm fine."Allura took a deep breath and closed the gap between them. He'd have to start listening to someone; might as well start trying now. "The work you've been doing with the Blade of Marmora has been instrumental in this war against the Galra, Keith. However, the work it is your duty to do with Voltron, uniting the coalition with a symbol of hope, is much more instrumental. I know-""Again," Keith interrupted, pulling back his hood, "I'd really like you to not lecture me right now."Allura's gaze fell, unable to meet the quiet burning of his eyes. She tried again. "When I was first able to watch Voltron being formed, it was ten thousand years ago, watching my father fight inside it. I have never forgotten the hope seeing that filled me with, and I know that every planet, every person we free, sees it too.
"Voltron is the key to liberation. We need it to win this war - we need the black lion to win this war. The Blades do not." She closed her eyes in pain. "And with the loss of Violet, the team is scrambling. They need a stable leader who is there for them."Keith's eyes blazed, the first emotion Allura had seen in them since he'd walked in. "Don't talk about her like she's already dead," he snapped. "We've recovered from greater failures before. We can do it again.""Not without our leader!" Allura shot back, her temper slipping. "The Blades may be able to function without you helping them, but Voltron most certainly can't. We can't. Keith..." She gritted her teeth until she had control over her anger again. "When Violet wakes up, she's going to need you. You must be there for her, and everyone else.""She doesn't need me," Keith said, his face shuttering with grief. "She shouldn't."Allura's eyes narrowed. "You can run away all you want, Keith, but if you still believe she hates you, you're more idiotic than I thought - and trust me, my expectations were quite low." She brushed past him, striding briskly from the room.-Keith stood in the hallway after Allura left, defeated. There was a whoosh as the door reopened, and he silently prepared himself for whatever Allura had come back to reprimand him about."Keith? Are you the reason Allura just stormed past me looking like someone had insulted her hair?"Keith turned around to face Lance. "Yeah." He really, really didn't want to talk to anyone. Maybe the universe was doing this to spite him. Maybe Shiro would come in next to tell him about responsibility and the black lion, and then even Vi would emerge from her cryo-pod to slam a door in his face or spit at his feet.Whatever Lance saw on Keith's face, it made his expression soften. "Allura can be a lot sometimes. How are you doing?""The mission failed," said Keith. "So ... not the best.""I heard." Lance's eyes dropped. "Vi is going to be really upset when she hears. She liked Regris a lot."Keith forced his next words past the lump in his throat. "Is she...?"Lance shook his head. "Nothing. You could visit her, you know. It's probably lonely being in a cryo-pod for four months."Keith turned away without replying. "Right. See you later, Lance."He was gone before the blue paladin could say anything else.-The next day, Keith was absent on a mission with the Blades. The rest of the team got a distress call from a supply ship and went to help, but were bogged down by the many Galra forces that they met. Without Voltron, they took hit after hit.Shiro begged the black lion to trust him, to let him in so he could help his team. He didn't think anyone other than his lion could hear - after all, there was nobody else in the castle close enough to do so.But he was wrong.With a roar, the black lion stood, Shiro at the cockpit, and flew off to save the team. With Voltron, the Galra fleets were easily vanquished, and they returned victorious.In the heart of the castle, a soft beeping could be heard from one of the cryo-pods.-Keith arrived at the bridge to face the angry looks of the paladins. He flushed, embarrassed. "I just got back from the mission. Sorry I didn't make it in time."The others didn't accept his apology. After listening to them rant at him for a minute, Keith said, "Look, I know I deserve this, so-" he broke off. Everyone was staring at him.Not at him - behind him.Pidge let out a strangled noise and darted past Keith. Lance raced after her, and then the others. Slowly, he turned around.Violet was standing by the doors of the bridge, blinking in confusion. Her eyes were clouded, dark circles lingering beneath them, her skin pale and gaunt, and she moved with none of the grace she'd had before, her limbs awkward and stiff. She was favoring one leg and holding her right elbow awkwardly, and her hair was loose instead of its usual ponytail, hanging limply over her shoulders.She was the most beautiful thing Keith had seen in his entire life.Pidge wrapped her arms around Violet's waist; Allura was on the verge of crying, and Lance was asking what happened, how did she get over here, was she okay, as the all crowded around her, a planet system finally realigning into orbit.Violet was laughing, her eyes clearing with every passing second. "I just ... woke up," she said. "I don't remember much, actually. I remember the teludav and this really bright light, and then...." she trailed off as she saw Keith, who hadn't moved from where he stood.Keith looked away, eyes burning. Her laugh rang in his ears.Shiro cleared his throat. "Guys, we'd better give Kolivan the update from the mission. Everyone to the control room." He ushered the paladins out until only Keith and Violet remained.She cast an irritated look at the doors. "Subtle, Shiro. Very subtle." Swinging her head back around to face Keith, she said, "Let's cut to the chase. Where's Lotor? Has he used the ship yet? Did Acxa and the others get away?"Keith blinked. "They escaped when we were trying to keep you alive. You don't remember?"She shook her head. "All I remember is pain. And this light..." she looked up at him. "Keith, I - I didn't want to tell the others, because they wouldn't - but ... I think I died.""You didn't," he said. "Something happened - you pulled through-""Keith," she said, voice fierce, "The teludav fell on top of me. It should have smushed every bone and organ in my body. Can you see my hands? The cryo-pod couldn't cover up how much damage was done to them. I don't know if I'll ever be able to throw a dagger again." She held up her hands, and Keith winced. They were all wrong, the skin stretched too tightly over the joints and the fingers crooked. Her hand trembled as she struggled to hold it upright, staring at the mess of what it had once been.He hated seeing her like this - vulnerable. With the others, she was always smiling, always joking and laughing, but this - this was the face she never let them see. The look in her eyes as she stared at her hands, that devastation she always hid away. And even with the despair written plain on her features like some long-forgotten storybook, Keith couldn't help but think that she still looked beautiful - like some fallen angel, torn from her place in the sky and thrown down to earth.Even so, he couldn't bear to let her stand there, as alone as she'd been for months in the cryo-pod. He bridged the gap between them with a single step, wrapping his hands around hers. The trembling steadied, and Violet blew out a breath. "I'm sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."The color was returning to Violet's face, and she slowly shook her head. "You have nothing to be sorry for."He focused on a spot above her head. "Nothing has happened much with the war. The paladins ... they're hurt, but they're getting back up. Lotor hasn't been spotted at all. Voltron has been spreading hope throughout the galaxy - they've been winning more and more territory."She tilted her head to the side, her hair sliding lightly over her cheek. "Don't you mean 'we've?'"He froze, quickly stepping away from her. She looked at him curiously as her hands fell back to her sides. "The others should fill you in," said Keith, stumbling over the words. "I'm not - I shouldn't be the one to tell you what's been going on while you were healing. I'm sorry.""Don't be." She said again, and frowned. "Keith, are you okay? Did something ... change?."He winced. How could he tell her? Her face was so open. He knew that face, knew what would happened next. Just like what had happened when she'd broken out of Sendak's ship; just like what had happened when they lost Shiro: she would get back on her feet, pull herself together, pull the team together. Learn to hope again. She'd heal herself.But this ... this, even Violet couldn't heal. "I'm leaving," Keith blurted in one breath. "I've been training with the Blades more and more - I'm a full member now. I came here today to tell the team that Kolivan and some others discovered a string of ships gathering and harvesting quintessence. We're taking a team to get into the harvesting ships and gather intel. It could take a while, but ... I need to be on that mission. If we can-" he broke off at the expression on Violet's face. He didn't know if she'd heard anything he'd said after I'm leaving."But you can't," she said, still confused. "This is Voltron. You don't just leave Voltron. Not like this."He looked away. "A lot has changed in four months, Violet.""Then tell me about it," Violet said, her voice sharp, desperate. "Fill me in. Let me make up what I've missed; give me a chance to settle back in, to heal. Don't run away.""That's it, though," Keith said, his own voice rising. "You can't heal. Not this. You've always healed what's broken, always gotten back up, but you can't this time. This time you died for four months, and every time I look at you, all I see is how we failed you. How you finally broke yourself beyond repair, and all we've done is sit around and mope and grieve and wait." He broke off, his breathing uneven. "I stopped waiting a while ago. Now I have to follow through."Violet's hands had started shaking again, and she stared at him like she'd never seen him before. It hurt so badly, Keith wondered if her eyes had the power to splinter souls with just a look, but he forced himself not to look away. This pain - the pain of seeing Violet look at him like a stranger, look at him with her broken hands and broken face because of what he'd failed to do - he deserved it. Deserved every last drop of it.He wished he could take her hands again, calm her, tell her why he had to go. Why it was his fault. Why she should hate him, should hate all of them, for not protecting her, saving her. Why he was horrible and a failure and didn't deserve the privilege of being with her.But he knew she'd never say any of that, and certainly not now.So he turned away and left, leaving her standing alone on the bridge.He yanked open the doors with more force than necessary; there was a yelp, and Lance tumbled into the bridge, Pidge, Hunk and Allura behind him from where they'd been obviously listening. "Keith? Wh-"Keith stalked past them before Lance could finish, stopping before Shiro. "I'm leaving," he said, the words dull. "Kolivan's sending a team of Blades on a mission to investigate a supply line. It could lead us to Lotor, but it could take months. I'm going on it."Shiro's face was somber, but not surprised. "Okay."Keith looked away. "I've always known you were the true leader for us, Shiro. It was great stepping in for you, but now you've returned, and the black lion should be yours." He added weakly, "It's only temporary. I'll be back."No, you won't was written all over Shiro's face, but he straightened, drawing in a long breath, and said, "If that's what you feel is right, Keith, we won't stop you." His gaze fell behind Keith, behind the paladins watching in shock, to where Violet stood, still alone, her expression schooled into blankness, then back to Keith. "We'll always be here if you need us.""I know," said Keith. "And that means more to me than you know." The two embraced, Hunk quickly piling in on the hug, then the others. Violet watched them, standing a little ways away on the bridge, looking more broken than after they'd pulled her out from under the teludav.By the time the paladins broke away, she was gone.-"Vi? Can I come in?"Violet called through the door, "Go for it." Shiro pushed the door open. Violet was sitting on her bed, trying to hold her blades, her fingers gripping the dagger weakly. She was breathing hard - everything took a toll on her, she was quickly realizing. Getting from the bridge to her bed had taken a full ten minutes, and her lungs felt weak, breathless. She felt like even if she breathed too much, she could break. She'd tried to tie her hair back up, but her fingers had spasmed so badly around the hair tie she'd dropped it under the bed."Hunk's making dinner tonight," Shiro said quietly. "Do you think you'll be able to eat with us, or do you still need rest?""I've been resting for four months. I'll sleep when I'm dead." Violet tried to shift her gripped and the dagger slipped from her hand. She cursed, so violently he took a step back."Sorry," she said, not sounding sorry at all, and bent to pick up the dagger, keeping her weight off her right leg. "And before you ask, yes, I'm doing fine. I've been out of the picture having my shattered body healed while my former mentor - former friend - is wreaking havoc on the world, and my hands are practically useless, but hey, at least I'm alive. Yippee!""Vi," said Shiro, "That was the least enthusiastic 'yippee' I have ever heard in my life, and I've been dealing with Keith's negative attitude for years." He pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Your hands will heal. I know you're scarred from what happened. But it will take more than that to break you. Soon you'll be throwing blades again just like you used to."She picked up the dagger. "We both know you can never go back to who you used to be." Violet adjusted her grip on the handle, trying to curl her fingers the right way. They shook so hard she lost hold on the blade again.Angrily, she hurled the dagger at the wall with as much strength as her stupid, broken hands could muster. Shiro caught it easily from the air and set it back down on the bed. "Trying to make your hands work again won't get rid of all your problems."Violet took another blade. "No, but I might be able to injure my problems - or at least cut them up a bit - if I throw this dagger hard enough."Shiro put his hand over the hilt of the blade, forcing her hand to rest. "Trying to make your hands work again won't make Keith come back, either."Violet's gaze dropped like a stone. Shiro continued, "None of us are happy with Keith leaving the team. It's as abrupt to you as it is to us. You can talk to me."She let go of the dagger, and it thudded onto the bed. "I missed so much. Too much. Everyone has changed without me, Keith the most. And I can't help but wonder if ... it's my fault.""People change, Vi," said Shiro gently. "That doesn't make it a bad thing. You still have a place on the team, even if it's a little different now. We were forced to move on without you, but that doesn't mean we can't move back."Violet smiled ruefully. "Thank you, Shiro, but it's not that. I ... I let the team down. I shouldn't have gone on that mission. I knew something was going to happen to me, and I went anyway. Keith was right." She chuckled softly. Murmured, "I can't believe I just said that." She looked up. "You weren't with us for a while, but when you were gone, it seemed like Keith and I-" Violet cut herself off, biting her lip. They what? "Had grown closer. But now he's leaving, and ... I guess it was just me.""It wasn't," Shiro said forcefully. "Keith has never been big on love, or any caring emotion, for that matter. But I've never seen him act the way he does around you. It's painfully obvious." He shook his head, smiling. "He blames himself for what happened to you. He expects you to hate him, to think that he failed you, so he pushes you away before you can. I've seen it before. My advice is to give him time. He'll come around."The words helped a little, but Violet's chest still felt like it was being ground into pulp to match her hands. "Thank you, Shiro. I know no one knows Keith as well as you do.""That's just the thing, actually," said Shiro. "I don't know what it's like to be raised by a father and taken from him at a young age, to never know my mom. I've never blocked myself off so other people can't get to me, or pushed anyone away. There are ways I simply can't understand Keith, but those are the ways you do." He stood, making to leave. "Don't give up on him, Vi."She could just leave it at that, but...Violet blurted, "Did he ever see me?"Shiro paused. "What?"Her gaze was focused on the ground. "When I was healing. Did he ever visit me? Did he ever come?"Shiro was quiet, but then he said, "No. But he does care about you, Vi. Whatever you two have ... it's worth fighting for.""I know." She smiled sadly. "I just wish it wouldn't hurt so much."His eyes were fond. "That's how you know it's real."She chuckled, at that. Shiro turned one last time, bracing his hand on the doorframe. "Oh, and Violet?""Yeah?""About sleeping when you're dead ... it's not as heroic as it sounds. You'll just be tired all the time."Violet swallowed tightly. Shiro was always understanding, but ... he couldn't understand this. Couldn't understand what it felt like to lose so much time. How every second seemed fragile now. She hadn't been lying about what she'd said before - she'd be sick of sleep for a while yet."I'd say that's a risk I'm willing to take, wouldn't you?""I wouldn't know," he replied, smiling in a way that made his eyes crinkle at the corners. "I'm always tired."-That day, when Violet woke up, there was a book on her nightstand.She frowned - it hadn't been there when she'd fallen asleep - and picked up. She squealed when she saw the cover. It was Avatar: the Last Airbender, the book she'd dropped all those weeks ago after using it to knock open the vent. She thought that she'd lost it. Violet opened the front cover; there was a note inside.
I picked up this book when you dropped it. I was going to give it back to you immediately, but I started reading it, and couldn't put it down. Sorry.
Once I finished it, everything went to hell - you revealed your past and I realized I was half-Galra and Shiro disappeared and I didn't know how to talk to you, and then, well... you almost died.
I know it's my fault. You're still in the cryo-pods while I write this, Vi. I haven't been able to work up the courage to visit you yet; I don't think I will. Every time I think of you I wonder if I had just done anything better, would you be here next to me?
I was the one who let you face Zethrid and Acxa on your own. I was the one who let you go on the mission, even though you were exerting yourself too much. My decisions as a leader were the ones that led to what happened to you. It's okay if you blame me when you wake up. I agree with you. I know you have every right to.
I can't bear to face you right now, even when you can't see me. I don't know if I'll ever muster enough nerve to give you this book back in person, so ... here. Sorry it took so long.
And by the way, I ship Zuko and Katara. Hate me all you want.
Keith
Violet felt tears rise. She understood how Keith felt, but it wasn't his fault at all. Did he really blame himself that she got hurt? It wasn't his fault. It was hers. She was the one who demanded to go on the mission, the one who let herself be distracted. How could Keith think, even for a second, that she hated him?And why in the name of Avatar would he ship zutara? If anything, that distorted the way she thought of him. It made sense, though. Keith and Zuko were similar in a lot of ways.With the first bit of warmth glimmering through her since she'd awoken, cold and alone, from the cryo-pod, Violet opened the book and began to read.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Oh, and I really miss cake," Violet exclaimed, sitting up.Lance tutted at her, pushing her shoulders back down gently. Gentle - they'd all been so gentle with her this past month, infuriatingly so. Violet knew it was for the best, but it drove her crazy that Shiro no longer sparred with her and Hunk hugged her like she was made of glass.But she let them, because she knew they were still scared for her, and Shiro had warned her adjusting would take time. She understood, she really did. Especially because she was adjusting more than any of them: physical therapy with Coran every day, sleeping without covers or blankets so she didn't wake up feeling like her body was being crushed again, a cup of Allura's Altean tea in the morning to calm the sharp pangs of nausea that had bent her over the first few weeks she'd tried eating solid food. And this - coming to Lance's room every morning before breakfast so he could braid her hair, now that hair ties had proven useless with her hands.
They were all adjusting right along with her. And she loved them for it all the more, even though every time she felt their eyes on her, scrutinizing her, as if ensuring she was still breathing, her throat tightened.
"Well, just put in the order and Hunk will whip you up one of his special space-goo souflees," Lance said, his fingers parting her hair. He tipped her head back, and she obliged, staring up at the ceiling of his room where she sat with her back against his bed. "He got a lot better at cooking while you were gone."While you were gone. It was the term they all used now, or while you were healing, because saying "while you were in a coma and we didn't know when you would wake up" felt too raw.Violet nodded, and he made an irritated noise again as his fingers slipped. "Honestly, Vi. You're worse than my niece, and she has ADHD."Violet laughed. "Sorry! I can't help that you keep pulling it.""That's how braiding works. I can't believe you seriously don't know how to make a braid.""I never really had anyone to teach me," Violet pointed out. Her father didn't know, and she'd never had any aunts or neighbors or other motherly figures growing up. Even when she was fighting with Lotor, only Zethrid knew how to braid hair, and they'd never been close enough for that kind of intimacy. Lotor, of course, had only ever had his hair braided for him.Lance was quiet, and she realized that what she had just said was kind of depressing. "So it's good that you came along," she said quickly.Lance brightened. "You know, I could do more than just a basic braid, if you wanted. I used to do espigas for my little cousins all the time.""I still need to be able to take it out myself, remember?" Violet said, lifting up her hands. With Coran's physical therapy, they'd gotten a lot better since the first couple days, when she could barely hold a fork. Turning doorknobs had taken a week; hitting a target with a dagger, three. But she was getting there. In the month after she'd woken and Keith had left, Violet had regained almost all of her strength in her hands again. If she tried, she could probably do her hair herself now, but she liked the routine she and Lance had, and doing small, complicated things with her fingers for too long still hurt like hell. And her hands still looked ... wrong. They weren't injured - the bones were whole, and they worked relatively normally - but when she stared at them for more than a few seconds, she could see the places where the cryo-pod had messed up. It could heal skin and tendons, but it couldn't bring something that had been broken back to life. It just wasn't possible."Hey," Lance said softly, turning her shoulders around to face him. The finished braid fell over her shoulder as she turned to look at him, sitting above her cross-legged on the bed. "Don't think like that.""How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked, frowning.He smiled at her, not quite a grin. "I can see the shadows in your face. You're doing good, Vi. Really good. Allura says she's never seen anyone heal this quickly post-cryo-pod. And even if you won't be able to fight as well as you did before, you could still wipe the floor with all our asses."She snorted, standing up to face him. "Like I would ever want to do that.""I don't know, Hunk's been really getting on my nerves lately..."Violet outright laughed at that, because Hunk had never made anyone bear a grudge at him in his life, and certainly not his friends. "Thank you," she told Lance.He slid off his bed, walking with her to the door. "It's no problem. The only other people that know anything about hair on this ship are probably the mice, anyway, and what kind of friend would I be if I left you to have your hair braided by rodents?""Not just for the hair, Lance," she said, pausing to look him in the eye.He just laughed and swung his arm over her shoulders, for once not lifting the weight of his arm, and she thanked the stars that Lance McClain was her best friend."I know, Vi. I know."-Following her lead on her brother, Pidge set off with her lion and returned with Matt Holt, who looked like an older male version of her, save for longer hair and a scar on his cheek.Pidge ecstatically showed him around the castle. "I don't mean to be a party pooper," he said upon seeing the weapons room, "But what if Voltron is unable to be formed? Then all you have are these." He gestured to the meager assortment of weapons."We have the castle," Pidge said, undaunted. "And some mice."Matt raised an eyebrow. "Zarkon has an army."Violet smirked. "We have a cow."His brows furrowed. "I think you're either underestimating the force of the Galra empire or severely overestimating the strength of cows.""You just haven't met Kaltenecker yet," Violet replied, waving him off. "Take one look at all the furious unspent wrath in her eyes and you'll feel sorry for Zarkon."Coran became the unofficial event planner of Voltron, putting them through propaganda shows that made Violet crack up. When she was bored, she'd play video games with Lance or spend time ranting about her life problems to Kaltenecker, who turned out to be a really great listener, and gorging herself on Hunk's milkshakes. Alteans, it turned out, even half-Alteans, didn't get brain freezes.That afternoon, they gathered with the coalition."We've been tracking Zarkon's fleet movements, and he's traveled to one of the far galaxies under his control. Based on our intel, we can assume he's searching for Lotor," Kolivan was saying when Violet entered the bridge. Her heart gave a jump when she saw Keith, whose eyes flitted to her but betrayed no emotion. Violet wondered if he knew she'd gotten Avatar: the Last Airbender. She'd reread her favorite parts that night, finally going to sleep just before the sun rose."Lotor or not, it's the perfect opportunity to strike," Shiro told them. "With the Blade's intel, as well as maps from the planets we've freed and Pidge's tracking device, we can assemble a thorough map of the Galra's control over the universe." He brought up a screen, showing the purple and green dots of light along it."I was looking at the streaks of planets we've freed, and I realized that there's a line cutting through a third of the territory," Shiro continued. "As you can see, there's all but one planet left there that we haven't liberated from the Galra."Allura sucked in a breath. "I know that planet. It's known as Naxzela.""That's right," said Shiro. "Now, if we retake Naxzela and fortify the line, the Galra on the other side will be sitting ducks for us to swoop in and bring down."Violet whistled. "We'll have liberated over a third of the universe with a single strike. This could inspire new rebellions much more efficiently than our pathetic Voltron shows.""They weren't pathetic," Coran said, offended."You had Allura play Keith," Violet pointed out. "Furthermore, at one point I distinctly remember you getting high on some random alien drugs and forcing us to battle an overgrown earth mole." She grinned. "Please do that again if given the chance. It was epic.""Moving on," Shiro interjected, rubbing at his temples. "Kolivan and I have formed a plan. If we want to cut off of Naxzela, we'll first need to cut off any way for them to get help from the rest of the empire. To do that, we'll send a team to take down the command center on the south side of the planet to disable communications.""You'll need someone to hack into their systems," said Pidge. "That would be me.""I'll come too," Hunk volunteered. "I can input the hardware codes we've been working on. They should give us the records of Galra communication as well as hacking the mainframe. Maybe we can get some new info."Shiro continued, "Naxzela doesn't have much defense, but recently they've upgraded their artillery. They have two weapon systems on opposite sides of the planet called Zaiforge cannons. The first is between one of their moons and the surface, so Matt and his team of rebels will lead a group to take it over. The Blades will attack the second, in a dense forest in the northern region, known as Semfara." Shiro looked at Violet. "I want you on that one, Vi. You're the stealthiest out of our team and the most equipped with handling Galra cannons. The Blades will need you to operate the Zaiforge."Violet grinned. "That's true. And I'll get to work with Kol!" she winked at Kolivan, who scowled in response.Once both teams have taken over the Zaiforge cannons, we can use them for ourselves and provide cover for the attack on the base."Allura asked, "Who's going to attack it?"Predicting where Shiro was going, Violet said, "Let me guess. One very large, very powerful rainbow robot created to liberate the universe and destroy all forces of evil." Her lips quirked. "In other words, Voltron."Lance whooped excitedly. "Woo-hoo! Team Voltron is ready for some butt-kicking! This will be super easy.""Not as easy as you think," Shiro corrected. "This might be our hardest mission yet. Naxzela's base has been through a lot, and they know how to hold up against an attack." "But this isn't a normal attack," Keith said, and Violet thought she could detect a hint of what might've been pride in his voice when he said, "This is Voltron."Kolivan nodded. "If Voltron succeeds, we can use Naxzela to take down any remaining planets under Galran control on that side of the galaxy. It will be a monumental triumph."Violet began mentally tallying a list of her daggers. "Then we'd better start now."-Allies from far and wide assembled to fight on the side of Voltron. It was amazing to see how many people their message of hope had reached.Violet prepared herself to fight with the Blades. She knew she'd be fighting with Keith, but she told herself there was no reason for her breath to stutter like it did. Keith had made his choice, however stupid it was.Violet stood at the bridge and began her broadcast."To everyone who fights for freedom, this message is for your ears. If you are listening, it is because you have joined us in our war. Some of you were drawn into this long before us; some weren't meant to fight these battles, but did anyway."To you all: I wish you courage. The thing about courage is, it's almost never at the head of the battle, roaring like a lion. It's the voice in the back of your mind and in the front of your heart that says stand up when you fall down and keep fighting when hope is nothing but a ghost. So I wish you all courage - the courage to fight, and the courage to end this war once and for all.""We wish you luck," Allura finished, stepping forward. "We'll meet again on the other side."Allura ended the broadcast, and Violet clapped a hand over her shoulder. "We write good speeches."Allura smiled, but it was bittersweet. "You wrote most of it.""Stay safe, princess."Allura dipped her chin. "You, too."Violet left then, heading for the blade's cruiser, where someone was waiting."Kolivan!" Violet squealed. "I feel like it's been months since I got to talk with you.""It has," he said, confused.She blinked. "Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting I was fatally injured." She sighed. "Doesn't seem like something you'd forget, but..."Kolivan's face softened the tiniest bit. "I heard about what happened. It is good to see you back in the battle."She smirked. "It'll take more than getting crushed by a giant teludav and permanently wrecking my hands to keep me from the fight." She faltered at the word fight, and her gaze fell.She could've sworn there was a hint of warmth in Kolivan's voice when he said, "You wouldn't have it any other way."Violet smiled. "You missed me, didn't you?""I did not.""Yes, you did."Kolivan opened his mouth to reply, but he paused, looking over Violet's shoulder. "Is everyone ready?" he asked.Violet turned. Keith was standing in the doorway of the cruiser, bedecked in a full marmora suit, blade in hand. He nodded stiffly, not meeting Violet's eyes."Good. Bax, start takeoff."The Blade in the cockpit nodded, beginning to fire up the ship. Violet armed herself with a Marmora dagger as the ship flew off the ground, soaring through the stars.Somehow, Keith ended up next to her. Violet cursed silently when she noticed him. What should she say? Just ignore the fact that he'd left her and the team and Voltron and she still thought about him more than she thought it was possible to think about someone?The ship rumbled, hitting a pocket of air. Before the teludav, Violet would've barely felt it. Now, she stumbled; almost instinctively, Keith put a hand on her shoulder, steadying her. Violet blinked in surprise, and he blushed, quickly dropping his hand."I found the book, you know," she said, because they'd never been awkward before and she wasn't going to let him start now. "Thank you for returning it.""It was nothing."She frowned, but before she could say anything else, the ship lurched again. Violet braced herself this time as it landed on the planet Semfara. "Everyone out," Kolivan ordered. "Go!" The ship's door opened, and Violet leapt out with the other Blades, sprinting under the cover of the trees to where the Zaiforge cannon base was planted. Her bones might have been more brittle than five months ago, but she still had years of Lotor's endurance training under her belt. Violet quickly made it to the front of the group where Kolivan was leading. They were the first to sneak into the base, creeping along the hallways.However, stealth wasn't easy when you had over ten black-clad guys with creepy masks following you. A sentry patrol spotted them, but Violet was quicker; they'd barely even reached for their distress coms when she leapt, stabbing one and hooking her elbow around the other. The Blades followed suit; she twisted to take out the last one, but misjudged the grip on her dagger. It slipped from her grasp, clattering to the floor.Violet stared at it, stunned. She'd never dropped a blade before. Never."Vi-"She ducked out of instinct more than anything else; however, it turned out that she didn't have to, because Keith sliced through the sentry that had come for her before it could fire its gun. Violet opened her mouth - maybe to say thank you, maybe to say something else - but he was already leaning down, picking up her dagger from the floor.He handed it to her, wordlessly, and the guilt simmering in his expression stopped her voice in her throat. They made it to the control room, where a general and a few sentries sat over the cannon controls. While the other Blades dispatched the guards, Violet darted towards the Zaiforge controls, quickly scanning them. She inserted her hands into the handholes, trying to figure out how it worked. Behind her, there was the sharp whistle of a blade, and she didn't have to turn to know Keith was guarding her again."We have control of the cannon," she reported.The Blades waited, Violet standing at the ready until finally Coran's signal came. "Voltron, you can proceed with the attack."Along with the rebels on the second cannon, Violet began to pick off the cruisers around Naxzela, destroying the ships on the other side of the line the planet was on. "This isn't that life-threatening," she mused, blasting a fighter ship to pieces. "Voltron, how are you doing?"There was a loud boom, followed by the sound of metal lions smacking against fighter jets. "We're fine now," Lance replied breathlessly. "Naxzela is pretty much secured."The controls Violet was using to operate the Zaiforge cannon suddenly blinked off. "Oh, stars," Coran cut in before she could speak. "Another Galra cruiser just flew into orbit around Naxzela. They powered off the Zaiforge cannons from space."Violet turned back to the Blades, shrugging. She joined them lining against the walls, checking her daggers.Shiro began to say something, but was cut off. "Shiro?" Violet aksed, frowning.Static. Keith said, "Shiro, come in."Nothing. He and Violet exchanged worried glances. "Coran? Are you there?" Violet asked."I'm here," Coran responded. "From what I can see, large mechanical objects emerged from the ground and pinned Voltron to the planet. I can't get through to the paladins.""What?" Violet threw up her hands in exasperation. "When I said 'this isn't life threatening,' I did not mean it's okay to lock my friends on a giant purple planet!" She kicked the wall in frustration. "Kol, I think I jinxed us."Kolivan cocked his head to the side curiously. "What is a jinx?"Violet groaned.For painfully long minutes, the Blades stood, anxiously waiting for orders. Finally, Violet could take it no longer. "That's it," she announced. "We're no use sitting here doing nothing. Kolivan, fly the ship back to meet Olia's team."Kolivan glared. "These are our orders."Violet glared back. "I don't know about you, but my orders weren't to stand in a random room while my friends needed help. I'm going after them.""Kolivan, Violet's right," Keith said. "We could be more useful in the fight than waiting around here."Kolivan's jaw tightened, but he gritted out, "Bax, get the ship over here.""Roger that," Bax said over his earpiece.The Marmora ship took flight, aiming for the newest cruiser that had disable the Zaiforge cannon.As they gathered Matt and Olia's team, a fizz sounded through their headsets. "Keith, Vi, are you there?"Shiro. "Guys! What happened?" Violet asked. "Are you all alright?""Yes, but we won't be soon if we don't get to that Galra cruiser," he replied. "Zarkon's witch is up there again. We have to stop her.""We're one step ahead of you," said Keith, a ghost of his old smirk flashing across his face. "What do we do?""You need to go," Shiro said, his voice desperately serious. "Put as much distance between you and Naxzela as you can. Grab anyone else that's in danger, but leave.""What? Why?" Violet demanded.It was Allura who replied. "It was a trap. Naxzela - the entire planet - it's going to explode.""What?" Keith and Violet said at the same time. Keith asked, "How will you guys get away?""We're going to stop it," Shiro answered grimly.Violet's pulse quickened. "You'll make it, right?"Silence. "We'll try."No. it wasn't enough. Trying wasn't enough. Keith's face mirrored her thoughts. His eyes narrowed, and he stood, leaving the ship. Violet followed. She had a guess on what he was about to do."Where are you going?"Keith jumped, whipping around to see her standing in the middle of the hallway. "Nowhere."Violet rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. I know you, Keith. Whenever things get intense in battle, you make a totally reckless decision that either hands us the victory or kills you." She paused. "I'm right, aren't I? What are you going to do?""None of our weapons can penetrate the shield," Keith said shortly. "But a fighter jet will be able to."Violet's face paled. "You can't.""I have to.""No, you don't!" She threw up her hands. "Voltron needs you, Keith! We need you.""My life is worth it," Keith snapped back. "Everyone is going to die if I don't do this. You're going to die if I don't do this.""Who cares?" Violet shouted. "We knew the risks. Find another way.""There is no other way, Vi," Keith said, exasperated. "This is the only way for everyone to survive. If that's what it takes, I'll do it.""Not everyone," said Violet. "Everyone but you. Would you rather I do it? You guys survived four months without me. You'll hold up.""No," Keith said, and there was real fear in his eyes.Violet's eyes narrowed. "So you're allowed to pretend your life is worth nothing, but I can't? You are not allowed to die, Keith Kogane. I forbid it." She stalked over to Keith as she spoke, bridging the distance between them. It was the closest she'd been to him in over four months, and she almost shivered."I don't need your permission to die!" Keith yelled. "I'm the only one who's expendable here. The team needs you to hold them together, Vi. But I'm not even part of Voltron anymore. I doubt people will miss me much."Furious, Violet shoved him. Hard. Keith stumbled back, blinking in surprise. "How can you think that?" she said, voice breaking. "That you're expendable? You can push us away all you want, Keith, but we'll always miss you. We'll always wish you were still there." She swiped angrily at her eyes, which were filling. Keith still looked shocked, unable to form a retort. "You could join the Galra and destroy planet after planet and break our hearts and we still wouldn't be able to hate you. I woke up after four months of silence and nothingness to watch you leave. Do you know how much that hurt, Keith? How much I wished you were there when I had to learn how to throw a dagger again and had to run to the toilet every night because I felt like I was still under that damn teludav, unable to breathe? I needed you, and you left me. I wanted to hate you so badly, but more than that I wanted you to come back." She drew in a shuddering breath. "We love you, Keith. I love you. How is that so hard for you to believe?"Keith's face was agonized. He pulled Violet towards him and hugged her fiercely with the strength of five months of holding back. She gasped softly but returned the embrace, her hands clenching on the fabric of his suit. He smelled like blood and rust, and it was the most familiar thing she'd ever smelled, and infinitely comforting.After a moment Violet mumbled, the words muffled against his chest, "If you try to sacrifice yourself like that again, Keith, I swear I'm going to stab myself in the chest just so I can get into the afterlife and punch you in the face."Keith chuckled softly, pulling back to look into her eyes. "Violet..." Whatever he had meant to say, his words trailed off as his gaze caught hers, and Violet realized how close their faces were; his lips were inches from hers. Keith's gaze flickered to her mouth, as if realizing it too, and her cheeks colored. Surely he wouldn't...?"Vi? Keith? Are you guys okay?"Violet wanted to slap Lance in the face."Someone shot through the ship's barrier right before it exploded," Shiro said, his voice dumbfounded. "I - I know that ship. Lotor."A voice cut over their communications. "Hailing the Voltron Coalition," Lotor said, Violet winced involuntarily at his voice, "I understand your opinions of me are hostile, but I believe it's time we put our differences aside and had a much-needed discussion."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I still don't understand how you think Zuko and Katara could be together," Violet said, holding the orange screen up to her face. "Zuko attacked her multiple times. And Katara and Aang kissed."Keith shrugged. "I don't read much, but when I do, I have the tendency to put my hopes in pointless things.""I'm glad you've come to your senses at that, at least," Violet retorted. "I need someone to talk to about books. Gets my mind off things."Keith quieted. "Have you talked to him yet?"She blew out a breath, resisting the urge to scrub her face. "I know he'll have that smug look on his face as soon as he sees me. I know he'll try to manipulate me - and everyone else - as soon as he gets the chance. He already has. He..." she couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence."He's just a ghost from the past," said Keith, his gaze reassuring. "He can't hurt you anymore.""Ghosts can still haunt you," Violet said softly. "Even if you can't always see them." She blew out a breath. "What I'm most worried about are the others. They don't know what he does - how easily he does it. Lotor can see everything we try to hide. It's his greatest weapon.""Maybe," Keith mused, "You should face him without hiding anything. Having something you don't want him to know is a disadvantage."Violet blinked. "That's..." startlingly accurate. She'd always been hiding her doubts from Lotor when she worked for him, her feelings. But what did she have to hide now? She was with Voltron. She'd put Lotor behind her.Keith's gaze darkened. "I hate the idea of him being anywhere near you and the others. It's like letting the enemy into the heart of your territory.""You really hate him, don't you?""I'm just saying," said Keith, "That if he were to be hit and blasted to itty-bitty pieces by an ion cannon, I would be the one operating that ion cannon."Violet grinned, but it faded. "As much as I want to, I can't hate him. I understand him more than anything. It creeps me out."Keith's face softened. "He has no control over you anymore." There was a clang from Keith's end, and he looked towards it, glancing back at her with an apologetic frown. "I have to go. But comm me as soon as you're done with him, okay?"Violet nodded. "Say hi to Kolivan for me."The call ended, and Violet was left staring at a blinking orange screen. She sighed and stood from where she'd been leaning against the side of her bed, stretching. She was glad she and Keith had managed to salvage what was left of the ruined pieces of their friendship after Naxzela, but she still missed him. The calls helped, though. They both still ignored their moment in the fighter wing, when they'd been so close - to what, she didn't know.She left her room and made her way to the bridge, where Allura and Shiro had gathered. "Are you guys going to see Lotor?""We've taken his advice on troop locations and targets," Shiro explained. "We'll see if there's anything else he can tell us."Violet frowned. "Soon he'll start wanting something in return, you know. Lotor never gives for nothing."Shiro nodded. The three of them made their way to the belly of the castle, where Lotor's cell was. He stood to greet them, but froze when he saw Violet. His lips curled into a smile."Violet. I was wondering when you'd come to see me."Violet said nothing, only looked at Shiro. He stepped forward. "You were right.""You act like that's unheard of," said Lotor. "Every target I've given you, you've hit without conflict. Everything I know about the Galra's weapons and armies, I've told you. And you still regard me with contempt.""And why would we do that?" snapped Violet. "Gee, I don't know. Maybe because you're a warlord intent on harvesting quintessence with no regard to the people you're stealing it from?" Or, I know, because you're the son of our enemy? Because you've manipulated us and tried to kill us countless times?"Lotor's face hardened. "I am nothing like my father. And, Violet, we both know I have never unjustly stolen quintessence from innocent planets. I would never use the komar like that witch, Haggar." His face softened. It made Violet sick. "I know you're angry at me. But I have never intended to harm you or your friends.""You attacked us!" Allura exclaimed. "You almost killed Violet!""That ... was not supposed to happen," Lotor said, and his face almost looked sad. "Narti and the other generals had specific orders not to engage. They failed me that day, and they had to pay the price."Violet's blood chilled. She demanded, "What did you do to them?""I think we're getting off topic," was all Lotor said. "I wish to bring peace to the universe. You see, what the Galra want, more than anything, is quintessence. They utterly rely on it. If I give it to them in a harmless, safe way, then they are no longer the bloodthirsty race you believe them to be."Violet stepped forward challengingly. "You might give them quintessence peacefully, but that doesn't mean they'll use it in the same way. No one should tamper with that kind of power, especially not you.""Why not me?" Lotor asked coolly. "I have no wish to use it for destruction. My goals are similar to yours, in fact. With Voltron allied with me, we could spread peace throughout the universe - maybe even multiple universes. The possibilities are endless." He turned to Allura. "Zarkon and Alfor were friends long ago, Princess Allura. Can it not be the same for us?"Allura's eyes narrowed. "If you are looking for friendship, you will not find it in anyone aboard this ship.""And Violet least of all," Hunk added. "How do we even know you guys were friends? This could've been some giant scheme to make her like you. You probably don't even know her that well."Lotor rolled his eyes. "Stars, you people are hard to get through to."Hunk blinked. And blinked again. "You - you said-" He blinked a third time. "Well then. I guess you do know her.""Of course I do," Lotor said. "All I want is peace.""We didn't come here to listen to you pretend your intentions are good," Violet cut in. "We came here because we know there's an ulterior motive. What are you planning, Lotor?"He was silent for a second before he said, "To kill my father.""And you want our help?" Shiro asked.Violet laughed without humor. "He wants the throne," she said, glaring at Lotor. "You want power. You always have." She turned on her heel and stormed away, furious. Lotor had told her over and over again that he wanted peace. She should've realized everything was a lie. He wanted power. He always had. He'd lied to her.The knowledge hurt more than anything.-
"Come on," Violet muttered, kicking over a piece of rubble. "Where are you?"
She raised her head, looking out over the ruined village. This one had been easier to destroy - the dam holding the ocean back from the town had been blown up, causing a massive flood. The whole village had been wiped out.
Picking her way through what was left of it, Violet searched for the person they were looking for: a half-breed orphan they'd tracked across the galaxy, known for pickpocketing, stealing, and not getting caught. Exactly what we need, Lotor had said.
"It's clear on this section," Violet called out to Lotor. A few yards away, he nodded and turned back to searching through the rubble, trying to find the girl. If she had survived.
Violet swallowed, forcing down the lump that formed in her throat. The village had done nothing wrong to Lotor, and neither had the half-breed.
Violet shook her head, pushing away her doubts. This was necessary. To test the girl's ability to fight, to stay alive. They'd looked into her - she came from a race of water folk, and could swim well. If she was strong, like they wanted, she'd survive.
But if she wasn't - or if they were wrong and she wasn't here - then she'd destroyed an innocent village, might have killed innocent people.
Violet's hands clenched into fists. "Go away, guilt," she muttered. "It's fine. You flooded the village to wash out the evil. They were probably terrible people anyway."
"You flooded the village?"
Violet whirled around. A boy that could only be two or three years younger than her had crept out from behind a rock, hands shaking. "You did this?" He repeated. "You destroyed my home?"
Violet cursed under her breath, holding up her hands. "Technically, the water destroyed your home." She paused, realizing that probably wasn't the best thing to say. "Look, kid, you should run." She cast a quick glance to Lotor, ensuring that he was still a few yards away. "Now. No one other than a person we're looking for was supposed to survive this."
She realized how callous she sounded as soon as the words left her mouth. What was she doing, saying this boy was supposed to be dead? "That came out wrong. What I'm trying to say is-"
The boy let out a scream and lunged for her, moving far faster than Violet had anticipated. She dodged to the side to avoid him, but he twisted, face filled with fury-
Too late, Violet saw the jagged piece of stone clutched in his hand.
Too late, she brought up her hands.
Too late as the boy drove the stone into her chest.
Violet felt the rock pierce just below her ribs, a sharp pain that immediately dulled as the world began to slow. The boy wrenched the jagged piece of stone from her body, causing another wave of muted shock and paint to roll through her, and dropped it, horrified. He whipped around so fast Violet could see the tears fly from his face and darted through the rubble. Violet took a step to run after him, but her legs wouldn't work and she couldn't feel her arms and stars, it hurt.
She felt rough stone underneath her - when had she fallen? Violet couldn't remember. There was blood soaking her hands and she pressed them against the wound. The boy had missed most of her vital organs, but he might have grazed her stomach - or maybe her lungs? Her mind was too clouded for her to tell; she could only focus on breathing, which was getting increasingly hard by the second.
And then, through the fog, she heard someone's faint voice calling out her name.
They sounded frantic. Violet wondered why.
"Violet!" Hands slipped under her back, lifting her off the ground; her vision cleared slightly, and she was able to make out Lotor's face, the calm, collected mask he usually wore gone. "Violet--no, no, no. What happened?"
She pried open her dry lips, fighting for a breath. "There - a boy-"
"It's okay," Lotor whispered, one hand smoothing her hair back from her brow. "You're alright now. You're okay."
"I doubt that," Violet managed to say. Her lungs were on fire - every breath was a struggle, sending electrifying pain through her chest.
"I'm so sorry." The back of Lotor's hand brushed her cheek, so tenderly Violet blinked in surprise. "This is my fault. I sent you on this mission. I left you alone. I-" he broke off, voice catching.
Violet stared at him. She'd never seen him this ... frantic before. "I don't want to die," she whispered.
"You won't." Lotor tucked his hand under her legs and stood, lifting her into his arms. Violet curled against his chest, letting his warmth lull her into unconsciousness.
"Liar," she whispered, and let her eyes close.
Lotor's grip tightened. "I swear it," she h
eard him say before the darkness took her. "You won't die, not while I've got you. I can't lose you too."
And then there was nothing but black, an inky oblivion Violet was content to float in aimlessly. Time passed, with short blinks in between of consciousness - the feel of a pillow under her head, bright, sparking pain in her lungs when she tried to take a breath, and Lotor - his eyebrows drawn together, brow creased with worry, and his gentle voice talking to her as she slept. Sometimes he was telling her stories, of his past and his life before he'd taken her in; early on, he was begging, begging her
to stay with him.
Whatever he did, something must have worked, because two weeks later Violet woke up.
-
A day later, Shiro knocked on her door. "Lotor wants to speak with you," he said by way of greeting.Violet didn't look up from her book. "My answer is the same. Not until hell freezes over.""Vi..."She paused, sliding her bookmark between the pages. "He's withholding information," Shiro said. "He'll only tell you."Violet blinked. "What information?"Shiro ran a hand through his hair. "He knows where Pidge's father, Sam Holt, was taken."The air left Violet's lungs. She forced herself to breathe. "And if I don't talk to him, he won't tell us? Won't tell Pidge?"Shiro's silence was all the answer she needed.Violet set her book down, walked over to her desk, picked up a dagger, and hurled it at the wall so ferociously it hit the metal and stuck there. Shiro, to his credit, didn't flinch.Violet let out a breath, facing him. "What does Pidge think?""That you should go. Vi, if he knows anything about Sam...""I know." She nodded, steeling her will. "I'll do it."Shiro motioned for her to follow him. Violet did, entering the elevator that took them to Lotor's cell. She made sure to grab a couple knives before she left.Lotor looked up as she walked in, but didn't smile. He turned his attention to Shiro, who left without a word.Violet crossed her arms. "Where's Sam Holt?"He sighed. "If I tell you, will you believe me?""No. But we'll do it, if only to see Pidge reunited with her father."Lotor met her eyes, his face sad. "I want to earn your trust, Violet. I have never lied to you."She shook her head, wanting to laugh again, but knowing it would be uncalled for. "'Lies, like everything, are not black and white. Most of the time they're based on the truth. It all depends on who tells them.'"Lotor blinked at the fragment of his conversation with her all those years ago, then chuckled. "I'm glad you remember.""I'm not." Violet fully faced him. "You took them, didn't you? My memories."Lotor winced. "I am deeply sorry. I had to - if you were going to leave, you couldn't remember anything about me. If you had been captured by the Galra ... Haggar would have extracted them from you. Through a very painful process. I was trying to keep you safe."Violet's voice was cold. "I almost want to thank you." He looked up, surprised. "I spent seven years wishing my life was just one awful nightmare," Violet continued. "You made it so I could believe that. For a while, I actually thought I could leave my past behind." she peered at her palms, the skin stretched taught over misplaced bones, imagining the blood that had collected on them over the years. "I was so stupid." She lowered her hands, narrowing her eyes at Lotor. "But I've accepted it now. I did vile things when I worked for you, and the rest of my life will be to atone for that. I will always be making it up to the paladins." She stepped forward to the glass separating them, baring her teeth. "So tell me what you're doing. Tell me where Commander Holt is. So I won't have to fail Pidge again."Lotor's gaze fell. "Sam Holt was valued by the Galra for his space and science skills. He was transferred to a remote prison with others like him. I'm sending you the coordinates now." He tapped a couple buttons on his wristband, and Violet felt hers ping as the information was transmitted. She swallowed, forcing herself to turn her back."It never gets easier, you know," Lotor said quietly as she walked away. "You'll never feel like you've atoned enough for what you've done. It always seems like there's no forgiving it."Violet stiffened, her footsteps halting. "You may be right," she said, "But I've learned to forgive myself, at least in the ways that count. I'll never be like you."There was only resigned acceptance in Lotor's voice as he said, "We're more alike than you'd like to believe, Violet."Not wanting to give him the satisfaction of turning around, she quickened her pace until the elevator closed behind her and she could no longer feel Lotor's gaze searing into her spine. But it lingered there, as she gave Pidge the coordinates and the paladin set off with her brother, like a tattoo she could never get rid of.-
"What did they do this time?" Violet asked when he arrived. She knew his name now, knew his face. Lotor. Her former teacher, former capturer, former friend.
Who was he now? Mentor, it seemed. Lotor removed his sword before saying, "They lied to me. They told me the rebel group had stolen every canister of quintessence they could carry and burned the rest, but there were some left." He sat on the chair across from her, bringing up a screen on his wristband. "They managed to salvage some of the canisters and planned to use them for themselves without my jurisdiction."
Violet frowned. "But you didn't ask me to retrieve the canisters. You just asked me to take out the ones who lied."
Lotor looked up, smiling. "I don't care if they want more quintessence. The few canisters that survived the burnings were small, anyway. What I was punishing them for was their attempt to deceive me."
Violet blinked. "But the lie didn't matter. It was petty, and you saw through it."
"Lies, like everything, are not black and white. Most of the time they're based on the truth. It all depends on who tells them." Lotor met her eyes. "No one can lie to me and get away with it. People who believe they can pull it off are idiots. And idiots have no place under my command."
-Pidge and Matt returned without their father. They both look distraught, and Violet couldn't help but feel like she'd let them down. It didn't seem like Lotor had lied, though, and he expressed actual sympathy when told the news.They were gathered around the bridge when a transmission came through. "It's unknown," Violet noted, walking over to the screen. "Shiro, your call.""Open the line," Shiro commanded. The transmission was accepted, and Zarkon's face appeared on the screen.Violet's eyes widened, as did everyone's in the room. "Attention, Voltron and company," the emperor of the Galra said, voice wiry and thick. "I am making a one-time offer. It has come to my notice that I possess something you need." He moved aside, and with a jolt, Violet saw Acxa, Zethrid and Ezor behind him, holding up someone sagging between them.The person lifted his head, and Violet blinked, shocked. The resemblance was uncanny. Pidge let out a choked noise, and beside her, Matt froze."Matt?" said Sam Holt. "Katie?""Father!" Pidge shouted, leaping for the screen like it could take her to her father. Hunk stopped her before she could hurl herself at it. Pidge struggled against him, her eyes fixed on her father."In replacement of this man, I will take Lotor off your hands," Zarkon said. Violet felt a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. "I'm sending coordinates for the meeting point." His eyes narrowed. "Be there or her father dies."The call ended with a click, leaving the room in stunned silence.Lance cleared his throat nervously. "So ... who's gonna tell Lotor?"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Do not follow through with this. I am begging you."Pidge's face was twisted in fury. "You could be one yours knees sobbing for all I care. Zarkon has my dad, and I'm going to get him.""If you exchange your father for me, Zarkon will kill me," Lotor shot back, his eyes flashing. "I am his greatest opponent right now. Taking me out would only increase his strength.""An opponent off the board for him, and an opponent off the board for us," Pidge said, and Violet flinched.She couldn't stomach the thought of letting Lotor die, cruel as he was. And Lotor was right - if he was gone, Zarkon would have nothing in the way of him and his throne. Violet preferred no emperor to Zarkon as emperor.Lotor noticed her hesitance and pleaded, "Violet, you know the threat Zarkon is at full power. You are choosing between me and him. It's not even that much of a decision.""You forget we're also choosing between you and Sam Holt," Violet replied. "I'm sorry, Lotor, but this is Pidge's father."Lotor growled. "You're putting one person over the entire universe!""Putting one person over the rest of the universe is what we do," Violet said sharply. "Being a paladin of Voltron means choosing that person and damning the consequences.""It's foolish.""Everything has the potential to be foolish. It depends on how you look at it."Lotor smirked. "That's something I would say."The words hit her in the chest. Violet stumbled back, her voice failing. It was exactly something Lotor would say. He was right. They were alike.But to what extent?"You're lying!" Pidge yelled. "We can't trust a thing you say!""And Zarkon is so trustworthy in comparison?" Lotor demanded. "My father is known for many things, but being a man of his word is not one of them. He has ruled for so long by taking everything he could get. I might not be honest, but I'm certainly more honest than him."Violet blinked. "You're saying he'll betray us.""To hold Voltron and myself in his vile grasp at last? No question," Lotor replied.He was right - because it was exactly what Violet would do.If she was faced with choosing either Voltron or Lotor, she'd find a way to get both - even if that meant going back on her word. In war, having advantages mattered more than having morals. And Zarkon had no morals. Which meant he would double-cross them.But, as Violet looked at Pidge and Shiro, she realized that they would make the trade anyway. Pidge's father was within her grasp - she'd do anything to get him back, however foolish.And that was what Zarkon was counting on."That's it," Shiro said, cutting through Violet's thoughts. "Here's what we'll do. Lotor, I understand the danger of trading with Zarkon, but we can't just let Sam Holt slip away. I'll take Pidge and Matt on one of the pods, and we can wormhole with Lotor to the meeting point. If necessary, the castle can lend us a hand.""I'll go too," Violet jumped in. "You'll need someone to keep an eye on Lotor."Shiro nodded, his face open, trusting. I'm sorry, Shiro, she said silently. I didn't want to go behind your back.
But it needs to be done. Zarkon's reign has lasted long enough.
This ends today.
-Lotor hadn't taken his eyes off her the whole flight.It was hard to ignore him, since she sat directly next to his seat, but the trip only lasted a few minutes. Violet blatantly refused to meet his eyes as Allura wormholed them to the meeting point.By the time they touched down on the planet Zarkon had chosen, it became easier, because Violet's attention was captured by the massive Galra cruise ship planted on the earth. She, Shiro, Pidge, Matt and Lotor strode from the cargo ship; as they watched, a platform lowered on the cruiser and Zarkon stepped out.Lotor's shoulders tensed, but he kept his chin high. Violet moved behind him, grabbing his cuffs.Behind Zarkon, someone walked out, head bent.Sam Holt.Pidge lurched forward a step, her eyes wide. "We have to get him back," she said, half to herself."Give Sam Holt to us," Shiro called, "And we'll give you Lotor."Commander Holt began walking towards them, his steps dragging on the ground. Violet frowned. He hadn't had any reaction to seeing Pidge and Matt - his face was blank.Something wasn't right.Too late. Lotor had already begun striding towards Zarkon, keeping his pace even with Sam Holt's. They passed, so close they almost touched, and then-Pidge let out a muffled cry and darted for her father. Lotor reached the other side as she leapt into his arms.And met only air.Sam Holt shimmered, his face blurring, and disappeared. It had been a hologram.Violet cursed, Pidge shouting in anger. She'd been right - Lotor had been right. Zarkon had done exactly what she knew he'd do. As they watched, someone emerged from inside Zarkon's cruiser - Acxa, face grim.And with her, the real Commander Holt. He blinked in the light, seeing Pidge and Matt. "Kids?" he said, brows furrowed in disbelief."If you want the earthling alive, you will forfeit Voltron immediately!" Zarkon shouted."No!" Violet grabbed Pidge's elbow before she could throw herself at Zarkon. "You gave us your word! Give me back my father, you ugly bas-""Pidge, wait," Violet said forcefully, pulling her back."Let me go!" Pidge tried to push her off, but since she was half Violet's size it wasn't working too well. "He has my father!""I know, and running at him headlong won't change that," Violet retorted, lowering her voice to speak in the paladin's ear. "Wait. Soon the time will be right, and you can get your dad back. But that time is not now."The fight went out of Pidge, and she slumped.Across the battlefield, Zarkon still had Lotor. "Forfeit the lions!" He roared.And Lotor brought up his hands, swinging them around. Not at Zarkon - at Acxa, caught off guard. His cuffs were gone - unlocked - as he lunged at his former general, punching her in the face.Acxa stumbled back, and he easily forced her gun out of her hands, rounding on Zarkon and shooting him directly in the chest.Zarkon flew backwards, landing a couple yards away, and Lotor started after him. The Galra emperor stood, his lips curving into a smile."This is the day, then. I am going to greatly enjoy this." With a snarl, he leapt at his son."Now's the time," Violet said to Pidge, and let go of her, drawing her blades. "The three of you - retrieve Sam. Pidge - bring your father back."Pidge needed to further prompt. She and Matt started after Acxa and Commander Holt, who were making their getaway on a pod-ship.Violet felt a hand on her shoulder. "Lotor didn't unlock his cuffs all by himself, did he?" asked Shiro.Violet's gaze fell. "As much as I hate Lotor, he's often right. I couldn't let this mission be a failure. I'm sorry."Shiro nodded in acknowledgement. "I hope you know what you're doing," he said, and ran after the Holts."To be honest, I have no idea what I'm doing," Violet muttered, and launched into a sprint towards Lotor.And Zarkon.Her hands curled around her blades as she ran, watching father and son fight. Lotor was a formidable fighter, but Zarkon was a warrior, honed through ages of experience and training. It was clear who would win.Lotor fired his blaster at Zarkon, who deflected the puny shots with little effort. He attacked, batting away the gun. It flew out of Lotor's hands, skidding away.Not losing a second, Lotor swung at Zarkon. The emperor caught his fist and flung him away as easily as the blaster; Lotor crashed to the ground a few feet away from Violet.Zarkon jumped into the air, preparing to strike Lotor down once and for all. And Lotor's eyes met Violet's, his gaze clear.She knew what she had to do.Violet hurled her dagger at Lotor, the blades spinning, spinning, spinning, cutting through the air.And as Zarkon brought up his arm to deliver the blow that would kill his son, Violet's dagger found Lotor's hand.His fingers wrapped around it, and he rolled at the last second. Zarkon slammed onto the ground, and Lotor brought the blade down in an arc, plunging it into his father's back.The emperor of the Galra and conqueror of the known universe fell to his knees. Grimly, Lotor twisted his grip on Violet's blade and brought it down in a final blow, severing his father's head from his body. Time slowed, and a shudder seemed to run through the world as the two halves that had once been Lotor's father thudded into the dusty ground.Lotor wasn't moving, still standing in the same position. Violet forced herself to swallow and called his name; he gave no response.Coming up beside him, she touched his shoulder gently. His chest rose and fell erratically, but there was no other sign he was alive. Violet felt a spark of something low in her chest - pity, maybe, she wasn't sure.Hesitantly, she put her hands on his shoulders and turned him away, towards her."We need to go," she said, her voice echoing too loudly over the silence that had dawned. "Can you walk?""He's dead," Lotor mumbled, his eyes unfocused. "He's finally gone." He didn't sound happy. The calm focus of fighting had left him - now, he just looked like a boy, broken and alone."I know," Violet said, unable to think of anything else to say."He's dead," Lotor repeated, voice strained. "I killed him.""I know." They staggered back to the ship in silence, the world seeming to sway behind them.-Lotor was leaning heavily on Violet by the time they returned to the castle, but she didn't think he'd noticed. He'd barely moved, barely breathed, the whole ride back, eyes focused on some forgotten spot in the world no one else could see.Allura met them on the bridge, her face carefully wiped of any emotion. "Zarkon?""Dead," Shiro replied, voice weary. "Pidge and Matt are seeing to their father. He's not injured, but some rest would do him good."Allura nodded, and turned her attention to Lotor. "Thank you, Violet, but I'll take him from here."The princess stepped forward and grabbed Lotor's hands. And snapped a pair of electric cuffs around them.Violet blinked, to stunned to move as the princess pushed Lotor down the steps, the prince giving no resistance. "Allura!" Violet said, grabbing her shoulder. "What are you doing?""Taking Lotor back to his cell, where he belongs," Allura replied, her eyes cold. "We cannot allow him to roam free. Just because his father is dead doesn't mean he isn't a prisoner.""He's hurt!" Violet snapped, her patience wearing thin. She didn't have time for the princess's judgmental attitude - the day had been long enough."Minor wounds." Allura turned away, giving Lotor another shove. "He will heal. Besides, it is not our concern. He has done what he wanted to do.""You can't just send him off to do your dirty work and then put him back in a cell. That - that's not right." Violet protested. She had no idea why she was defending Lotor - he was evil, after all. But ... something about seeing him like this, like he was a glass that had shattered all over the floor, had her reconsidering her anger at him. "Lotor has done nothing but help us. You shouldn't push him around.""He is our enemy!" Allura shot back, eyes blazing. "You of all people should know that, Violet! He lied to you for years!""Princess..." Shiro cut in, brows furrowing. "Maybe you both could finish this tomorrow.""Lotor tried to kill you," Allura continued, as if Shiro hadn't spoken. "He almost succeeded. We cannot trust him - he is a threat to all of us. He's a murderer!""So am I!" Violet yelled. "I was your enemy to, Allura! I lied, I murdered, I killed! If you can't trust Lotor, how can you trust me?"Allura said nothing, her mouth pressed into a firm line.Violet's eyes widened a fraction of an inch, her anger fading. "You ... you do trust me, right?""You can return Lotor to his cell," Allura said, turning away. "If you're so intent on tending to his wounds, do it yourself."She strode off without another word, Shiro pausing to give Violet a concerned glance before following.Violet blew out a breath when she and Lotor were the only ones left on the bridge, and unlocked his cuffs. Lotor said nothing, his eyes still focused on that spot far, far away. She doubted he'd heard a single thing they'd said.Violet wished she could go there. It would be better than where she was, anyway.-"If you fall, I'm not going to catch you," Violet warned when she almost collapsed under Lotor's weight a third time.He didn't reply - silent, like he had been for the short walk from the bridge to the infirmary. It was starting to worry Violet. Lotor had never been one to miss the opportunity for a monologue, and he'd always seemed to talk with her whenever possible. She knew she had no reason to be concerned - he was Lotor. He was strong enough.But Violet knew that some things required more than just strength, and those took a toll on you that was hard to ease.She made it to the infirmary without falling, despite Lotor leaning heavily against her; Violet had him sit down on a bench while she grabbed bandages."Where are you hurt?" Violet asked as she worked. "Please tell me I didn't half-carry you through the castle for nothing."Lotor's eyes flicked towards hers, the only sign he wasn't turning into stone. Wordlessly, he pulled off the forearm plate of his armor, rolling up its sleeve.Along the pale, violet skin of his arm, a long gash cut through his bicep to his forearm. It didn't look too deep, but she'd need to wrap it. Violet reached forward; her fingers brushed his wrist, and he flinched, jerking backward so much he hit the shelf behind them and almost sent vials crashing to the floor.She sucked in a breath, surprised. She'd touched him before, but ... never his bare skin. Lotor wouldn't meet her eyes; he stared somewhere past her shoulder, breathing raggedly through his nose."Lotor."Nothing.Violet reached out as gently as she could, touching his cheek. Keeping her movements slow, cautious, she guided his chin up to meet her gaze. "Look at me," she whispered, focusing on his eyes. "Look at me. You're safe."Finally, emotions swirled up into his eyes, swallowing her own. "I've never been safe."Violet's hand trembled, and she pulled it back, telling herself it was just her injuries again. She busied herself unrolling a strip on bandages and dressing them."The cut's not deep," she said, if only to break the silence. "It'll only take a few days for you to recover, with your healing. You shouldn't need to change the bandages."She could feel his eyes on her as she talked. His voice sounded in her ears, hoarse and holding faint surprise. "Where did you learn this?""You," Violet answered. She looked up. "You taught me as soon as I healed from that stab wound on the water planet. Remember?"A slow blink. She sighed. "We were searching for Ezor. I got stabbed in one of my lungs. I barely survived. When I woke up you taught me how to tend a wound, in case there wasn't any advanced healing option."Lotor nodded. "I remember that. You ... were so close to death." He met her eyes, that faraway look still on his face. "How old were you? Fifteen?""Sixteen," Violet corrected. "It was right before we found Ezor and Zethrid." She smiled bitterly. "Most kids were learning how to drive at sixteen. I was getting stabbed in the chest."Lotor's gaze cleared, sorrow filling his eyes. "I ruined your life, didn't I?" he said, voice quiet. "When I took you. You were never the same."Violet swallowed and took the dressed bandages, taking a slow step towards him. He held out his arm, that unbearable sorrow still flashing in his gaze; she pressed the cloth into the gash, starting at his bicep and wrapping it around the corded muscles of his arm. He hissed sharply through his teeth but said nothing more.She waited until she was almost completely done wrapping his arm before she said quietly, "It's okay."She could feel the disbelief in the weight of his gaze, but as the words passed her lips, she realized the truth of them. It was okay; she blamed Lotor for ripping her away from her family, her home, but ... she wasn't angry at him for changing her life. She'd take this - fighting the Galra, memories splintered and fractured - over a dull, ignorant existence on Earth, never interacting with aliens, never learning who she was. As hard as her life was - the pain, the death, the endless battlefields - it had brought her to Voltron. It had brought her to other Alteans, people who looked like her and knew who she was. It had brought her to the paladins. And it had lead her to Lotor, who'd taught her how to cheat and cut and kill - who'd taught her how to survive. She was grateful for that, even with all he'd done. "Really. I doubt a simple life on Earth would've suited me, anyway."Something flickered in Lotor's eyes there, a forgotten fragment of pride. "I know. You were always destined for more."Violet chuckled softly, leaning back. "A place among the stars, right?"He nodded, the first glimmer of life in his eyes since he'd dealt the blow that killed his father. "In the center of the sky, shining brighter than the sun."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet was heading towards the bridge when she saw Lance training, using his bayard to shoot drones. Suddenly, his gun transformed into a broadsword, and he laid waste to the drones easily.Violet walked in, grinning. "Wow. First the lion, now the sword, and - is that a mullet I see? Lance, I think you might be turning into Keith."Lance felt his hair, blinking in surprise. "Gyah! I didn't realize being emo was contagious!"Violet doubled over laughing. "Oh, man, Keith is going to have a fit when I tell him you said that." She wiped her eyes. "I can already imagine the look on his face.""You're still talking with Keith?" Lance asked, surprised.Violet blinked. "Oh, I thought you knew. Ever since Naxzela, when Keith tried to sacrifice himself-""Huh?"Violet backtracked. "Er, nothing."Lance crossed his arms. "Spill."Violet groaned and sat down on the ground, patting the spot beside her - her bones ached if she stood for too long and she wasn't about to stand for this conversation. Wiping his face off with a towel, Lance plopped down beside her."Once the Blades took over the Zaiforge cannon on Semfala, Keith and I got sick of waiting for you guys to escape Naxzela. We convinced the Blades to let us take off for Haggar's cruiser." She sighed. "When we heard back from you guys, Keith thought that ... that the only way to break through the shield on the cruiser was with a fighter. He wanted to fly one into the ship before Haggar activated the bomb. And he was going to, if I hadn't stopped him."Ever since then, Keith and I have been keeping in touch. He - he gave me this book, so we talk about that a lot, and what he does for the Blades, and Lotor." She shrugged. "For me, it's really easy to talk to Keith. Sometimes I still feel like I haven't seen him in months, though."For once, Lance's face was serious. "The rest of the team figured he doesn't want anything to do with us. I guess we should've tried harder." He looked down, face sad.Violet touched his shoulder gently. "It's not your obligation," she said. "But, as much as you try to deny it, you two are friends. Maybe you should give him a call.""Me and Mullet?" Lance scoffed. "Never." he looked at her with a sly grin. "However, you and him ... all I say is, I definitely didn't see it coming.""What's that supposed to mean?"He blinked. "You don't know?""Know what?"Lance's grin widened. "You really don't - wow, Vi. You have to have realized by now that Keith has the hots for y-""Hey, Lance! Vi!"Violet scrambled to her feet, happy to end the conversation. Pidge was standing in the doorway with Hunk. "Whatcha guys talking about?"Violet flashed Lance a panicked glance. He winked at her and said, "I bet her I could manage to fit my whole bayard in my mouth."Hunk rolled his eyes. "You're a danger to yourself, Lance.""And I coward," Violet jumped in. "I say do Pidge's too."Pidge looked horrified. "Nope. definitely not. Besides, Shiro wants us on the bridge. He's calling a meeting.""Coming," said Lance. They stood and walked form the training room, Violet flashing him a grateful glance Lance dipped his head in acknowledgement. Anytime, Vi."Seriously, though. I have so many questions about these things. Like, if I rip off my leg and wallop you over the head with it, am I punching you or kicking you?""Punching me," Hunk mused. "Wait, no. Kicking me.""You'll most likely mentally scar me more than anything," said Pidge.Violet laughed, and they began to head to the control room. "What about if I punch myself in the face and it hurts?" Lance blabbered on. "Would I be weak or strong?""Strong," Hunk said.Pidge chimed in, "Weak."Violet rolled her eyes. "An idiot."They reached the bridge, coming to a halt when they saw Lotor sitting on the stairs, hands wrapped around his knees.Violet stiffened, ignoring the unwelcome flicker of relief that coursed through her. Lotor's demeanor was calm and collected, his eyes as sharp as they usually were; Violet was glad he was back to normal, and the loss of his father hadn't shaken him permanently.But he was still Lotor - he'd still lied and hurt her, and she couldn't forget that. Violet wasn't sure if she'd forgiven him yet, but everyone else certainly hadn't. "Oh, hey, Lotor," Lance said, looking miffed. "I guess you're not really our prisoner anymore if we're letting you hang around the bridge like this.""I don't think we were consulted for that," Pidge grumbled."Why are you here, Lotor?" Allura asked tersely.Lotor stood, not looking at Violet. She pushed down the flash of surprised indignance - if he didn't want to acknowledge what had passed between them while she tended to him after he'd murdered Zarkon, that was fine by her. "I know you all still regard me with distrust, but there are far more dangerous opponents coming into play. Now that Zarkon's reign has been cut short, new Galra warriors will compete for the throne in a ritual known as the Kral Zera. We need to be at that ceremony.""You're telling us to enter a ceremony where the strongest Galra warriors are going to be fighting for rulership?" Lance asked, cocking a brow. "How is that a good idea?"Shiro spoke up in his defense. "It won't be the worst Voltron has been through," he pointed out. "And the benefits from having Lotor as the leader of the Galra would be substantial.""Hold up," said Hunk. "Since when was making Lotor king our plan?" He looked around. "Do we even have a plan?""Yes," Shiro said firmly. "This is it."The paladins looked dubious. Lance said, "Shiro, I think I speak for all of us when I say we shouldn't do this. No one's doing anything to us. The Galra are sorting themselves out. Why risk getting caught up in something we can't handle?""Lance, I'm not asking for your opinion," Shiro snapped. "As leader of Voltron, I'm saying that we go to the Kral Zera, and that's final."Violet was taken aback. She'd never seen Shiro act so rudely. Lance looked stunned as well."Whatever decision you make, make it quickly," Lotor cut in. "The spot on the throne will not remain empty for long. If I do not take it, someone much worse will.""And if they do, we'll be sitting ducks," Shiro concluded. "We have to go."Pidge frowned. "How are we sitting ducks? We're not even standing ducks. We're flying ducks. We're ducks that are flying five giant rainbow metal space lions.""Pidge," Violet said, "You're really not helping yourself here.""Why are we even helping Lotor in the first place?" Allura demanded. "I don't feel comfortable with him on the throne, able to do what he pleases. How do you know that us being there won't make the Galra fight harder?""I will have Voltron by my side," Lotor replied confidently."Of course," said Violet. "Voltron. Why didn't we think of that? It's not like Voltron is always starting fights. Or causing the Galra to fight. That never happens. Nope. Never."Hunk blinked. "You're being sarcastic, right?"Violet threw up her hands. "Of course I'm being sarcastic!"Lance crossed his arms. "Vi, someday you'll realize that sarcasm won't get you anywhere in life.""It got me first place in the annual sarcasm championship of 1992," Violet said dryly.His eyes widened. "Really?""No, you moron.""We're wasting time," Shiro growled. "I'm doing this. Lotor is going to the Kral Zera." He glared at the others, as if daring them to speak up.Lance, of course, didn't get the hint. "We're just trying to help, Shiro," he said cautiously.Shiro rounded on him furiously. "I said I didn't ask for your opinion!"Everyone was shocked into silence. Shiro had never lashed out at the other paladins. Never. Lance blinked, confused and hurt.Shiro calmed himself. "Anyone who wants to go to the Kral Zera, make yourself clear."No one spoke.He sighed. "I wish I could've changed your minds." Without another word, he turned and stalked from the bridge.Even Lotor looked surprised. "I - I apologize for making him lash out," he said, sounding perplexed.Violet said quietly, "It wasn't you." She faced the others. "It was Shiro. I don't know why he's acting like this, but I'm guessing he's about to pull a Keith and make a reckless decision. Keep an eye on him, okay?""Applauding the use of Keith's name as a verb," said Lance, "But I call not it. This Shiro is mean.""Yeah," Pidge said softly. "Really mean."Violet blew out a breath. "I'll do it. Sorry, everyone." she followed Shiro, pausing at the door to the bridge. "Lotor, would you mind briefing the others about the ceremony? We should be as knowledgeable about who's going to be there as we can.""Of course." Lotor looked to Allura. "Would you mind?"Violet left after that, their voices fading away.-Violet had tailed Shiro after he left his room an hour or two later, staying out of his sight. She watched as Shiro boarded the black lion, meeting someone at its mouth - Lotor. Violet's veins turned to ice. What were they doing?"Shiro," she whispered. "What have you done?"Carefully, Violet followed them, sneaking into the belly of the lion. She entered the cockpit; the two still hadn't spotted her."Here's the place," Lotor said, pointing to a spot on Shiro's screen. "Are you sure you wish to go against the wishes of the other paladins?""Yeah, Shiro, are you sure you wish to go against the wishes of the other paladins?"Shiro jumped at least a foot off his seat, his head whipping around to gape at Violet. She just glared at him. "We're a team, Shiro. Leaders don't do things like this to their team."Shiro scowled. "You can't stop me." He returned his attention to the thrusters, putting on a burst of speed.Violet sighed. "I'm not going to stop you. As much as I hate the idea of Lotor on the throne, it's the only option. I just came to make sure you didn't do anything stupid." She silenced Shiro with another pointed look. "You can't deny that. You totally would've done something stupid."She avoided Lotor for the rest of the flight, realizing halfway through he hadn't flinched when she'd spoken. Which meant he knew she was there. Violet's mood soured. Damn. She thought she'd fooled them.No one could fool Lotor, but at least she'd tried.Without a wormhole from Allura, the ride was long. However, eventually they made it to the correct spot, a planet called Feyiv. Galra leaders and generals were already gathered below a set of stairs with a glowy purple torch at the top. Violet finally let herself meet Lotor's eyes. "Ready to make your dramatic entrance?""I am not dramatic."With that, Lotor emerged from the black lion as Shiro landed it in a haze of smoke, drawing his sword and cutting a path to the steps. "Cease your insolent bickering!" he called. "Your future leader is here for the throne!"Violet rolled her eyes. "Definitely not dramatic. At all.""Vi, look," Shiro ordered. He pointed and Violet gasped. Sendak, fully alive, was standing at the base of the steps, glowering at Lotor.She cursed. "Why can't anyone stay dead these days? I mean, I'm glad I got a second chance, but why this guy?""Lotor?" Sendak growled. "You think yourself fit to be emperor? I've seen some stupid attempts, but this leaves them all in the dust. How could you challenge me?""Not only is Zarkon's blood running through my veins," Lotor replied, raising his weapon. "It's covering my hands as well. The former emperor is dead by me, and anyone else who stands between me and the throne will meet a similar fate.""So you believe that patricide and pretty words will get you the throne?" Sendak challenged. "Then you are badly mistaken, Lotor."Lotor's eyes narrowed in a way that made Violet's blood chill. "It is you has made a grave mistake, Sendak, the second you thought you could insult me to my face and live through it. The flame will be held by me - I don't care if I have to set the rest of the world on fire to light it." He reached the bottom of the stairs. "This need not end in bloodshed. Step away now, Sendak, and I will spare your pathetic life."Sendak raised his arm in response. "I will find pleasure in tearing you apart."The slightest hint of a smirk curved Lotor's lips. "I'd like to see you try."The two began to fight, climbing up the steps. Galra lashed out against each other on the ground below, blades ringing. Violet watched, anxious, as blood began to spill.Then she caught sight of a cloaked figure darting towards the black lion - in Marmora gear.Violet was out of the cockpit before Shiro could turn his head, sprinting for the person as fast as she could.Keith."What the hell are you doing here?" She yelled at him as soon as they were within earshot."What the hell are you doing here?" He shot back. "The Blades are planting bombs around the dais. We're planning to take out all the Galra leaders at once. Kolivan didn't say you'd be here - you have to go, now!""Can we disable the bombs?" Violet asked, mind racing. "If the black lion leaves, we forfeit Lotor's chance to the throne."Keith shook his head. "There's too many and not enough time."Violet chewed her lip. "Fine. Where are-"Keith's eyes flared, and he shoved her to the side before she could finish. He raised his blade as a Galra general swung at him, slicing through the spot Violet had just been standing. Keith met the Galra's sword head-on, the clang assaulting Violet's ears. She swept a leg out, knocking the general's foot away, and he lost his balance. Keith took the opportunity, stabbing the commander in the leg.He howled in pain as Keith drew out his blade. He nodded to Violet, and they went back-to-back, pressing against each other as more generals surrounded them. "How much will the blast take out?" Violet asked, throwing a dagger into a general's eye. "Will the people on the bottom of the dais be safe?""I tried to disable as many explosives I could once I saw Blacky," Keith replied, hacking at a Galra general who lunged for him, "But anyone near the flame will be a goner. The black lion might hold out, but the plan was for anyone becoming the new emperor to be taken out."Violet paused for a split second. "Lotor." A Galra female leapt for her; she sidestepped and kicked her onto Keith's blade."Ick," Keith muttered, sliding his blade free.Another Galra jumped for him at that moment, but Violet roundhouse kicked him in the face. He staggered into another general."This is almost too easy," Violet said, smirking. "Just like the first time we went to the Balmera!""You and I remember the Balmera very differently," Keith grunted, ducking under yet another Galra's blade."Yeah, it wasn't exactly like this," Violet admitted. "Cover me - I have to warn Lotor.""I'm kinda busy at the moment." Keith sidestepped around a general, running them through with his sword. "Are they teaming up on us? I feel like they're teaming up on us.""Just tell them the one next to them called them a wart-garbled snitch," Violet shot back. "Then they'll fight each other and not us."Keith cast her a quizzical look as he punched a Galra in the diaphragm. "Wart-garbled snitch? Who told you that?""Coran," they both answered at the same time. Violet almost laughed."I'll warn Lotor," Keith said, starting to slice and cut a path through the Galra. "You get to Shiro and get out of here."Violet nodded, hesitating for a second. There were so many words unspoken in the gap between them, words she didn't have time to say. So she ran, dodging and spinning past bloodthirsty Galra, her heart feeling oddly light and painfully heavy at the same time.A swarm of generals were making their way to the black lion, who hadn't moved. Violet shot past them into the cockpit."Keith is here," she said before Shiro could speak. "The Blades planted bombs around the dais. They're about to go off.""What about Lotor?" asked Shiro.Violet glanced towards the steps and her heart caught in her throat. Lotor was fighting Sendak, slowly climbing the dais, Keith following them, cutting down anyone in his way. He shouted something to Lotor, who paused, listening, before diving to the side to evade a blow from Sendak's arm.The general Keith was fighting knocked him to the ground. They fought, Keith blocking her attacks with his dagger, while Lotor barely managed to escape Sendak's repeated moves. "They need help," Violet said. "I can-""No," Shiro interrupted. "You'll die if you go out there again.""So will they!" Violet snapped back, but before she could move to get out of the black lion, there was a rumble and the planet shook. Keith stumbled as the ground trembled. The Galra raised her sword-And the dais exploded, knocking Keith and the Galra back. Everyone paused, looking to where Sendak and Lotor were fighting. But they were gone, engulfed in smoke and flames.There. The general had recovered and was aiming to strike Keith down again; Lotor came up behind her, running her through with his sword. Blood sprayed.Violet let out a breath. Keith wasn't dead. He was fine. Well, not exactly, but at least he was alive. Lotor climbed the steps to the dais, Sendak nowhere to be seen, and raised his torch.With a shudder than ran through the whole planet, he set the tip on fire."The torch is lit," Lotor called, his voice ringing through the place. "Shall anyone challenge your new leader?"Silence.His mouth curved. "Then kneel."One by one, the Galra fell to their knees. Violet deemed it safe to leave the black lion and jumped out once more, running to where Keith was at the bottom of the stairs. "Are you alright?" she demanded, scanning him for injuries.He frowned. "Lotor just saved my life. Why did Lotor just save my life?""Because I'd kill him if he stood by and let you die," Violet replied, the words exiting her mouth before she comprehended them. She blinked as she realized what she'd said. "You are okay, though, right?"He met her eyes, gaze soft. "I'm okay."Violet had forgotten what it felt like to be so close to Keith. To feel herself subconsciously leaning into him, the memory of the last time they'd been together. She memorized the lines of his face, as quickly as she could; he did the same. "When will I see you again?" she finally asked, hating how small her voice sounded."I don't know," Keith replied. "I'm going on a mission soon - it might take weeks. More."Violet closed her eyes, knowing how much it would hurt when he left. She'd miss him, more than before. "Come back," she whispered. "Promise me you'll come back to me."Keith's hand found hers. "I promise." She nodded, feeling tears threaten behind her eyes.Keith pulled back and left, his eyes filled with everything he wanted to say but couldn't. The cold air breezed against her skin where his warmth had been.Violet watched him fade away and turned back to Lotor, who'd been looking on with eyes as stormy as the sea.
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That day, Pidge and Matt said goodbye to their father, Sam Holt, as he left for earth. With Lotor the new emperor, he had access to the castle, and invited the paladins over. Everyone was skeptical, but Violet didn't mind. She'd been in the palace before."So, Lotor, what's your grand plan to turn the Galra from a bloodthirsty, warring empire to a peaceful species?" Shiro asked as they arrived."Simple," Lotor replied. "Quintessence - a limitless supply of it. It was what turned the Galra into vicious creatures in the first place, and it will turn them back again."Before he could continue, though, an old Galra woman made her way to the group. Violet gaped when she recognized her. Lotor looked flummoxed. "This is not going to go well," he mumbled under his breath.Lance said, "Er ... lady, are you lost or something?"The woman whacked him with her walking stick. "The nerve you have, addressing me without the consent of the esteemed emperor Lotor!""Someone hide me," Violet said, moving behind Shiro.The lady, however, noticed her. "Violetta? Is that you?"Violet grimaced, slowly stepping away from Shiro. "Hi, Dayak."The woman scrutinized her, then swiftly struck her with the stick. Violet blocked, the movement nearly effortless. Dayak swiped for her left, and she blocked with her forearm, then sidestepped another blow.Dayak finished her assessment, pursing her lips. "You're still as stiff as a board. Good to know some things haven't changed." She sneered at the other paladins, "Stop gawking! I was Violetta's tutor, hired by Emperor Lotor himself."Violet sighed. "When I was being ... trained, Lotor thought it would be a nice idea for me to train with his governess." She side-eyed Lotor. "Dayak did teach me a lot of what I know now, though, so I owe her.""You more than owe me," Dayak grumbled. Violet flashed Lotor another irritated glare over her shoulder."Right. Dayak had informed me that she was coming to provide ... assistance, but I hadn't expected her to come this soon," he said, clearing his throat.Violet rolled her eyes. "You mean you were too scared to say no to her.""Scared, huh?" asked Hunk. he peered at Dayak. "You don't seem like much."Dayak walloped him with her walking stick. "How dare you insult me?" She seethed. "I trained Lotor himself to crush his enemies, and Violetta to turn whole cities to ruin by his side."Violet winced."Dayak, I'm sure our guests will quite be interested in examining every aspect of the palace," Lotor said quickly."I was hoping to compare our constellations to the Galra's star maps," Shiro offered. "Coran told me you have the most advanced charts in the universe."Lotor nodded. "We do. I'll have a sentry show you the way to the satellite room.""Galra and rebel intelligence working together?" Coran said with a sigh. "That's not something you see every quintant.""While you all are busy," Lotor added, "Violet, I'd like to show you something." He held out his hand. "Come with me, please.""Huh? No way!" Lance exclaimed.Violet studied Lotor's face. It was open - more honest than she'd seen in a while. She'd taken his hand before she knew what had happened.Lotor beamed - actually beamed - and said, "Excellent. There is much work to be done."-Lotor brought her to a workshop. "Your blood is unique, Violet," he explained. "I do not know how, but your quintessence ratings are off the charts, much abnormal for a half-human."Violet frowned. "What are you saying?"Lotor paused. "This was the study of one of the best scientists in the universe," he said instead of answering. "Her name was Honerva.""I know that name," Violet murmured. "She ... she was an alchemist, right? She helped King Alfor build the Voltron lions."Lotor nodded. "I don't know the extent of her work, but I do know that Honerva was seeking something. A secret - to which you are the key.""What secret?"Lotor smiled. "As you know, Honerva's work was extraordinary. She discovered more on trans-realities than any other science. I believe she figured out a way to move between them shortly before her death, but kept it hidden away in a place only she could unlock." Lotor gestured to the room around them. "It would be here. Your energy should be able to find an object linked to what Honerva was researching.""And why would I do this?" Violet asked. "It seems like a lot of power. I know for sure I wouldn't be able to handle it.""You wouldn't have to." Lotor met her eyes, his face filled with excitement. "With you, we could extract quintessence from the space between realities safely and easily. The Galra's bloodthirst would be quenched. Their evil reign would end. But also, you could discover the truth of your heritage."That didn't make sense. Violet knew who she was. She was half-Altean; her father was human. But ... all the Alteans had been wiped out ten thousand years ago. And how could Veronica be fully human if their mother was an alien? Her father hadn't exactly been tight-lipped about her mother; Violet scrolled through the list of what she knew. Her name was Ivy Idalia. She had curly dark hair, brown eyes and dark skin like Ronnie's, and was tall, and was Altean. She'd died from a human disease on earth after giving birth to Veronica, or so Violet was told. She was strong, fierce, and stubborn. And ...That was it. Violet blinked, surprised. It was a short list. She'd always known her father had kept secrets from her, that there was a reason why there were no framed photos of their mother in the house, but she'd accepted that as a fact.But ... the Balmera. Violet had finished the ritual Allura had started without losing any of her life force. Humans barely had any life force. She shouldn't've survived."If I'm right, we should find out much of the truth today," said Lotor. "You shouldn't have anything else hidden from you, Violet. You deserve to know the truth.""Alright," said Violet. "I'll look." She paused. "What am I looking for, exactly?""Close your eyes," Lotor replied. "Feel for any energy. Something that stands out."Violet did as he said, reaching out to the corners of the room. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And then...A pulse of silver light, blinking in the darkness. Violet's eyes flew open, and she walked over to the shelf, shoving aside boxes.In the very back corner was a stone.Violet pulled it out, showing it to Lotor. "It's an Oriande stone," he said, peering at it. "A magical artifact with some kind of code no one has ever been able to crack." He looked at her, impressed. "Good work." Something inside her blossomed at the praise, and although Violet knew it shouldn't matter to her, a blissful warmth flooded through her as she peered down at the writing. "What's on it?" she asked, looking down to hide the flush along her cheeks. "Some ancient language. I don't know it.""Beware my touch, my hollow stone;/Only my blood can read this poem,'" Violet read. "'Only my blood can find the key,/So beware what you first see, and what lies inside me.'" She blinked. "Sorry, you were saying 'ancient language'?""Outstanding," Lotor murmured. "You can read it. This proves my suspicions. Try to open it.""You don't open it," Violet said, turning the stone over. "It's a riddle.""What?""Something ... something it requires. A key. Something about blood..." Violet brushed her fingertip over the stone, and it came to her. "That's it!" She grabbed one of her blades."Please don't stab the Oriande stone," said Lotor."I'm not going to stab it," Violet said, rolling her eyes. "I'm going to stab myself."He frowned. "I don't think that's any better.""Just watch." Violet pressed the blade against her thumb until a bead of blood appeared. She smeared it over the stone, the red bright against the pale blue-gray.There was a hiss, and the blood began to turn to smoke and dissolve. The stone glowed and seemed to burst open. A hologram of light flickered into the room, bathed in blue. A map of the galaxy, as well as blueprints of something and different screens showing random panels in a different language. Violet stepped back in surprise, bumping into Lotor's chest.She reached out and waved her hand through one of the maps. It flickered but held, like Coran's control panel. "Awesome," she breathed.Violet turned. Lotor was staring at her, his cheeks colored faintly pink. "What?"He cleared his throat. "Nothing. Violet, this is amazing. You've unlocked an Oriande stone. No one has ever done that before. In fact-""Wait," Violet murmured, her gaze fixed on the projection. "Something's wrong.""What is it?" Lotor asked, frowning at the hologram. "I don't see anything.""I do." Violet stepped forward, some ancient instinct inside her lifting her hands, settling them over the projection. Beware what you first see.And everything - the maps, the screens - vanished, the stone shutting off and falling to the floor. "No!" Violet exclaimed. "It - it turned off! Why did it turn off! Dammit! Stupid stone!" She kicked it angrily."Violet, wait," said Lotor, grabbing her arm as she tried to kick it again. "Look.""Huh?" Violet looked down. The Oriande stone was glowing, emitting a silver light that got brighter and brighter, until she was forced to shield her eyes from the blinding light. Just then, a voice echoed in the room, both masculine and feminine, deep and light, dark and foreboding, sending shivers down her arms and back."The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire time of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all."There was a popping noise, and the stone exploded into dust. Violet instinctively threw her arms over her head - and she felt someone cover her. Lotor shielded her body with his own as the light washed over the room.When it cleared, and Violet could see again, the specks of dust form the stone had gathered and flown into the air, hovering to form an image.Lotor stepped awkwardly away from her, his face flushed. Violet felt her cheeks warm at how close they'd been standing, but her thoughts were quickly turned elsewhere.Because hovering in the air before them were blueprints."Those maps must have been a decoy," Lotor said, voice awed. "This - this is the true treasure.""But what is it? And what was that riddle?" Violet asked, examining the dust. "I think this is ... a ship?""Not just any ship," said Lotor, and his eyes flashed with some unholy kind of light. "A ship that can move between realities."
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Brighter than the stars: A Voltron fanfic (Keith X OC) Part IVWith Lotor on their side and the trans-reality ship in construction, the tables are finally turning in Voltron's seemingly never-ending battle to liberate the universe. But Violet still struggles adjusting to life without Keith - and life with her former mentor, who she swore she'd never work beside again. How can she tell who is good and who is bad when the lines between them are blurred? Zarkon is dead, and Voltron finally has a chance to rest. But peace never lasts long, and Violet will have to defeat the biggest enemy she's ever known - or the universe will pay the price.
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"Did you retrieve the sicline?" Lotor demanded as soon as Hunk, Pidge and Lance entered the room."I think the thing you should be saying right now is 'Oh, Lance, thank you so much for risking your butt to get my space metal,'" Lance shot back, scowling. He peered up at where Violet and Lotor stood on the raised platform above him, standing next to the shell of the ship they were constructing - the trans-reality ship."Oh, Lance, thank you so much for risking your butt to get Lotor's space metal," Violet said, grinning. "Couldn't've done it without you.""We didn't mind," said Pidge. "The luminescence in the sicline is surreal! It almost made getting it worth it!" She frowned. "Almost.""It's being transported here now," Hunk added. "We'll be in the lounge if you finish early. Pidge is gonna hook up her computer to the control system - we'll be able to watch the movies she has stored on her device. We're thinking a Lord of the Rings marathon, maybe a little Hobbit.""Sorry, Hunk," said Violet, flashing him an apologetic glance. "I don't think we'll finish early at all today.""Violet's right," said Lotor. "With the sicline, the trans-reality ship is mostly complete." He turned to smile at Violet, who returned the smile.She knew that Lotor had hopes for them being as close as they'd used to be, and she also knew that they never would. Violet was content being friends - she still wasn't sure if she'd forgiven him yet for taking her memories, but they she couldn't deny that the made a good team. It was aweing to build a ship that could travel between realities."We've done so much, and in such a short period of time," Lotor continued as Hunk, Pidge and Lance left the room. "I almost forgot - how smoothly we work together. Even my own generals have not been as fluid with me as you are." That old flush sparked in her chest. Violet looked away. Long, slender fingers curled around her own. Surprised, her gaze flashed upwards.Lotor was focused wholly on her. His eyes caught her own, so open and intense her breath caught in her throat. Dimly, she recalled the feeling of his hands in hers. Lotor's hands were always callused, despite his royal upbringing. It was one of the reasons Violet had ended up liking him, in the end - she hated royals, princesses and queens and all that, but Lotor wasn't really a prince. Not in the ways that mattered. "Violet," he breathed. "You know that everything I did - everything I have ever done - I did for you."She swallowed past the lump in her throat, wishing to all the stars that Lotor's gaze would lessen so she could look away. Her mind wanted to say, even taking my memories? Even killing your father? Even taking the Galra throne?But instead, what her mouth said, was "Why?"Lotor frowned. "What do you mean?"Violet's mouth was dry. "Why me?" She whispered to him, and her voice echoed horribly throughout the empty space. She had never meant for these words - these silent insecurities - to be revealed, certainly not to Lotor, but here they were. "That Galra ship that took me - out of billions on Earth, trillions in the galaxy - to become your generals - why me?" Lotor drew in a breath, his hands tightening around hers. "Before, I would've told you it was because you are destined for more," he said softly. "More than any of us. But although that is true, it's not the real reason."The real reason is that I ... I thought for a very, very long time that in a universe we haven't even begun to discover yet, there was not a single other soul like me. That I was alone, and would be alone."But then, I met you."Violet didn't think she was breathing. Lotor's grip on her hands was tight enough to hurt, now, but she didn't look down - couldn't. Was still captured by his gaze."There is no one else like us, Violet. There never will be." She wet her lips, running her tongue over the chalky, cracked skin. "And what am I that's so much like you?"The corner of his mouth curled up. "Unstoppable."
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Over the course of the next week, Lotor and Violet finished building the trans-reality ship. Violet had imbued the vessel with enough quintessence for it to function in the quintessence field; finally, the day came when they were ready to enter it.She commed Keith to let him know. He hadn't been picking up when she'd commed him recently, but she'd assumed it was from the mission he'd told her about. Hoped, really. If there was another reason ... Violet choked down the familiar bitter feeling in her gut that came when thoughts of their friendship dissolving into the endless stars between them invaded her mind. There was more than one way to lose someone.Violet settled onto her bed as Keith's face appeared on her screen. "Boy, do I have news to tell you, Vi," he said."I could say the same." She grinned. "Lotor and I finished building the ship today. We're going to launch it into the quintessence field as soon as possible.""Are you sure it's safe?" asked Keith, expression changing in an instant. "Being exposed to quintessence has a high risk - and a high price."Violet waved him off. "We know. Lotor almost lost his voice last week because of how much he'd been lecturing me on the dangers of quintessence exposure. What's your news?""I was on a mission with a senior member of the Blades. Her name is Krolia," Keith said. He was silent for a moment; she wished he would look up, and she could see what it was on his face, but his eyes were trained firmly on a spot below the screen. And then... "She just revealed to me that she's my mother," he said, all in a rush."Seriously? She was a member of the resistance?" Keith nodded, his gaze finally flashing up to hers, and Violet's face broke into a smile. "Keith, that's awesome. What's she like? Is she cool? Are you guys a team now? When can I meet her?"Keith laughed. "Slow down. It's been a week or two since we got back from the mission - that was why I couldn't comm you sooner. It will take a while, but I'm glad to have her." He grinned. "There's more. The mission Krolia and I were on - we found a colony of lost Alteans that survived the war. There were only a few, but we brought one of them back with us - her name is Romelle. She wants to join the coalition.""Alteans? Maybe I should join the Blade of Marmora. You're having all the fun." Violet leaned forward eagerly. "Can I meet her?""Not now," Keith said, glancing behind him. "I think she's asleep. We also have a wolf now, by the way, but he acts like a dog a lot.""That's it." Violet stood. "You're visiting the Castle of Lions. Right now. I'm sending you the coordinates. I don't care if you left the team. Do you know how long I've waited to be able to pet a dog again? Eight years, Keith. Eight. Years.""I don't know," Keith mumbled. "With Shiro back, I don't have a place in the team anymore. It would be weird."Violet's eyes softened. "I don't care. And the others don't either.""Okay." He drew in a long breath. "I'll tell Krolia to change course."Violet's breath stuck in her chest. Had he really agreed that quickly? She'd only been half-serious. She cocked a brow at him. "Not that I don't want to pet a dog again, but ... just like that? Are you sure you're ready to see everyone again?"There was something different, something older, on Keith's face when he replied. "I ... when I left, I didn't..." he swallowed. "It's just been a really long time. More so for me than for you.""Okay," Violet said slowly, confused but not wanting to question him. "So you miss our dumb faces.""Yeah," he said, and that crooked smile found its way onto his face again, and everything was alright for a tiny, perfect second. "I guess I do miss your dumb faces."Violet beamed. "I'll see you in a minute, then."The comm ended, but her smile didn't leave. Keith seemed ... different. Better, she thought - hoped. It hadn't been long since Karl Zera, when she'd last seen him - especially not compared to how long they'd been in space with Voltron - but he seemed fuller now. Like he'd grown into himself. As much hurt him leaving had caused, he at least seemed to be better for it.Maybe she would learn to forgive him for it, one day. Confront the crooked, crumpled mess inside her that she tried not to look at too hard that had never really survived coming out of the cryo-pod to watch his back turn. Find the space she needed to come to terms with it, how it had changed her, how the nightmares of being crushed had grown less frequent now than the nightmares that left her gasping, reaching out, hands straining in the air for someone who was already gone. Maybe all it would take was for him to bring her a dog.Violet met up with the other paladins on the bridge and informed them that Keith would be arriving soon.Lotor frowned at the news. "We should still enter the quintessence field as soon as possible," he said. "I don't want to waste any more time.""We won't," Violet assured him.With a blip, a transmission appeared before them, showing Keith's face. "Hailing the Castle of Lions. We have your coordinates. Allura, can you make a wormhole?"Allura nodded and formed a wormhole; a small Galra craft flew through it, landing in the hangar.They rushed to the craft. Keith stepped out, along with a Galra woman, a wolf with markings on its muzzle, and an Altean.Violet found herself face-to-face with Keith. She hesitated before wrapping her arms around him. Keith went rigid, surprised, before hugging her back."I'm pleased to meet you," said Shiro, shaking Krolia's hand. "I've had the honor of working with your-" he cut off with a groan, face twisting in pain, and crumpled to the ground.Krolia blinked, her hand still outstretched. "Er ... does he normally do that?"Violet bolted into action, sliding to her knees by Shiro's side. "Whoa!" Hunk cried, following her. "Shiro, are you okay?"Shiro looked up, his eyes fixing on Hunk - eyes of pure, dark blackness. There was no familiarity there, no kindness. No Shiro. Violet jerked back, but it wasn't her he launched himself towards - it was Hunk, still by Shiro's side, his brows furrowed in confusion. Violet's lips parted to shout a warning, but too late - Shiro lashed out one leg, knocking Hunk down. Hunk stared, shocked, as Shiro raised his Galra arm, his hand glowing. The rest of the paladins were frozen with shock, their eyes wide, confused. They'd never expected an attack from Shiro. For a second, Violet stared, too. There's no way he's actually doing this. Shiro would never.They were all still staring as Shiro's arm drove down, straight for Hunk. Violet leapt forward, cursing herself for hesitating, for just sitting there gaping at him, for not moving - she had to get there-But it turned out she didn't have to, because Lotor had been standing beside her, and he hadn't hesitated.Shiro's arm met sword's steel, the clang echoing through the hangar. Shiro grunted, but there was no blood - Lotor had turned the blade he kept at his side at all times, so the flat side lay against Shiro's forearm. A shield rather than a sword.Hunk rolled and leapt to his feet. Violet let out a breath, thankful he was fine, and moved to help Lotor, drawing her own blade.The breath cost her. Shiro moved - faster than he ever had before, faster than Violet, faster than even Lotor. He grabbed Lotor's sword in his glowing hand and wrenched it away, clattering to the floor. Lotor tried to duck, but Shiro caught him in the chest with a kick, sending him sprawling. Shiro made to follow him, but Violet stepped in front of him, blocking his punch. "Shiro," she gasped, ducking out of the way of another blow - stars, he was so fast. "Stop-"And then she was flying, her head ringing, the dagger falling from her hands. Shiro had slapped her across the room.Violet hit the floor, her vision spotting. "Vi!" Keith yelled. he was at her side the next second, helping her sit."I'm fine," Violet said, rubbing her head. "I mean, I just got yeeted across a room, but I think Shiro is a more pressing problem.""It's 'yote,' not 'yeeted,'" Pidge shouted, followed by the sound of Shiro throwing her aside.There was a crash, and the sound of footsteps. Leaning on Keith, Violet stood in time to see Shiro hop into the pod Keith, Krolia and Romelle had just exited and launch it, zooming out of the hangar before any of them had time to react. Lance aimed his bayard, but it was too late.Lotor stood, rubbing his chest. "What just-?""Whatever just happened to Shiro, we have to get him back so we can figure out what's going on," Keith ordered, taking the lead. "Voltron can follow him. Paladins, get ready to fly.""I'm coming with you," Violet said, pushing off Keith to stand on her own. She began checking her daggers. "What? No." She looked up; Lotor had stepped in front of her, his gaze earnest. "Violet, you cannot put yourself in harm's way. I - we still need you. And the trans-reality ship-""Lotor," Violet said, touching his shoulder. He stopped, looking at her with those eyes, the ones that were open and vulnerable and nothing like the Galran prince he let the rest of the world see. "Thank you," she told him, voice quiet. "For what?""For saving Hunk. And for not hurting Shiro." She offered him a quick smile. "You're starting to act like a legendary defender."He blinked, shadows passing over his face. "Violet-""First rule of being one, though," she said, stepping out of his reach, "is that you put yourself in harm's way seven times before breakfast. And you never hold someone back."She turned to the others, and she could've sworn there was pride on their faces in the glance she spared to look at them, making sure no one was hurt. "Let's go," she said."But Shiro's the black paladin. Who's going to fly it?" Coran asked.Keith's face was grim, and he looked years older under the castle's bright lights. "Me."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The lions flew from the castle, aiming for Shiro's escape pod. However, as soon as the pod was within range, a wormhole began to open in the middle of nowhere."What?" Allura gasped when she saw it. "How?""It must be Zarkon's witch," said Violet. "We have to get to that wormhole before it closes!""Put full power on thrusters," Keith ordered. "We can make it."The pod put on a burst of speed, shooting through the wormhole. The lions were close behind, but the wormhole began to vanish immediately."It's closing! Normal wormholes don't close that fast!" Hunk yelled, panicked. "Thrusters are on max power - we're not going to make it!"The wormhole was almost gone. An idea sparked in Violet's head, so crazy it just might work. "Deform Voltron!" she ordered.Keith turned to gape at her. "Huh?""The burst created by reverting back to the lions will push us towards the wormhole," Violet explained hurriedly. "We have to do it now!""But only the black lion will make it through," said Allura.Keith looked to Violet, and she nodded silently. "Do it," he said.Voltron disbanded, thrusting the black lion forward; Violet stared down the closing wormhole as if doing so could make them go faster. With less than an inch left of space, the lion slipped through the wormhole as it shut behind them."Phew," Violet muttered. The black lion then emerged to the heart of the Galra fleet, with multiple cruisers aimed straight at them with ion cannons primed to attack.She blinked. "I retract my 'phew.' This is bad. This is very, very bad.""We'll need to be quick," Keith said. "Evade, locate Shiro's ship and retrieve it.""Got that done," Violet said, pointing to the small white ship flying into a hangar. "He's there. Now we just need to evade."The ships began to fire. Keith started dodging the blasts, aiming for the ship Shiro's pod had gone into. There was a blast as the lion was hit, but Keith pulled the black lion into a nosedive. As he righted them, a ship pulled away from the others and began to pursue them - a ship Violet knew well. Acxa.Keith did a flip with his lion, jumping over a cruiser and landing on Acxa's ship, jawblade at the ready."Don't," Violet said before he could rip apart the ship. His eyes flicked to hers, surprised."Please."Keith nodded, and they flew away. Shiro's pod had dislodged itself from the cruiser and was now speeding off, fleeing. Keith flew after it. "Listen to me, Shiro," he said. "I know you can hear me. I have no idea what's happening to you, but I'll get you out of it. We can-"There was a click as the communication line was severed."He's not himself," Violet muttered. "There's something - controlling him, is my guess. Making him lash out. Keith, we have to get him back.""I know," Keith said, powering the thrusters more to speed up the black lion. They followed Shiro away from the Galra fleet to a tiny gray planetoid. Keith landed Blacky, and he and Violet exited with caution."This is a trap," Violet noted upon seeing Shiro's footprints on the dusty sand leading to a cavern. "There is literally no scenario in which this is not a trap.""We don't have a choice," Keith replied. "Something is wrong with Shiro. The Galra or that witch have to be behind it. You know he'd ever give up on us. We can't give up on him."Violet blew out a breath. "I do know." she drew her daggers. "For Shiro.""For Shiro." They set off, following the trail he'd set out for them.They crossed through the cave, emerging into some kind of facility that looked on the verge of collapse. Proceeding cautiously, they inched along the rafters, looking for Shiro. They reached the top of the tower. Violet looked around; cases lined the walls electrical wires weaved through them. They were standing on a platform above the rest of the facility.The lights turned on in a flash of light, and Keith and Violet shielded their eyes. Shiro stepped out from behind one of the cases, a strange glint in his eyes."Hello, you two.""Everything going to be okay, Shiro," said Keith, raising his arms.Shiro smiled and began striding towards them. "Yes, they are.""We just need to get you out of here and-""None of us are ever leaving this place!" Shiro snarled, and Violet realized what was off about him: his irises were purple, the kind gray color gone. Shiro attacked Keith head-on, his metal arm lighting up. Violet drew her daggers as Keith fended Shiro off, looking for an opening.Shiro slapped Keith away, and Violet jumped in, ducking his attacks and going for his torso. Shiro evaded the blow, striking her chest, but Violet caught his hand with two of her blades. They locked together, Shiro's arm set firmly between them. Shiro grunted, forcing his arm down against the blades. Violet stared. There was no blood - just like when he'd caught Lotor's sword, the skin of his hand didn't break. Like it had something protecting it ... or like it wasn't even part of him at all."Keith, his arm!" Violet shouted, and then she could say nothing else because Shiro had forced her hands down so far her grip spasmed, still not fully healed from the teludav. She almost dropped them, but then Keith was there, punching Shiro in the face and breaking him loose of the hold. Shiro ducked and fell back, circling them."I think his arm is what's controlling him," Violet managed to get out before he shot for her, a blur of movement; on instinct, she sidestepped and flipped her dagger into one hand, aiming to plunge it into his heart. But she couldn't do that, because it was Shiro. Violet paused, drawing back the blade, and Shiro took the opportunity. He grabbed her left hand and twisted.She screamed, the pain unlike anything she'd felt before, not even when Lotor had slammed her hand in a door, her knees buckling, and Shiro - he smiled. Violet stared into the face of the man who'd shared tips with her on how to cope with headaches, who'd spoken to her first after she'd emerged from the cryo-pod, knowing she was still hurting, who'd done physical therapy with her every day because he knew what it was like ... and saw only a stranger in his place. It was only her instincts, only the years and years and years of training, that saved her from his next swing. But she will still too dazed to leap out of the way as he kicked her squarely in the stomach, sending her careening backwards - and off the side of the bridge."VIOLET!" Keith yelled. As she plummeted over the side, Violet twisted in midair, grabbing the dangling wires with her right hand and swinging around wildly on reflex. Pain bloomed in her hand, so sharply she couldn't hold on. She fell and landed on the platform three levels below, rolling instinctually to absorb the impact.She struggled to her feet as quickly as she could, peering up at what was happening above her. Keith and Shiro were locked in battle, viciously exchanging blows. As she watched, Shiro lunged forward in a hit that would've decapitated Keith had he not spun out of the way at the last second. She felt a pit of fear blossom in her gut; Keith would never win. He couldn't kill Shiro; sadly, the feeling wasn't returned.She wouldn't lose Keith. He'd just come back. Violet refused to let him leave her again so soon.She began searching for a way back up the tower. She and Keith together could fend off Shiro, despite her now-trembling hands; she'd kill him, if it came to that, because she knew Keith couldn't do it. Violet started climbing up the rings at the side of the tower two at a time, as fast as she could, clenching the bars to keep her hold.The rings stopped. Violet drew two of her blades and shoved them into the side of the tower, hauling herself up. Both her hands were shaking now with the effort of holding her weight, the one Shiro had mangled sending agony coursing through her bones every time she drove the dagger into the tower.After a couple feet, she made it to another set of rings and repeated the motion. Climb, climb, stop. Daggers. Pain. Climb. Her entire arm burned now, but she kept going, fueled by adrenaline and fear.And then even adrenaline and fear wasn't enough, and her hand spasmed as she reached for her blade to haul herself up.Violet dropped like a stone, all of her weight landing on the other hand she was holding onto a dagger with. Her arm threatened to come out of its socket, the hand gripping the dagger shaking as she fought to hold on. The dagger trembled from where she'd stabbed it into the wall.It was some of the worst pain Violet had felt in her life. Even with the teludav - that pain had only lasted for a second, and then been washed away by the light. This agony - it kept tearing across her hands, down her arms, through her bones, relentless and never-ending.There was a yell from above. Keith. Shiro had landed a blow.And he wouldn't stop. Not until Keith and Violet were both dead.So neither would she.Gripping the dagger with both of her hands, Violet forced her breathing to even out. And then, in one movement, she launched herself up, hand grasping for the other dagger stuck in the wall.Then she did it again. And again. And again, until Violet lifted herself onto the second platform. Keith and Shiro were still fighting; Keith's helmet had been knocked off. He leapt at Shiro with renewed vigor, and Violet thought she saw a flash of fangs as he knocked Shiro back. Violet quickly set off for the third level.There weren't any rings. She gritted her teeth in frustration. Her daggers were blunt; her hands were useless. "Keith!" Violet hollered.Nothing. She backtracked, peering up. They were still fighting; as she watched, Shiro knocked Keith down.Violet shoved down the terror in her stomach. "Here goes nothing," she muttered."HEY, YOU WART-GARBLED SNITCH!"Nothing. Shiro had Keith against a pillar now, raising his arm."YEAH, YOU!" Violet shouted. "GET DOWN HERE, NOT-SHIRO! YOU'RE UGLY! AND FAT! AND, UM, YOU SMELL BAD!"Shiro paused."Come on," Violet muttered. "I COULD KILL YOU WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT, NOT-SHIRO! YOU ARE NOTHING!"Shiro's head twitched, at that. In the next second, he'd abandoned Keith, leaping down the last platform. He landed in a crouch, looking up to glare at her."What did you call me, Violetta?"Violet sneered as convincingly as she could. "You heard me. Why don't you face me yourself, Haggar, instead of using another puppet to do your dirty work?"Shiro's pupils dilated, and he snarled, his voice not exactly his. "It will be my pleasure grounding you to dust and ash."Violet smirked, pushing down the fear. "I'd like to see you try."Shiro attacked, and she led him on, resorting to ducking and diving out of the way. She dodged, but too slow; Shiro's arm slashed through her shoulder. Violet grunted as the fabric ripped, pain causing her arm to hang limp. She backed away, clutching her shoulder; her hands drew back stained with blood.Not-Shiro raised his hand, grinning crazily. "Are you finally silent?" he asked. "Nothing left to say?""Actually, no," Violet said. "I do have something to say.""What?"She smiled sweetly. "Look up."Shiro growled, "You can't think I'm going to fall for tha-"And then Keith landed on Shiro, jumping down from the level above before he could finish, his blade arcing for Shiro's face. Shiro hissed, diving out of the way to avoid getting split down the middle."He should've listened," Violet tutted, straightening. Her shoulder shrieked in pain, accompanied by the chorus of her hands, and she winced, falling back."Wart-garbled snitch," Keith said to her, angling his sword. "I can't believe that actually worked."Just then, for a moment, it was just like it used to be, with the two of them standing together, facing whatever it was they were fighting head-on. Violet felt an odd flash of deja vu to that first day in the practice room, back when she'd still worn her mask - the first time she and Keith had worked together. How simple things were, then.She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't find the words. Keith caught her eyes, and she knew he was thinking the same thing.He started to speak - mouth shaping the words I know - but Violet didn't hear him, because she was flipping out of the way on pure instinct as Shiro leapt for her, ignoring the protesting of her hurt shoulder. Keith intercepted him, driving him back; their blades rang. Violet ran after them, reaching for a star, and stopped as her shoulder threatened to make her pass out. She was still bleeding. Why was she still bleeding? Stupid shoulder. Stupid not-Shiro. Stupid everything.Violet clenched her teeth, throwing the star anyway. Not-Shiro ducked easily - her throw had been trash - and the weapon sailed by his head, utterly useless.A bout of dizziness had Violet pausing to catch her breath. She commanded herself not to pass out. Shiro and Keith were still fighting.As she watched, Keith was thrown down, bringing up his sword at the last moment. Shiro's arm was less than an inch from his face, cutting into his cheek. With a snarl, Keith pushed Shiro away - cutting off his arm.Violet stumbled over as Shiro fell back, limp. "Keith?"Right away she could tell he wasn't himself. His eyes were lighter than his hair, a pale yellow shade, his bared teeth fanged. Furthermore, there was a wildness in his eyes that held no familiarity when he looked at her.He was no longer the boy she knew. This - this was a full-fledged Galra.Violet swallowed. "Keith?"He growled, lunging at her. Shocked, Violet couldn't manage to get out of the way in time, sidestepping clumsily. Keith spun around, attacking her again, and she ducked under his blow. "Keith, stop."He did no such thing. Violet felt panic rising in her as he attacked again, sharply. Regretting it, she kicked him in the back, causing him to stumble forward. His hiss skittered through her.Keith stood, grabbing a sharp piece of metal that had broken off the building's pillars. Violet backed away, hands going for her daggers but not taking them out. "Keith," she begged, "Stop. It's me. It's me."He raised the scrap of metal and lunged. With no other choice, she lashed out, but he blocked and parried, faster than she'd ever seen - faster than any human.Somewhere in the back of her mind, Lotor's voice filtered to her, so long ago now, about what made them both alike.Unstoppable.Violet dodged, and, running out of options, started talking. "You know you were the first person I ever told about my headaches? All that time ago, when I had first joined you all, before I knew what Lotor had done. They scared me - not knowing my own head scared me. But it helped to tell you."He didn't seem to hear her. He lunged again; Violet threw herself to the side and rolled, barely missing his blade. "You were the first person I told about Veronica, too," she continued - the words were flowing out now. "All the things I ever held close to my heart. I'd never had that before. My dad, my sister, Lotor - I never really had a choice trusting them. But you - you were the first person I chose to trust."Her back pressed against a pillar, and she jumped, twisting in the air to land behind him. Keith whirled, and any hope she had that he was still in there dwindled to near none - that he didn't remember. "Remember this, Keith?" She was still talking, even as she swiped down hard at his diaphragm with the handle of her dagger. "When I was under the hoktril. I didn't know anything, but I knew you. Do you hear me? You saved me. You saved me."Her blow did nothing. He grappled with her wrist, pushing her against the pillar until her hand lost its grip on her blade."Then you left me." Violet's dagger clattered to the floor. "I got hurt, so you pushed me away because you thought it was your fault. Because it's always been your nature to fight love, to recoil from it, before it can hurt you first. But it wasn't your fault. It wasn't your fault, Keith."Something shifted in his eyes - light, the yellow fading ever so slightly. Violet pressed on, "You left me - remember? And you didn't even tell me why. And I tried to hate you, because I'd trusted you and cared about you and let you be the one to save me, and you left anyway."She could feel tears swelling at her eyes now. Keith shook his head, breath ragged. "Please," Violet begged. "It's me, Keith - you have to remember. Violet. Vi. I'm the one you swore you would never leave again. You promised. Remember? You promised me you'd come back to me."It was taking over again. Violet could see it. She tried to duck out of the way, but he grabbed her ponytail, causing her to jerk painfully. She lost her footing, slipping on the floor. Pressing his advantage, Keith raised the metal shard, eyes alight."I forgive you," she whispered. "For all of it."The blade plunged for her heart.Her heart - which belonged to him."I love you."Keith's eyes went wide, clearing, the yellow pupils changing back into human form. He seemed to draw back into itself, jolting.But the metal blade was already on its path to her. And not even he could stop it in time.Horror flashed over his face, and she knew it was too late.Violet closed her eyes.-Time, however, has always been a fickle thing.Violet flinched as the cry of the metal sounded as the blade sheared against the metal pillar. Something featherlight at her head - her hair.She cracked open her eyes. Her ponytail was lying, cut off, next to her, the metal shard stuck in the wall an inch from her head. Violet touched her hair, in a daze. Her hair now brushed the nape of her neck, cut in a jagged line."Violet-" Keith lurched back, horrified. Violet looked up at him, trembling. His face was pained and bleeding and covered in dirt, but it was his, undoubtedly his - and that alone would have sent her to her knees had she not already been down on the ground. "I'm so sorry, Vi," Keith managed to say, his voice strangled and raw. "I'm - I can't-" "Hey," she said, standing slowly. She stepped towards him, but he stumbled back, recoiling as if she'd struck him."No," he gasped, holding up his hand. "Don't - don't come near me. You need to stay away. I - I almost-"He didn't get to finish his sentence, because Violet had flashed forwards and pulled him into a hug.She realized she was crying then, tears carving paths through the blood and grime coating her cheeks from this dirty world. Keith clung to her like they both were about to fall apart, and she let him wrap his arms around her so tight it hurt. "I'm so sorry," Keith was whispering against his shoulder, over and over. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry."She drew back, slightly, just enough to take his shaking hands and fold her own around them, steadying them. She pressed her brow to his. "I will never stay away. I don't hate you. I could never hate you."Keith closed his eyes, his nose brushing hers. "Promise?""Always."There was a rumble as the planet shook. "The facility's crumbling in on itself," Keith murmured. "We're not going to make it."She drew in a ragged breath. "I know.""Together, then."Violet smiled. "Together."Never again. Never again would he leave her. They'd be together. They'd face whatever life hurled at them side by side. Always.Keith murmured something, his breath caressing her face. His mouth leaned towards hers, and she tilted her lips toward his.The platform they were standing on crumbled, and they fell, but not before what he'd just said registered.
I love you, too.
Violet's tears slipped past her closed eyes. The silver drops scattered into the wind roaring around their heads as she and Keith plummeted into nothingness, her hand firmly gripping his.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Bursts of light flashed behind Violet's eyelids. She wanted desperately to open them - there was something important happening, something she needed to be there for - but as hard as she tried, she was still floating. She caught glimpses of a boy with dark hair and darker eyes, a ruined planet, a silver beast ... and then the light took her once more.Somewhere along there, she became aware of a warmth in her hand - an indent, as if someone else's was pressed to her own. There was a voice - it sounded like Lotor. Violet's fingers curled around the hand she was holding, and she felt their calluses. Strange. She could've sworn it was Keith ... but Keith had calluses too, didn't he...?Abruptly, the hand was pulled from her own, and her eyes cracked open."Violet!"Everything was lit by a halo of white-blue. Violet swallowed thickly, her mouth dry. She was staring at ... something. A ceiling? It looked like one of the lions' cockpits."Violet!"Violet lifted her head, blinking past the ringing in her skull. Her voice shook. "Allura?""Violet!" A different voice - deep, with a slight accent. "Are you there? What happened?"What had happened? Violet winced, shifting her aching limbs. With great difficulty, she sat half-up.Next to her was Keith.Lying still.In a moment, the voices, the pain in her head, the stiffness of her body vanished. Violet forgot it all - until she tried to get up, not thinking, and her hands gave out under her. She crashed back down, banging her chin painfully on the floor. Even with her Altean abilities, all her energy was gone. And Keith - Keith didn't even have those."Keith," she rasped. He didn't stir, and fresh panic twisted low in her gut. His hand was outstretched, in her direction - if she could just reach it... Violet sucked in a breath that felt like shards of glass and dug her elbows into the grooves in the floor. Gritting her teeth, she dragged herself forward an inch - another. He was so close-There. Reaching out a trembling hand, she grasped his wrist with her own, pulling herself the last few inches towards him. She managed to hold onto his shoulder, giving it a weak shake with the last embers of strength she had left. "Keith. Keith. No, no, no, no."He coughed, suddenly, eyes fluttering. Violet's entire body loosened, and she let out a sharp, desperate breath, half-collapsing on top of him. She could feel his heartbeat where her head was on his chest, and it was the most wonderful sound she'd ever heard. He blinked, focusing on her. "Violet?"Nevermind, that was the most wonderful sound she'd ever heard. Leaning over him, both of them lying on the ground of the cockpit, covered in bruises and blood, Violet felt her face stretch into a grin. "Hey."His mouth curved up too. "Hey. Not dead?""Nope," she agreed. His smile grew. if she'd had the strength, Violet would've started to laugh."Hello? Violet? Violet, come in," Allura's voice came again, and Violet remembered. She forced her hands under her, sitting up, new strength trickling into her limbs."We're here, Allura. We're okay.""Oh, thank the heavens." Allura's voice was coming from the intercom; as Violet slowly re-learned how to stand, she took in her surroundings. She was right - they were in the black lion's cockpit, flying at a gentle speed in open space. And lying next to Keith, a little ways away-"Did you get Shiro?"Keith's eyes went wide; he made a choked, gasping sound and pushed himself up, crawling over to Shiro the same way Violet had with him. He pressed his head to his brother's chest.After a second that seemed to stretch on forever, he raised his head, and the relief in his face was enough for Violet to turn back to the intercom and say, "He's alive."After a beat, she added, "He might be a clone, though. And he's down a limb. Also there's a small chance he's evil. But he's fine. Mostly.""Thank you, Violet," Lance muttered sarcastically from the intercom."Where are you both?" Allura interjected, all business. Violet looked around at the floating space through the windows. "Yeah, that's ... a good question.""Blacky's way ahead of us," said Keith, coming up and sliding into the cockpit with the ease that could only come from doing it a hundred times. "Allura, sending you coordinates now. Wormhole?""Wormhole," she confirmed, and in a moment the bright blue light Violet had come to know like an old friend glittered into existence before them.She snuck a glance at Keith as they emerged before the castle of lions. She felt ... lighter, somehow, more than she had before. Fuller. Like she had been wearing the wrong prescription glasses for a long time, and she had finally taken them off, bringing the entire world into focus.They had barely stepped off onto solid ground before Lotor stepped in. "Violet, I'm afraid I must insist we enter the trans-reality rift," he said earnestly. "If the events of today have taught me anything, it's that everything can change in a single moment."Violet's mind flashed to metal shards and yellow eyes. Her hands came up, unconsciously, to brush her shortened hair. "It's okay," she told him. "I understand. Let's do it now."He relaxed. "Thank you."Leaving the others behind to tend to Shiro, they set off to the hangar. "Scanning systems," Lotor began. "Is everything operational?""Affirmative," Violet replied. "Let's do this."He said nothing. She looked up, surprised, to see he hadn't moved, looking down at her with a fondness in his expression she couldn't explain. It was a soft, hesitant smile, the one he only showed around her, and for some reason it sparked an odd feeling within her - something that felt a little like sadness and a little like regret."I couldn't have done this without you, you know," he said. The tenderness in his voice made her suddenly feel sick to her stomach, and he was bringing his hand up into the space between him, letting his knuckles brush over her cheek, and it was wrong, so wrong-Violet stumbled back, turning her head away. She wanted to throw up.His brows furrowed in confusion, as if that wasn't the reaction he was expecting. His hands reach out again, for her shoulders now. "Violet? What's wrong?""Don't," she said, flinching from his grasp. His hands fell awkwardly back to his sides."Why not?" Real hurt sparked in his gaze, and it increased that feeling in her stomach tenfold. "Violet? Did something ... change?"Involuntarily, Violet thought of Keith.
Yes.
No.
Nothing.
Everything.
I realized something important. I think I've known for a while.
"What changed is I almost died," she said to him, swallowing hard. "And I know that death isn't a foreign thing here in space - stars, I know I've come so close to it we should be best friends by now. But it's still scares the shit out of me, Lotor. And this time ... it was different. Keith was - he was going to kill me. All the other times, it was quick enough I didn't see it coming, but this time I realized that I was going to die, and I had time. I had time to choose what I wanted my last words to be. "And they were for him."Lotor's face had crumpled slightly, like folded paper, and at once Violet recognized the feeling in her stomach: of having to make a decision where someone would get hurt no matter what she did. Helplessness."But - what about us?" Violet's throat closed. "There was never an us, Lotor," she said, forcing herself to meet his eyes. He deserved that, at least. "I'm sorry."His voice become ice, between one second and the next. "I see." Without another word, he turned and walked into the trans-reality ship.Violet chewed on her lip, wishing she had the power to take her feelings and punch them until they stopped digging their claws into her chest. Then, with no other option, she followed Lotor in.The ship began to power up, sending prickles along her skin. She grabbed her controls and guided the trans-reality ship out of the hangar to the reality rift on planet Daibazaal, where Honerva's work had begun."Brace yourself," Lotor warned, voice tight, and the ship flew into the rift.Violet scrunched her eyes closed, and when she opened them, she gasped. They were in a void of pure silver light, as bright as the lock screen of your computer when you open it to read fan fiction at 2 a.m. She shielded her eyes, barely waiting for them to adjust before taking it all in. Individual bubbles of energy floating around, giving the space and ethereal effect. She supposed gravity had no meaning here."It's beautiful," she breathed."It's pure quintessence." Lotor's voice was as awed as hers. "This is ... this is unlike anything I have ever seen.""It's enough to power galaxies," she agreed."We are discovering more about life science than any other alchemist before us," said Lotor. He flashed her a grin, the first sliver of his old self she'd seen since they'd gotten into the ship. "Do you understand me now? Together, we could achieve untold things." "And we will," Violet said, though part of her wondered what he thought she'd misunderstood. "This mission was a success. Let's extract a sample and get out of here before we start to feel the effects of the exposure.""So you agree," Lotor said, standing and smiling broadly. "I assume what you said before was just a cover? It's no matter - I forgive you. You've done well.""What? What are you talking about? Lotor, I think the rift is messing with your head," Violet said, but he continued as if she hadn't spoken, that smile still on his face."I realize now that letting you go was a terrible decision. I want you to rejoin me."She stopped flipping controls on the panel to stare at him. "What?""You're more powerful than I ever could have imagined." His eyes shone. "With you by my side again, we could do anything. You are wasting your potential fighting with Voltron - sitting there, shouting orders, cleaning up after them. Come back to me. You won't have to kill anyone - there will be no more reason for that. You can return to Acxa and the others and help me distribute quintessence around the empire. Your mission with Voltron will be complete, and you will not have to pretend to be infatuated with that insecure paladin boy.""What do you mean I-" Violet stopped as his last words registered. You will not have to pretend to be infatuated with that insecure paladin boy.Her mouth parted. "You ... Keith and I ... ...you think it's pretend?""It is," Lotor said, brows furrowing slightly. He held out his hand to her. "You could never really love someone so beneath you. You know that, don't you? It's us. It was always going to be us."
You could never really love someone so beneath you.
Violet stared down at his upturned palm, the scars and calluses flitting across it. How many times had he done this? She's taken his hand. Every single time, she'd given in and joined him. Every. Single. Time.She lifted her chin, meeting his burning gaze with her own. "For the last time, Lotor," she said, "There is no us. I chose Keith. I will always choose Keith."He recoiled - actually recoiled, and for a moment, she believed he'd finally heard her.And then something dark invaded his expression, something bright and twisted and feral. "I thought you were smarter than that, Violet, to think you had a choice." His face contorted in fury. "Two years ago, I got word of the blue lion - and Voltron - being sighted on Earth. You knew the planet; it once was your home. So I sent you - my greatest weapon - to infiltrate Voltron and gather intelligence."Violet's breath stopped short in her chest."It was your idea to pass yourself off as a prisoner aboard Sendak's ship," Lotor continued, his face swallowing her whole. She wanted to make him stop - beg him to stop - but he pressed on, his voice a mixture of fury and glee. "Your idea to wipe your own memories, so you couldn't be traced back to us. That way, when the people who'd found the blue lion came for the red one, you could follow them and join their group. Don't you see? This whole time we have been working together, to bring the lions closer and closer to me. I thought you'd recovered your memories, but they must have been suppressed too much, or Naarti messed up - it doesn't matter. You are still my spy. You have always been my spy."The world had ceased to move. Violet could hear her heart pounding, thudding through her chest; she could feel the cold air inside the ship sending gooseflesh across her forearms, watch the world hold its breath. Everything she'd done - waking up in her cell, breaking out, joining Voltorn, fighting with them - it was all Lotor's plan? Orchestrated by them both, when she'd still been loyal? He'd purposely let her go - sent her off to find Voltron. Which she had done. She had handed Voltron over to him without even knowing it."You know, now, why you have never had a choice," Lotor told her softly, his voice gentle - so gentle, compared to the way his words sliced her open like a butcher's knife. "They were always pawns - meaningless components for us to play with. They are not like us. They never will be. We are greater, and with this - with this, we will be unstoppable."
Violet blinked dumbly up at him, his voice moving slow like mud through her ears.Dimly, then stronger, something flickered inside her.Hatred."No," she whispered, then said it louder, feeling a spark of vicious satisfaction as his gaze contorted in fury. "No. We are not the same. I am unstoppable; you just never knew when to stop."His face darkened. "We'll see about that."Violet didn't have time to block the blow that came; didn't have time to stop it as Lotor shoved her back. He pushed her so violently she skidded across the ship until her back hit the far wall. "Lotor, wh-"He tapped a button on his wristband, and a shimmering wall of light appeared before her. Violet sat up and tried to go through it. It wouldn't budge.Her panic rose - he'd trapped her. "What are you doing?""I no longer have any use for Voltron," Lotor said, something dark and vile curling his words. "I am parting ways with them." He began to fly the ship, maneuvering it out of the void."Lotor, you can't!" Violet slammed one of her blades into the force field confining her to the corner of the ship, but it rebounded off the wall of light. "This is madness! You will destroy everything!""Destruction is the mother of creation," Lotor replied. "I did not want to take you against your will. But it appears I must. You are far too valuable to me, Violet, to let you keep messing around with Voltron. You are destined for more."Fear curdled in her gut. He really would force her to come back."Not so fast, Lotor." Keith's voice cut through her headset. "You're not going anywhere with Violet."Lotor glared as Voltron entered the void. "How did you get here?""Vi forgot to turn off her earpiece," Lance answered with a shrug. "There was interference from the rift, but Pidge tuned it out. We got to hear your whole villainous monologue."Violet let out a short, surprised laugh, thankful she'd never managed to figure out how to use her communication device. "Vi, are you alright?" Allura asked."Lotor has me trapped aboard his ship," Violet replied, glaring at said captor. "But I'll be fine. He won't hurt me." That, she knew for certain."Then we can't destroy the ship," said Keith. "Vi's still in it."Lotor went on the defensive. "Today doesn't have to end in bloodshed," he said, facing Voltron. "I am not your enemy. I want to use the energy in the rift to end my people's war and spread peace throughout the kingdom. Nothing is different.""Nothing is different?" Allura repeated, disbelievingly. "You stole Violet's memories and planted her in a ship's cell so she could infiltrate Voltron!"Violet winced. "You heard that, huh?""It might appear vindictive, but I assure you, my motives were always the same," Lotor argued. "Allura-""Don't call me that," Allura snapped. "You don't get to address me by my name. You have lost that privilege. You lied to us. You went back on our deal. You're a monster, just like your father.""I am nothing like him!" Lotor shouted. He was breathing hard, chest heaving, and Violet wondered if Allura knew just how close she'd struck to home. "I will destroy Voltron, and once I do, I will build a new universe. I will wipe Voltron from the history books until all anyone knows is me, their emperor, and Violet - my blade.""She is no one's blade to wield," Keith snapped back. "People are more than weapons and knives. You'd better get that through your head before one of them stabs you in the heart." He added in disgust, "If you even have one.""Lotor, please," Violet said. "The quintessence is poisoning you. This isn't what you want. I would never bow to you against my will. Please. Don't ruin everything between us. We were friends. We still can be."Lotor faltered - but then the darkness rose again in his eyes, and he spat at her, "You might never bow to me. But you would if you couldn't remember why not."Violet's blood went cold. "You don't have Narti anymore. She can't take my memories.""I can find another way." Lotor's eyes glinted with madness. "The power of the quintessence field will allow me to be capable of anything."Violet's throat closed, the words she'd been about to say dying on her tongue. He was right - he could do anything he wanted with the energy stored in the rift. Why, why, why had she thought this would be a good idea?"Every one of my enemies will fall before me," Lotor said angrily. "Starting with Voltron!" He pushed forward on the ship's controls. There was a whir, and the trans-reality ship began to change."What's happening?" Hunk asked.All the blood rushed out of Violet's face. She staggered back, back bumping the wall. "No..."The ship's gears turned, thrusters folding in on themselves, metal plates sliding into tiny grooves Violet hadn't made. The trans-reality ship was no longer a ship. Lotor stood before them piloting a weapon as tall as Voltron."This ends now," said Lotor. "I didn't want to have to do this. But you've made your choice."The monster attacked, and the battle began.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The weapon Lotor had made in secret was as powerful as Voltron. It hit them blow after blow with magical explodey orbs before defaulting to two curving blades to match Voltron's sword. "Dodge!" Keith yelled, and Voltron leapt out of the way of the blade's path. The scimitars whistled through empty air.Voltron parried, exchanging another round of blows with the monster. Lotor snuck behind them; there was a flash of light as Voltron blocked his scimitars, and then-The beast's tail curled around the yellow lion, yanking Voltron off balance. Violet could do nothing but watch as Lotor drove his blades into Voltron's gut.He laughed as the paladins cried out, his voice tinged with madness. "You stand no chance against me! I will rip apart Voltron if it's the last thing I do!"With a grunt, the green lion moved forward, blasting Lotor back. Voltron stood shakily, rattled from the blow. Lotor launched himself forward, moving impossibly fast, and struck Voltron in the chest. Keith reacted in time, dodging the next blow and firing Pidge's lasers. But the blast only clipped Lotor's arm - they had intentionally missed.They would never take the monster down, Violet realized. Because she was inside it.She couldn't, wouldn't let her friends die. Lotor had practically forgotten her; Violet turned her attention to the force field trapping her. There was no way she could break it. But maybe...The paladins screamed again.The sound made her very bones wither at the wrongness. She had to do something - anything.That was when she remembered the quintessence.When they'd entered the rift, she'd felt a surge of energy, but it had faded away - she'd blocked it out. But now, as Violet listened, she could feel it. The energy in the rift was like a living thing, calling out to her."Something's wrong," Allura panted. "The quintessence exposure – it's turning Lotor evil, like it did with Zarkon. It will do the same to us if we don't get out of here."Violet dove inside herself, looking for a way to connect with the energy around her. It was there, behind some kind of barrier, one she hadn't known existed."Lotor won't let us leave," Keith answered. "We have to beat him." Voltron took another blow, barely bringing up its shield in time. Lotor grabbed the red lion and twisted, causing Voltron to stumble; Lance cried out.Violet pressed her hands against her ears, trying to block out the noise. This wasn't working. The paladins - her friends- were getting hurt, and she couldn't stop it. She reached again for the quintessence in the rift, but was once again pushed away."Come on!" Violet shouted, forcing back a sob. "I have to save them!"Lotor's words came back to her, unbidden. I do not know how, but your quintessence ratings are off the charts, much abnormal for a half-human. Because she wasn't half-human. Violet had always lived in a cave - under a rock, the stone keeping her from seeing the sky. She'd never been able to walk out of it. Maybe she'd never really wanted to. Her whole life, Violet had chosen to be sheltered by lies, though they didn't add up.How she could be half-Altean when her sister was fully human.How her mother had been presumably killed by some disease when Altean's immune systems were almost invincible.How she was powerful enough to complete an Altean ceremony that would've drained the life of a half-human.How she could read the Oriande stone, and understand its meaning. Tiny little lies. She'd thought they were protecting her from the truth - but Violet had never needed protection.Violet didn't know if she could step out of her cave and into the light. If she could face the truth, face the sky. But for her friends, she was willing to do anything.Drawing in a breath, Violet let calmness settle over her like a blanket. She knew the energy, the power of the quintessence was there - she just had to take it. Violet sucked in another breath, pressing her hands against the side of the ship. The quintessence stretched towards her, reaching for her with greedy fingers."He's too powerful!" Lance said. "We still can't match him, not with Vi inside!"Violet opened her eyes. She knew what she had to do.
Well, Death, looks like you and I have a date tonight. And I don't think it'll end in a kiss.
"Keith," she said softly, "I wish I'd had more time to tell you everything I didn't. I love you all, and I'm sorry."There was a moment of stunned silence. "Vi?" Lance asked uncertainty.She didn't say anything - just called on the quintessence. Light shimmered in the air around her, thickening, and Lotor turned back and saw her at last.He'd trapped her inside the ship.So Violet had found a way out.With a blaze of light, she melded with the quintessence, and pulled herself into the rift.- Violet had never felt so alive.She was surrounded by the quintessence, nothing between her and it - floating alone in the center of the rift. Violet felt the energy inside her rise to the surface, begging to be free.So she let it. Lotor roared and charged. Violet raised her hand, focusing on the mass of power everywhere, and collected it. A whip of pure light formed in her hand; she lashed out at Lotor's monster. He spun away, dodging the whip; but then Violet had made another in her left hand, cutting through the void and wrapping around the monster's arm. Violet curled the first whip over its other arm, and sliced.Lotor bellowed as his ship's arms were cut off, bursting at the seams. Violet brought her whips back to her side; they dissolved into glittering energy. Furious, Lotor charged, face wrought with insanity.Violet brought up her hands, letting him come closer. Raw strength filled her veins, sang in her blood. She slammed her palms outward at Lotor's ship. Quintessence erupted from her hands like lasers, hitting the weapon and enveloping it in light.The shouts of her friends rang in her ears. Allura was screaming at her, Lance's voice frantic, Pidge dumbfounded. Keith was silent - still unable to comprehend what she'd done.The trans-reality ship exploded, knocking Violet and Voltron back.She blocked out the shouts of the other paladins. Keith, please forgive me, Violet thought, shutting her eyes. I didn't mean for it to end this way.She'd promised never to leave him again. She promised they'd always be together.She didn't realize she'd have to break that promise so soon.But Violet would do it again. She'd break it a thousand times to keep Keith and Lance and Allura and Pidge and Hunk alive, and safe, and breathing.Lotor's ship exploded in a blaze of silver light, obscuring Violet from the paladin's view. The torrent of quintessence knocked Voltron back.When the dust cleared, there was only Violet, eyes firmly shut, floating in the quintessence field with droplets of the energy coating her skin.
- Violet was dying.It was a miracle she wasn't already dead, really. She'd stopped breathing. Her heart wasn't beating. But she was still there.It was an odd feeling, being dead. Violet never wanted to feel it again, and yet it was familiar. The sense of death was oddly comforting, like seeing your childhood bedroom after a long time. She could see herself, lifelessly drifting in the quintessence field, while the paladins stared, shocked by the suddenness with which the battle had ended.Violet felt the last scraps of life she was clinging to slip. Was she ready? Yes. But she didn't want to go.
So don't.
There it was, that tiny voice in her mind again. The one that had told her to stay with the paladins, to seek out Keith in the Galra ship all that time ago. The one that had recoiled from Lotor's hand, told her not to be with him. The one that was telling her now not to give up. To keep fighting, for the people that watched over her now - Hunk and Pidge, Allura and Lance. Shiro and Coran, back at the castle. And Keith. Violet wondered if there was a word to express the vastness of her feelings for him. He was like a tether, tying her to the world, refusing to let her leave. If Violet had been doubtful of what she felt for him, she was sure now.She loved him. More than anythingAnd he wouldn't be able to go on. Keith would never stop fighting, not even if it killed him, and he'd never stop waiting for her, even if it meant the world falling apart. She'd need that soon, need him to hold on to her. But the universe still needed her. They all still needed her. I'm dead, though. There is no coming back from that.
No.
Defiance had been her ally her whole life. Why part with it now?Violet knew who she was. For so long, her greatest fear had been herself - she was the biggest unknown, the unpredictable piece of the puzzle, a beast in a woman's skin. She had spent so long hiding who she was - hiding her Altean identity from the world, hiding her doubts from Lotor, hiding her secrets from the paladins, hiding her guilt from herself - she'd forgotten how to remember. But now, she knew.
I am an alien raised on Earth. I am Lotor's greatest weapon. I am a warrior with the blood of innocents on my hands. I am a fighter. I am a survivor.
But above all of those things, I am Vi. I am their friend - Hunk and Lance and Allura and Shiro and Keith and Coran and Pidge. Friend of the Voltron paladins. Family of the Voltron paladins. That is who I am, and who I will continue to be, no matter what.I am Violetta Idalia, and I will not yield. I have defied every law of the galaxy except for death.And maybe it's time to defy that too.Violet felt her Altean markings start to glow, to fill with color again. Felt herself grow stronger, felt her body heal as she pushed back against the cold embrace of death, back toward the life that beckoned - the people that beckoned.And she changed.Light filled her to the brim, light she used, light that shifted her shape and morphed her body into something bright and glowing and eternal. Some hidden part of her broke open. And Violet glowed as bright as a fallen star, brighter than the sun itself, as vast as the sea and the sky.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Violet felt ... different.It was a strange feeling, but oddly right. She felt comfortable in a way she'd never been before.Slowly, sound began to reach her ears. Beeping and soft murmuring.There was a hiss, and Violet fell out of the cryo-pod with a gasp, her eyes flying open. Strong arms caught her before she could eat the floor, bracing her fall. For a second, it was all she could do to lean against them, blinking hard and trying to reorient herself back into the world."Vi?" She looked up, meeting Lance's worried gaze. "Are you okay?""Not in the slightest," Violet said. "What happened?" Behind her eyes, bits and pieces flickered: Lotor's hand brushing her skin, his voice - first warm, then hurt, then terribly dark. Blinding light. The paladins screaming. Lotor screaming. She struggled to differentiate them. There wasn't a trace of humor in Lance's expression. "Let's get you standing first."After she was sure she was able to walk, they both sat down on one of the white benches. Violet tipped her head back against the wall, letting her eyes slide over the tall, arching white pillars that supported the med center. The space was eerily empty with only her and Lance, making her feel small among the pale blue rows of cyro-pods. It might be one of the biggest rooms in the castle."After you ... defeated Lotor," Lance said slowly, "the quintessence exposure caused your body to stop functioning. We thought you were dead. But you had ... changed. You should probably see for yourself."He helped Violet stagger over to the nearest cryo-pod, where her reflection was mirrored on the glass. Violet gasped sharply when she saw herself. Staring back at her was a stranger.Her skin was no longer the tanned, honey-brown color of caramel; instead, it was a good four shades paler. She looked like one of the white girls in school that burned and peeled like tomatoes in the summer. Her ears were pointed sharply, and she had faint stripes crisscrossing her shoulders. Spots dotted her forearms, like a leopards, and patterns weaving along her palms.Her markings had changed, no longer sickle-shaped under her eyes; rather, they were crescents, like a symbol of stars. They were still gold, though, the color contrasting against her face. Her eyes, which used to be coppery brown, were now almost wholly gold.But there was more. Tiny pinpricks of light glowed under Violet's skin, like there was some kind of flashlight in her chest that was shining through. It occurred to her that she might look beautiful now - certainly a step up from her former appearance, and the strange markings made her seem ethereal and mystic. Even her hair seemed to have a new shine, her eyes a new glint.She hated it.She hated it, because she didn't recognize herself. Why this? she thought, aching to change from the gray monotone cyro-pod suit to her default leather combat gear, just to have some semblance of normalcy. Why, just as I finally learn how to be comfortable in my own skin, you change me again? Violet was beyond speech, so Lance spoke for her. "Allura can explain it better than me," he said, voice haggard, "But you're some kind of species that can manipulate energy. Quintessence. A shifting race, like Alteans. The ability was dormant in you until you shape-shifted into your original form to save us. This is what your species looks like. They're called Erythians - we think you're probably half, or a little less. They were wiped out a long time ago - or so we thought - another victim of the ripple genocide the Galra uprising caused. King Alfor knew their empress personally. She died when their planet, Erythia, fell."Violet was stunned. She'd grown up hating the odd marking under her eyes, knowing they made her different but not knowing why or what, exactly they were; then, when she'd met Allura and Coran and realized she must have been half-Altean, she'd learned how to accept that her father had lied to her most of her life. And now ... now, it turned out the only person who had been right about her was Lotor: she wasn't human, or half-Altean. She was a whole other race entirely. She was an ... Erythian. Some long-forgotten people that had died out thousands of years ago and left her with a mother she'd never known and weird abilities that changed her beyond recognition. She curled her hands into fists, a rising wave of fear and pain and exhaustion filling her to bursting, simultaneously furious with her father and desperate to talk to him about all this. Somehow, Violet had thought discovering her heritage would answer her questions – would complete the puzzle her life was. But it had done nothing but point out more misshapen pieces for her to be confused over.Now, though, she realized that she had been wrong. Violet didn't need answers, or her past to be revealed, or to be told who she really was. She knew who she was – part of Voltron, the paladin's friends and allies – and she didn't need anything else to feel complete.Violet blew out a long breath, tamping down the raging tide into a calm trickle. She again examined her image in the reflection. Was it what her mother would look like? "Wait - what about my sister?""Allura and Coran have theory on that, but we don't really know for sure," Lance explained. "They said that for shifting races, if an Erythian were to be in a different form when they ... conceived a child, that child would have Erythian blood, but their abilities would be dormant. Diluted, sort of. So we thought...""That my mom was shifted into a human when she conceived Veronica?" Violet frowned, wishing for all the world to be able to have just five minutes with the mother she never knew. Just five minutes, to ask all the things she needed to say. "But not me?"Lance shrugged helplessly. "Yep. Either way, though, your blood is probably a lot stronger than Veronica's, if she even has any."Violet nodded, tucking that information away to examine later. "I have abilities?""Yeah. Erythians were, like, connected to the heart of the world or something cheesy like that. They can control quintessence - and are immune from exposure to it. That's how you survived being in the rift for so long. Apparently they can also heal, shape-shift, teleport, et cetera. Basically superpowers. But we have no idea how they show up in individuals, or how much, or ... anything, really.""So this is me now." Violet stared at her hand. "My ... my scars are gone. When I was twelve, Lotor decided that I favored my left hand too much. He wanted me to be ambidextrous. So he cut my palm from here-" she drew a line along her hand- "to here. I couldn't use my hand for four weeks because he didn't let me see a healer. But by the end I could use my right hand better than my left." She stared numbly at her palm. "I had a scar. It - it's gone."Lance's hand closed over hers, right where the scar had been. He said softly, "You changed, Vi. A lot. So my only advice is this: some scars run deeper than just skin. Those scars, those things that make you whole - nothing can take them away. You might be different on the outside, but inside you're still the same. Remember that, okay?"Violet threw her arms around him. "I don't deserve you," she said, half-laughing half-sobbing. "Honestly, Lance. You're the best friend anyone could ask for."Lance returned the embrace, chuckling. "I know." He pulled away, examining her. "It's a lot to take in. How are you holding up?""I'm not sure," Violet replied. "I remember what happened before – everything. Bits and pieces." Lotor's face, twisted with madness. Shiro's eyes, wholly un-Shiro. Whips of pure light. And Keith."I'm alright, though," she added. "As much as I can be.""Thank god," said Lance, and wrapped his arms around her again. Violet sank into the embrace, closing her eyes. "You got stronger," she mumbled against his chest.He pulled back, resting his head against her chin in the way only a boy with seven younger siblings can do. "Hmm?""Never mind." She wasn't sure where that had come from, really, but it was true; the ease Lance had caught her with when she fell out of the pyro-pod had made Violet realize that she wasn't the only one who'd changed. Somewhere along the way, Lance's jaw had sharpened from a boyish curve to an actual slant; now, muscles shifted in his arms as he held her. There was a depth in his eyes she hadn't noticed was there before.They were all changing, in those little, invisible, essential ways, every day. Growing into themselves as surely as they were growing into their roles as defenders of the universe. The thought comforted Violet immensely, and filled her with warmth and more than a little pride."Good," said Lance, "because everyone else is really mad at you for trying to get yourself killed. Again." He paused, the familiar ghost of a smirk flashing across his face. "And before you work up the nerve to ask, yes, Keith is okay, and no, he's not going to act like the spectacular ass he was the last time this happened."Violet choked on a laugh. "Do you think they'll forgive me?""Only one way to tell." Lance offered her his hand. "They're in the lounge. You coming?"She smiled - her first real one since waking up - and took his hand. "Always."-When they got to the lounge, Lance, Pidge, Hunk, Romelle and Coran had just gotten back from some odd mishap with yalmors. Keith was nowhere to be found – Violet tried to ignore that fact. All the paladins were overjoyed to see Violet back on her feet - she knew they'd all been afraid, however unreasonably, that four months would pass before she woke up. It was all over their faces, that fear, as with her own. Some things refuse to be forgotten.Shiro brought Violet up to speed on what had happened while she'd been out."I haven't been here for the past months," he explained. "When we fought Zarkon and I disappeared from my lion - it was because I had died. The black lion stored my essence inside it, but the person you found with Keith wasn't me. It was a clone, sent by Haggar to destroy Voltron."Violet's eyes widened as he spoke. "When Keith cut off the clone's arm before you fought Lotor," Shiro continued, "It severed Haggar's connection. While the others were off battling Yalmors, Allura was able to transfer my essence from the black lion into the clone's body. And here I am.""That's ... surreal," Violet said, her fingers straying to her shoulder, where she'd been wounded. "But you're you now?"He smiled. "I'm me."It was such a Shiro smile, such a familiar feeling, that Violet could only let out a strangled laugh and fling herself into his arms. Shiro hugged her back, letting her lean on him.Violet said softly, "Did you - did you go to the in-between? When you died? That ... that place between this life and the next."Shiro pulled away to look her in the eyes. "Yeah. In the seconds before Blacky saved my life." His gaze searched hers. "You were there too, weren't you?"Not quite a question. She nodded, eyes falling to the floor. "I - I think I've been there before.""It's okay," he assured her, voice warm. "You can always come to me if you want to talk about it.""Thank you, Shiro," Violet said, lifting her gaze. "You ... it's good to have you back."His face softened. "You, too."-"As long as you don't try to kill yourself again," said Lance, "We'll forgive you.""Seriously, Vi," Hunk added. "You gotta stop doing that."Violet smirked. "Once more and I might make it a trend."They were sitting in the lounge, relaxing after the franticness of the past days. "You look so much different now," Allura said softly, "And yet exactly the same.""This form is intriguing," Pidge noted. "You have different patterns on your arms that are similar to cats...""I hate cats," Violet muttered."Really? I had one as a pet once," said Coran brightly. "He tried to claw off my face a few times, but we were friends.""There are cats in Altea?" Shiro asked."If you're referring to the little furry beings with long ears and a penchant for evil, then yes," Allura replied, shuddering slightly. "Cats are one of the smartest animal species we've ever encountered. Their intelligence – and penchant for chaos – is far superior to any other species that was on Altea.""That basically describes them, yeah," said Lance."Maybe it's specific to lions," Pidge continued. "This partly explains your connection to Voltron, though. The state of the quintessence in you mirrors the lion's.""I cannot believe the Erythians are still alive," Coran murmured. "Everyone thought they died out decopheobs ago.""How?" asked Violet."Erythia and Altea were allies," Allura explained. "We were both chameleon races, linked through our enhanced understanding of quintessence and energy. However, the Erythian's abilities surpassed any Altean's. They could shift their very shape and form, though sparsely. That was their downfall, in the end.""When the Galra war began, there were demands from the planetary coalitions to ... use Erythians as soldiers," Coran jumped in. "Because of their strength and their powers, they were ideal for armies. But the Erythian queen, Honerva-""Wait," said Violet. "Honerva was a queen?""Yes," said Coran, looking puzzled. "Do you, ah ... know her?""No." Violet cleared her throat. "Go on.""Yes, well," Coran continued, "The Erythian queen, Honerva, refused. Some say it was because she thought they were above the other races; others say she just didn't want to accept the connotations of war. Galrans, Alteans, and Erythians had been allies, before then. Either way, the planetary coalitions became estranged with the Erythians. It so happens that at that time, the planet of Erythia started to die - poisoned by its quintessence. No one knows for sure what happened - there are rumors, actually, that it was the Galra harvesting Erythia's mines in secret - but Erythia was unstable and vulnerable. The leaders tried to organize a plan to temporarily transport its people to neighboring planets, but ... they refused.""It is said that after Erythia fell, the Erythians scattered. Being Erythian, at that time, was ... not very popular. So most integrated themselves into other races, shape-shifting to stay hidden. But the thing is about shifting was that after a while, they forgot exactly what their original form was ... and they were unable to shift back.""That explains why you're so forgetful," Lance muttered."On top of that, no one could seek them out," Allura finished. "Without a home planet, there was no way to tell how many Erythians were left. Eventually they vanished entirely." She straightened, eyes alight. "But some must have survived and sought refuge on Earth."The information was unsettling; up until a day ago, she hadn't had any idea what her actual form was. She could've lived out her whole life without ever realizing that she was Erythian."Hold up," Lance said. "You're part cat?"Violet frowned. "Not necessarily," she replied, looking down at herself. "More like I have the ability to become one. I haven't, though," she added to Lance's perplexed expression. "Become a cat. I think I'd know if I had."Lance subtly peeked over her shoulder, glancing at the back of her legs.Violet noticed and gave a sigh of irritation. "Lance, I don't have a tail.""I was just making sure," he muttered, returning his attention to her face."Okay," Hunk said, holding up his hands, "I get that you have a cool new power. But ... does that mean the person we were with before - the half-Altean form - that wasn't the real you? And if so, what is the real you?"Violet said firmly, "This is my original form. But it doesn't matter what I look like. I'm still the same person - your guys' friends, and a part of Voltron. I wouldn't want to be anyone else.""Aw," said Lance, wrapping his arms around her shoulders. "That's sweet, Vi.""So what happens when you change?" asked Pidge, putting on her science face. "The manipulation of quintessence is fascinating. Do your limbs actually morph, and if so, are the spots and stripes residue of that effect or a permanent marking?""We won't know until Violet uses her power again," said Allura. "Erythians had a wide range of abilities. However, they all centered on controlling the energy that binds us all together - quite similar to Altean magic.""They had a language, too," Violet said thoughtfully. "I think I was able to read it on sight."Coran nodded. "That all sounds about right. It's said that the first Erythians were angels, they were so powerful. But now you may have only a remnant of that power.""Based on the spots, I'm guessing shape-shifting," Shiro added."I think they're cool," Allura added, holding up Violet's arm to peer at the leopard spots. "Erythians can come in all shapes and sizes. These physical traits are quite ... elegant.""Shape-shifting could be a huge advantage, Vi, if you learn how to master it," Pidge mused. "Fighting, flying, building, alchemy and strength could all be amplified, and not just for you."Violet shook her head. "I don't want it to be a weapon," she said. "I'll use it to fight, but to dominate and kill ... that's what Lotor would have wanted. That's what he would've done.""I'm glad I did not have the time to get to know him," said Krolia. "He sounds awful.""Yeah," Lance replied. "There were times when he seemed almost - human. But he lied to us. He was evil, in the end."Something sour coated Violet's tongue, the flood she'd felt rising in her ever since waking up swelled. Was he?The group talked for a while, going over the recent events and getting used to their expanded circle, but Violet felt adrift for all of it. Basic facts registered in her head: Krolia was quite polite and had a calm, collected demeanor. Romelle was cool too; she was kind like Hunk, but could also get really angry. Also, she was a normal Altean that hadn't spent ten thousand years sleeping, which was a relief.The space wolf drooled.A lot.But he was adorable, so Violet was fine with it. Side note – he could teleport. Violet had found that out the hard way."I mean ... dogs are great," said Violet, "But is he trained?""Mostly?" Krolia offered."Not really," Hunk grumbled. "He can smell worse than what the main engine gearbox of the galaxy cargo ship simulator smelled like after I puked in it.""How do you know what that smells like?" Romelle asked curiously."DON'T TELL HER!" Lance yelled from across the room. "WHAT HAPPENS IN THE GARRISON SHIP SIMULATOR STAYS IN THE GARRISON SHIP SIMULATOR!""It's fine," Violet muttered. "I didn't really want to know."There was a buzz, and a screen appeared; Violet's breath stuck in her throat as Keith's face blinked into view. "Coran, you need to see this," he said. "I was scouting the area where we fought Lotor, and I think I found something."Coran pulled up another image as Keith transferred data to him. He gasped. "This is a problem.""Oh, thank the stars," Violet said sarcastically. "I was thinking it would be a big problem. But it's just a normal the-fate-of-the-universe-hangs-in-the-balance problem? Phew."Keith's face froze, and his voice turned rough. "Vi?"Crap. Violet opened her mouth - to say what, she wasn't sure - but she found she'd lost her voice."Unfortunately, Violet, you're correct," Coran said, either not noticing the ravaged look on Keith's face and Violet's sudden silence or choosing to spare them both the embarrassment. "The fate of the universe does hang in the balance. The battle Voltron and Lotor fought has created a cosmic ball of pressure that is going to explode.""You mean ... we made a space bomb?" Hunk asked. "Is that good?""It's going to turn everything in the nearest galaxy to pieces," said Pidge. "So ... no.""We have to escape now, then," said Krolia firmly - Violet was started to suspect it was her I'm-your-mother,-because-I-said-so voice. "Leave it behind.""We can't," Coran replied. "The explosion will destroy everything. Even if Allura could wormhole us far enough away, there are hundreds of planets and star systems that would be obliterated.""I'm coming back," said Keith. "We need to figure out how to stop it.""We could try forcing the rift to close," said Pidge, brows furrowing. "But ... we'd need a gravitational pull stronger than a black hole. That kind of power - I don't know where we'd get it.""Hold on," said Coran, eyes widening. "I think ... I think I know.""What? Where?" Shiro asked."The teludav." Coran stood, starting to pace around the room. "Stars, that's it. The teludav makes wormholes by generating a burst of limitless mass. All I'd need to do would be to harness it-" he stopped. "If I obliterate the castle's energy systems, it'll cause the teludav reactor to overload. The pull created by the explosion could be enough to seal the rift.""But ... destroying the castle's energy systems would mean destroying all of it," Violet said, her face falling."We don't have any other option," Allura said somberly. "The Castle of Lions would be destroyed anyway, along with us and hundreds of innocent planets and galaxies."Hunk murmured, "Where would we go? What would we live in?""It's just a ship," Lance said, voice wavering. "Just a vessel for Voltron and us to gather in. Right?""A home doesn't have to be a house," Violet said quietly. "And a family doesn't have to be related."Lance fell silent.Violet added, "But we have to do this. For the sake of the universe – for everything Voltron embodies. We've already given up so much." She smiled bitterly. "What's one more sacrifice?"-The preparations began, and, standing in the center of the bridge, Violet was finally alone.She closed her eyes, letting herself be overwhelmed by everything that had happened now that she didn't need to show strength for the others.
Light. Blinding light.
Lotor's voice - soft, then cruel.
Falling into the void.
Thinking she was going to die - knowing she was going to die. Feeling it surrounding her, that terrible brightness.
Lotor's ship exploding into light.
They lied when they said that death would be dark.
Unstoppable.
Alone in the middle of the bridge, Violet sank to her knees."Vi!"Footsteps sounded towards her; then there was hands brushing over her shoulders, taking her wrists, trying to pull them away from her face. Violet just sobbed, her body shaking."Violet, what's wrong? You're scaring me. Vi, please." She wrapped her arms over her chest. "I - I k- I killed him. I killed him
." The hands stilled. "Vi...""He's gone, Keith," she gasped out, hands spasming. "He's gone and he - and I killed him."In the next moment, his arms embraced her, his body covering her own, kneeling on the floor of the bridge. "I know," Keith whispered, holding her tightly enough it hurt. "I know, Vi, I'm sorry. I know."He whispered that, over and over, holding her together with his hands. She wasn't sure how long they were like that, only that by the time Keith unfolded his arms and she found the courage to look him in the eyes, her body had stopped shaking. And while she still felt broken, it no longer felt like she was breaking.Violet wiped her eyes. "Keith, I..." And for the second time in that hour, she found herself staring down at the mess of unspoken words between them, struggling to fit them between her lips in a way that worked. Her mouth moved wordlessly for a couple moments, no sound coming out. Keith let her try, face open, and his patience alone gave her the courage to think, once I find the words, here is what I will say, and more:One. I'm sorry. Sorry that I told you we'd never leave each other, that we'd stay side by side, and then I went and left you anyway. Two. I'm sorry that I'm not easier to love. I'm reckless and dangerous and a killer and sometimes I feel so carved out by my own guilt and trauma and regret it's like there's nothing left for you. Three. And you might hate me for it, but I miss him. Even though I'm the reason he's gone. Four. When I was nothing more than a shadow surrounded by light, I remembered you. I knew you when I knew nothing. And that scares me more than anything death can bring - and it might just be enough."It's alright," Keith said before she could say any of those things. "I know. I get it. Just tell me you're okay."Violet smiled through her drying tears, bittersweet. "I'm okay," she whispered.Turns out all she needed was two words.Keith let out a breath and closed the distance between them. "You don't have to apologize, Vi - not to me, and not to anyone. You made a tough decision to save all of us. Any one of us would've done the same. You're not a monster." She shook her head, lips shaping the words you don't know that, , but his hands found hers. "Trust me. No one misses monsters."She choked out, "But Lotor...""Was only a monster in the end." Keith met her eyes, something pained in them that she recognized whenever she looked in a mirror. "I know the others don't think so, but ... there was good in him, once. I saw it. He was just ... angry. At everything. And no one ever taught him how to handle it."Violet's brows furrowed, and she looked up into Keith's eyes. "You ... you see yourself in him."He dipped his chin, so quickly she almost missed it. "I ... if it wasn't for Shiro - for Voltron - I might have turned out a lot like he did.""No." Violet was shaking her head before the words were out of his mouth. "You're nothing like him. Your rage made you kind. His made him a monster.""You don't miss that part of him, do you? The evil part, at the end.""No. I mean, I..." she let out a breath, admitting to him the one thing that had haunted her like death since she woke up: "I'm - not sure of anything anymore."As soon as the words left her lips, she wanted to curl up into a ball and block out the world. She'd always been confident in herself; she'd always been able to rely on her mind, her skills, her defiance. But her capabilities had become completely foreign to her the moment she'd been capable of killing Lotor. And her body was no longer one she recognized. What can you believe, if you can't believe in yourself? "You want to hear something that'll blow your mind?" Keith asked. His hands were tracing patterns over her palms, a soothing motion that grounded her.She nodded mutely, not trusting herself to speak after what she'd just revealed.His mouth hooked up at the corners. "None of us are.""Well, that's not reassuring at all.""You know it is," he said with a laugh. "Because it means you're allowed to not be sure. We all are. You're allowed to not have everything under control all the time. You're allowed to need help. You're allowed to feel stuck, and scared, and out of control.""I hate it," she whispered."I know." He curved his arms over her shoulders, pressing her closer to his warmth again. "I know, Vi. I know."She closed her eyes, feeling him tuck his chin over the top of her head, and breathed. In. Out."Monsters don't miss people," she said quietly, over the sound of both their chests rising and falling."Monsters aren't missed," he agreed. "But I missed you."It was strange - you were only in recovery for less than a day. And yet I'd miss you like the sun misses the moon. It's almost unnatural."Violet's heart swelled, and she pulled back to meet his gaze. "When I was ... in the rift," she said quietly, "I went in-between. For a second, before my powers kicked in. There was a moment where I wanted to go - to leave and travel to whatever is beyond life. But something held me back." She looked up at Keith, her eyes shining. "It was you. And everyone else, but mostly you. I knew I couldn't leave you."Keith's eyes were impossibly soft. He traced the back of her shoulders with his thumbs, caressing the patterns swirling over her skin. "You didn't," he said. "Leave me. You died for us - for me.""Some things are worth dying for," Violet said, softly, "But it's the things worth living for that really matter."She'd died for them. But she'd also lived - chose life, chose to return to them - over what waited beyond. It was like Lance had said. She'd died for them - for him. And then she'd come back to life to spend another second being part of theirs.Keith's mouth turned up at the corners. "Lance was right. You spout poetry like it's a second nature. Honestly, Vi. Did you just get that off the top of your head?""I got it from experience," Violet replied. "The words I speak are the fragments of the life I've lived."Keith's brows pressed together. "And you've lived more than anyone."She brought up her hand and touched the side of his head gently, smoothing out the crease between his brows with the pad of her thumb. "I know."Keith drew her face towards his, so close she could feel the exhale of his breath on her face. Violet examined his midnight-blue eyes, dark hair, the sweep of his cheekbones. He was beautiful, in a way that stole her breath.He said softly, voice unsteady, "When I saw you enter the rift alone, I remembered. When we were fighting Shiro and I was about to kill you - you said ... you said you loved me."Violet swallowed thickly. "I do," she whispered. "More than anything. Do you?"Such fragile hope glimmered in his eyes, so much that her heart stopped beating for the second time that day. This time it only stopped for a moment, a moment in which he said, "I love you. I always have, and I always will.""I love you, too," she murmured, and kissed him.It felt like the world had burst apart at the seams, and yet they were the only two people in the world. For some reason, the chorus for Love On Top by Beyonce was playing in her head, but Violet pushed it away.Keith kissed her harder, like he was starved for her, and she looped her arms around her neck, pressing her lips to his. She broke away, breathing hard, and smiled."You know," Violet said, "We should probably move somewhere that is not the center of a very public place people could walk in on at any moment. Actually, scratch that - we should probably start evacuating the castle. Because we have to send it into the rift between time and space before reality as we know it collapses in on itself. Just a thought.""It can wait," Keith replied, eyes fixed on her mouth, and tugged her closer.-They had a little over an hour until they had to abandon the castle, and Hunk insisted on making one last meal for them all. He proudly served his special four-course dinner: space goo salad, space goo soup, space goo steak and space goo sorbet, all of which tasted nothing like space goo at all - Hunk had done it again."You know," Violet said casually, "We're going to need a name for the wolf." her eyes glinted with mischief. "How about Wolfy?""No," Lance retorted. "It needs to be something creative, Vi. Like Gilbert.""Lance, you're barred from the discussion," Pidge cut in. "We are not naming the space wolf Gilbert."Lance huffed. "We're not naming him anything," Keith cut in. "He'll tell me his name when he's ready.""Noted. How about Kosmo?" Violet asked."Kosmo sounds nice," Allura said."And it's better than Gilbert," Hunk added.Krolia offered, "I think he likes it. Kosmo is a great name.""You're supposed to be on my side, Mom," Keith said. "We're not naming him Kosmo."The wolf's ears picked up at the name, and he lifted his nose, tail wagging. "Kosmo it is," Coran said happily.Violet shrugged unapologetically. "Sorry, Keith."As side conversations began to flow, Violet glanced around the room. Allura sat at the head of the table, discussing something with Shiro, who sat to her right. Next to him was Keith and Lance, and then Hunk, talking animatedly with Pidge. Coran sat at Allura's side, Romelle to his left, chatting with Krolia. The mice had taken a liking to the space wolf and were cheerfully bouncing around on his head. The castle lights' warm blue glow brightened their shadows against the smooth, pale walls, giving the space a cozy, familiar aura that she hadn't realized she'd noticed or liked before. Now, though, knowing that this meal in the castle would be their last ... everything was tinged with sadness."So ... what do we do next?" Lance asked. "We won't have the castle anymore. So where do we go?""We could try building a replica of the Castle of Lions," said Pidge. "Coran made blueprints and plans in case this ever happened, but ... he gave them to my father.""Commander Holt is on Earth," Violet pointed out. "We'd have to..."She stopped. Glanced around at the group's smiles. Felt one of her own slowly rise to her face."We're doing this, then," said Keith. "It's time to go home."Violet's chest swelled. "My sister," she whispered. "And my father. Veronica will be fourteen." Eight years. She'd been apart from them for eight years. Tears pricked at the backs of her eyes, unbidden."Our families," said Hunk. "It's been a year. Do you think they've changed without us?""Yes," said Violet. "You can't stop yourself from changing. But that doesn't mean it's a bad thing." She smiled. "We've changed, too. All of us have been through so much. We've almost died too many times to count. I, personally, have had my memories taken, ridden a flying cow, been almost drowned, electrocuted, and stabbed to death, and for some reason I'm still alive, talking with you all." Her grin widened. "The world is definitely messed up. But I can't help but be grateful to it that it gave me this gift - of being able to fight with you." She raised her glass. "To us. To change, for better or for worse. And to going home.""To us," Keith chorused. "And to the castle."Everyone followed suit, raising their glasses. Violet tipped her head back and drank, feeling happier than she'd ever been in a long while.-After dinner, castle preparations were done faster, with less time to spare. Violet gathered her things. She didn't have much - weapons, a book here and there, more weapons, clothes, even more weapons. There was only one thing she really cared about, anyway.The framed photo of her family was still sitting on her shelf. Violet folded back the stand and looked down at Veronica for a second longer before sliding it into her bag."Just one bag?"She whipped around. Keith was standing in the doorway. "I'm a little surprised you didn't try to bring the whole library."Violet smiled. "There's only one book I want to bring." She held Avatar: the Last Airbender.Keith chuckled. "Right, so you can try to convince me that Katara and Aang belong together.""That's one of the reasons." Violet walked up to him. "But mostly because this reminds me of how overjoyed I was when you found it for me." She smiled up at him. "It's a reminder - of how caring you are to everyone."Keith looked surprised. "It was nothing. I just picked it up.""It was everything." Violet leaned up and kissed him, happy that she finally could.She'd only kissed one boy before Keith, and it hadn't even meant anything, really, just a silly playground infatuation when she was nine. His lips had been chapped and had tasted like salt. Keith tasted like cherries and rain, like sunrise and crackling flames and dark promises. Like the air that caught your tongue right as you went over the edge of a rollercoaster, breathless and indescribable. She kissed him and tasted the stars.Keith's grin matched her own as they drew apart. "I should start finding more books, if this is what it gets me," he said.Violet rolled her eyes. Her gaze fell on the scar on his cheek, the dark, rusty color a contrast against his skin. Gingerly, she brushed her fingertips over it. Keith closed her eyes, leaning into her touch."I like it," she said finally. "It makes you look wiser."He shook his head. "I could do without it. It's just a reminder that the ones we love can hurt us."Violet subconsciously ran her hands through her hair, now short. She'd chosen not to cut it evenly, preferring the asymmetry. "Maybe," she said quietly, "but it's also a reminder that we'll love them for it anyways. That even if we're scarred because of them, we still wouldn't change a thing."Keith's eyes shuttered. "I'm still never going to forgive myself for doing that to you. I - lost control. It could've cost me everything.""You never would've hurt me," Violet said. "Besides, I've always hated having long hair. This is a relief."Keith smiled, and there was so much tentative joy in it, so much light in his eyes, that she kissed him again, wrapping her arms around his neck. Keith looped his arms around her waist, tugging her closer."GAH! MY EYES!"They sprang apart. Lance was standing in the hallway, Kaltenecker on a leash, frantically rubbing his eyes. "Close the door so poor people don't walk in on you! Argh. I'm erasing that from my brain. I didn't see it. Nope."Keith flushed, and Violet raised an eyebrow. "Loverboy Lance can't stand someone other than himself having a romantic moment?""It's not that," Lance groaned. "You're my friend, Vi. And I accidentally walked in on you making out with Keith. Do you realize how traumatic that is?" He shuddered."If I walked in on you kissing Allura, I'd start applauding," Violet pointed out. "It's cute that you can't stomach the thought of your BFF being with someone, though."Lance perked up immediately. "Do you really think me and Allura could happen?"Keith groaned. "Just go.""Wait," said Lance. "Is this the first time you guys have kissed?"Violet blinked. "No. Why?""Because Pidge owes me ten bucks," Lance said cheerfully. "We were betting on when Keith would have the guts to confess his undying love for you. Hunk said it had already happened and the two of you were just being secretive about it, Pidge said you would finally get together after we got to Earth or after the war was over, and I bet them each ten dollars that it'd happen as soon as your cool new powers came in. I was ri-ight." He did his victory dance."You bet on our relationship," Keith said flatly. "I'm going to kill you.""I can't blame you," Violet added, shrugging. "I have twenty gizmars with Romelle that Allura's going to reject you. I don't think she knows that I have no idea what gizmars are.""Woah, there," Lance said, holding up his hands. "It's just a bet! Please don't kill me, Keith. Kill Hunk and Pidge."Hunk and Pidge chose that moment to walk in. "Why is everyone trying to kill me?" Hunk asked, confused."Because Lance won the bet," Pidge grumbled, evidently having better hearing than Hunk. "We owe him ten bucks each.""Aw. Couldn't the two of you wait a little longer to get together?" Hunk asked Keith and Violet.Keith growled in frustration. "That's it. Everyone out.""I, for one, don't believe you, Lance," continued Hunk, oblivious. "Keith admitting that he's been head over heels in love with Vi for what - a year? I'll believe it when I see it."Keith drew his sword."Alright!" Lance yelped. "We're going!" He grabbed Kaltenecker's leash and pushed Hunk and Pidge out of the way, and the three of them scampered down the hall.Violet bit her lip to stop from laughing. Hard. "You've been head over heels in love with me for a year?" She asked Keith sweetly, clasping her hands together.Keith deactivated his bayard, gaze growing fond. "Probably," he said, completely serious. "I think I realized I loved you sometime when I was with the Blades. I didn't realize how much I'd missed you until I saw you at Kral Zera and I felt like - like I'd been dying of thirst without realizing it and you were a waterfall. And then, well, you went into a coma." He frowned. "That put a damper on things.""I think I realized that I loved you," Violet said slowly, "When I was crushed by the teludav. Or sometime before that. When my memories came back, and I was finally sure that I had my past sorted out. But then you left." She paused. "I had to live with knowing that I loved you - and you weren't there to hear it. And then on Naxzela, when I saw you again, I realized my love for you hadn't lessened at all." She smiled, drawing Keith closer. "I don't think it ever will."Keith leaned in to kiss her, and Violet's eyes shut. His lips had just brushed hers when Allura's voice rang through the room. "Paladins, get to your lions now. Ten minutes until evacuation."Violet's eyes stayed closed. "Goddammit, Allura."Keith sighed, and she opened her eyes. "We should go."Violet nodded, and they got into the black lion, loading their few belongings in a single trip. The lions set out, leaving the castle for the last time."I'm going to miss the castle," Violet sighed. "We had a really great friendship. Even if it did try to drown me once. And kill Keith. And turn Lance into a human popsicle. On second thought, I don't think it likes us very much.""Still," said Keith. "It was our home."They watched it sink into the space rift. There was a boom, and it sucked in everything, then - explosion.Violet grimaced as she was knocked towards the wall, grabbing Keith's seat to steady herself. She looked back into nothingness. The Castle of Lions was gone.Everyone bowed their heads. After a collective moment of silence, Hunk said, "Wait. There's something there." The yellow lion moved forward. Violet squinted. Indeed, a glimmering object was floating around."A crystal," she said. "It ... it's the castle. Or what's left of it." Hunk's lion opened its jaws, swallowing the crystal."I ... could I keep it?" Coran asked. His voice wavered. "Just to remind me."The black lion set off, the other lions following suit. "Wait a tick," Romelle said. "You all just saved the world from an evil Galra leader intent on tyranny, sealed a tear in the fabric of reality, saved two of your team members from death - both of which actually died, survived being chased by a pack of Yalmors, and now we're all just going to move on?""Yeah, that's pretty much it," Violet said cheerfully. "Let's go find a new way to kill ourselves and possibly destroy all life as we know it.""Sounds like a plan to me," said Keith, flashing his telltale smirk, and the lions set off once more.
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Here's the blurb for Part 5. Happy reading!~AvivaBrighter than the stars: A Voltron fanfic (Keith X OC) Part VLotor's betrayal left the team scrambling to get back on their feet - again. Now, however, things have changed drastically - namely Violet. Still testing the limits of her new body and new powers, she struggles to adjust on the team's journey back home. Of course, her friends are there to support her - including Keith, who Violet had admitted her love for and is dating. But the world isn't the same, and sinister forces are awaiting them every step of the way. Violet must learn to control - and accept - the change, both inside her and out, before the home she's longed to return to for so long is reduced to ash and dust.
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After a while, things went wrong. Honestly, they'd all expected it. Violet was surprised it had taken this long. Coran wouldn't shut up about the Altean alphabet, Romelle was touching every single thing in the cockpit, the wolf was restless, Kaltenecker's moos could be heard from the back of the black lion, and there were way too many people in Blacky. "Remind me why we thought Krolia, Shiro, Coran, Kaltenecker and I would be perfect together in a tightly confined space," Violet grumbled to Keith over Coran's reciting of the Altean alphabet. "Seriously. Who decided this?""Lance," Keith replied. "Why did we listen to him again?""Hey, don't blame me," Lance complained. "I may have made a tiny mistake in choosing passen - Romelle, no! Don't touch that!""Lance is right, everyone," said Violet. "We shouldn't blame him now.""Aw, thanks, Vi.""We should blame him later. Right now we need to switch passengers, because if I hear one more capital variation of the Altean vowels, I'm going to strangle Coran."Lance slumped. "Fine.""Wait, why hasn't Pidge been complaining like the rest of us?" Hunk asked. "Who does she have?" asked Violet. "Doesn't she - no, they're with us, and the wolf is with Allura ... if Romelle has Lance and Hunk took the mice, then Pidge is all alone?""Not alone," Pidge spoke up. "I have the video game console.""That's it. Pidge, you can have Coran," said Violet."And Romelle," Hunk added."And Kosmo," said Allura."Come on, guys ... let's think about this ..." Pidge pleaded, but soon she ended up with all the passengers."Pidge, it's my turn to play the game now," Coran whined."But I'm in the middle of a battle," Romelle replied. "It's still my turn.""Pidge, tell Romelle to give me the controller. I called it first."Kosmo shoved his nose into Pidge's face. "Okay, no," she announced. "No thank you. Not dealing with this. Not today."The paladins switched a second time. "Is everyone happy now?" Keith asked."Kosmo, Lance and I are ready," Violet reported from the red lion."Kaltenecker is no longer mooing," Hunk added."Coran and the mice are ready as well," Allura said."We are also good," Romelle said from the green lion."Shiro, Krolia, are you all ready?" asked Keith. They nodded. "Good. Then let's go."-After a while of flying in utter boredom, a Galra cruiser came into the radar. With the lion's energy depleted, they couldn't run away or form Voltron. The cruiser deployed fighters with advanced technology that cornered the lions on a desolate frozen planet. The five lions escaped into the tunnels on the planet, but the fighters still pursued them.They emerged from the tunnel to a beam of energy that caught them. Violet cried out as the force knocked all five lions to the ground and held them there. Only Kosmo seemed unaffected by the energy. He nudged Violet worriedly and her knees buckled, giving out."Go," she managed to gasp out at him. "Hide somewhere until this all blows over."Kosmo vanished. The energy force worsened, and everything went black.
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"Lance," said Violet, "If you keep slithering along the walls like that, I'm going to throw Pidge at you.""Why me?" Pidge asked, alarmed."You're the lightest."She crossed her arms. "You could just throw Lance."Violet shook her head. "Lance's ego is way too big to lift.""Hey!"Pidge frowned in thought, now determined to solve this problem. "Then how about Coran? That would do us both a favor."Coran stopped from where he'd been doing yoga next to Shiro. "It's important to stretch when you're in a confined space," he chided. "Yoga relaxes the muscles and soothes the brain! We should all be doing it!" He slid into the splits, humming cheerfully."Coran," said Shiro, "We're being held captive. In a Galra cruiser. Without our lions. With our hands cuffed and our bayards taken and no idea who managed to capture us. And you want to do yoga?""Well, when you put it that way..." Coran muttered."Besides, my 'slithering' is going to get us out of here," added Lance. "I'm feeling for a secret passage!"Violet rolled her eyes. "We'd have a better chance of escaping if we ran around flapping our arms and making chicken noises hoping the guards would think we'd gone mad and open the door.""Hey, that might work!" Lance said brightly. He started to cluck."Lance, I would appreciate it if you could let me focus," Krolia said tartly. "If I can force open this door somehow, we can escape - there's only two sentries guarding us."Lance dropped his arms, muttering, "You sound like Keith.""She is my mother," Keith pointed out. Violet shot a glance at him, realizing he looked the most amiable out of them all, leaning in a relaxed manner with his back to the wall, arms resting in his lap. Violet scooted over, suspicious. "Who are you and what have you done with Keith Kogane?" she asked.Keith blinked. "What?""You know, Keith, my boyfriend - moody, grumbles a lot, mullet, perpetually exhausted from leading the most powerful legendary defender of the free universe, has a habit of attacking anything that insults him, sighs a lot-""Shut up, I get the point," he said, nudging her shoulder. "Seems like Shiro and I have more in common than I realized."Violet looked over to where Shiro was dragging a furious Romelle away from Lance, who had apparently just cheated at a game of Cowboy - which, now that she thought about it, should have been next to impossible to play given that they were all wearing glowing hand cuffs. "Nah," she said.Keith huffed a laugh, leaning back. "I know I should feel angry, or worried, but I'm not," he said quietly, in the voice he only let her hear. "I'm just ... glad we're all together, even if the conditions aren't ... ideal. Glad that we're all still here.""You're not scared of what might happen when that door opens?" He met her eyes. "No. I'm terrified, actually. But ... being afraid is good, sometimes. You know? My fear of losing these moments is just my heart reminding me that they matter." Violet stared at him, feeling something like happiness burning behind her eyes. What is love, if not the fear of losing it? Keith frowned suddenly, looking around the group. "Hey, where's Kosmo?"Violet blinked. "I ... he teleported away when we were caught in the energy beam. If he's smart, he'll be hiding in one of the lions, where he'll be safe.""Everyone, we've got company," Krolia interrupted.The door slid open. Violet tensed, and, in those tiny seconds, felt Keith's hand slip into hers. When she saw who it was, all the breath left her in surprise. Standing in the doorway, clad in ragged cloaks and weapon holsters, were Zethrid and Ezor. "Well, well, well," Zethrid said. One her eyes was milky and white. "Violet. It's been a while. To be honest, we didn't think you survived.""We almost didn't recognize you," Ezor added. "What happened to you?""I could ask the same," Violet retorted. "Where's Acxa?""We're not here to answer you," said Ezor, avoiding the question. "You're here to answer us. What happened to Lotor?""Gone," Keith said flatly. "Abandoned in the rift.""The what?""The space between realities," Allura replied, voice wary. "Filled to the brim with quintessence. Lotor thought he could use it for his own gain, but in the end, it used him instead."Ezor frowned. "Then how were you all able to escape?"Hunk cast a worried glance around. None of them could answer."Because I killed him," Violet said softly, but not weakly. Ezor flinched slightly at the word killed, but hid it. "And then I died to help us escape.""Right," Ezor said, unimpressed. "From what I can tell, Violet, you're not a zombie."She met Ezor's gaze, letting the general see the fire in her eyes, the patterns twisting over her skin. "Do I look like I haven't changed?"Uncertainty flashed in Ezor's eyes. Zethrid stepped in, fisting her hands. "You don't seem to understand how this works. We want answers," she growled."We've given them to you," Krolia shot back. "You just can't handle them."Zethrid's face darkened. "One more unhelpful comment, and we start doing this the hard way."Ezor smirked, her usual swagger returning. "That's when the fun begins.""What happened to Lotor and how did you survive all this time?" Zethrid asked furiously."We've already told you!" Keith snapped.The general's eyes hardened. "I guess we'll have to take more extreme measures." She looked around the room, eyes blazing over the paladins, and her gaze landed on Pidge. Violet felt herself go still.Ezor grinned, walking over to Pidge, grabbing her by the collar. Lance was already standing, making to run for the general, but Violet was quicker.Ezor spun at the last second to avoid a fist to the face, dropping Pidge. She lashed out with a kick, but Violet knew every one of the general's moves, and she knew exactly what to expect. Violet slid to one knee and raised her hands, catching the kick squarely between her handcuffs. Where the glowing wire met Ezor's boot, steam hissed, and she drew back her leg with a yelp of surprise. Annoyingly, the cuffs didn't break like Violet had planned; switching tactics, she ducked past Ezor and shoved Pidge out of the way. Zethrid grabbed Violet before she could defend herself, slamming her into the wall."Don't touch her!" Keith yelled, charging at Zethrid. With an impatient flick, Zethrid pushed him onto the floor, where a guard aimed a gun at him."How sweet," said Ezor, smirking."Too bad Narti didn't finish the job," Zethrid snarled. "I'll have to do it myself.""Oh, shove off," Violet snapped. "You were always the weakest out of us all."Zethrid roared in anger, throwing Violet away. Violet crashed into the far wall, pain exploding in her shoulder. At least she hadn't been hurled under a teludav this time, she thought dryly. Keith ducked under the guard, kicking them in the back, and rushed over to help her, but Ezor stepped in front of him.Violet got her feet under her, sliding into a crouch. Her hands were still bound, but the cuffs were close to weak and close to snapping. She just needed something sharp.Ezor stepped in front of Violet, drawing - perfect - a dagger. Violet smirked, preparing herself to spring.But before she could, alarms began to blare. Ezor paused in confusion, staring up at the ceiling. Violet took her chance, flipping into the air and lashing out with her foot, hitting Ezor's hand. "Hey!" the general squawked, dagger clattering to the floor. Before she could notice it was gone, Violet attacked, hooking her foot around Ezor's leg and tripping her. The general was up again in a second, lashing out with a kick to her side. Violet took the blow, crumpling onto the floor with a wince."Ezor, we need to go," Zethrid said. Ezor looked inclined to stay, her gaze furious, but she followed Zethrid out of the cell, the door slamming shut behind them.Keith immediately rushed to Violet's side as she sat up gingerly. "Vi-""I'm fine," she said, moving aside to reveal the dagger she'd veered with her fall. "I stole this. Help me cut through my cuffs."Keith blinked in surprise. Lance's face stretched into a grin. "Typical Vi."He and Keith cut through the wires holding her wrists together. They fell easily, and Violet rubbed her wrists, happy to be holding a blade again. She rolled her shoulder experimentally, but there was no pain - her new body was definitely stronger than before."This is our chance," she said, standing. "The next time that door opens, we take out the guard. Keith, come here. I need to get your cuffs off.""With a dagger?" Keith asked, frowning. "Yours only broke because Ezor weakened the bonds."Violet smirked. "You underestimate me." With her arms free, she was able to unhook her gold earrings, bearing the sharp points. "I'm pretty terrible at lock picking, but hey, what could go wrong?""I could get electrocuted and die," Keith replied dryly."Don't be so negative.""I could get electrocuted and die quickly.""Oh, hush." Violet rolled her eyes and inserted the tip of the earring into the lock over the cuffs, using her other earring as well. She fiddled around inside the lock. In a normal Earthen lock, you'd just twist the gears inside the lock until it unlocked. But with alien locks, all Violet had to do was release the bolt that held the cuffs with electricity. There was a click as she did exactly that, the purple glow winking out.Keith peered at his cuffs. "They're not falling off dramatically like they do in the movies.""Yeah, that part is fake," Violet said. "There's one last step." She took Keith's wrists and slammed them into the wall. The lock snapped, and the cuffs fell off."Brute force," she explained cheerily. "Always works best.""Ow," Keith muttered.Violet patted him on the arm. "Bear the pain, Kogane. It's for a good cause.""We still need to get the door open," Krolia said, who'd been watching the whole ordeal with a slight smile on her face. "We need someone from the outside to open it."Violet's smirk slipped off her face. "Anyone know how to make miracles?""I used to, but I think the talent's gotten a bit rusty over the years," volunteered Coran, rubbing his hands together. "I can try."There was a crash from outside the cell, and everyone whipped their head around as the doors opened smoothly.Violet gaped at Coran. "Did you do that?""No." Violet turned at the voice. "I did."A woman stood in the doorway, her face set, determined. Her hair was longer, falling from its careful place pinned behind her ear, and there was something in her eyes - something haggard, and yet free, in a way Violet had never seen before."Acxa?""You set off the alarm," Keith guessed. "It was a distraction.""Yes," Acxa replied simply. "I blew up the hangar opposite to where your lions are held. Everyone's attention will be there while we escape." She paused, looking down the hall. "And I had help."Kosmo trotted into view, snout lifted proudly."Kosmo, you idiot," Violet exclaimed. "I told you to run.""I found him when I came to save you all," Acxa said. "He's been a lot of help. But I should warn you - Ze'evim are equally as dangerous as they are unpredictable."Blank stares. "Zevewhat now?" said Hunk.Axa's brow furrowed. "Your wolf? He's Ze'evim. They're one of the oldest species in the universe, and incredibly powerful. And they hate people - you have to show utter obedience to them just to-"She cut off. Kosmo had teleported to Keith's side and was licking his nose."We don't have time for this," Allura interjected. "We have to escape now."Acxa nodded, and they set off. "We need to get our bayards," Violet said as they ran. "Acxa, do you know where they are?""I saw them. This way." Acxa veered down a hallway, and the group followed. As they turned a corner, however, they skidded straight into Ezor and Zethrid."Acxa! I should've known you'd show up," Zethrid sneered. "Of course you immediately allied yourself with these traitors.""Go," Acxa said, turning to Violet. "The room with your bayards is three doors down. Take a right and head straight for the door.""I'm not leaving you," Violet shot back.Acxa's gaze hardened. "It's fine. I'll meet you there."Grief pierced Violet like a blade, hot and sharp. "No, you won't.""Vi, we need to go," Allura warned.Violet blew out a breath and followed the paladins, feeling like her heart was breaking before it had even healed.The sounds of fighting grew fainter as they ran down the hallway. Violet sped to the right, hearing voices form an open door. She paused, peering inside. Four guards stood in the room, examining something on a table - their bayards."They have weapons and we don't. Any suggestions?" Lance asked."Yes," said Violet. "Don't follow me." With that, she sprinted into the room, drawing Ezor's dagger.Before changing in the quintessence field, Violet had barely been able to throw straight. But now ... her Erythian form had no mangled bones, no twisted hands, and her dagger hit the first guard before he had time to draw his gun.Violet tossed her knife into the second's leg. Her movements were sure, and she slid easily into the rhythms like she'd never been crippled. She threw the third guard onto the floor in a few moves, grabbing the second's blaster and shooting the last guard before they could fire at her.Someone drew in a breath. Violet turned around, the third guard raising her gun from where she'd stood after Violet had knocked her down.There was a crunch, and the guard collapsed as Keith elbowed her in the face. He punched her in the jaw for good measure, and she crumpled.The others filed into the room. "Well," said Lance, "That was both terrifying and awesome at once. Remind me to never get on your bad side."Violet smirked. "That's something you'll learn about me, Lance," she said, taking her weapons from where they'd been laid out on the table and sliding them back into their proper places. "I don't have a good side."-Once the paladins had gotten their bayards back, they headed for the hangars. Violet paused, turning the other way. Keith caught her arm. "You can't go back for her. We don't have enough time, and she can't hold up against Zethrid and Ezor for as long as it's been.""When we told Lotor about our plans to trade him in exchange for Sam Holt, he was furious," Violet said in reply. "He told us we were putting one person over the entire universe. I told him that putting one person over the rest of the universe was what we do. That being a paladin of Voltron meant choosing that person and damning the consequences."Keith nodded in understanding. "Acxa saved us," Violet finished. "She saved me. I can't just leave her to die.""I know," Keith said, meeting her gaze. "All I ask, then, is that you let me go with you."Violet was shaking her head before the words were out of his mouth. "You can't.""Just now, when you attacked the guards," Keith said, taking her hands, "You told us not to follow." He met her eyes, gaze fierce. "I will always follow you. No matter where you go."
But one day, I will go where you can't follow. I already have. That's what scares you the most, isn't it? That I won't come back.
Violet clasped her hands over his. "Then let's go."They took off, backtracking down the hallway. They emerged to see Acxa getting thrown across the room by Zethrid. Ezor launched herself at Acxa, fury in her eyes.And then Keith and Violet were there, blocking Ezor's foot with his shield. Keith attacked Ezor while Violet helped Acxa to her feet."I told you I'd meet you there," Acxa said, looking almost irritated."I couldn't let you have all the fun, could I?" Violet asked.The ghost of a smile touched Acxa's lips. She hauled herself up. "You could never listen."Violet wanted to respond, but instead she just said, "Duck." Acxa did as commanded and Violet threw her dagger at Ezor, who was locked in battle with Keith and Zethrid.Acxa straightened and leapt across the room to Keith's aid, Violet following. The three of them easily overpowered the two generals."We need to go now," Acxa said before she'd even finished kicking Ezor aside. "Contact the lions. We must get to the hangar.""Way ahead of you," someone's voice - Lance's - cut in. "And we brought someone to do the job."The air shimmered, and Kosmo appeared next to them, eyes haughty as if to say, what took you all so long?Violet grinned. "Good boy." She placed her hand on Kosmo's head, Keith taking her hand. Acxa placed a hand on Violet's shoulder, and they teleported straight into the black lion's cockpit."Where are we going?" Pidge asked as the black lion joined the others."I know a hideout on a planet not far from here," said Acxa.Violet felt her lips curl upward. "Lead the way."-They set up a campfire at Acxa's hideout, gathering around it."You look different," Violet told Acxa. "And so did Ezor and Zethrid. How many things have changed over the past few weeks?"Acxa blinked. "Weeks? What are you talking about?""When we fought Lotor," Allura said. "That was over a movement ago."Acxa's brow furrowed. "It was over a movement ago. It was three deca-phoebes ago."Violet froze. "What?""We've been missing for three years?" Lance asked, bewildered.Violet felt her blood chill. Everyone had to think she was dead. The Blades, all their allies, everyone on Earth-A thought rang through her. Veronica was seventeen now. Barely a year older than her. She didn't have a younger sister anymore.Violet shivered. She'd spoken so valiantly about change, and here she was, utterly unable to comprehend it.She felt an arm slide around her shoulders. Violet leaned into Keith's warmth, letting herself settle against his chest."I can't believe everyone else thinks we're dead. How could we have been gone so long?" Allura was asking."Time moves different in the rift. The jump we made probably distorted it," said Pidge. "And the cosmic blast Vi used to kill Lotor.""You killed Lotor?" Acxa asked Violet, her eyes widening.Violet met her gaze, thankful her voice held steady when she said, "He'd gone mad. It was the quintessence.""Seems fitting," Acxa said, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "That raw power ended up being his downfall." Violet felt part of her relax at that - that Acxa was fine with her being Lotor's murderer. It helped her learn how to be fine with it, too."So what were you doing for three years?" asked Keith.Acxa stared at the flames. "Was it was obvious Lotor wasn't coming back, Ezor and Zethrid went rogue. The Galra were in shambles; they needed someone to fill the space Lotor had left. The three of us had planned to do just that, but ... I realized I was done with the Galra. For good. I left them and started searching for the only piece of hope left - Voltron. I'd almost given up when I picked up Voltron's energy on my trackers." She paused, looking up at Violet. "I thought you were dead, Violet. That - that he'd killed you."Violet's throat was thick. "He did," she said, so quietly Acxa barely heard it."But we were the ones who got out, in the end," Keith added. "It's good that you decided to turn your life around." He smiled tentatively.Acxa nodded. "From now on I'll do everything I can to help the Voltron coalition. I'm going to continue my work as a rebel against Zethrid and Ezor. They're dangerous and they need to be stopped.""You should come with us," said Violet, frowning. "You'd like Earth, Acxa. I ... don't want to lose you again."Acxa's eyes shuttered. "It's for the best," she said quietly. "You don't need me anymore. I'll be better off here."Violet knew she was right, but it still hurt. "I know," she murmured. "I wish you well, Acxa.""And I you," Acxa said. "I'll see you on the other side ... Vi."-That night, everyone curled up against Kosmo so they wouldn't have to sleep on the hard ground. Keith stirred - someone was walking away from the dying fire. Acxa.He looked around, feeling a blush tinge his cheeks when he noticed Violet curled against him, her arm thrown protectively over his chest, a tiny frown creasing her brows. The flush died when he saw Lance splayed out next to her, snoring louder than the crackling flames.Keith slipped out of Violet's warmth and followed Acxa, coming up to stand next to her. She tensed, startled, but relaxed when she recognized him."That name you called Kosmo," he said. "What did you mean by it?"Acxa tipped her head up, watching the stars. "Your friend is no ordinary wolf," she said, her voice soft, quiet enough he had to strain to hear it above the crackling embers of the fire behind them. "He is Ze'evim. They are said to travel with the stars, racing each other through the sky. We only realized they were more than just legend when a group landed on our planet, many decapheobs ago. Galran scientists tried to study them, figure out how they used their powers, but they were too dangerous, too bloodthirsty, and they left as quickly as they came. No one has spotted them since. When I saw your Kosmo..." she chuckled. "I knelt before him and put my forehead on the floor. I thought I was going to die. Ze'evim are older than people, older than some planets. They do not like us. It was said that whoever managed to capture one, and keep their life, would one day lead the Galra." She glanced at him meaningfully, the light from the fire casting her cheek in gold.Keith's brows rose. "Well, I didn't capture him," he told her. "I saved him. He's like a rescue dog." Keith remembered finding him, how it had seemed like a meteor had crashed to earth, and he had found Kosmo in the rubble. Acxa blinked. "A what?""You know, when you go to an animal shelter and they have..." he trailed off, seeing her confused face. "Right. Aliens don't really do pets. My bad."She arched a brow at him, though her lips had curved up at the corners. "Calling a Ze'ev a pet is like calling a wildfire a candle."Keith shrugged. "You might think he's a bloodthirsty beast, but he's never tried to hurt me.""I believe you," she said, catching his gaze. "I wouldn't be trying to warn you if I didn't. Harboring one of the Ze'evim is bad enough. Claiming it as your own ... those who do not fear you will seek to kill you and take him. Those who do will seek to kill you both." "Hmm," Keith said, watching a cloud pass over the sky.Acxa frowned at him. "You don't seem that concerned.""Honestly, I'd be more concerned if you told me a Galran had heard of me and wanted to bake me cupcakes and get an autograph."Acxa laughed, a surprised sound, turning her gaze to the stars. "Fair enough." After a moment, she said, "You're just like Violet."He couldn't resist a look over his shoulder, just to make sure she was still there, sleeping and safe. Violet had curled herself even closer to Kosmo in the space he'd left, her face buried in his fur. Something tightened in his chest, and he turned to look at Acxa, finding her eyes already scrutinizing him. "Why won't you come with us?""You heard what I said," Acxa replied, her gaze falling to the side."Keeping an eye on Zethrid and Ezor isn't worth Violet's pain. She wanted you to say yes - she didn't want to be afraid of losing you again. You care about her too - so why did you tell her no?"Acxa closed her eyes briefly. "Violet ... she doesn't give up on people. That has always been what I have admired about her most. She refused to give up on me, even when I was pointing a gun at her face, even when I had made it clear where my loyalties were. We both know what it cost her."Behind his eyes, the white belly of the teludav flashed, the groan it made as it fell, the terrible fear that had choked him and stole his breath."I will not put her through that again," Acxa said, and although her words were soft, her voice was steel. "And I can't - I won't be able to look her in the eye, look myself in the eye, until I've made up for everything I did while I was under Lotor's command. Until I've righted my wrongs." She met his gaze. "Maybe I will be able to mend our friendship one day, once this war is over. Assuming we all make it out.""We will," Keith said, offering her a tentative smile."We have to."
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"Lunch time," Hunk announced."Thank the stars," Violet exclaimed. "I'm starved." Kosmo appeared in the black lion, and she grabbed three of the rolled-up space burritos, handing one to Krolia and Keith and giving Kosmo an affectionate head rub before he vanished again.She opened her food and took a bite, savoring the flavor. "This burrito is awesome, Hunk. How did you get the ingredients to bake it?""Actually, I was hoping you'd ask." Hunk's voice was cheerful over her earpiece. "Remember that red planet we set down on a few quintants ago? I gathered some of the dung from the local beetles there. It gave these burritos their rich flavor."Violet choked on her food, spewing bits of burrito all over Keith's control panel. "Hunk! Don't tell me you just gave me a beetle poop burrito!""Uh ... that's right," Hunk said nervously. "I won't tell you."Violet groaned, wiping her mouth. "Blech. Hunk, never tell me what you make food with again.""Sorry," Hunk replied. "It's just a lot weirder making food without the castle.""Hunk, we're in space," Lance pointed out. "The food is bound to be weird.""Also, you could make space goo into a four-course gourmet dinner," Violet added. "If it does get to be an overwhelming task, though, I could help. I've been making dinner for Veronica my whole life.""Vi," said Keith, "You cannot cook.""Yes, I can!" she replied indignantly."Handing out packets of cherry-flavored gum is not cooking," Pidge commented. "Even if the Alteans are weirdly fascinated with it and keep swallowing it even though we tell them not to.""I don't understand the point of it," Romelle said. "It is food, or is it not? Why would you just keep it in your mouth? It makes no sense. Gum is quite odd.""Wait. What is that?" asked Krolia."Gum?" Romelle replied. "It's a snack earthens eat on Earth that is truly puzzli-""No, not gum," Krolia interrupted, eyes narrowed. "That sound.""No clue," said Pidge, "But if I had to guess, I'd say it's interference. I'll block it."Krolia said, "Can you magnify it instead?""Uh ... sure."The strange hum grew louder, stabilizing. Violet peered at the looping lines appearing on Keith's screen. They looked like sound waves. "It sounds like radiation waves," she said. "It's supposed to sound like radiation waves," Krolia corrected. "Listen to the blips in between the waves."Violet closed her eyes and listened. There was a slight beep between each pulse of noise. "I can hear it," Allura exclaimed."It's a code. A Marmoran one. We used to make contact with it before the Blade of Marmora was unified - only the oldest members would know it," said Krolia. "It ... it's a distress call. With coordinates."Violet's breath caught. "A Blade sent this? Do you think ... Kolivan?""Maybe.""Then we need to get to him. He can fill us in on what happened while we've been gone." Kol. He could be alive, still fighting."Remember the last time we did this?" Keith asked. "It was a trap. Didn't you all learn your lesson?"Hunk blinked. "What lesson?""I didn't learn one," said Pidge."Yeah, I think I might have forgotten a lesson," Lance said, scratching his head in thought. "I'm the most responsible one here, and even I didn't learn my lesson," Shiro pointed out.Keith laughed. "Good, because neither did I." He pulled up the coordinates. "Let's do this."-They pinpointed the signal to the ruins of a city. There were no signs of life - no Blades, no Galra. No one. What's more, the city seemed to have been destroyed by magic.They were walking amid the wreckage when Kosmo froze, his nose sniffing the air. He turned to a piece of broken pillar and jumped over it, snarling. Violet and the others followed. Kosmo had someone pinned down - an alien wearing a mask and ragged clothes."Good boy, Kosmo," Violet said happily before rounding on the man. "You're not Kolivan. Are you a Blade? Do you know who sent the distress code?""I did," the man replied, "And I can tell you everything if you get this dog ... thing ... off of my chest.""We should see what he can tell us," Krolia suggested. Keith's eyes narrowed, but he lowered his bayard.The man took them to a cave in the ruins and built a fire. There were rags and insects buzzing around, discarded bowls of half-eaten food strewn about."This cave stinks," Violet commented.The alien looked at her. "I have lived in it for over two years."Violet coughed. "Terrible in a nice way, I mean. I, er, love the aroma of dead flies. Very relaxing."The man peered at her, and there was something in her face that disturbed her, though she wasn't sure why. "Thank you. It has been a long time since I have had guests.""We're grateful that you let us stay in your home," Shiro said, "But let's cut to the chase. How did you send the signal? Who even are you?""Madicus," the man said. "I am Madicus. And I am the sole survivor of the ruin that laid waste to this planet.""Oh, joy," Violet muttered. "Why is it that everywhere we go there was a massacre or an invasion or something? Can't we just arrive at a peaceful planet for once?""If they were peaceful, there'd be no point in visiting them," Pidge pointed out."Yeah, but..." Violet trailed off as something caught her eye. A glimmer from the side of the room, reflected off the firelight. She stood, moving closer. A rag covered a part of the wall; she drew it aside.Blades. Daggers and swords stuck into the side of the cave with the Marmora insignia on each and every one of them. Violet jerked back, recognizing the one in the center. Kolivan's blade.She spun around, wrenching Kol's dagger from the wall and aiming it at Madicus. "What are you doing with these?" she demanded. "This is Kolivan's blade. Where is he?"Madicus chuckled lowly. "Alive. Barely - his life should be snuffed out soon enough."The paladins drew their bayards, taking defensive stances. "Who are you really?" Violet challenged."You don't remember me?" asked Madicus. "A shame. You were quite small when I found you, though."He stood, pulling off his hood. Violet watched in confusion as his face was revealed. And then it clicked.A scream tore from her throat and she threw herself at Madicus. He vanished into dark smoke before she could reach him, appearing at the other side of the room.Keith grabbed her arm before she could launch herself at him again. "Who is he, Vi?""The druid," she said, focusing on Madicus's amused face, the same one that had burned itself into her memory and her nightmares for nearly a decade. "The druid who stole me. The druid who took me from Earth." She bared her dagger. "You took me from my family, you slimy little ball of sh-""Vi!" Pidge shouted angrily. "There are kids present!" She pointed at Shiro."Oh, yeah." Violet paused, then snarled at Madicus, "You slimy little ball of turd!""I did you a favor," Madicus sneered. "Were you going to pretend you were human your whole life? Someone would've come for you sooner or later. You were lucky it was I and not any of Zarkon's crueler generals.""You've been using the signal to draw in Blades," Krolia realized."Kolivan proved to be useful after all." Madicus's eyes glinted. "And so will you." He vanished, dropping something as he went. Krolia's eyes widened.Violet threw her hands up as the object hit the ground. Pink light blasted through the room, and she closed her eyes reflexively.The light was still there. Violet opened her eyes.The room was covered in pink light. All of the paladins were frozen, different looks of shock and anger on their faces, trapped in a force field thing the object had created when it fell. Violet lowered her arms. A shield of gold light hovered between her and the pink force, blocking it from her. Her energy thrummed, magic singing.Violet let out a shaky breathing, tearing her eyes from Keith's frozen face, closest to hers. She still had Kolivan's blade in her hand.Violet closed her palm over the hilt and turned from the cave, darting into the ruin outside it. "Come on, Kol," she muttered, running through the tunnels. "Where are you?"She pulled up the screen on her wristband, finding the signal's source. Violet made her way to the right spot, entering a cave with water dripping from the ceiling.She gasped. Kolivan was hanging unconscious, suspended by ropes, from the top of the cave, his head hanging low. Violet rushed over to him, frantically checking his pulse. "Oh, Kol. Who did this to you?""I did."She spun around, bringing up the dagger. Madicus was standing at the exit to the cave, grinning. "I thought you would be able to escape my trap," he said. "Little Violetta, always so clever. Of course, many Erythians are.""Don't pretend that you know me." Violet bared her teeth. "You took me from my family, my home, my life. You deserve to rot in the abyss, much less speak my name."Madicus only laughed and vanished. He reappeared next to Violet, and she barely had time to jump out of the way as he sent a spire of black energy straight at her. She got to her feet, but he was already there; Violet ducked another shot of dark magic and swiped at him with Kolivan's blade, but he was already gone."Do you want to know why I saw fit to steal you from your precious family?" Madicus asked, popping into view behind her. Violet lunged, but her blade met only air. She stumbled forward, off balance, and Madicus was there, pushing her onto the ground.She was on her feet in an instant, but he was too quick, appearing and kicking her down.Again.Again."I wasn't the one who was given the orders to take you," Madicus continued, forming beside her and tossing her off her feet. "I wasn't even the one who found you."Violet didn't have time to get back on her feet. She rolled to avoid a spire of power, the rock behind her exploding into dust."Did you ever wonder why Lotor didn't kill a single one of my men when he invaded my ship?" Madicus asked, his voice ringing through the cavern. "Why he boarded my cruiser, retrieved you, and left without any resistance?"Again, he shoved her down. Violet grit her teeth and stood, starting to run for Kolivan's blade, still stuck firmly into the far wall."Lotor was the one who found you."Six feet away."Lotor was the one who planned to take you from your home."Three."But he didn't want to introduce himself as your captor. So he hired me."One. Violet flung out her hand, diving for the blade.And Madicus appeared in front of her, kicking her in the chest. Violet skidded back, the breath torn from her throat.Madicus tore the blade from the wall as she crawled towards it, body protesting. "Lotor staged the capture of you, then made it seem like he'd come to rescue you. So it's really not my fault." He snapped Kolivan's dagger in two, the sound clanging through Violet's ears, and dropped it at her feet. "It's Lotor's."Violet forced a hand under her, forced herself to sit up, to move into a crouch. "You don't get it," she said, voice haggard. "I already knew."Her hands closed over the broken shards of Kolivan's blade. "I looked into the Galra cruiser flights a week after Lotor took me in. There were none that close to Earth." She brought her legs under her and slowly, slowly stood, meeting Madicus's eyes. "I figured out that he'd staged the whole thing from the beginning."Madicus's eyes widened, just a fraction. "There is nothing you can say," Violet said, stepping towards him, "That will break me. Nothing you can say that will cause me to falter. Because I'm already broken. I have been for seven years."Violet bared her teeth as Madicus vanished again. But Violet had tricks up her sleeve, too. She dissolved into light, vanishing; Madicus reappeared at the far side of the room, and Violet sprinted - no, teleported - in front of him. "This for my father." She drove half the dagger into his stomach.Madicus roared in pain, gripping the wound."This is for my sister," Violet said, and lunged for him. Madicus teleported away, and she materialized in front of him, impaling his chest with the second fragment of the dagger. Madicus screamed now, a raw, agonized sound.Violet stood over him, hands empty, eyes filled with more fury than she'd ever felt before. Madicus cowered, his blood soaking the ground."And this is for me." With a single swipe, she cut open his chest.It shouldn't have done anything. He should've dodged it.But he didn't, eyes wide with fear. He didn't move as a beam of light tore into him, red splattering across the stone floor like spilled wine.Madicus let out a startled groan, slumping before her. Violet withdrew her hands, staring at the light emanating from her fingertips. So bright - and yet so deadly."Vi?"She turned. Keith was standing at the entrance to the cave, mouth hanging open in shock. The others had filed in behind him, all of their eyes locked on Violet.Relief tore through Violet like a storm, so heavy she almost teleported to Keith and threw her arms around him, despite the fact that they were covered in blood. Somehow, they'd gotten out of the pink force field - and, by the looks on their faces, they'd arrived to save her.Madicus was wrong, Violet realized, but so was she. She might have been broken from her past, from the death and the loss and the scars - and yet, as she looked at the paladins, looked at Keith, all she felt was joy.Somehow, in the midst of joining Voltron and fighting with the paladins, Violet had healed. Become whole again - ceased to be broken. At some point, she'd gotten past that. But Madicus had assumed that she was still the small, frightened ten year-old shivering alone on his ship: the girl that had never met Keith and the others, the girl that had never trained with Lotor and learned how to kill, the girl that didn't know who she really was, how much power she could have if she only tried to grasp it. Madicus had assumed he could break that girl, and he was wrong, because she was gone and dead.Maybe she had died the day that villager had stabbed Violet in the chest, when she was working for Lotor. Maybe she'd died the day she was crushed by the teludav, fighting with the paladins of Voltron. Maybe she'd died the day Violet's Erythian form was born.Maybe that small, broken girl hadn't died at all; maybe she'd just changed. Violet didn't know.In the end, did it really matter? She had killed Madicus all the same.Stars. She'd killed him.Keith stepped forward, his gaze darting between the blood coating her hands and Madicus's still, shadowed form behind her. "Vi, what happened?"She opened her mouth to speak - to say what, she didn't know - but her voice caught in her chest as her eyes fell on Madicus's body, because it was changing.Slowly, as she watched, his skin began to glow white, limbs elogating and morphing. When it faded, Madicus's body lay before her, covered in blood but also undeniably covered in small, looping patterns along his arms and chest, twin green markings shaped like sickles under his closed eyes.An Erythian. Violet felt like she was going to be sick. The floor swayed under her feet, and darkness swamped her, as suddenly and surely as the tide.-With a groan, Violet pried her eyes open and sat up.She was in the black lion's makeshift infirmary, on one of the cots. Keith was sitting across from her.There was dried blood on her hands.Violet stared at her palms - any trace of the light that had shone through them gone - in muted silence before the events of ten minutes ago came crashing back on her. "Kolivan," she said. "Is he-?""He'll survive," said Keith. "Close to death, but then again, we've all been close to death before. The team's fine, too."Violet let out a breath. "Madicus ... he was Erythian, wasn't he? One of the ones Coran told us about - who had shifted to protect themselves, but forgot who they were."Keith's gaze was steady. "Yes.""And I killed him. With my magic."His gaze was its own confirmation.She shuddered. "I should feel something. Regret, pain, sadness - something." She looked up at Keith. "Two people. That's two people in the past - what, one week? Two? Is it going to keep going on like this? I know I'm not in shock. I just killed someone. I just used light powers I didn't know I had. And all I feel is - is wrong." her eyes burned. "Teleporting. That's so ironic. I can move across whole galaxies, run to the stars and back, and still I can't escape my past.""Hey." Keith put his hands on her shoulders, gently tilted her chin up so she had to look at him. "That might be true, but you stopped running from your past a long time ago. You've accepted it - you beat Madicus, and probably saved Kolivan's life in the process. And you're good. You're our friend, and that's all that matters." He touched his forehead to hers. "I've told you this before. Our past doesn't define us. When will you start believing it?"Violet's eyes shuttered. "When I can look at my hands and not see blood."Keith smirked, pulling away. "Personally, I think it looks good on you. You know. Brings out the gold in your eyes."Violet's lips quirked. "I'd hug you, but I have literal blood on my chest and I don't think it would look as good on you as it does on me.""There's none on your mouth."She blinked at the implication in his tone and felt her lips curl. "Maybe you should check."Keith's eyes darkened, and he pulled her closer, settling his mouth over hers. She melted into the kiss, letting her lips say what her words couldn't.
Thank you.
He kissed her back: I know.Violet curved her hands over his shoulders, savoring the warmth of another person's body that close to hers, strong and familiar. Her nose brushed his and a feeling rose in her that tightened her chest, and it was only when he drew away from her with a concerned frown that she realized she was crying."I'm sorry," Violet said, her voice coming out as a hiccup. Her face heated, and she scrubbed at her face with her sleeve, willing the stubborn tears to stop falling. "I didn't mean to ruin the mood.""Vi, what's wrong?" Keith caught her hands in his, gaze earnest. "Did I - did I hurt you?" "No. Stars, no. If you had I would've punched you, not started - not started crying." Violet laughed, incredulously; the tears were still falling, slipping past her eyes. "I don't even know why I'm-"Keith pulled her towards him then, and she realized her shoulders had begun to shake. The way he held her reminded her of how he'd hugged her at Naxzela, when she'd told him she loved him and for the first time he'd listened. And she wondered how Keith knew exactly what she needed, if maybe there was something in him that shared a piece of her soul, that he understood so clearly how neither of them had ever been good with words. Violet detested words; she could spell love a thousand ways, knew it in a thousand different languages, had said it a thousand times, except with the letters L-O-V-E."I miss my mom," Violet whispered against his chest.Keith just pressed a kiss to her forehead, his touch so gentle compared to the his furious face when he'd rounded on Madicus, the steel in his eyes when he held his bayard, when he fought. And she - a trained assassin, a weapon of a girl - sobbing in his arms. Her violence and his violence knew one another like the most intimate of lovers."I'll be okay," she told him as the tears finally began to subside. His shirt was wet, but he didn't seem to care. "Okay."-After Kolivan recovered, he met up with the group on the ruined planet. Krolia, Allura, Violet and Shiro were waiting for him."Kol!" Violet said happily as he emerged from the black lion. "You're awake!"Kolivan blinked at her. "...Violet? You're an Erythian?""Oh. Yeah." she paused. "Also I have light powers. Kinda. I haven't mastered the ability yet."Kolivan shook his head, but he was smiling. "I knew you weren't human. But an Erythian ... it makes sense.""How?""I never noticed it before," Kolivan said, "But you have an endearing presence to you, Violet. I put it off to charisma, but now that I can see ... you emit light."Violet frowned. "So ... you like me because I remind you of a lamp?" She grinned. "I'll take it. Good to have you back, Kol.""How many times will I have to tell you not to call me Kol before you actually listen?"She smiled. "As many times as there are stars in the sky.""Kolivan," said Allura, "Now that you are fully healed, we are going to continue our journey to Earth. You're welcome to join us."Kolivan answered somberely, "I'm afraid I can't. I must find the rest of the Blades, if there are any left. After Lotor died, we were all exposed. We must unite again."Krolia stood from where she'd been sitting on a broken piece of a pillar. "I will join you. We will revive the Blade of Marmora together. We just need a ship.""You're going to leave?" Violet exclaimed. "Just like that? What about Keith?""Keith will be fine on his own," said Krolia. "This is for the good of the universe."Violet's eyes narrowed. "Can I speak to Krolia alone, please?" She asked the others, who nodded and filed out of the room.As soon as they were out of earshot, she rounded on Krolia. "What is it with you Koganes?" Violet asked furiously. "As soon as you become part of the team, you just pick up and leave! I don't understand why you have to leave Keith again."Krolia's eyes flared. "This is the right decision," she said tersely. "Don't act like you know what this is like for me. I know it will be hard for all of us.""I may not know what it is to be a mother, or a Galra," Violet said, "But I know what it's like to love Keith. And I know you know what that's like, too. So why are you leaving?""He doesn't need me anymore," Krolia replied. Her gaze softened. "He has you, Violet. And the rest of Voltron. This is where I'm needed." She straightened. "Keith will understand. I'm not saying goodbye forever. I will join him after the war."Violet's eyes fell. Why did everyone have to leave? She couldn't stop Acxa. She wouldn't be able to stop Krolia now."Violet," Krolia said quietly. There was a hand on her shoulder; Violet looked up, surprised to see softness crinkling in the corners of the older woman's eyes."You know that Keith was my only son," she said, voice gentle in a way Violet had never heard before. "I thank the stars for him, for that gift, every day. But ... even if it makes me selfish, I have always wanted a daughter as well."Violet's mouth parted in surprise. "So thank you," Krolia told her, her smile warm. "It was not my fate to have a daughter by blood. But I have found one all the same." There was something heavy and wet gathering behind her eyes, and Violet blinked fiercely to keep it at bay. "Thank you, Krolia. I - thank you."Krolia just dipped her chin. "Treat my son well, Violet."She made to walk away, but Violet paused her: "One more thing."Krolia turned. "Yes?"Violet grinned. "Can you call Kolivan 'Kol' from now on? I won't be there to do it anymore."Krolia raised an eyebrow, but her lips quirked. "I'll think about it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The trip to earth was going slow. It had only been four weeks - four long, tiring weeks in which there was nothing to do but flop around miserably. Violet was bored.So, so bored.Everyone else was, too. Shiro and Keith insisted they stay to routine, the former coming up with bonding exercises to do so no one lost their sanity.One day Lance barged into her room. "Vi, we have a problem."She was sitting cross-legged on her bed. "I was wondering when you guys would find the flaming ceiling fan. Look, I made sock puppets." she held up her hands, showing him. "This one's Shiro - see his scar? And this one's Pidge. I made her little glasses.""The flaming what?" Lance spluttered. "Vi - how - wait. Is that me?""Oh, yeah." Violet showed him the Lance sock puppet. "I had to steal Keith's sock for it, because you're really tall." she frowned at the puppet."That looks nothing like me," said Lance. "Why did you even - gyah. There's an actual problem, Vi."She blinked. "You mean it's not the ceiling fan? Oh, I know. You found the rubber tarantula. That one wasn't my fault, I swear."Lance rubbed his temples. "The problem is that the blue lion's sonar lost power today. We can't use it to scout anymore." He plopped down on her bed. "We're putting the lions on autopilot to do more bonding exercises and I'm really not looking forward to it."Violet's face fell, and she dropped Pidge's sock puppet. "Oh. I kinda wish it had been the ceiling fan." She put her hand on Lance's shoulder comfortingly. "At least we're going somewhere. I know it seems like this is all pointless, but eventually we will be home. In the meantime..." she grinned. "I was bored. Usually I set things on fire when I'm bored - hence the ceiling fan - but yesterday I actually decided to be productive." She fished around her bed and held up her creation for Lance to see.He blinked. "Uno?""It's the most pointless game ever created. All it does is pass time and start wars," Violet explained cheerfully. "And since we have way too much time during our journey home, I made a deck by hand!"Lance's lips quirked. "Seems like a better bonding activity than whatever Shiro has planned."-Shiro agreed to switch the bonding exercise for the day to a round of Uno among the paladins. It started off fine enough, but Violet was definitely cheating, and Allura kept on shouting 'Uno!' at random times. Keith didn't really know how to play; Lance was losing. Badly. He had half the deck in his hand."Draw four, Lance," Violet said."Kindly fuck off, Vi.""You know what?" She put down a second card. "Draw another four.""Vi," Keith said, leaning closer to her, "I have no idea what's going on.""It's alright," Violet replied. "I can help you." She looked at him. "Where are all your cards?"Keith scratched his head. "I think I got rid of them all. Does that mean I win?"Violet blinked. I am not about to lose a game to another person who barely knows how to play it. I will not make the same mistake I did with Coran."Nope," she said. "You have to draw eight more cards. Sorry, Keith."Beside them, Pidge and Hunk were seeing how many skips they could hit each other with. "You fell right into my trap!" Pidge sneered. She slammed down an uno reverse card triumphantly. "How do you like THIS?""Oh yeah?" Hunk retorted. "Well I bet you weren't expecting THIS!" He put down a draw two.Pidge gasped. "The audacity! I need someone to take my anger out on. Lance, draw four.""I hate you all," Lance proclaimed, standing in a flurry of Uno cards. "This was supposed to be a fun way to pass the time, not a pick-on-Lance fest! You all should be ashamed of yourselves."Everyone looked down. Violet drew one of her cards."Don't do it," Lance warned. Violet raised the card. "Vi, don't do it."She set it down. "Uno.""THAT'S IT! I QUIT!" Lance yelled.Allura set down her card. "I win!""Allura, it's not your turn!" Everyone shouted in unison.They all looked at each other - Lance's furious face, Vi's hand open to reveal the three draw fours she'd swiped while no one was looking, the cards strewn all about the room, and dissolved into laughter.Shiro chose that moment to walked in. He blinked in surprise and smiled, but it was short-lived. "Break time is over, everyone. We need to come up with a plan once we get to earth."Lance straightened, laughter fading. "No offense, Shiro, but ... when was the last time one of our plans actually worked like it was supposed to?"Hunk frowned. "I don't think there was a last time.""Exactly.""Actually, there was." Violet stood, brandishing a piece of paper she'd pulled out of thin air. "A couple days ago, Keith and I made a list of all the plans we've tried that we should, under no circumstances, ever try again. It might be helpful." She passed it to Shiro.Shiro scanned the list. "'Hunk starts crying.'""That one worked like a charm, but no one could bear to see him sad like that.""Uh ... 'Lance tries to seduce a yalmor through an interpretative dance.'"Violet shook her head. "He really needs to work on his moves.""Hey!" said Lance.Shiro looked down at the list again. "'Throw Pidge at the attacker' ... 'Shiro threatens to ground them' ... 'Coran recites the Altean alphabet' ... 'set the nearest object on fire...'""Oh, that one did not work. The nearest object was Keith," said Violet.Shiro rubbed his temples. "This one just says 'more garlic.'""Hunk thought it was a shopping list."Shiro sighed. "And ... 'start singing Don't Stop Believin' by Journey?'"Violet peered over his shoulder. "Oh, that one works every time. We should put that on the 'to do' list.""Paladins!" Coran burst into the room, face panicked. "There's some kind of radioactive surge of light coming towards us. You must get to your lions!""Aw," Hunk muttered, but the paladins teleported back to their respective lions. Violet chose to stay with Keith."It doesn't say they're anything here," Pidge said from the green lion. "It's like this thing is a ghost." The light flashes were getting closer, lighting up the sky."What even is it?" Lance asked as the lights grew closer.Violet said, "I don't know. But based on our past experiences, it's probably here to kill us."Then the lights were on them, surrounding Voltron in blazing white light. Violet felt the force ripping through her, causing her body to lock up. "We need to go!" Keith shouted, pulling up the black lion. The others followed, but it was no use. Violet braced herself as the light engulfed them.-
The first time I actually remembered feeling hope was when Commander Holt crashed into earth a year ago.
He was the first alien activity we'd had since the blue lion had awakened and escaped our planet. He arrived at the Garrison and told us all about what he'd discovered - Voltron and Zarkon and the Galra.
And Violet.
I couldn't believe it when he found me and told me he'd seen my sister. I'd given up hope by that time - Violet had been taken seven years ago. But I knew she was alive. We're sisters - I'd know if she was dead. But I'd given up the hope that I'd ever see her again.
And then Sam Holt came along with the news that Violet was part of Voltron and actively fighting against the people who'd abducted her. That she hadn't forgotten me - that she'd never stopped trying to fight her way back to me.
That was when the seed of hope broke anew inside my gut, sprouting golden flowers that bloomed and warmed me like a sun from the inside out. Since then I'd waited - waited, as we prepared our ships for war. Waited for Voltron. And my sister.
She still hadn't come after a year. My birthday passed - June 16 - and no sister to share it with. My hope never died, just - changed. Violet wouldn't be the same person I remembered. I'd come to accept that. I drove myself to work harder for the Garrison, to be a better cadet, a better fighter. So that when Violet came home, she'd be proud.
So now I'm going to join the supply run with the other cadets that are my age. Keep the base live, holding out against the Galra.
The cadet's leader - Griffin - is hopping into the car. "I can drive the car."
"I'm going, too," I say. They all turn to me, blinking in surprise. I continue, "I'm assigned to be your guide - I know the route to the depot."
Griffin crosses his arms. "There's a guide system built in. We can use that."
I raise an eyebrow. "The guidance systems relies on GPS - which, if you didn't notice, haven't worked since the alien invasion. And Nadia Rizavi should drive the car. She scored higher than you with tunnel cruisers."
Rizavi grins. "I'm going to like you."
"Also," I say, "I call shotgun."
Rizavi's grin widens. "I'm really going to like you."
Griffin lets out an annoyed breath. "Fine. What's your name, anyway?"
I blinked - I'd forgotten to tell them.
"Veronica. Veronica Idalia."
-Violet woke up with the feeling of being in a long sleep. She was in the same position as she'd been - legs planted, arms in front of her face - but Keith wasn't, sitting actively at the controls, his expression dark and his hair chaotically mussed. Voltron was flying through the white void of light again, but much faster. With a jolt, the light disappeared, and Voltron was left alone in space. "Keith?" Violet asked. "What happened?"His face softened when he saw her. "A ... a lot of stuff. We can explain later.""Did someone try to kill us?" Romelle asked from the blue lion.Lance replied grimly, "You know it.""That light surge transported us across the galaxy," Allura said, astonished. "Pidge, what's our status?""I think..." Pidge's voice hitched. "These stars - I know them! This is the Milky Way - we're at Earth!""You mean we're home?" Violet breathed. "That - that's impossible."Keith smiled. "We have a penchant for doing the impossible." He pushed the black lion forward. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's go home."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Pidge's dad quickly contacted the lions and warned them that Sendak had taken over Earth. The Galra had attacked while Earth was vulnerable, and the only place still standing was the Garrison. Violet felt her fists clench at the news. Veronica should've been enrolled in the Garrison - it was her dream. She should be safe.Violet had no idea what she'd do if her sister wasn't.They hid the lions on one of Saturn's moons and proceeded in a Galra fighter, entering Earth without alerting Sendak's cruisers. The paladins made their way through the ruins of a city, heading towards the Garrison's base.However, drones spotted them and they were attacked. Violet dove behind an overturned car and drew her blades. She took down the nearest drone while Lance and Hunk dealt with the other two, but more began to arrive.Suddenly, two Garrison hover cars burst into the scene, taking out the Galra reinforcements. Keith aimed for the last drone, but one of the drivers shot it instead. "I had that!" he shouted.The driver glared at him, pulling off their helmet to reveal a boy with brown hair. "Drones send distress signals when attacked, Kogane," he said. "Our weapons neutralize those signals. So unless you want to deal with a swarm of those things, let us handle it. Now let's get out of here before more of those show up."Keith's gaze darkened. "Griffin." With no other option, the paladins crammed into the cars and drove for the Garrison base. There were people waiting for them - Sam Holt, Garrison commanders, and other cadets.Pidge sucked in a breath and leapt from the car, tackling a woman with short hair and amber eyes in a bear hug, crying too hard to speak. Commander Holt joined in."Katie," Colleen Holt whispered. "It's really you.""Lance! Uncle Lance!" Two kids were sprinting towards the car. Lance let out a choked noise and ran to greet them, the rest of his family piling on.Hunk looked sad, but then he turned around and his face lit up. "Mom! Dad!" His family was standing a little ways away, but they turned when they saw him and rushed over.Violet smiled. It was good to see the paladins reunited with their family. "Are there cadets still at the base?" She asked the boy who'd driven the hover car. "Other than the ones here."He looked at her wearily. "Are you looking for someone?"She nodded. "Veronica Idalia. My sister."The boy flinched as if she'd struck him, eyes widening, and the girl he was with flat-out gaped at Violet. "What?" she asked, feeling her stomach clench."I'm ... I'm Cadet Nadia Rizavi," The girl said after a beat, stumbling over her words, "and this is James Griffin. Were part of the flight assembled that pilot the ships Commander Holt had been making. Veronica was a cadet at the Garrison as well before she joined us.""She went with us on a supply run a few weeks ago," Griffin continued, face expressionless. "It was her initiation mission - she was younger than us, would've been the youngest to become a full pilot. We were there to protect her."Would've. The word clanged through Violet like a death toll. "So where is she?" She demanded, voice rising. "Where is my sister?""We encountered the rebel groups that had assembled when Sendak attacked - that's how we found your friends' families," said Rizavi quietly. "But we were attacked. "Veronica stayed behind to hold them off. We tried to go after her but - there was a cave in. She was captured, or - or killed." Her gaze fell. "I'm sorry."Violet felt her blood run cold. She stumbled, knees refusing to support her, and Keith caught her before she fell. "No." Violet shook her head, feeling tears spring into her eyes. "Veronica - she can't be gone.""She's one of the most stubborn people we know," Rizavi said fiercely. "We refuse to believe she's dead." Her furtive glance at the military generals and superiors lined beside them told her this was unpopular opinion.Bile rose in Violet's throat, along with searing anger. Before she knew what was happening, she'd drawn a dagger and hurled it at the hover car they'd arrived in, barely missing Griffin's head. The blade struck the side of the ship and stuck there, quivering."Vi," said Shiro, shocked, "are you okay?"She activated the magnets at her wrists, and the blade flew back to her. "No."One more person lost. Violet's hands trembled, with sadness or fury, she didn't know. She forced the tears away until she'd regained some semblance of control.Something pressed into her palm - Kosmo. Violet touched his fur. Can you do something for me, boy?Kosmo blinked up at her, eyes bright with understanding. Violet blew out a breath and turned to Keith."I'm sorry. I'll be back before the evening."Keith's eyes widened. "Vi-"Too late. She pushed him back, and she and Kosmo vanished into bright light.-
"Violet, you burned the toast again," Veronica pouted. Her dark hair was loose around her head, wild and curly from having just woken up. She was somewhere around six or seven, here, young enough there were gaps in her teeth but old enough to have already perfected the judgy-younger-sister look, which we was now flashing in full force at Violet. "You really need to learn how to cook."
"I can cook fine," Violet grumbled, podding at the charred bread gingerly with a knife. Their father had left early for work, leaving Violet with her little sister and a neon orange sticky note on the refrigerator door asking her to make breakfast. It was one of the first sunny days of the year, sometime around early April - her birthday was coming up - and the early-morning light was slipping through the old, worn green curtains already, painting the room in soft gold. "I just set the timer wrong. A little butter and it'll taste alright."
She poked the toast with the knife with a bit too much force, and it promptly crumbled into blackened ash on the counter.
Violet winced, pointedly ignoring her sister's skeptic arched eyebrows. "You know, butter is pretty unhealthy. How about we have something else? I have some ... gum. Oh, and it's cherry-flavored, Ronnie, too - your favorite."
Veronica giggled at the thought. "That's not breakfast, Violet. Maybe I should make something for you."
Violet gave up and dumped the burnt toast into the compost. "That might be for the best. You'll have to know how to make breakfast when you get into the Garrison."
Her little sister perked up. "You really think I'll make it?"
Violet smiled. "Of course. There's nothing you can't do, Ronnie. Just make sure to visit me when you do, okay? I'm going to miss you."
Violet blew out a long breath, visible in the chilling evening air. the window of her old house was dusted and worn with age, just like the rest of it, but if she squinted hard enough, she could almost see Veronica in the weak light, hear her laughter reverberating through the house's thin walls and into her ears at Violet's meager culinary skills.Uncurling her hands from her knees, Violet stood. "Come on, Kosmo. We've been running away from our problems long enough."Kosmo stood, and Violet put her hand on his back. Together, they teleported back to the base.However, Kosmo could only teleport to places he'd been before, and so they blinked into the Garrison courtyard, startling a large number of people heading through it. One of them, in particular, was standing right were they were, and accidentally got a face-full of Violet's elbow. She barely stumbled - Violet had never been the clumsy type, even before Lotor and his training - but her collision partner went down.She was already extending her hand, an apology on her lips, when their eyes met. The boy who'd told her about Veronica - Violet struggled to remember his name. She hadn't been thinking about much other than her sister, then."My bad," she said, offering him her full hand. "Wasn't looking where I was ... teleporting.""Wow," the boy said, taking her hand. "You sure know how to make an entrance."She bristled. "What's that supposed to mean?" Now that they were standing, she realized he looked a bit like Lance; they had the same sharp, angled jawline, and his skin was only a few shades lighter. His grip had been warm and strong, and rough with calluses, which oddly made her trust him more. He had the feel of someone who worked diligently, who wasn't afraid to get their hands dirty. She respected that.He smiled wryly, the kind that was only half-there but still lit up his whole face. "Just that you appeared with the Voltron lions an hour ago unannounced and vanished less than five minutes later, and in that span of time managed to shout at our commander, impale a ship, and almost take my eye out, all without telling anyone your name."His eyes were kind, and Violet felt her shoulders relax a bit. "Sorry about that," she said, summoning as much warmth as she could muster. "I'm Violet.""Nice to meet you, Violet," he said. "Welcome back to Earth."There was a beat of silence, in which his eyes seemed to drift to someplace else, expression falling slightly. "Sorry," he said quickly, snapping back. "You just ... your eyes look at lot like hers. It's that Idalia blood."He didn't have to say her name. Violet felt her shoulders sag an inch with the weight of the shadows in his eyes, and she nodded, not quite ready to speak."Well." He cleared his throat, as if attempting to shake off a weight of his own; and in that moment she decided she liked him, above anything else, because of that fact that he hadn't said I'm sorry. She didn't think she'd have been able to bear it if he had. "I assume you're going to want to be at the briefing meeting that's happening currently?""Yes, but ... it appears that I don't actually know where it is," Violet said, looking around the courtyard. There was no sign of any of her friends, only strangers gawking at either her or Kosmo, or perhaps her standing with their most prized cadet. She wondered if they looked like an odd pairing, her with her space wolf in her fighting gear, him in his carefully-pressed military uniform and his kind eyes."It's alright, I'll show you. I'm going too." He offered her his arm, and she blinked, wondering if there was some new custom on Earth that meant you had to walk holding someone."It's Garrison protocol," he said, seeing her confusion. "Whenever I walk with someone unregistered, staying more than a foot from them is a secret sign to officials that I'm being held hostage. This way, everyone will know you're with me.""Oh." She took his arm, hesitantly; his skin was warm through his sleeve. Was she really threatening enough that she had to be seen "with" someone like him? "I know we're in an intergalactic war and everything, but doesn't that seems a little ... paranoid?""Oh, it is," he said agreeably, leading them into a walk, Kosmo trotting at their ankles. "Almost no one enforces it, anymore.""So why are you?"That smile, again, this time aimed fully at her. "Two reasons," he said, pausing to wave at a passing general. "The first is that I'm a stickler for rules, always have been; the second you'll see for yourself in a minute."Curiosity flared in her chest, and she let it, glad to have a distraction from the sound of Veronica's laugh still ringing in her ears. With a start, she remembered his name: James Griffin. "Fine, then. Keep your secrets."Griffin's arm tightened slightly around hers as they passed a woman whose eyes flitted over Violet, her markings and the wolf behind her, with suspicion; suddenly, he laughed loudly, the sound rich and deep, even though what she'd said hadn't been particularly funny."Who was that?" Violet asked once the woman was gone. She got the feeling that Griffin was protecting her, in a way, by walking this close to her, making himself look this comfortable around her. Part of her - the part that had fought Haggar with nothing but her blades, had laid cities to ruin, had been crushed by a teludav falling on top of her and survived - felt insulted that anyone would think she'd need protection. She also didn't really like being looked at like an alien - that felt a little too much like home, the part of home she hadn't missed at all, where people cared about whether your skin was dark or light and if you liked boys or girls or both or neither and where your family was from.But, deep in her heart, she knew if she was in their place, she'd probably do the same to strangers. Trust was a fickle thing, especially in war; it was best given in small doses, a privilege, only to those who'd earned it. She wouldn't trust herself either."The lovely ball of sunshine? That's Admiral Sanda," Griffin said, voice darkening. He smiled pleasantly at a few passing guards, his face not matching his voice; they nodded to him, continuing on, and he added, "She hates aliens. Non-humans, I mean. Her son was killed by a Galra spy disguised as a human a few years ago; she was never the same.""That must have been hard for her," Violet said softly, thinking of the people she knew like Admiral Sanda - the people who'd suffered so much they'd withered away on the inside, souring and shriveling like bad fruit, until only their husk remained.Griffin's voice was tight. "It's war. Everything is hard."She cast him a look, curious; his jaw was clenched, eyes staring straight ahead. "You don't like her, do you?" Violet guessed. "Something she did to you."His eyes flitted to hers, surprised. "Is it that obvious?"She shrugged. "Reading people is my speciality."He sighed, loosening a bit. "She ... she thinks that some humans are aliens, as well. She'd never say it out loud, but ... she's mistrusted me ever since she found out I was Jewish. When I applied to be the captain of my flight, she dissented. Said we couldn't rely on someone who might choose their god over the mission. I only got the position after I risked my life salvaging scrap metals in an explosion, and even she couldn't deny how good I was."Violet instantly regretted her pitying feelings for the admiral, something sour coating her tongue. A lost son did not, could not, excuse that kind of behavior. "That's ridiculous. You're clearly the best pilot the Garrison has to offer.""It's nothing new," he said with a shrug, like someone who'd swallowed bitter pills for long enough that they could barely taste it anymore. "My grandparents weren't allowed citizenship when they came to North America because they were Jewish. My parents grew up having to hide it so they wouldn't be bullied at school. I have to deal with people who will never really see me as someone who deserves to belong. Intra-galactic war, an apocalypse, and alien invasion, and some things still don't change."Violet felt the truth of his words, bitter and aching, all through her bones. "Almost makes you question what it is, exactly, we're fighting for," she said quietly.He huffed out a breath, half-laugh, half-sigh, and she suddenly felt the urge to wrap her arm tighter around his, banish that quiet sadness in his voice she knew all too well, this boy who she didn't know but had a surprising amount of things in common with. "It did. But not anymore.""What changed?"He stopped, looking out the window; Violet followed his gaze. Through the glass, she could see a gray ship with the Garrison's seal landing in the hangar, aids and pilots scurrying around it with the haste of a battle, of action, their movements small but sure and determined."A girl with a space wolf, five rainbow lions, and one very sharp dagger showed up with a claim that there was a way to finally turn the tide in this war and enough determination that people decided to believe it," Griffin said, the side of his mouth hooking upwards, brightening his whole face. "This is the first briefing meeting Commander Iverson has called in months. It's in the air. We can see the end, at last, one where the fighting is over and we can all go home. People are starting to hope again."Violet felt a smile tug at her lips, maybe the first real one since she'd found out about Veronica. "Voltron has a way of doing that."He snorted, his side pressing against hers. "Then thank god for Voltron, because we need it."They stopped again; "We're here," Griffin said, leading her into a room with double-doors. He flashed his pin to the guards standing by it, and they opened it, allowing them to walk in still arm-in-arm."Remember the second reason?" he whispered in her ear as every person in the room turned to look at them. Keith was there, an empty seat beside him; he looked up, seeing her standing with Griffin, his head angled towards hers as if sharing a secret, and his eyes flared - first with confusion, then hurt, then anger.She could hear the smug laughter in Griffin's voice. "Seeing Mullet boy's face when he saw me close with you was it."Violet frowned, confused, but he had already slipped his arm out from around hers and went to stand on the right side of the room with the other cadets, gaze still smug and avoiding hers. But as soon as Violet took her seat by Keith's, she noticed the that his hands were fisted under the table."What the hell were you doing with James Griffin?" he hissed to her through gritted teeth, quietly enough that the commander speaking - the one with the eyepatch from before - couldn't hear. Shiro cast them a warning glance, but said nothing."Why are you acting like I'm consorting with the enemy?" She shot back, confused but mostly irritated. "He was just showing me the way to the briefing. I didn't realize that was so unacceptable."Keith visibly calmed, as if forcing his jaw to unlock. "You're right, I'm sorry," he said, blowing out a breath. "It's not your fault." His eyes cut to Griffin's, narrowing into slits. "It's his."Violet's eyebrows rose. Whatever this can of worms was, they'd have to open it later - Shiro had stood up to fill in the gaps the commander had missed in his briefing."If that's all, then, we'll reconvene tomorrow," the commander with the eyepatch was saying - Violet wondered if it would be rude to ask for his name, but for now, she just dubbed him One-eye. "Assuming we can get the fighters repaired quickly enough, we'll begin measures against Sendak with the Voltron lions this time next week.""What?"Everyone's eyes turned to her for the second time; if they hadn't, Violet probably wouldn't have even realized it had been her who had spoken. Her mind was fixated on a single phrase One-eye had said: next week."Please tell me your plan isn't just to wait," Violet said. "Sendak knows Voltron is here by now. He could be hurting th- he could be launching a counterattack right now. Every second we wait is a foothold lost in this battle."The commander's visible eye twitched. "I have been the general of the last-standing military fort against the Galra occupants for three years," he said sharply. "I was here during the alien invasion. I have been at war with Sendak since he arrived on this planet. Do not presume to lecture me, Cadet, about what to do in this war when you neglected to even attend the first half of this meeting, where we discussed the protocols that need to be in place before we can act on Sendak's fleet.""Violet," Shiro said quietly.Too late. "Protocols," Violet spat. "There are people out there whose only hope is Voltron. Whose only hope is the Garrison. Who are praying that we will be able to save them. What are you gonna say to them, huh? Are you gonna tell them about your fucking protocols?"One-eye's lips pursed into a thin line. He gritted out, "Sit down, Cadet."Violet's jaw was tensed hard enough to make her teeth ache. She sat down, the press of the chair against her spine feeling like she was letting Veronica down. What had Griffin said? That Idalia blood. Her heartbeat thudded through her body, fierce and aching.Under the table, Keith's hand found hers and squeezed tight.
-Keith found Violet in the Garrison's training room, hurling daggers at the wall.Violet wasn't practicing - she was just trying to get her anger out. Even if she had been training, she would've failed. All her shots were missing their targets."If your aim is off, there's definitely something wrong."Violet didn't look up at Keith's voice. "There is something wrong. My sister is gone."Keith's footsteps grew closer. "We'll get her back, Vi."Violet's eyes narrowed, and she took aim, lining up the dagger with the heart of the target. "I know we will."Keith stopped her before she could hurl the blade. He closed his hand over hers, lowering it; his eyes never left her face. "Violet," he said, so gently she almost broke down. "Talk to me."She sighed. "I just ... Veronica was the only thing I could cling to when I burned a village to the ground or spent another sleepless night in the Galra prison. I didn't have a lot of hope back then other than her. It was like that if she was okay, and alive, then I could be too." She paused, feeling her throat catch. "And I'm happy for them, for Lance and Pidge and Hunk. I swear I am. But just - seeing them getting their family back, getting to hug them and touch them again, when Veronica - and I don't even know if she-" She broke off, struggling to keep her breath even. "It's not just that my sister's lost. It's that she'll be grown up. She'll have changed without me, and I don't know if I can bear to see it."Keith slid his hand from her wrist up her arm until it rested comfortingly on the curve of her shoulder. "She'll always be your sister, though. You just have to accept that when you see her again - and you will - she won't be the seven-year-old you left behind. You might not recognize her. She might not recognize you. But that doesn't mean you're not sisters." He smiled. "That doesn't mean you won't love her any less. From what I've seen, you'll only love her more."Violet's eyes fell, but her heart lifted. Veronica would almost be her age. She wouldn't be the same.But that didn't matter, because Violet knew she'd always love Veronica. Hell, she'd been parted from her for eight years - eleven for her sister - and still, Violet thought of her every night."Thank you, Keith," Violet said, meeting his eyes. "I'm sorry for leaving."His mouth curled. "You handled it better than me. The last time I thought I'd lost someone I loved, I left with no intention of coming back. At least you were only gone for a few hours."Violet's chest warmed. "Train with me?""Sure." His eyes glinted. "I might be able to beat you this time."She raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm grieving? That's low, Keith.""Actually, because I know the space," Keith said, gesturing to the space around them. "I trained here before, remember? I used to be a cadet at the Garrison."Violet smirked. "It's cute how you think that would give you the skill to beat me.""Only one way to find out."She drew her blades. Thank the stars she had someone like Keith Kogane - who could tell when she needed a distraction and would put up with her walloping him in combat to provide her with one.Violet attacked first, tossing a dagger experimentally. Keith dodged it easily, casting her an almost annoyed glance as it flew back into her hand. Violet only smiled sweetly before lashing out a foot. Keith blocked it and countered, lunging forward, but she easily sidestepped.They went on like that for a while, blocking and parrying and driving. Violet switched from offense to defense, Keith shifting to match her; she was pleasantly surprised by the extra grace he'd gotten since the last time they'd sparred, aboard the Castle of Lions. But once Violet knew Keith's tell, he didn't stand a chance.Keith seemed to realize that as well, using his sword less and thus preventing Violet from predicting the blows. She slid around him, lashing out with one blade and blocking a blow to her side with her other hand; Keith barely managed to dodge the dagger, pivoting with his sword.Violet smirked and knocked the blade from his hands. It was a risk - she lost balance pushing it aside - and Keith took the opportunity, hooking his foot around her ankle. Violet let out a surprised curse as she stumbled. Keith caught her, and Violet brought up her hands, ready to defend herself as he pulled her to him, but-He kissed her.Her eyes widened in surprise. Keith's lips pressed against hers, and she found herself automatically kissing him back. Her eyes drifted shut, and he kissed her deeper.And then she felt the edge of a blade against her ribs.Violet's eyes flew open, and she hissed, pushing away from Keith. "You asshole."Keith smirked, the point of the dagger he was holding - Violet's dagger - still poised above Violet's diaphragm. "I win."Violet glared at him, but he just flipped the dagger, offering it to her hilt-first. She took it, her hand brushing his."I will get you back for this, Kogane," Violet warned. "You will pay."That insufferable smirk was still etched onto his face and showed no sign of leaving. "Looking forward to it, Idalia."Her lips twitched upwards, causing her glare to falter. Keith noticed, grinning wider, and Violet felt her anger dissipate completely as she took him in. His hair was mussed from fighting, cheeks and ears dusted pink, eyes bright.She realized she wanted to kiss him again. So she did, stepping forward and tugging his face down, letting her lips trace the words thank you over the seam of his mouth. It seemed better than saying them out loud. His hand found the small of her back, pulling her flush against him.Violet drew away for breath, keeping her arms looped around her neck. "What's your beef with Griffin?"Keith groaned. "Turn-off of the century. Don't mention him to me."She laughed, lightly pushing on his chest. "Why not? Tell me. Were you rivals?""It's much more petty than that." He sighed, burying his face in the crook of her shoulder. "I thought he might have changed in all this time. But nope, still a jerk."Violet wound her fingers around the curls at the nape of his neck, frowning. After her and Griffin's conversation, she felt obligated to speak up for him. "He's not that bad. From what I've seen from him, he's a good leader. And he does his best to look out for his crew.""He's definitely doing his best to look at my girlfriend," came Keith's muffled reply.Violet blew out a breath, exasperated. "I told you, we were just talking about-"Keith kissed her before she could finish, his lips silencing her words, harder than the ones they'd shared earlier. "I don't want to know what you guys talked about," he said, voice low. "In fact, don't tell me anything about him at all. I have other things I'd rather be doing with you." He pressed his mouth to hers, and she gladly obliged him.-That night, sleep evaded Violet like the tide rushing from the shore. She'd always been restless, and knew how to deal with insomnia, but as much as she tried she couldn't let her brain relax. Her thoughts kept circling back to Veronica. Her sister was out there, and she wasn't doing anything to get her back.Violet knew it wouldn't stay that way for long.Muttering a curse, she flung off the sheets on her bed and strode from her room, grabbing her blades, and made her way down the hall to the Garrison outpost.She stopped halfway. Keith would realize she was gone, and it wasn't wise to go alone, when there was no one to find her if she got caught or killed. Violet had promised not to leave him. She didn't want to break it again.So she turned on her heel and made her way to Keith's room.He opened the door as soon as she knocked. "Yeah?""I'm getting Ronnie," Violet said simply.Keith didn't look fazed. "Cool. Let me get my sword." He left the door open and grabbed his bayard from where it was placed neatly on the dresser before emerging into the hallway. "In the briefing meeting, Iverson gave us the locations of the labor camps where Sendak holds his prisoners. Your sister should be in the one closest to us."Violet blinked. "You were expecting this?""I knew you'd want to rescue her sooner or later. Really, the only thing I was surprised about was that you asked me first." His lips quirked. "I actually readied a hover car in the hangars so you wouldn't have to go on foot."Violet beamed. "You're the best.""I know."They snuck out of the base and into the hangars, Keith leading the way to the car. However, as they were preparing to leave, the hangar door opened. Violet drew her blades, readying herself for one of the commanders.Instead, she found herself facing James Griffin and his team.She blinked in surprise, lowering her blades. "What are you doing here?""I could ask you the same thing," Griffin retorted. The corner of his mouth curved up in that same wry smile from before. "Seems like we had smilier ideas.""I'd say great minds think alike," said Keith darkly, "But you're here." He still hadn't deactivated his bayard."Please, we both know this was her idea." Griffin shot her another smile, and Violet felt Keith's glower deepen next to her. "Stop it," she told Griffin.He was still grinning. "Stop what?""Stop flirting with me to piss Keith off," she said. "We're wasting time. Are you going to get over your beef and help us sneak out or not?"Rizavi snorted. "Well, it's about time someone took charge in this group.""I'm literally the flight leader," said Griffin."That's precisely why no one listens to you, mate," offered Kinkade."It doesn't matter, because we don't need or want your help," Keith cut in, shooting Griffin another daggered look."There's no way you'll make it past the front gates without getting caught," Rizavi said, voice strong. "Veronica was our friend, too, okay? You're not the only one who wants to free her."Keith looked to Violet with a sigh, letting her make the decision."Fine." Violet hopped into the hover car, motioning for the four cadets to clamber in. "But if any of you tell One-eye or Shiro about this, I will stab you in the back without a second thought."Behind her, Griffin muttered something about Idalia blood.Leifsdottir revved the engine, the hover car taking off. Within minutes they were speeding to the labor camp. Griffin turned towards her and asked, after a beat, "One-eye?"Violet frowned. "The eyepatch dude. I never heard his name, so...."Rizavi bit her lip to keep from laughing. "Commander Iverson?""Yeah, him.""No one knows how he got the patch, you know," said Griffin, leaning towards Violet conspiratorially. "There's rumors that he was attacked in battle before becoming general, but our theory is that he wanted to match Sendak's."Violet snorted a laugh, and Keith said shortly, "Don't act like you're some cool, rumor-spreading rebel, Griffin. It's been your dream to lick Iverson's boots since you could walk."Griffin bristled. "At least he likes me! You should see his face whenever someone brings up your name-""Yeah, no, we're not doing this," said Violet, moving deftly between the two. "Someone needs to tell me why you both hate each other's guts, or I'll throw you both off this hover car and find my sister with Leifsdottir, who is currently carrying this entire rescue mission.""I might prefer that, actually," Leifsdottir put in mildly.Kinkade sighed, stepping up. "Alright, story time. Back when we were all kids wanting a chance in the spotlight, a man named Takashi Shirogane came to our class looking for possible recruits for his new flight program. Everyone jumped at the chance - but no one more than these two hotheads.""And I had a poster of him on my bedroom wall," Rizavi put in. "The guy was a hero, and hot as hell, too. In like a sugar daddy way." "Ew," said Violet. Griffin cleared his throat, cheeks pink. "Moving on, please?" "Anyway, Kogane beat James on the flight simulator," Kinkade continued. "He was the only kid to make it past the third level. Infuriated my boy to no end that he got to be the school's TR."
"Top recommendation," Rizavi put in before Violet could ask. "Basically, the school gets to formally vouch for the cadet they think is best. It's stupid but-""I wasn't," said Keith suddenly.Rizavi paused. "Huh?""I wasn't TR," Keith said. He'd been silent the whole time, but now he was looking at Griffin, brows slightly furrowed. "You were. They chose you, not me."Griffin blinked. "But - but you won the simulator. You made it to level five."Keith shrugged, looking away. "Guess they cared more about having a kid with a good family representing them."Griffin opened his mouth, then closed it. A somewhat-awkward silence hung over the hover car. Finally, Griffin said, "I didn't know that.""Yeah, well." Keith met his eyes, gaze steady. "Shiro chose me anyway."Quietly, Griffin said, "I'm starting to think he chose right."The two boys watched each other, something even Violet couldn't read passing between them. Almost imperceptibly, Keith nodded, once, to Griffin. An unspoken recognition."Glad you both got over your ten-year long feud, then," Violet announced, sitting down. "Leifsdottir, what's our ETA?""Now," she said, voice breathless, and Violet looked up in surprise to see the bright, flickering lights that could only be from campfires between the trees. No one spoke much after that. -They stopped a ways from the camp, sneaking onto a caved-in building to spy from above."They have to be building something," Rizavi muttered, scanning the camps with night-ray goggles. "All that manual labor - but for what?""First things first," Violet replied. "Veronica. We have to get my sister out."
If she's in there.
If she's alive.
"Guys," Griffin said, "We have company." He pointed with his gun to the door next to them. Violet slipped beside it, drawing her daggers. Keith took the position opposite her.A second later it burst open, shots firing through the room. Figures stormed in; Keith leapt at the first one, Violet at the second. She expected sentries, and was surprised to find fabric, not metal, under her hands."Stop!" She shouted to Keith. "They're not Galra!" She turned back to the one she'd attacked, only to be clocked in the face by the butt of their gun. Violet gasped, rolling to the side, her jaw ringing; she was up the next second, running for Keith. He had his opponent pinned by the time she made it to him. "No!" She yelled, grabbing his arm.
Keith almost swung at her, but he must have recognized her hands or her voice or her grip, because he stopped to turn towards her instead. "Wha - Violet?"
"They're human," Violet panted. She faced the figure on the floor. "Who are you?"They peered up at her, face obscured by a mask. "Wait - Violet? Is it really you?"She knew that voice. She knew that voiceHope, breathless and bright, glittered in Violet's soul as the person sat up, throwing off their hood. The first thing Violet saw was her hair, still as free and curly as ever. Then her eyes - those same dark eyes Violet saw whenever she looked in a mirror.
She breathed, voice coated in disbelief, "Ronnie?""Violet," Veronica said, and then Violet had crushed her into an embrace and she didn't know which one of them was crying but they were both trying to speak at once, words muffled by disbelief.Veronica drew away, making a half-laugh, half-sob sound, and motioned to the people with her to stand down. They all lowered their weapons, tossing off their hoods - all humans, faces fierce but haggard. "Violet," Veronica said again, like she'd been waiting years to say it. "What - I can't even - how did you get here?""I had help," Violet replied, nodding to the cadets.Kinkade offered a wave; Griffin simply dipped his chin, eyes smiling. Rizavi, of course, squealed and threw herself across the room to hug Veronica tightly. "I'm so glad you're not dead!""These people rescued me from the cave-in," Veronica said, hugging Rizavi back. "I've been working with them, trying to infiltrate the labor camp. How did you find me?" She looked up, staring at Violet. "You look ... different, Violet."Violet cleared her throat. "I have a lot to tell you. But ... you were working with these people? Who are they? And why didn't you come back to the Garrison?"Veronica's face fell. "These are escapees and rebels of the labor camp. They all have families they're trying to save. I couldn't go back to the Garrison because - because they have Dad."The very air seemed to still; Violet felt like ice water had been dumped on her, washing away any joy from the room. "What?"Veronica's eyes glistened. "We're planning a rescue. The Galra have our father, Violet."-Violet, Keith and the cadets rounded up Veronica and her team and brought them back to the base, the hover car becoming quite cramped. As soon as they arrived back, Admiral Sanda and Iverson demanded to know what was happening. Veronica debriefed them, explaining how she'd survived the explosion and joined the rebels at the labor camp."You should've come back to the Garrison immediately," Sanda snapped. "We have the weapons and supplies needed to support you, and you gathered valuable intel."Veronica's eyes narrowed. "You wouldn't have let us stage a rescue. Too risky, right? It's not worth it?" She slammed her hand down on the table. "Our loved ones are working themselves to death in that camp. Staying and mounting an attack was the only chance of saving them.""So what changed?" Shiro asked. "Why did you agree to return to the Garrison?"Veronica relaxed slightly. "Mostly my sister. But also this." She tapped on her screen, pulling up an image of a Galra ship. "This is what Sendak has been building in the labor camp. It's a cannon with six parts - one for each sector of the camp - that converge to make a blast powerful enough to decimate whole galaxies.""It looks like a Zaiforge cannon," Pidge noted. "The structure is similar, but the force and power would need to be much greater.""So it's like six Zaiforge cannons," Violet mused. "Like a sextuple Zaiforge.""Call it what you want, but if it finishes, it could wipe out Earth entirely," said Veronica. "Our group found the plans for it on a reconnaissance mission. The bad news is, it's almost done. The cannons could launch any second, and if they do ... we don't stand a chance."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
They all sat around the conference table, trying to figure out how to proceed, Griffin and his team, Keith, her, and Veronica. Everything was happening too fast. Violet had gotten her sister back, but Veronica was different. She'd cut her hair to her chin, and there was a steel in her eyes that hadn't been there before. They looked too much like Violet's now.She'd gotten her sister back - only to realize she'd lost her father.Kieran Idalia. He was working in the labor camps, alone. Violet had to find him. It was time she and her father had a little chat. One that had been held off far too long.
I need to know why you took down all the photos of Mom after she died. I need to know why you never talked about her death. I need to know why you let me believe I was scarred, disfigured, instead of telling me the truth about my markings. I need to know why you lied, so I can forgive you, and so I can find her.
"The ideal course of action is to attack each sector in the camp all at once so they have no time to respond," said Keith."It could work if we had the lions," said Violet. "One lion for each sector and the MFE Fighters for the last one.""The Voltron lions are on Saturn!" Sanda snapped. "We can't bring them down to fight. It's impossible."Violet stood. "Admiral, the paladin's bond with their lions is stronger than anything I've ever seen. We were chosen to do the impossible. I have died. Most people would think that 'impossible.' I consider it a hobby." She looked down her nose at the woman, holding in her mind what Griffin had said. She had no pity for this woman. "So, ma'am, I highly suggest you do not tell me what is and what isn't possible and let us do what we've been trained to do, which is saving your Earthen asses."Sanda spluttered in rage as Violet sat down. "Vi is right," Shiro said. "You're bonded with your lions. Your connection to Voltron will allow you to reach out." Hunk asked dubiously, "How are you so sure our lions will hear us?""Because you're the paladins of Voltron," Violet replied. "They chose you once; they'll do it again." She tilted her face up, towards the stars. "You all know of my connection to the lions. Even now I can feel them. Though I guess it's because of my Erythian sixth sense." Her grin widened. "It's definitely faint, but I might be able to help you draw them in. The real work, though, will be up to you.""Surprise is our best advantage," Pidge added. "If we want to catch Sendak off gaurd, we can't let him see the lions until the last second. We'll have to call them down once we're at the base.""What?" Hunk protested. "What if there's some kind of intereference from Earth to Saturn? What if our lions don't come to us? What if they're fine having a few days off?""Voltron will come," Violet said firmly. "And when each paladin has their lion, we'll target and take down all six parts of the sextuple Zaiforge. Then we take down Sendak for good.""My pilots can transport the paladins to the center point of the labor camp," offered Griffin. "From there, you can call the lions to your respective sectors.""Wait," said Violet, and everyone's attention moved to her. "The most I can do to help this fight is call the lions from Saturn, and I doubt you'll all need my help for that." She drew in a long breath. "So while the lions are attacking the Zaiforge, I'm going to sneak into the labor camp and rescue the prisoners - all of them." Including my father.Noise exploded into the room. Shiro was saying that it was too dangerous; Admiral Sanda was shouting, "Absolutely not!" and the rest of the room was agreeing with her.She felt a hand on her shoulder - Veronica. "Violet's going to do it," she announced over the clamoring, quieting everyone down, "For two reasons that everyone here will agree with. The first is because it will provide the distraction needed for Griffin's team to fly in the paladins. They won't be able to get close enough otherwise."A nod from Griffin. Admiral Sanda pursed her lips, but said nothing."Second," Veronica said, after a beat, "If Sendak thinks he's in danger of losing this war, he will kill every human he can get his hands on just to get revenge on us. Those people are blameless. We owe it to them to at least try to save them.""There's no way you'll be able to get all those people to safety on just a fighter-""You're so right, Admiral Panda, it's practically impossible," Violet said, talking directly over her. "If only we had some kind of magical alien space wolf capable of teleporting large groups of people great distances!" She flung her arm over her eyes. "Oh, woe."Griffin choked on a laugh and valiantly tried to cover it with a cough. The Admiral was turning purple."There's no way for Vi to get into the base, though," Hunk pointed out. "It's too dangerous.""No, it's not," Veronica replied. "Because I'll be going with her.""What?" Violet yelped, turning on her sister. "You can't!""The sector our father is held in is the closest to the base - we can take a hover car," Veronica said, her gaze fierce. "I know how to drive one of them - you don't. I know how to navigate the terrain - you don't. I know how to sneak into the camp - you don't. I've been preparing for this for a month. You won't be able to do it alone." Quieter, she added, "I want to save him too, Violet. I'm not the little sister you need to protect anymore."No. Violet couldn't let Veronica put her life on the line to help her. She wanted her sister at the Garrison, safe.But if Veronica was anything like her, she'd never let that happen.It was the look in her sister's eyes - the look that Violet encountered whenever she faced a mirror - that had her saying, "Okay."Veronica smiled, her hand still on Violet's shoulder. "Thanks, sis."Violet couldn't bring herself to smile back - but she relished the press of Veronica's hand. Her sister was back, and she had no intention of letting her go.I won't let you die, Violet vowed. I swear to the stars, Veronica, I will not let my hands be stained with your blood as well."Anytime."-Violet and Veronica were loading up the hover car, preparing to leave the base. They each had two sets of explosives; Violet was strapping hers on, Kosmo winding between her legs, when Allura walked over."Violet," she said, "Could I have a word with you?"Violet tied her belt and said, "Sure. What is it?"Allura wove her hands together, looking almost nervous. "I ... well, I just wanted to say that ... you might not feel very endeared to me now. I know we were friends before, and Lotor's betrayal and your death might have ruined that. So ... I'm deeply sorry if I've ruined our relationship in the past. I hope we can start over."Violet blinked in surprise. "Allura," she said, face splitting into a grin, "I've always considered you a friend. Lotor never changed that."Allura let out a breath of a relief, and, after a second, hesitantly pulled Violet into a hug. Violet returned the embrace, and Allura said, "Thank the stars. I value being friends with you, Violet." She pulled back, smiling softly. "Stay safe."The other paladins walked in, also readying themselves to go. Allura had barely moved out of the way before Lance shoved in, patting Violet's shoulder affectionately. "You got this, Vi. Go out there and blow some stuff up.""Come back soon," Hunk added."We'll be waiting for the signal," said Pidge; she offered a smile. "Be careful."Violet hugged them all; there was one more person she was waiting for, but he wasn't anywhere she could see."Looking for someone?"She turned, blinking in surprise to see Griffin's face. "Oh. Uh, yeah, but-""I know, you're looking for Kogane, not me," he said, laughing at her expression. "I just wanted to say thank you."Violet's brows furrowed. "For what?" If anything, she should be thanking him; he had been the kindest person to her since she'd arrived back on earth."For speaking for the prisoners," he said. "My ... my sister is one of the ones who was taken. Her name's Ella. If you see her..."Violet's throat caught, and she said quickly, "Of course. I didn't..." I didn't know felt like the wrong thing to say."It's all good," Griffin said, and for the first time she realized there was sadness in that smile of his. "She's strong. Like someone I know." his eyes flashed up to the car, where Veronica was waiting, and his lips quirked up. "Something about that Idalia blood.""I will, James," Violet said, voice fierce. "I'll find her."He swallowed hard, casting her one last, half-there smile. "Thank you."Violet couldn't stop herself; she pulled him into a hug. War makes strangers grow into friends fast, it seemed. Either way, Griffin held her gently, his arms warm and strong, and she held back.He laughed into her ear, and tilted his head to whisper, "Okay, this one isn't even my fault, just your really good timing.""Hm?" Violet asked, but he released her then, giving her a firm nod before turning away. Behind him was Keith, standing there with his arms crossed.Ah. Griffin flashed her a wink before striding away to his place with the rest of the paladins to see her off.Keith stepped forward, meeting her eyes. His uniform was carefully pressed, hair combed back neatly. "Don't die," he said simply, and turned away.Violet narrowed her eyes. Where was her goodbye? She wouldn't settle for two measly words just because he was jealous she'd hugged another guy. "Oh, and..." Keith turned back to her, and, in one smooth movement, pulled her towards him by the waist and kissed her on the mouth, his lips curling under hers."That," he said after they pulled away, voice low, "was revenge."Violet shoved him away, face flushed, hiding her grin. Griffin was looking pointedly to the side behind her, jaw tense. "Smooth, Kogane. Real smooth. Veronica's never going to let me forget that.""It's not like no one knows," Keith replied, his eyes softening. "I meant what I said, Vi - don't die. And don't turn this into a I've-died-more-times-than-you joke. I mean it."Violet clamped her mouth shut, forcing herself not to say the sarcastic comment she'd been about to speak. Instead, she said, "I know. I'll come back."He stared into her eyes for a second longer before drawing away, quickly enough for Violet to see Hunk hand Lance a ten-dollar bill.Veronica was waiting as she hopped into the car, adjusting her glasses with a raised eyebrow. "He's hot.""Oh, wipe that stupid smirk off your face," Violet snapped, feeling her lips twitch. After a moment she added, "Yeah, he is."Veronica giggled and clapped her hands together. "I knew it! Oh, Vi, you're in love with him. What's he like? How long have you been together? When was your first kiss? How did you confess your feelings?"Violet rolled her eyes. "We can talk about my love life later. Now we have to go set things on fire."Veronica still had on that insufferable smirk. "My favorite thing to do."-Veronica started the car, and they drove from the Garrison base, the lingering feeling of humor falling away until only silence remained. Violet had never felt nervous before a mission - Lotor had trained her to never show fear. But she knew Veronica was gripping the steering wheel as hard as she was to stop her hands from trembling. She reached around to scratch Kosmo behind the ears, "What happened after I was taken?" Violet asked, to break the silence.Her fingers tightened further. "We tried to send out a search party - something - to find you, but the Garrison refused. I vowed to become a cadet so I could look for you myself.""And Dad?""He continued his research, but devoted most of his time to looking for you and the people that had taken you. We found nothing." Her eyes darted to Violet's. "What about you?""It's ... a long story," Violet murmured. "One we don't have time for."Veronica's mouth formed a hard line. "Talk quickly." She added, "What I'm really interested about is how you got all those kickass fighting skills.""Language!" Violet snapped.Veronica raised an eyebrow. "Sorry," she said. "What I'm really interested in is how you got all those kickass fighting skills."Violet groaned. "Where did you get all of this sass from?" "My sister."As much as she tried to stop it, Violet laughed. "If you really want to know, I became such a good fighter because of focus and concentration. I've trained myself to never get distracted.""Just now you tried to jump into the car, missed, and almost hit your head because you were staring at Keith," said Veronica."I never knew sisters could be this annoying," said Violet."Not annoying. Just perceptive," Veronica shot back. She nudged Violet's shoulder. "Seriously, though. I want to know your story. Everything - all the good bits and the bad ones. We're family - you don't get to hide things from me. Not now."Violet let out a breath, knowing she was right, and began to speak.She started with how she'd been taken - talking about Lotor, and how he'd trained her to be an assassin, his personal general. She told her sister about how she'd hated the life he'd forced her to live, but when she tried to escape he'd wiped her memories and hid her away. How she'd broken out and joined Voltron, meeting Keith and the other paladins.She told Veronica how she'd worn her mask at first, trying to hide her identity, but soon realized she didn't need it. How they'd fought Zarkon, and how Lotor had resurfaced after a year and her memories had come flooding back. How they'd hunted him down and Violet had gotten hurt.Violet told her sister about waking up to discover that Keith was distancing himself - was already gone. About having to live with that, and fighting Lotor. About how he'd turned out to be the good guy, and how she was working alongside him again. She told her about the Oriande stone, and the ship they'd built. How Violet had started unlocking odd powers she didn't know she had, that she suspected were connected to her mother.She told Veronica about Keith's return, and Lotor's betrayal. How he'd revealed that her running away and joining Voltron was his plan all along. By that time, they'd arrived at the base, so Violet quickly continued in low tones as they entered the labor camp's outpost. They took cover, waiting for the sentries to pass."We fought Lotor," she whispered quietly, "And I used the quintessence abilities I'd discovered to defeat him. In doing so, I died."Veronica stared at her. "...But?""There is no but. I died, and then I came back to life." Violet paused. "I shape-shifted back into my original form. I'm an Erythian, the last of them. They're an ancient alien race, and Mom was one of them.""That's crazy," Veronica muttered. "You look ... so much different, and yet your eyes, your face - it's the same. The way you hold yourself, the way you look at the world - it's all the same. It's how I recognized you." She shook her head in disbelief, smiling. "My sister. Faced hell itself and didn't break.""I broke," Violet said. "I broke over and over, Ronnie. But there are some things about me that are impossible to change." She smiled sadly. "Those things were given to me by other people, and nothing can take them away."Veronica laughed, the sound Violet had remembered, above all else, for over a decade. "Wow, Idalia. You really are something."Violet grinned. "As long as I'm not nothing, dear sister."With that, they ran into the labor sector.-"We can't set off the explosion yet," said Veronica, crouching nimbly on her heels in the one-story building they were hiding in, spying on the cells. "Not until everyone is free. Dad's being held in a cell here. We haven't been able to locate the exact one, but it's one of those." She pointed to seven cells being guarded by sentries. "I think. I've never been this close before.""I know sentry times," Violet replied. "We'll have to wait until the ones guarding the other cells rotate - then they'll be too far away to get to us when we attack. Get in, get out; free as many as we can. Kosmo, you ready?"Kosmo whined in agreement. "Roger that," Veronica said. "The sentries on the other cells are moving now."Violet drew her blades. "On my mark, then." She readied herself to leap from the one-story building they were hiding in, spying on the guards. "Ready-"Veronica didn't wait. She catapulted through the window and shot the first drone, kicking a sentry in the face simultaneously."Never mind, then," Violet muttered, and leapt after her. Together, the Idalia sisters took out the drones and sentries guarding the cells.They were terrible things, large, cage-like stone barracks meant to hold large groups of people in not a lot of space. Violet grabbed a sentry's disembodied arm and pressed it to the first keypad she could get. The doors slid open, light flooding into the cell."Dad?" Veronica yelled, peering inside. There were about twenty people huddled together, cowering at their raised voices. "Dad, are you in there?""Everyone up," Violet ordered. "Is anyone injured? Sick?"A few heads shook. Most people just stared."Good. Everyone stand up, now," she said, louder. "We're here to help. We're with the Garrison. Please, put your hands on this wolf's back. He'll get you to safety."Slowly - to slowly - hands reached out. Impatient, Violet shoved a few people close to Kosmo, then tapped his head. "Go for it, boy."He vanished in a blaze of light. A few people screamed. "He's teleporting you to a safe place," Violet said. "Please, let us help." Kosmo reappeared, and this time, more hands found his fur. He vanished again, and again, until no one was left."Next wave," Veronica reported, striding into the cell with another twenty or so people behind her. "Ready?"Violet nodded. "Let's go. We're transporting everyone back to the Garrison," she told the group. "There are people waiting with med kits and supplies. You'll be safe there. Go."People were sobbing. As they passed, a woman grabbed Violet's sleeve, fisting her dirty hands in the material. "Thank you," she whispered, voice guttural and hoarse. "We had given up."Violet swallowed hard and said nothing, turning to her sister instead. "Ronnie?""Sentries incoming," Veronica said from her lookout post. "They'll sound the alarm any minute."Violet cast a glance to the last few prisoners being teleported away. "How many more cells are there like these?""Four. Three are in a separate courtyard."She pursed her lips, then walked quickly to Veronica's side, touching her shoulder. "I'll take care of these sentries and the last of the prisoners. Take Kosmo and set off one of the explosions in another sector, a few clicks away. Make them think that was the source of the alarm."Veronica's eyes tightened around the edges. "But-""Go," Violet ordered. "I'll meet you in the next courtyard."Veronica nodded, once, and ran back into the cell.Violet stepped into the daylight just in time to catch the five sentries marching towards her. There were lying in pieces within minutes, but by the time she rushed back and peered into the cell, Veronica, Kosmo, and the remaining prisoners were gone.Violet blew out a breath and sprinted to the last cell, pressing the sentry's arm to unlock it.It was almost empty. She blinked in surprise, then saw, huddled against the far wall, a woman and her daughter, dirty and trembling. Her heart clenched, and her mind flashed to Griffin's sister. Behind her, the sound of something exploding went off, and the entire camp seemed to shake.The mother whimpered in fear at Violet's blades, the sentries' arm dangling from her hand, but the girl - she blinked past the sudden brightness, her eyes meeting Violet's.Violet only spared a second. "Get up," she said, taking one of her blades and tossing it at the girl's feet. "You're free." Not safe, not going to be okay - but free. Free from the darkness of imprisonment, from the darker aliens - free, as Violet had never been."Stay behind me," Violet ordered, and turned and ran away, but not before she saw the girl's splintered face crack into a smile, her hands reach out and curl around the hilt of the blade like they'd been meant to hold it.Violet repeated the process in the next courtyard, Veronica joining her; open the cells, convince everyone to touch Kosmo's back, slowly teleport them away, move to the next one. A few people refused to go - scared of the magic, or the fact that Violet was clearly an alien, or just plain old scared. Those times, she'd had to force them onto Kosmo, holding them down and promising herself that if any of them hurt her dog, she'd leave them behind. Once she was forced to knock a man unconscious.Through it all, she looked for Griffin's sister and her father, screaming their names into the cells, watching each group vanish into dust - but they were nowhere to be found.After the second round of cells, Veronica appeared at Violet's side, out of breath. "They're realized the explosion was a diversion," she panted. "We're going to be overwhelmed in three minutes, at best.""At worst?" Violet asked, keeping her eyes on the prisoners."Thirty seconds."There were two cells left. Violet did the math in her head; it didn't work out."Always fucking hated math," she muttered."What?" said Veronica, but Violet had already sprinted into the courtyard, shoving the sentry arm that was now looking quite worse for wear against the keypad.
"Everyone stay calm," she started to say, but her voice died in her throat as she looked inside.
Far more than any of the other cells, maybe thirty or so, cramped and huddled together with yellow eyes wide with fear ... were Galrans."Violet?" Veronica skidded into the cell next to her, Kosmo with her. "Did you get the-" she cut off with a gasp, seeing the purple skin, the fanged teeth.
And then, smoothly and deftly, she drew her gun.A few of them cried out, cowering. Violet pushed Veronica's hand down, her body making the decision before her brain could. "No," she said, then, addressing the Galrans, "We're going to get you out of here. I need everyone to stand and gather around this wolf."Veronica said, "But, Violet-""I don't care," Violet said. "Clearly they're prisoners, just like the others. Dissenters, maybe, or half-breeds, it doesn't matter." she lifted her chin, the way her father taught her. "We're saving them too.""Okay," Veronica said quietly. "But you're going to have to send me with the first wave, or else the Garrison will fire on them on sight."Violet nodded, grimly, and started herding the prisoners towards Kosmo. But none of them reached out."Who are you?" a man demanded, seeming to be the speaker of the group. His eyes were slitted, face crusted with blood and dirt. "Why are you helping us?"Violet didn't have time to think of an answer; she just said the first thing that came to mind."No one deserves to die alone. Least of all because they're different."Her voice shook, at that, and she remembered a different voice, one that was deeper and gentler and had once been something she believed in above all else. But that person was gone, had been for a while, and even if she could've sworn she caught a glimpse of pale hair and that specific glint of the eye amid the huddled mass of Galrans, she did not waste a moment to dwell on it.Either way, it was enough for the man, and he nodded to the rest of the prisoners. Slowly at first, they began to reach out, pressing purple hands against Kosmo's fur. Veronica did as well, meeting Violet's eyes with one last, desperate look before she was gone.In a matter of seconds, he was back, and Violet loaded the next group, trying not to think that they were probably being surrounded. A woman, elderly and frail, staggered to the wall, almost making it out of the cell before Violet realized and caught her. "Hey, it's not safe out there."She turned her head to look at Violet as if it were moving through mud. "I just wanted to see the stars, once," she said, and smiled. "I'll go now."Violet watched as she limped back to Kosmo and disappeared too, vanishing in a flash of light with the last of the Galrans.When Kosmo reappeared, Veronica was with him. "Last one?" she asked.Violet nodded, heading for the final cell.Kosmo limped after them, his tail dragging in the dust; she felt terrible for using him like this, but it was the only way. Dimly, she heard the sound of the cell door sliding open, but it didn't register until, in front of her, Veronica let out a strangled, gasping noise. Violet darted to her side. "Ronnie?"The inside of the cell was dark, going farther back than the rest, but she could make out a slumped form in the back corner. Her feet were moving in that same breath, but Veronica got there first, falling to her knees and lifting up the person's head. He opened his eyes with a groan.Tears gathered in Violet's eyes as she recognized him. Kieran Idalia still had the purple-brown, wavy hair that was the same as Violet's and brown eyes with flecks of gold. "Veronica? Violet?" he asked, voice rough. "My daughters?""Dad," Violet said, her throat catching. "I'm back. We're both back. We're going to get you out."For a second, with the light at their backs and Veronica clutching her father to her chest and crying, Violet almost thought everything would be okay.But then she realized her father wasn't smiling."No," he said. "No, you can't."Violet exchanged perplexed looks with Veronica. "Why not?"Kieran sat up with a grimace, pushing Veronica away, and pulled his arm back from where it had clutched his stomach. Violet recoiled. A mass of scars and torn skin greeted her, bright pink in some places, grayish and colorless in others. Bile mixed with hopelessness rose in her throat. Her father was wounded. Critically.Veronica let out a racking sob, covering her mouth with her hand. "Got into a fight with one of the guards," their father rasped. "They were hurting a child - she looked like you. Couldn't do nothing.""Oh, Dad," Veronica whispered. "It's okay - you'll be okay. The Garrison has medics-""Violet," her father murmured, ignoring Veronica's words. "You've grown up so much. You look ... both of you look ... so much like your mother.""I know," Violet said softly. "We have to go now, Dad. Can you make it?"He shook his head, and her heart sank. "No. Violet - I have to tell you something. Now."Veronica's head whipped towards the door. "Sentries incoming," she said. "Violet, we have to leave. Right now.""On it. Get us some cover. Dad, you'll have to tell me later-"She broke off as her father closed his eyes, and a blaze of light filled the room. Veronica let out a startled gasp as Kieran shape-shifted.Violet stumbled back. Her father was now an Erythian. His ears were pointed, his skin radiating light, his collarbone striped through with royal purple and brown. There were claws coming from his hands, and the markings under his eyes were gold - the exact same shade as Violet's.Impossible. Except..."You," she managed to say. "Mom wasn't the Erythian I got my powers from. It was you all along.""Yes and no," Kieran said, his voice deeper. "We don't have much time - I can't hold this form for long, and it would take me days to explain everything. I need you to do something for me. can you do something for me, my Violetta?" He clasped his hands with Violet's; they were shaking. She felt herself nod. "Go to our old house. It's only an hour or so away from here. Take Ron-ron with you. Under the place where the fireplace used to be is a compartment, below the ashes. In it-"Blaster fire cut him off - the sentries had arrived. There was a grunt and a curse from behind her as Veronica engaged them, firing back; Kosmo whined as a shot grazed his leg and pressed against her side. Kieran barely seemed to notice. "In it is everything I never had the courage to tell you," he continued. He closed his eyes briefly, his entire being seeming to shudder; and then he opened them again, and his eyes were painfully bright. "Maybe ... maybe in another life." He was whispering, now, and without Violet's enhanced hearing she would have missed his next words amid the gunshots. "I could have had time. To tell you - to tell you and your sister the truth, no more secrets, no more holding back. We could have been a family.""We are," Violet said, her chest thick, her heart beating like it was made of syrup, blood sluggish in her veins. She felt impossibly, overwhelmingly tired.For a moment, he looked content. And then Veronica cried out.In that moment, Violet did not care about the mission, the attacking sentries, or her father's revelations. She ran to her sister.Veronica was on the ground. In a split-second, Violet threw her dagger. A second later, and the marching sentries would have shot them both dead, but her blade ran true: it cut through the air an inch past Veronica's ear, curving at the last moment and sinking straight into the keypad on the side of the cell. The electric panel exploded in a shower of purple sparks, and the cell doors slammed shut. The sound of blaster fire hitting cement came a breath later.Violet exhaled, dropping to her knees by her sister. "Ronnie?""Fine," Veronica said with a groan, sitting up with Violet's help. She was favoring her arm. "Got me good in the shoulder, though." She touched the wound; her hands cam away bloody. "Fuck," she mumbled."We have to go, now," Violet said, her mind racing. They were out of the sentries' fire now, but they were trapped, and Veronica needed medical help - soon."But we haven't completed the mission yet," Veronica said, and Violet's gut sank. Shit. "Someone has to set off the bomb."Violet quickly tugged it out of her belt, her brain flashing through hundreds of different scenarios, searching for a way for them all to end up alive. She was coming up blank.Someone has to pull the trigger. Violet stared at the bomb, fear and fury at the world curdling in her gut like soured milk. Someone has to stay behind to pull the trigger.She looked at her father, his bright eyes; Veronica, teeth gritted against the pain. She remembered Keith's promise."Fuck." Violet's hands clenched; she bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from screaming, at the unfairness of it all, the injustice. Blood filled her mouth. That Idalia blood.Dimly, like church bells ringing, she heard the sound of promises breaking in her ears.Violet stood. "Kosmo, come here-" she said, turning, but before she could make a move to get her family together, get them on Kosmo, tense her hand on the bomb's trigger, she felt a hand on her shoulder."Go," said her father. "I'll stay."Violet's mouth parted, and she hated herself endlessly for the second that she hesitated before she shook her head. "No, Dad, I-""Violet." Her father's gaze was clear, and she wondered just how much he'd picked up on, in her silent moment of inner turmoil. "I'm Erythian. I can teleport away."Oh. Violet's mind spun again, recalculating- "It's too dangerous...""Violetta Evelyn Idalia." His voice cut her off, unfaltering. "You left this family eight years ago and I couldn't stop it. I am not letting you leave us again, not while I have any say in it."Her mind sputtered out and failed, and she was left staring up into her father's eyes, a girl once again. His smile was as warm as the summer when she turned seven. "Okay."He kissed her brow, once, the top of her head, and said, "Give me the bomb."Violet's hands were the ones shaking now, horribly ironic in the symmetry to a year ago, when she'd been broken by the teludav. She placed the bomb in her father's palms."You are capable of more than you think, my little Violetta. Never forget that," Kieran said. He walked to the front of the cell, where Veronica was staggering to her feet. "I could not be more proud of my two daughters."Veronica's brow creased. "Dad?" she said, voice small, and Violet's heart broke.Her father's eyes found hers. "Now, Violet."Violet took one last look at her father, taking Veronica's wrist with one hand and the scruff of Kosmo's neck with the other.They were gone in a flash of light.Veronica was mid-shout as they stumbled onto the ground in their lookout from before. She rounded on Violet, yelling something about leaving their father behind; Violet had barely started explaining when she was drowned out by the earth caving in on itself before them.As Violet and Veronica watched, a good chunk of Sendak's base went up in flames in a boom that shook the ground beneath their feet. They were both knocked to their knees; when Violet sat up, the world was ringing, and strangely serene. Everything was lit in hues of red and gold, and for a moment she thought she was back at the fair from the photo in her locket, the circus tents flapping in the cool breeze, frozen and perfect and everlasting. Maybe that was her father's doing, reminding her of that memory like a last farewell.And then her ears registered sound again in a painful jolt, and she realized Veronica was gasping beside her."He's coming, right?" she said when her eyes landed on Violet, voice still small like it had been when she was a child. "He got away from the bomb. He's just coming. He'll be here any second, right, Violet? Right?"Violet swallowed, feeling like the air was made of gunpowder and glass. "We have to go, Ron," she said hoarsely."No." Veronica's voice became hysterical. "No, we have to wait for him - he's coming, Violet, he'll be here any minute now, please, we have to wait for him, please - he's our father-""I'm sorry," Violet whispered, "But I made someone a promise that I'd stay alive. I have to keep it." She put her hand on Veronica's arm. Her sister shook her head, trying to move, to run back to the camp; but Violet's grip on her elbow tightened, and she hauled Veronica away, towards Kosmo.Veronica sobbed, fighting her, but Violet didn't let go. She pressed both their wrists against Kosmo's dirty fur."Last time, boy," she whispered, voice raw. "You ready?"Kosmo sniffed gently, his eyes big and hurting."Me neither," Violet said. The next second, all that was left of them were the bloodstains soaking into the ground.
That Idalia blood.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
With the explosion the Idalia sisters had set off, the MFE Fighters were clear to advance. The paladins flew into the labor camp and summoned their lions, planning to take out each section of the Zaiforge cannon. Veronica and Violet teleported back to the Garrison base, handing a very exhausted Kosmo off to the medics, and raced to the command center. However, when they arrived, the cannon was already rising into space. They were too late. Admiral Sanda had betrayed them to the Galra, informing Sendak that Voltron was coming and that he needed to launch the cannons. The lions tried to stop the sextuple Zaiforge, but they didn't have enough power to halt it entirely - not when Sendak's fleet was attacking them as well.However, they didn't have to fight alone. Violet couldn't stay behind and watch as Voltorn tried to save earth without her. "Commander Holt! What's our artilery status?""We've exhausted all our cannons and fighters. I can try to scrape some more firepower together, but ... there's not much left.""There has to be something." Violet racked her brain for anything that could be of use and sucked in a breath as it came to her. "The Atlas. What about the Atlas?""We haven't been able to get it off the ground," Commander Holt replied, surprised. Then his eyes narrowed. "How do you know about the Atlas? It's top-secret information.""That doesn't matter right now," Violet said quickly."It most certainly does!""Commander," Shiro cut in, "Vi may be right. It's time to get the Atlas airborne."With a lot of work, the Atlas - the replica of the Castle of Lions Sam Holt had started building - became airborne, and flew to Voltron's aid. With it, the battle began to turn in Voltorn's favor. The paladins focused their attention on the sextuple Zaiforge, which was powering up to launch a beam that would vaporize Earth."We need to block that blast!" Keith shouted as the sextuple Zaiforge powered up. "It's going to destroy Earth!""There's nothing strong enough!" Pidge replied. "Unless ... Voltron's shield. It has enough energy to hold off the cannons for a couple minutes or so. But then it will break under pressure. We'd be defenseless, and we'd only have held it off.""It's our only option," Keith replied."You can't - once it breaks, Voltron would be exposed," said Violet. "You'd be annihilated!"The paladins didn't respond. "You've sacrificed so much for the universe, Vi," Lance said softly. "It's our turn now.""No!" Violet cried, but she could do nothing but watch as Voltron took up position and summoned it's shield. The sextuple Zaiforge powered up, and a beam of pure force shot directly from its heart."Shield!" Keith roared, and Voltron blocked the blow. The paladins grunted as they took on the force of the blast."No, no, no, no," Violet said, covering her ears. "I won't do this again." I won't listen to their screams again. "I won't." She turned to Shiro desperately. "There has to be something I can do! Let me get onto Sendak's ship. I can ... I can take out the crystal that powers his ship. He'll be defenseless." "Taking out the power crystal might be enough for the Atlas to launch an attack on Sendak's ship," Shiro said slowly, a glimmer of hope breaking into his eyes. "We could defeat him once and for all, and the sextuple Zaiforge wouldn't be able to attack anymore without Sendak's command.""I'm doing it," said Violet. "Shiro, get me a suit.""Vi, don't!" Allura yelled over her headset. "You'll be sneaking into the heart of Sendak's ship! It's too dangerous!""Sorry, Allura," Violet replied, a hint of her old bravado coming back. "Someone has to save your guys' butts."She launched from the Atlas, spearing towards Sendak's cruiser, and forced herself to turn the sounds of the paladins grunting against the force of the cannon into adrenaline. She could do this.Violet made her way to the control center, cutting down any sentry in her path. With them all distracted by the battle before them, it was easy to find the Galra crystal operating the cruiser. She used one of her explosives to blow it up, barely avoiding the blast by hurling herself to the floor.Sendak's ship began to shut down as it lost power.But it was too late.With a snap, Voltron's shield cleaved, breaking in two against the beam from the sextuple Zaiforge. Voltron took the hit, getting pushed down, and Violet thought her heart might have stopped.But then something slammed into it, knocking the paladins from the beam's path.The Atlas."Get to the sextuple Zaiforge!" grunted Shiro. "We can't hold on for long!""On it," Keith replied. "Guys, get to the cannon! We have to take it out!"Violet stood shakily, the floor sliding beneath her feet. She leaned against a wall for support, but the floor didn't stop swaying.She blinked. "Guys, bad news.""Violet! Are you alright? What's wrong?" Shiro asked."Sendak's cruiser is falling," she retorted, scanning the ship's frame on her wristband. "From what I can get, it's crashing - and it's on a collision course towards Earth." She stumbled as the ship began to tilt."Violet's right," Coran reported. "The cruiser is already entering Earth's atmosphere, and it's going to crash onto ... oh, no." There was shock in his voice as he said, "The Garrison base.""And I'm going to be on it," Violet said grimly. "Keith, once you destroy the cannon, I need you to steer Sendak's cruiser out of range on the Garrison base. Atlas, I'll be heading back onto the ship as soon as the paladins destroy the sextuple Zaiforge.""We'll be ready," said Shiro. "Our shields should be able to hold off the blast enough that we don't sustain fatal damage.""I'm on my way," said Violet. She turned, launching herself from the side of the ship and scrambling to the exit of the room, slipping on the shaking floor."You."Violet turned. Standing in the center of the hallway was Sendak, his eyes bright with fury. "You. The Erythian. You broke my ship."He started towards her, hand powering up, but Violet held up a hand. "Commander Sendak," she said, "I just got my sister back after being parted from her for eight years, returned to the planet I'd been abducted from, reunited with my father only to watch him die for me, almost watched my friends get killed by your cannon, and before all that magically turned into an ancient alien after being betrayed by my psychotic ex-friend. Right now I'm about to fling myself off a crashing Galra cruiser to save my friends which are trapped under a giant Zaiforge cannon in the process of saving my planet, and then I'm going to go wallop my boyfriend over the head for trying to steal my I'll-sacrifice-myself-to-save-the-universe move." Her eyes narrowed in challenge. "So believe me when I say it's in both of our best interests for you to walk away right now and stay out of my way."Sendak growled, "You think your puny list of accomplishments will scare me? I have destroyed countless planets, lived countless decades. You will be no different."Violet's lips curled. "Please. I'm Violet Idalia. I'm a survivor." She drew her blades. "Allow me to teach you exactly what that means."She launched herself at Sendak.-Lotor's voice flitted through Violet's mind as she ducked under Sendak's magic arm, her blades cutting through the air with half a thought from her. The best advantage you can have in a fight is to know your opponent. Find his tells.She jerked out of the path of Sendak's other arm, swiping a dagger at his shoulder as he passed; the blade screeched off his armor, making no dent at all. Cursing, Violet leapt out of the way as Sendak rounded on her again."Stop jumping around and fight," Sendak snarled, throwing his arm at her again. But Violet was ready, and she hopped on top of it instead, grabbing the claws for balance. Sendak called the arm back to him, and Violet let go of it at the last second, kicking him in the face."How's that for fighting?" She panted, drawing her stars.Sendak actually smiled. "Better. It's been a while since I've had a worthy opponent." He attacked, using his non-magical arm, and Violet blocked it with her blades. She danced away as Sendak's Galra arm swung back around for her, the floor sliding beneath her feet as the cruiser tilted dangerously sideways."Come on," Violet muttered. "Find the tell." She narrowed her eyes as Sendak attacked again, bracing her feet on the wall; she ducked before he could land the blow, but his other arm lashed out for her, hitting her in the side. With a grunt, she was flung across the room, but when Violet got back to her feet, her eyes were bright with triumph.
His arm.
Whenever Sendak started to use his magic Galra arm, there was a slight hum as the ball of power that connected the hand to the shoulder powered up. Violet launched herself at the commander, new strength flowing through her limbs, and attacked with her blades.Strike, parry, duck. Lotor's voice was sharp and unyielding. Wait for his tell; swipe up, feint - there.Sendak's arm hummed. His arm swept for Violet, but she was no longer there, predicting the attack. Sendak growled in frustration, throwing his arm at her again, but she was already gone.The ship turned wholly sideways, and Violet stumbled in surprise, cursing herself for the slip. She regained her balance, but too late - Sendak's arm hit her full-on, and she barely managed to stop it from shredding her stomach before Sendak himself leapt for her, aiming a punch for her face; on pure instinct, Violet ducked it, his fist careening an inch over her nose.Sendak landed behind her; Violet turned, repairing to throw her blades, and his metal arm struck her in the back.She screamed as his claws pierced her back, ripping through her suit. Violet crumpled, and the arm shot back to its rightful place. Sendak stood over her as Violet staggered to her knees, her spine bellowing in agony. She could feel blood dripping down her shoulder blades, hot and wet.He'd kill her. The thought had a burst of energy flowing through Violet's shaking legs. If she didn't keep fighting, he'd kill her, and she wouldn't be able to go back like she did last time. She'd die.And she'd never see Keith again.Violet blinked away the dizziness and forced herself to stand. Sendak was waiting to strike her down; her options were to keep fighting - not wise - or escape.They were about to crash into Earth, already in its atmosphere. Violet paused, eyeing the room they were in. If she could make it out of the ship, she might be able to evade Sendak that way...Violet didn't give herself time to think the plan through. She simply leapt at Sendak - going for the advantage of surprise more than anything else - and driving her throwing stars for his head. As he blocked them, she slid easily under his legs, her back sending waves of pain through her as it connected with the floor, leaving a trail of blood. She grabbed the second explosive tied to her belt and stuck it to the wall, activating the three-second timer, as Sendak's arm swung for her.She ran like hell towards Sendak- And then sprinted right past him, as the world exploded around them.She was sucked from the room as the far wall burst apart, gravity instantly pulling her into a freefall. Sendak spiraled around beside her, face twisted in fury; Violet glimpsed the cruiser, careening towards a rocky canyon, and a flash of color - one of the lions? - before she spun out of control in the raging wind.And then, in a second, the air seemed to steady in a moment of clarity. Violet found herself facing the ground, rushing up to greet her; blood from the open wound on her back streamed above her like red smoke, the pain muted by adrenaline and fear. She couldn't see Sendak anymore, but she hoped he was dead - or, at the very least, screaming like a baby.The ground was coming up faster now - maybe fifty feet away. I can't die, Violet thought. Keith is waiting for me.What would Keith say? Honestly, Violet. You have to stop getting yourself into situations like this. Why did you have to go on that mission alone?Because if not her, who else? Shiro? Coran? The paladins? She'd never let them risk themselves like that.
But I have to stay alive.
I made a promise.
Something stirred in her at that - and Violet grasped for it desperately, clinging to it. Magic rose in her, and as she plummeted for the ground, her power joined the fight at last.Violet grappled with the wind, finding her balance; gold light erupted from her hands as she bared them at the ground. Her own personal rockets.Violet's descent slowed, the wind dying, as she fell closer to the canyon. Twenty feet. Ten. The light kept flooding from her hands, pushing against gravity; until finally, her feet touched earth, and the magic dissolved. Violet's knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the dry sand.For a minute, the only sound was her rasping breathing. Violet stared at the blue sky in wonder, unable to move. I'm not dead.
Why am I not dead?
I feel like I should be dead.
She would be soon, though. The wound on her back was shrieking in pain, and wet blood soaked the sand she lay on. Violet told herself to stand.She didn't; rather, her eyes fluttered shut.The sound of footsteps jolted her eyes wide open again. Violet focused on the noise. Heavy footsteps - and the sound of something dragging on the ground. Like an arm.Sendak.
Fuck.
She managed to lift her head, her blurry vision making out his form as he limped towards her. Finally, he paused by her body."Triumph," Sendak said, his voice hoarse, "Or death."Violet tried to speak, but she couldn't. So she raised her finger - just the middle one.Sendak growled and brought his arm up.And in a whirl of metal and flying sand, the black lion flew down next to them, jaws hanging open as someone jumped out. Keith's sword shimmered to life, and in a single swipe, he cut Sendak in half.There was silence.And Sendak's body fell, his arm connecting with the dusty ground in a thump that seemed to send a shudder through the world, and Violet could hear Keith's ragged breathing as he rushed to her side."Hey," she managed to croak."Violet-" Keith's voice was frantic and he slid to his knees beside her, one hand cradling her shoulders. "You're bleeding - are you hurt?" Pause. "Did you just flip off Sendak?"Her lips curled, despite the agony coursing through her bones. "He ... deserved it.""You're bleeding out," he said, face contorted with worry. "Quick, what's your type?"She smirked, though she was cut off by a cough. "Dark hair, moody ... paladin of the black lion-""Violet," said Keith. "Your blood type.""Oh." She looked down at herself. "...red."A chuckle rasped out of Keith, but it was short-lived. "I told you not to die, Vi. You're not allowed to die."Violet's chest heaved as she struggled to draw in breath. "You know ... I never ... listen.""Stay with me, Violet," Keith said softly. "Please. Just a little longer."She found his hand and took it. Her fingers were sticky and stained with her blood. Keith didn't seem to notice, or care; he clasped her hand hard enough to hurt."Hunk, help me with Violet. She's hurt."There was a rumble as the yellow lion landed beside Blacky and Hunk ran out. He lifted Violet gently, but it did nothing to dull the pain in her back. Violet leaned on him, gritting her teeth, as she stood.The yellow lion leaned down, opening her mouth, and Hunk helped Violet limp inside. She collapsed against the wall, her head ringing, and murmured "Thanks, Goldy."Lance's voice came in. "Guys, what's that?"Violet peered at the sky, making out a ball of flames speeding towards earth. "Great balls of fire," she mumbled. "Can't be good.""Violet's right," Pidge said. "My scanners don't recognize this."Keith ordered, "Prepare for impact!" The paladins got to their lions, and the object hit the ground, forming a crater in the earth. The yellow lion shook, causing Violet to stumble; her back hit Hunk's chair, pain shot through her body, hot as a flame, and everything went black.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Vi needs a healer. Hunk, get her aboard the Atlas," said Keith. "How is she?""Unconscious, but she'll live," Hunk replied, his voice tinged with worry.Keith closed his eyes briefly - sparing a second to be scared shitless for Violet - before he pushed the fear far, far down. There were bigger things to worry about now.He could see the thing that had crashed onto earth clearer now; it was a lump of white metal plates that shone in the sun. Some kind of robot.That was currently coming alive."Does anyone know what this thing is doing here?" asked Lance.Pidge answered, "No idea."Allura's voice was tense. "We just took down Sendak and his entire army, only to face this?"Keith let out a long breath and gripped the black lion's controls. "Guys, whatever this is, it's no match for us. We're survivors. I'd like to keep it that way.""And we'll make sure that you do." The Atlas flew in to flank the lions, Violet safely on board."We've gotten through worse than this," Keith said. "Work as a team. Stick together. And above all, protect each other. Whatever this thing is, it's bad. And we can't let it get to Earth."The robot attacked, and Voltron rose up to greet it.-
Violet blinked as the light of the sun shone through the curtains on the windows, falling directly on her face. She shaded her eyes and moved away, the beam of sunlight falling on the coffee table instead. "Papa, close the window."
Kieran Idalia looked up from where he sat at his desk, busy with some boring adult papers she thought was way less interesting than the stuffed silver knight with purple skin she was playing with on the carpet. "Why? Does the light bother you?"
Violet nodded remorsefully. "It blinded me," she whined. "I can't see."
Her father stood, walking over to kneel next to her on the floor. "It hurts your eyes," he said gently, "But it does other things too. Good things."
"What?"
Kieran smiled. "When the curtains are open, I can see the sun," he said, "And I can see the world. When they are closed, I can see nothing." He mimed closing a window.
Violet frowned, her lower lip sticking out. "Why?"
"Because without the light, there is only darkness. The light can blind us at first ... but we need it."
Her forehead was still creased - these were complicated concepts for a four year old - so Kieran said, "Here - I'll show you." He snapped his fingers, and gold light filled the room, making his eyes glow bright. The threads of light wove in his palms; Violet was transfixed, reaching out to touch it.
"It's pretty," she said happily. "Good light."
"Yes," said Kieran. "This is magic light. It is made to balance the darkness."
"How does it - how does it happen?" Violet asked, tilting her head to the side. "Where does it go from?"
Her father shifted his hands, and the light dimmed. "It's from inside me," he told her, pointing to his chest. "Here." he moved his other hand, poking Violet's chest. "It comes from you as well. Right here."
Violet giggled. "Can I do it?"
"If you focus." Kieran smiled softly. "Do you want to?"
She nodded eagerly.
"Close your eyes."
-"Oh, great," Lance muttered. "Now the robot has swords, too? And two of them?""None of our hits are doing any damage," Pidge reported from the green lion. "We need to adapt to it somehow."Keith sucked in a breath, forcing himself to be calm. Patience yields focus. The robot stood before them, preparing to charge - holding two curving scimitars, wickedly long and sharp."Wait," said Lance, "My bayard - something's happening!""I can feel it too," Pidge added."Do it," Keith ordered, and the paladins drove their bayards home. Voltron's arms swept together, and formed two double blades to rival the robot's.The robots clashed, their blades ringing through the air. Voltron's newfound skill was powerful, but the robot was draining them. It only grew stronger with each hit.Keith grunted as it knocked the double swords from Voltron's grip. The robot launched itself into the air, raising it's blades. "Look out!"Too late. The robot drove its scimitars into Voltron's chest.-
Violet gasped in delight. Light emitted from her palms, glowing brightly, tickling her skin. "Papa!" she exclaimed. "I did it! Look!"
Kieran chuckled. "Yes, Violet, you did it."
She frowned as a thought occurred. "How?"
"These are the abilities of our race," her father explained, his voice warm. "Generation and manipulation of quintessence. This is just light - we can do so much more."
The light faded and Violet leaned forward eagerly. "Like what? Like what?"
"Shifting our shape and form," said Kieran. "Healing. On rare occasions, teleportation. And making shields and walls of energy. The most powerful can summon objects made of pure quintessence to fight. Imagine it - a sword made of golden light." He beamed. "Even I could never manage to do that. But you, my little Violetta..."
Violet was hanging onto every word, her face rapt with attention. "Could I, Papa?"
He chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Yes. And more. You are capable of so much, Violet. You could change the world. All you have to do is try."
-"We're still on Earth," Hunk shouted. "People are going to get caught up in this battle!"Keith risked a glance below. Frightened faces peered up at him - the people taking shelter in the Garrison base. Hunk's family was down there. Pidge's. Lance's.He couldn't let them get hurt."I don't know about you all, but I think it's time to fly," Keith said, pushing forward on the black lion's thrusters. Voltron shot into the sky, the robot following.The two exchanged a few blows with their swords before Keith saw his opening. "Arm cannon!" he ordered.The green lion formed its arm cannon, sending a powerful blast for the robeast. The five paladins threw all of their force into that blow, one last attack with any of the remaining energy they had.And it was not enough.The robeast blocked the shot with ease and counterattacked, striking the lions with its sword. The paladins screamed.Voltron fell.-
"I don't wanna change the world," Violet pointed out. "I like it how it is."
Kieran smiled, his eyes crinkling at the corners like they always did. It made Violet want to smooth them out, to make his face stay flat. But she loved his smile, especially when it was directed at her.
"What are you two rebels doing?" A voice asked. A woman walked into the room; she had dark skin and darker hair, the coils held back by a polka-dotted bandana, and her hand was resting comfortably on her rounded stomach.
"Mama!" Violet cried, leaping up and running into her mother's arms. "Did you see? I made light!"
Ivy Idalia's gaze softened as her daughter hugged her legs. "Was it bright?"
"So bright," Violet agreed. "At first I couldn't see it was so bright."
Kieran moved beside his daughter, placing his hand over Ivy's, where it rested on her bulging belly. It had been like that for a while, and Violet still couldn't get over how round it was. Her baby sister was in there. Mama said she'd have an actual sister soon, one she could hold and look at. "How is little Veronica?" Kieran asked.
Ivy grimaced. "She's a kicker. Already as strong as her dad."
"Will she have light like me?" Violet inquired, squinting at her mother's belly.
"No," said Kieran. "She'll be fully human, hopefully. But even if she was, she'd never have as much magic as you." He gazed at her fondly. "You could already match me. It's incredible."
"It's also a burden," Ivy chided. "Remember to be there when she has to bear it."
"I will," Kieran vowed. "She'll always have me."
Looking up into his eyes, surrounded by warmth, Violet smiled, and believed him.
-"We have to do something," Lance said, voice pained. "The robot's going to destroy the Atlas!"Pidge responded weakly, "We can't. Voltron's energy isn't depleted - it's completely gone. We have no power left.""We have to do something," Keith said. "We can't give up.""You don't have to."Everyone jerked in surprise at the familiar voice. "Vi?" Lance asked. "How-?"Keith noticed something on his screen then, running for the robot on foot. He focused on it and gasped.Violet sprinted across the sand, golden light emanating from her body like a falling star, and attacked the monster head-on.-Violet had never felt so alive.Energy thrummed in her blood, as bright as the sun, as she leapt for the robot. She felt her magic grow - no, she was the one growing. A gold outline of Violet formed in front of her, tripling in size until it was the same height as the monster. She threw a punch at the robeast, and a pulsing golden fist connected with it's chest. It stumbled back, arms going out to defend itself against nothing but air and light.Violet struck it again, and it began to defend itself, swiping at her with its blades.
Without the light, there is only darkness. The light can blind us at first, but we need it.
She ducked the blow, hitting the robot in the chest and causing it to lose another step. It was angry now; it leapt for her with its scimitars, powering up another blast of power from it's chest as well.
This is magic light. It is made to balance the darkness.
A shield of golden light met dark power, and as the magic collided, it felt like the world was on fire.Sweat dripped down Violet's brow as she focused on keeping up the gold shield. She could feel the place where her power resided - just below her diaphragm, in the center of her body - and it was depleting, slowly but surely.But the robot wasn't about to strike her down just yet.Violet let the shield fall back, let the dark beam of power aim for her. She dodged it, the magic turning a nearby rock overhang to dust.
The most powerful can summon objects made of pure quintessence to fight.
Violet lifted her hand to the air, centering the magic flooding through her veins at that one spot. Light swirled at her palms, coalescing and binding.When the robot attacked again, Violet was holding a sword made of golden light.The weapon cut into the robeast's leg, and the robot stumbled. Violet drew out the sword, raising it above her head; when she brought it back down, it was a long whip that wrapped around the robot's arm and pulled it to the ground.It began to fall, and the whip vanished into golden bursts of light; Violet thrust out her hands, and a beam of energy knocked into the robot. There was a beat of silence when the world seemed to hold its breath.And then the robot exploded, bursting into scraps that launched into the air and rained down on Violet like white hail. The light retreated, and the magic slipped from Violet's grasp.
You are capable of so much, Violet. You could change the world.
All you have to do is try.
Violet's eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The square was filled with people.Not just humans, either. Balmerans and Olkari and Taujeerans - every race of every alien Voltron had helped had come.Come to Earth - to rebuild. The planet was in despairing condition, but, slowly, it had begun to heal. With the help of all these people. Some of them she knew, too - Matt and Nyma and Krolia had arrived a week ago.Violet stepped onto the stage, feeling like her chest was going to burst with joy. Somewhere in the Garrison, Keith would be waking up, along with the other paladins.She was sorry she wouldn't be there when he did.But she had something she needed to do first. Violet drew in a long breath; Coran, flanking her, gave her an encouraging smile; Griffin did as well, from his spot with the other cadets. Shiro was supposed to be here, but he was getting fitted with a new arm that Allura had designed, and couldn't make it, so Violet had volunteered to go in his place.She opened her mouth and began to speak.-Keith opened his eyes.The first thing his bleary vision could make out was Krolia - sitting on the edge of his bed and smiling. That was a good sign. A great sign. Kolivan sat beside her, his mouth curved to one side, eyes soft.Keith's head hurt, but other than that he felt fine. The memories of the fight were flooding back to him; fighting the robot, Voltron falling from the sky, and..."Violet," he said, throat dry. He sat up, panic rising. "Is she-?""She's fine," Krolia replied. "We all are."Keith's head fell back against the pillow, relief washing through him. They'd survived. The robot was defeated, Sendak gone ... Earth saved."You might want to see this," Kolivan added, gesturing to a TV on the table. Keith looked over as Krolia pressed a button on the remote, and Violet's voice filled the room.She was standing on a platform, and there were hundreds of people before her. Keith blinked in surprise. She looked beautiful, her hair longer than he'd last seen it, almost to her chest. She was glowing - metaphorically and literally. With an inner light of some kind."Hi," Violet said. "My name is Violetta, but you all can call me Violet - or, better yet, Vi. I've found that I liked the nickname." She smiled faintly, so quick he would've missed it had he not known her so well."You are all gathered here today to honor the fallen. The people that stood side by side in our fight against the darkness that has plagued our home. They will not be forgotten."Her eyes closed briefly, and Keith knew she was remembering a face with kind eyes and dark, wavy hair. "We stand here today because of them," Violet continued, her voice ringing throughout the square. "Because of the way they hoped, the way they dreamed, the way they fought and lived. Not the way they died."If there's anything I've realized in my fight, it's that death isn't what changes you. It's the opposite, actually. It's the life you've lived - the people you've fought with - that changes you.
"So while these heroes will not be forgotten ... their legacy will never die.
"Because of us. We are the ones who will carry on their story. We are the ones who will bring the light - their light.
"There are so many different people here today. Dreamers and warriors and ghosts. But we all have one thing in common: we fought. And we will fight. To vanquish this never-ending darkness - to bring in the light. Because it's our duty to end the darkness once and for all.
"Today, we honor the dead. But we also honor the living. Because wherever we stand, we all fight for the same cause. Together, we stand. Together, we fight."
She smiled again, so many emotions flitting across her face that it took Keith's breath away. "Together, we can change the world."All we have to do is try."
-
“I don’t give a shit about protocol.”The doctor in front of her wrung his hands together, looking like she’d just insulted him. "You - well, I mean - we just can’t - even for the Golden hero-"“You can and you will,” Violet snapped. “These refugees need medical care immediately. Interrogating them is the last thing we should be doing."She had come to the med bay a scant hour after her speech to run checks on all the Galra prisoners - fourty-two, to be exact - after Griffin had tipped her off during breakfast that some of them were being denied medical treatment and sectioned off to interrogation cells instead. In her haste, she'd left her muffin at the table, which she was now sorely regretting.Veronica told her that it had been bad, when that first wave of prisoners with purple skin appeared in the heart of the Garrison base. Sanda's betrayal hadn't yet been revealed, and if Veronica hadn't been there to stop the guards ... well. It was something Violet was glad she had not been there to witness.And even now, almost a week after the war, this was still presenting a problem. The doctor in front of her pushed his glasses up his nose. He was a red-cheeked, lanky middle-aged man who was apparently prone to heavy sweating and was not prepared to have to face the hero of the Golden War today. "But they … well, they are…" he trailed off, looking at her helplessly.Violet’s respect for him snowballed. If you’re going to be a bigot, the least you can do is say their name, she thought. "Because they’re Galra," she finished, daring him to say otherwise.He nodded, relieved, like they were now in agreement. “So, you see, they might have some … helpful information, about the camps, or…"“Who is the head of this department?” Violet asked, pinching the bridge of her eyebrows.The man visibly wilted. “Well, ah … I am.”She breathed out slowly through her nose. She’d been here for over an hour now; she was just about ready to stab someone. They were in the exact same cells as the humans, she wanted to scream to anyone who’d listen. They were Sendak’s victims too. They need treatment too.But as hard as she tried, even the hero of the Golden war couldn’t convince people to help refugees whose skin was that particular shade of violet."Violet? What’s going on?"Violets headache returned in full swing. No. Please. Anyone but her.The stars were not aligned in her favor today, it seemed, because Allura was now walking towards her and the manager, brows pressed together.Anyone else, and Violet would have been grateful for the help. But Allura … Violet remembered those weeks where Allura had refused to speak to Keith, her prejudices, her hatred. And the reason for it, the story she’d told Violet in that tired, broken voice as they sat in the ruins of the Castle in the Balmera: I have mourned a life I never got to have.“The Garrison protocol is requiring the Galra prisoners we rescued to be subject to interrogation before they can receive medical care,” Violet said plainly, noticing the doctor wince at the word Galra, like it was a curse. “None of the human prisoners are doing this.”Allura’s eyes were unreadable. “You authorized this?” She asked the doctor, voice level. Even.He adjusted the lapels on his jacket, clearing his throat. “Well, the intel officer suggested it, but since we are short on medical supplies, I thought it best that we prioritize-““What’s your name, doctor?” Allura asked calmly. Violet frowned. Surely she wouldn’t - reward him, would she? Even Allura wouldn’t go that far.He opened his mouth, then closed it. “Ah … Dr. Peter Smith, Princess.”“Peter,” said Allura, stepping so close to him that she towered over his meek figure, “Did you know that I do not have a single drop of human blood in my veins?”Dr. Smith spluttered like a fish out of water. “I … I, Well, yes, but-"“And did you know,” said Allura, stepped even closer, “That as a full-blooded Altean, I can snap your small, fragile little bones like twigs, and I’d only need to use ... these three fingers?”She held up three fingers, and Dr. Smith went a lovely shade of green.“See to it,” said Allura, her voice suddenly as deadly as a blade, “That the Galran refugees receive immediate medical treatment on the same accords as the human refugees. You will give them equal attention, use equal resources, and offer equal accommodations, because if you don’t, I will cite you for discriminating medical care based on race and - after you have been demoted to nurse hand - I will snap every bone in your fingers and use my Altean magic to turn your skin purple so you can see for yourself how it feels to be turned away from medical care because of greasy half-men like you.” She smiled. “Yes?"Doctor Smith made a small, high keening noise, sweat beading on his brow, and blubbered yes at least six different times before backing away, tripping over a bed, and almost eating shit in front of the entire medical wing. Violet watched him go with deep, delicious satisfaction seeping into her gut.“You just watched a grown man piss himself,” she said to Allura with relish.Allura brushed her uniform off, lifting her chin. “I wonder if he knows Altean shape-shifting magic doesn’t work on humans…”“I thought it was a nice touch there at the end anyways,” Violet offered.Allura laughed lightly, like she hadn’t just made a man cower before her. “Alright, I’m off to find the deputy head doctor and appoint them chief of affairs. They have muffins at the cafeteria, if you’d like.”Violet shrugged. She wasn’t too hungry anymore. “Someone has to make sure the Galrans aren’t being placed in holding cells right now.”“That someone was me,” Allura said, and Violet blinked. “I’ve taken care of it,” the princess assured her. “I’ll make sure they’re treated right. You go. You have more important things to worry about.”Violet stared at her, feeling a slow smile stretch across her face. “You’ve come along way, you know that, Princess?”Allura smiled. “As have us all.”-At some point, Griffin must have asked someone where she was, because when Violet finally staggered from the med bay, he was waiting.
"How are they?" He asked, handing her her half-eaten muffin. His uniform was still as pressed as ever, she noticed, but there was a shadow of stubble near his jaw.
"Fine. Tired. Healing." Violet took the muffin and shoved half of it into her mouth. She cast one last look to the door as she chewed, the prisoners from Sendak's camps lined in rows of hospital beds behind it. So many beds. The Garrison's medics were working overtime. If she was sporting a headache after running around for a couple hours, she couldn't imagine how they were feeling.
"The purple ones too?"
Violet let out a soft breath, and nodded. An hour ago, she never would've been comfortable putting her faith in Allura, but now ... now, she thought maybe the prisoners were in good hands. Altean hands, too - but maybe, in the end, those things didn't matter as much as everyone thought.
Griffin offered her his arm, the memory of a smile passing over his handsome face. Violet was too exhausted to smile, but she took his arm all the same.
"The tables have turned now, you know," he said as they began to walk. "At this point, you're more of a celebrity than I am. If we weren't acting like friends, people would probably be trying to shoot me."
"Don't underplay yourself," she chided. "People are staring at both of us."
He snorted. "Yeah, right."
They were quiet for a while; Violet let Griffin lead her into a courtyard garden. The trees swayed in the breeze, leaves falling loose and dancing in the air around them before settling down to rest on the ground. Fall was coming, and the air was steadily turning colder. Even war can't stop the seasons changing, she thought, and shivered.
Griffin shrugged off his jacket and deftly folded it over her shoulders. Violet didn't even have time to protest. "Thank you," she said begrudgingly, drawing it close.
He just flashed her that same old grin before linking their arms once more. After a while, he said quietly, "Sanda didn't make it."
There was no longer a breeze, but goosebumps raised on Violet's arms. "I heard."
Griffin nodded, his throat bobbing, and fixed his gaze on the line of trees far away. "They've declined to give her a memorial," Violet told him.
"I know. I prayed for her," he said, voice soft. "This morning. The mourner's Kaddish."
Violet blinked in surprise. "Oh."
He cast her a rueful smile. "I don't think she'd much appreciate it, given her opinion of me, but ... I don't know. It didn't feel right to let her be forgotten."
No one deserves to die alone. "I understand," Violet said, letting her shoulder brush his.
They were silent for a little longer, letting the rush of the wind do the talking. After she'd mustered up the courage, Violet asked, "And Ella...?"
Griffin's jaw tightened, and he gave a small, jerking shake of his head.
Violet's gut soured. "I'm sorry, James," she whispered.
His voice was rough. "It's okay. Where she is now ... sometimes I think it might be better than here."
Violet swallowed, wondering if there was anything you could say, about these things.
"So you believe in it, then?" She asked instead. "Heaven."
"I..." Griffin blew out a long breath, his eyes getting that faraway look. "I mean, in my religion, yes. We believe there's a place after death, when the Messiah comes to lead us there. We pray for our loved one's safe passage and for their soul to be at peace. But for me, personally ... I'm not really sure anymore." He cast her a half-smile, sad and aching. "There's been so much death, it's hard to imagine there's still a place for it all. But I do believe that Ella-" His eyes shuttered. "I do believe that Ella's in it. And that I'll go there, one day, and see her again."
Violet considered that, as they walked through the swaying trees. Considered the idea of seeing her father's eyes again. Of seeing Lotor's, maybe, too.
"How do you do it?" She asked him quietly.
"Do what?"
"Keep that - that part of yourself. Still hold on to religion, still believe in it, through ... through everything. Through all the grief and destruction and pain."
Something like a smile whispered along his face. "It's actually one of the easiest things I've ever done."
Her brows shot up. "Really?"
"Yeah." He met her eyes, gaze fond. "It's hard to explain, but ... if God made everything, then he created this too. And if he created this, then it - it has to mean something, you know? If nothing else, it means something, something more than this. Something better than this."
"Yeah," Violet said, and thought of her father explaining light and dark to her, on the living room floor, bathed in gold. "Yeah, I know."
-Violet and Veronica stood side by side, looking down at what used to be their home.Time and an alien invasion had not done the Idalia House well. It had already been a small, fragile thing, but there had been comfort in the rickety floors, brightness in the sun-stained walls, strength in the ways memory had woven itself, dancing, through the hallways. Violet had grown up in this house, and that alone made it as sturdy as the most impenetrable fortress.Now she barely recognized it.A section of the roof had caved in, meaning that her dad's office space was buried beneath rubble and dust. The parts of the house still standing were caked in cobwebs and dirt, the windows shattered, the whole structure frail and teetering like it could collapse at any moment. As they walked through the door, stepping carefully around broken furniture and rotted floorboards, Violet noticed another thing, too: the lock on the door had been broken, and there were footprints in the dust."Someone else has been here," Veronica whispered, noticing it too. Her voice was low, but it still rung through the walls like a siren, sharply contrasting the utter silence that filled the space like a bad smell, invisible but somehow still suffocating."Looters, maybe?" Violet asked back, following the footprints. They vanished near her bedroom, becoming indiscernible with the dust. "But that doesn't make sense ... there's nothing here."Then, though, she remembered the compartment below the fireplace, and a cold feeling clenched in her gut. Veronica must have felt the same, because they both silently and quickly made a beeline for the living room. They passed through the kitchen as they went; Violet spared a glance at the jagged countertops, remembering Ben & Jerry's ice cream, now a lifetime ago.Under the place where the fireplace used to be is a compartment, below the ashes. Violet dropped to her knees before the grate, knowing she'd have to wash the dust from her clothes later but not being able to bring herself to care, not now. She pried open the grate with her hands, then leaned inside. The chimney itself was half-collapsed, full of loose bricks and holes that opened up to the sky, which was steadily getting darker as night fell. She allowed herself one quick, brief glance up at the bourgeoning stars, then fixed her gaze downward. She drew in a breath, and, softly, blew it out, clearing the ashes from the bottom of the fireplace."There," Veronica's hushed voice came from her left. "I see it."Violet followed where she was pointing: there, right in the center, was a small hook. She looped her fingers around it and pulled.Sure enough, it swung up, revealing a small compartment roughly the size of one of the thick chimney bricks. Nestled inside it, in pristine condition that looked horribly out of place in the tattered remains of the house, were picture frames.Violet slipped her hands around the one on the top of the pile and drew it out, rolling back on her knees. Her voice choked. "Ron-""I know," Veronica said roughly.It was their mother.She took another picture from the compartment, then another, holding them in her hands as tenderly as possible, lest they shatter. Her mother was in all of them, in different clothes and lighting and backgrounds but it was all her, so painfully her. Old, moth-eaten memories Violet had all but forgotten rose to the surface in bits and pieces, hitting her like deja vu. That scar above her eyebrow they'd never asked about. Her favorite dewdrop earrings. The way one of her eyes was slightly lower than the other. It was all Violet could do to brace herself against it and blink back the tears. And then...Veronica made a quiet sobbing noise as she pulled out the last of the photos: one of Ivy Idalia standing with a toddler resting on her hip, her belly unmistakably swelled with pregnancy. Her face was angled towards the camera like she'd just heard her name, and the beginnings of a smile were flushed across her face. Her eyes were so bright, bright enough Violet could feel them even now, and the little girl clutched to her hip had dark violet hair and shining gold markings under her eyes and looked so desperately familiar and yet also completely foreign that she could be a stranger or a sister all at once."He kept them." Violet ran her fingers over the photo frames, perfectly preserved from the day her father had taken them down from the walls. "All this time, and they were still here, right under our noses.""Violet..." Veronica's voice shook. "There's more."Violet looked into the compartment, blinking in surprise. Tucked into the corner - it must have been buried underneath the photos - was a a small projection chip.The breath rushed out of her body in a whoosh, and she had grabbed the chip before she could think. With a sharp, sudden beep, it blinked on, and she flinched as she was brought face-to-face with her father."Violet, Veronica," the project of Kieran said, voice low, "If you're seeing this, then something has happened to me. I ... I'm sorry if that's true. I'm sorry I won't be able to be with you when you hear this."Veronica's hand found Violet's, amid the ash and dust. "I'm going to tell you the truth," Kieran continued. "All of it. It's high time you knew, especially Violet."My name is Kieran Idalia. I am one of the last Erythians in the known universe, the ancient race that lived thousands of years ago. Violet ... you are Erythian as well. That's why you've always been stronger than the other kids your age, faster, nimbler. Our species died down and was presumed dead, but the strongest bloodlines survived. Mine was the strongest. Gold is for power; I had the most."I was supposed to marry another Erythian, to continue the bloodline. But, on an undercover mission searching for other refugees, I met someone. Your mother."Kieran closed his eyes, smiling. "Ivy was human - completely, perfectly, unacceptably human. My family … my family would have assassinated her in order to force me to marry someone else. But I was selfish. I didn’t care about the bloodline. I cared about her, and - I cared about you, Violet. You were my family, then."So we ran. I severed all my ties to my family and went into hiding with you and Ivy. We tried to get you to shift, like I had, but - it went wrong. Your half-human side revolted, unable to contain the power inside you. Becoming half-Altean was the midpoint. Any other form and you wouldn’t have survived."
Tears slipped past Violet's eyes, and she bit her lip to stop them from falling. Kieran continued, his face saddened. "We had Veronica, and things were well. But my family found us. I ... it is one of my biggest regrets, to this day, that I did not try harder to conceal us. I still had hope, that one day, my family would choose not to scorn me for falling in love. That hope nearly cost me everything."We were faced with a very difficult choice, but in the end, it was simple. We both would've done anything to protect the two of you. So Ivy and I split up. My family's perception of humans was as old as our race - they believed humans to be barbaric, simple-minded creatures. They would never have trusted Ivy, or seen her as an equal. So we made it look like she had killed me and taken you both. She fled, knowing my family would try to hunt her down and take revenge on her ending their bloodline, and I hid myself in the one place I knew my family would not follow. A small planet called Earth. "That's the thing, about us Erythians. Whatever it is, there's something about humans we've never been able to understand. It mystifies us. Terrifies us, really. We've always looked down on them for their primitive technology, their endless wars, their habit of constantly trying to kill, conquer, or enslave each other - we would be like gods to them, see - but the truth was, they have a strength that scares us. We could knock them down a hundred times and they would just keep getting back up again. We couldn't figure it out, how they could manage to keep getting back up, keep fighting. We didn't understand them. And so we were afraid."
Kieran's eyes closed. "These are the coordinates to the planet Ivy is hiding on." He said it so fast she only realized it when a list of blinking numbers popped up by the projection. All the air in Violet's lungs vanished. "It's one of the settlements where Erythians and other races can live in harmony. She should be there, waiting for me. Maybe one day, I will find her with both of you, and we can be reunited at last."It was too much. The tears flooded down Violet's cheeks. She couldn't tear her gaze away from the numbers. Her mother was alive. Her mother was alive, and waiting for him.She'd be waiting forever."I'd hoped to outlast my family, lie low until they forgot about me. But then ... then Violet was taken." Kieran's face contorted in pain. "And I devoted all my time to finding her. The irony was, it wasn't the Erythians that had found her. It was the Galra."When I get her back - if she's watching this now, I already have - I'll tell her the truth." Kieran's eyes fell. "The reason my family wanted me back so much was because I was their only heir. Without me, their line would be extinguished."Kieran looked up. "But the royal line didn't die. It was passed onto my firstborn."Violet's heart stopped beating."Violet. You're the heir to the Erythian throne."Everything went white.Violet didn't remember when she'd fallen. All she knew was that her legs had given out and now she was sitting slumped against the floor, trembling before her father's ghost.A queen.She was a queen.And an Erythian.It didn't make sense.She was Violet. Not an Erythian heir. Just Vi.Kieran had to be wrong. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding.And yet, and the same time...Maybe she'd known all along."I'm so sorry," Kieran was saying, his words floating to her ears. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to bear this burden. It should have been mine. The line should have passed to me, but I was selfish, and lovesick, and let it fall onto you. That is why I never told you the truth, both of you girls. I was so terribly ashamed." Kieran's shoulders slumped. "I ... you have every right to hate me forever. You never asked for this. But you should know that the Erythians ... they are dying out, have been for thousands of years. They ... might not survive if they don't have a leader to guide them. I could never be that leader. But you could."Her father looked up, eyes burning with shame and hope and pride and other things she couldn't yet name. "I told you that you would change the world someday. All you have to do is try." Kieran leaned in. "I love you both.""I love you too, Dad," Veronica whispered, and the projection blinked off.Violet stared at the chimney wall. I don't hate you, she wanted to say. I know what love is. I know what it does. You were its victim just like everyone else.But she could not find the words.After a long time, Veronica's arm wrapped around her. Her sister crouched beside her, embracing her, and whispered, "I'm not going to tell you how to move forward. But I'll be with you when you do."Violet nodded numbly, and leaned into her sister's warmth.They stayed like that for a while, kneeling among the ashes and the dust and the scattered photos of their mother, until Violet finally found the strength to stand and wipe her eyes. She and her sister made their way out of the house, watching the moon rise behind it.
We couldn't figure it out, how they could manage to keep getting up, keep fighting.
"Ready?" Veronica asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.Violet numbly shook her head."Me neither," Veronica said, and, gently, lit a match and tossed it through one of the broken windows. It caught immediately on the line of gasoline they'd poured over the rotten floorboards, the broken walls, the hollow memories.They watched as it all went up in flames.
-Keith insisted he was well enough to get out of the infirmary, but his concussion confined him to bed rest for another day. Violet instantly felt guilty for her relief that she wouldn't have to face him when he was at full health. If he was strong, he could still be strong enough to push her away.So she went to him, knocking softly on the door and letting herself in.His lips quirked when he saw her, and it almost killed her right there, that smile. "Hey," he said."Hi."Immediately, his face changed. "What? What's wrong?"Violet walked forwards instead of replying, sitting stiffly on the side of the bed. Keith sat up, his brows knitting together with concern. It hurt so much she had to look away; she couldn't bear to see his face anymore.To the window, she said clearly - she wouldn't let herself whisper these words- "I need to know you love me.""What?" Keith's voice was surprised, confused. Her head ached to turn to meet his eyes, but she couldn't; if she saw his face she'd melt, and she had to do this."I need to know you love me," Violet repeated, "And not just like, not just enjoy being around. I can't be someone you think of as a really good friend. I can't be someone you fool around with because it's only us in space and we're together all the time. I can't be someone you only want because you think we're alike and you like that, or because you wanted to save me from Lotor, or because you wanted to save yourself, or-""Hey." So strange, how you could say a word twice in five minutes and it could sound so different. His hand reached for hers. "What are you talking about, Vi? Why-?" "I need to know, Keith," Violet said desperately, meeting his eyes because she no longer could stand not to. Her hand jerked away. "I need to know if you love me or not, because Shiro loved Adam more than anything, and when we all went around saying who we were going home for and who we were fighting for he stayed silent but we all knew. And then we came home and Shiro had to realize that the last time he spoke to Adam before he left would be the last time they would ever speak, and he doesn't show it but I know he's stopped ... trying. Stopped wanting to fight, to be a part of Voltron, to give that part of himself. He will anyways, for us, but when no one else is looking sometimes I catch a glimpse of the death on his face. Some things you can't come back from."I need to know because my father loved my mother enough to give up the world for, and he did - he gave up his family and his home and everything he'd ever known, everything he was, so they could be together. He condemned his daughter to the fate he tried to avoid, even though he knew it was wrong, even though he knew he'd regret it, because he loved my mother. And now that means that my father is dead and my house is a graveyard and my mother has been hiding somewhere for so long I don't wouldn't know her touch from a stranger's, and I know it affects me somewhat but Veronica cries herself to sleep every night because of it. Our family could've been whole but it was destined for destruction from the start because of my father's love."I need to know because Lotor loved me, and it was twisted and broken and wrong because he was twisted and broken and wrong and love can only be as pure as you are, to an extent. He loved me even though he didn't know how. He loved me even though no one had ever loved him. He loved me even though it was strange to him, unfamiliar, terrifying. And I still dream at night of what might've happened it he hadn't chosen power over love, if I had been enough, if that had been enough. If in another world he's here, right now, and he's learning how to be whole, and he's moving past all the scars and the rage and the fear because he can see that there's something better than it. If he could've been saved, rather than destroyed, by love."Violet drew in a breath. Her hands shook. "I need to know you love me," she told Keith, "Because love is the only thing in this world that has ever had the power to stop me. From fighting, from surviving, from getting back up. Love is - love is terrible, and utterly incomprehensible, and fucking terrifying, and if I am not one hundred percent sure of it, it will destroy us all. So if you're going to love me, you have to love all of me. No holding back. No giving up." She swallowed hard. "It'll ruin me if you don't."She closed her eyes, not wanting to see Keith's expression, and breathed in. Listened to her heart thud against her chest: once, twice, and opened her eyes.Keith was crying. That was the first thing she registered, and then she registered nothing at all, because his gaze swallowed hers, burning, and he said loudly and clearly, "Violet Evelyn Idalia, I love you. I love enough that losing you would kill me. I you enough to burn my world to the ground to be with you. I love you enough to go mad, and I love you enough to choose you, over anything, every time." His hands closed over hers, calming their shaking. "I love all of you. No holding back. No giving up." He kissed her brow. "From this moment, and from every moment since I met you, and every moment in the future, I will love you. And if it destroys us, it will destroy us, and every single second will have been worth it. Okay?"There such a pain in her chest, so sharp and dark and beautiful, that she could scarcely breathe. "Okay."He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, simply because there was nothing more that they could do.For a time that could have been minutes and could have been hours, she just breathed, and held on a little tighter. Just to remind herself that this was real, and she was holding Keith Kogane, and Kieth Kogane loved her, and she loved him back. Every time she realized it, it took her breath away.Eventually, though, she knew she had to tell him the second thing she had come to tell him about, though she took an extra couple minutes-slash-hours to prepare herself for what came next.They were lying down, her head over his heart, his arm curled over her waist, when she said, "About loving all of me..."Keith sat up a little, so he could look at her fully. His eyes were bright as stars. They had been ever since she opened her eyes after telling him her deepest fear and saw his face.Violet drew in one last breath. "I might be a queen. And the heir to the Erythian throne."A beat of silence. And then-Keith's face softened in the way she knew he'd kill her for telling the others about. "Are you okay?""I don't know." she fiddled with the sleeve of his starched hospital shirt. "I have two choices: refuse to accept this - turn away from my heritage and continue fighting as an Erythian, but not a princess. Or...." Her fingers stilled. "Reclaim my throne. Unite my race - draw them out from wherever they've been hiding for thousands of years. Try to make us a people, again."Keith smiled quietly and shifted to link his arms over her shoulders. "I know you've already made the decision. You've been fighting your whole life; you're not going to stop now. So ... I'm here for you. I'll be with you every step of the way so you don't have to fight alone. I said I would love all of you, and I intend to uphold that."Tomorrow. Tomorrow she'd face the paladins and rebuild her home. Tomorrow she'd make plans for visiting her mother. Tomorrow she'd start gathering her people and creating a kingdom from scraps of blood and ash.For now, she just leaned into Keith's comforting warmth. "Okay."Keith patted the spot on the bed beside him, and she lay down beside him again. He kept his arm around her shoulders, lazily tracing the stripes on her arm. Violet felt her eyelids grow heavy, her breathing deepen."Thank you, Keith," she murmured. "For doing this with me. To be honest, I ... have no idea what I should do next."Keith said gently, "You don't have to. We all know what you're doing to do."She smiled. "Really? And what is that?"He kissed her softly, his lips lingering over her mouth. "Change the world."-It had been almost five months after the robot's attack. When Violet had felled the robeast with a blast of her power, it had burst apart into hundreds of pieces. They'd just recovered the head of the robot.Sam Holt took Violet down to the sector where they were trying to re-form the robot. "As you know," he said, "We've never been able to find the power source that gave the robot its strength." He paused. "Until now."They stepped out of the elevator, the robot's head becoming fully visible. Violet gasped.It was an Erythian.
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Brighter than the stars: A Voltron fanfic (Keith X OC) Part VIViolet has finally gotten her sister back after so long and liberated earth, freeing it from Sendak's harsh rule. But much was sacrificed to do so; Kieran Idalia, Violet's father, is gone, leaving behind the truth about Violet: she is the heir to the Erythian throne, and the only thing capable of stopping the dark force that has been using her people as weapons to wield against Voltron. Violet's fight is far from over, and to save her people - and the rest of the universe - she'll have to leave Earth once more.But winning this war once and for all may require a sacrifice far bigger. As the fight reaches its grand finale, one question becomes clear: how far will Violet go to protect those she loves?
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"Violet," Allura said, her brows furrowing, "You haven't moved for the past half varga."Violet wasn't listening, but she mumbled, "Uh ... yeah. Definitely."Allura frowned further. "Are you alright? I feel like you're not listening to me.""Ask Shiro, he'll know."The princess sighed heavily, then perked up. "My hair is on fire and Coran has gone crazy.""Very nice.""Violet!"Violet jumped, looking around wildly. "Allura! What's wrong?""You've been staring at the Erythian for a long time without moving," said Allura, gaze narrowed. "I know this must be a shock to you, but just standing here won't do anything."Violet turned her gaze back to the Erythian. She was unconscious while her vitals restabilized, her eyes firmly shut, and she hadn't stirred. "But she might wake up, Allura." She was talking more to the glass than to the princess. "I have to be there if she does."She felt a hand on her shoulder and blinked, brown eyes meeting impossibly sapphire-blue ones. "Shiro's holding a debriefing that should have started by now," Allura said gently. "You would be helpful there. I promise you, Violet, you will be the first person we contact if she wakes up."Violet let out a breath, tearing her gaze from the Erythian - just a girl, really, with pale skin and reddish markings. "Alright. I'll come."She straightened and followed Allura out of the hallway, forcing herself not to look back.Shiro was already speaking by the time they walked in. "A lot of time has passed since we started repairing the damage wrecked by Sendak on Earth," he was saying, "and this time tomorrow, we'll spread our efforts across the neighboring galaxies and liberate any remaining planets under Galra control.""There aren't many left," Commander Holt added. "Sendak seemed to only want Earth, so he didn't try to conquer any other galaxies in the Milky Way, and the Galra haven't regrouped and found a new leader since his death."Shiro nodded. "Have the worldwide defense bases responded?"Keith said, "Armament facilities in the UK, Central Asia, Australia, Africa and South America have reported that they are fully restored from the invasion and prepared to face any kind of threat from aliens to an apocalypse.""Good. What the status on the Atlas?" asked Shiro.Veronica, standing to his right, checked her screen. "We finished improvements to the Atlas's offense protocols four days ago, and since then it's completed every systems check we've passed with flying colors," she reported, and grinned. "Pun intended."Shiro's lips quirked. "Good to know." He turned to Violet and Allura, and because he was Shiro, he politely ignored the fact that they'd just arrived. "Is there any news on the Erythian?""She's still unconscious," Allura replied, taking the lead; Violet let her. "But she's stable, so she could wake up at any moment. If there was more time...""We don't know when she'll wake up," Keith pointed out. "We can't waste any more time. But we'll have direct communication with the Garrison. We'll be the first they tell when the Erythian regains consciousness.""It's just..." Violet's face fell. "She's one of my people." And, apparently, one of my subjects. "I feel like she's partly my responsibility.""You don't need to worry," Shiro assured her. "She'll be under good care." Violet nodded, though she couldn't erase the concern on her face.He continued, "There's one more thing I want to say. This is the last time we'll spend here on Earth; it may be a year or longer before we can return. So, my final order is..." his face broke into a smile. "Visit your family. Spend the night with your loved ones. You deserve it."The meeting dispersed, and Violet and Allura turned to go."Allura? Could I, um, talk to you for a second?"They turned. Lance walked up to them, fidgeting. Allura answered, "Of course.""So," he said. "You, uh ... look nice today.""Thank you, Lance," Allura said, looking somewhat baffled, "But if there's nothing more you'd like to discuss, I really must be on my way...""Yeah, totally!" Violet raised an eyebrow, and Lance coughed. "But I was wondering if, er..." he trailed off, looking lost.Deciding it was time to step in, Violet said, "Hey, Allura, are you free at seven tonight?"Allura turned, blinking in surprise. "If nothing new comes up, then I suppose so."Violet grinned. "Good. Lance, are you?"He rubbed the back of his neck. "Probably. I was hoping-""That's great, because I'm not," Violet interrupted cheerfully. "Have a nice date, you two!" She walked away, whistling happily.Allura cast a confused glance at her back. "Did she just..."Lance turned pink. "See you at seven, Allura." He gave her an awkward thumbs up.Violet made her way back to the medbay and found Keith waiting for her outside. "You're looking ... chipper," he said, eyes narrowing. "When we left the meeting you weren't. What happened? Please tell me you didn't set something on fire like last time."Violet beamed. "I set up Lance and Allura on a date! They're going to be so cute together."Keith raised an eyebrow. "And Allura agreed to that?""What can I say?" Violet replied, shrugging. "She likes him."At Keith's expression, she laughed. "Don't give me that look. Lance has a lot to offer a girl. He's kind, selfless, and, well ... human.""I don't think that's usually perceived as a good quality," Keith noted.Violet elbowed him in the side, and he grinned, staggering dramatically. If anyone had walked by in that moment, they would have felt like they were intruding, even though Violet and Keith were standing out in the open. "In this case, it is. Lance messes up; he doesn't take things seriously enough. Allura needs someone like that - a person who will tell her not to overthink things and show that you don't have to be the best at everything to succeed."Keith's lips quirked. "Seems like you've given a lot of thought to that."Violet smirked. "I'm good at playing Matchmaker. It also explains us, you know. You're all emo and hotheaded on the outside, but inside you're a strong leader and a good person. When I get hotheaded, you calm me down, because you know what it feels like, instead of getting hotheaded with me. We balance each other out.""Also, I love you," said Keith. "There's that."Her face softened. "Yeah. That's part of it."Keith's voice dropped, though they were alone. "I know we haven't had the most normal relationship, Vi, but ... I'd like to go out with you. Preferably now, before we go back into space and fight everything the world throws at us."Violet felt herself blush slightly. "That sounds perfect," she said softly. "A chance to just ... be your girlfriend, and nothing else. I'd love that.""Great, because I've been planning this for a long time."Violet laughed. "Who's 'given a lot of thought to that' now?"Keith smiled, and he leaned down to kiss her. Violet felt her chest warm as his lips brushed hers, and she kissed him back. She felt like every cell of her body was aligning towards him, the place where they were touching.Ever since their talk in the aftermath of the Golden War, when Violet had found him in a hospital bed and let the fears she'd only realized after hearing her father's story come into ugly light, they'd been ... good. Better than they'd ever been before. The boy that had blamed himself for her injury, who'd pushed her away and left for months, who'd tried to sacrifice himself for their team because he didn't know how to express himself ... he was far away now. That time was far away, too; their years in space fighting Zarkon and Lotor held a detached feeling, like a fading memory. Violet could barely remember what her old body had felt like.Time did that, it seemed. It didn't just change you; it made you forget who you were."You're a really good boyfriend, you know," She mumbled against his mouth.Keith pulled away, flashing a grin. "Am I?""It's almost annoying." She smiled at him, and it wasn't quite sad but there was something in the way her lips curved that made the conversation instantly turn serious. "Someone as good as you shouldn't be within ten feet of loving someone like me."His brows knitted together, the way they always did when he was worried about her, and his posture changed, standing straight up and facing her. "Don't say that."Gently, she reached up and smoothed out the place between his brows, fingers light. "It's okay.""No." His hand caught hers, and she was surprised at how tight his grip was. "I don't want you saying any of that shit, Violet. Don't even think it. Don't label me as 'good' so you can make yourself feel guilty for being happy. I'm not good." His eyes met hers, fierce and pleading. "I am - I will always be the boy whose mother left him, whose father died in a fire, who got into fights, who never learned how to love. I've never - this is as new to me as it is to you. I'm walking into this blind, just like you - maybe even more than you, because you had your sister and your father never left, not like mine did. We're both walking into this blind, and if we weren't holding on to each other we'd both be lost. Okay? So don't say I'm good. Neither of us are good. That's the whole point."He was shivering, slightly, his eyes wide and dark and desperate, and she felt such a strong surge of love for him it banished everything else. "Okay," Violet said softly. She wrapped her other hand around their two intertwined ones, brought his knuckles up to her lips and kissed them. "Okay. I'm sorry. I was just trying to say that ... you're good to me. You've always tried your best to be good to me, when it counts.""Same with you," he replied, and she wanted to frown and shake her head and say, no, that's not true, because you're angry and hurt sometimes but I'm an alien and an assassin and a queen and dealing with your baggage is nothing compared to dealing with mine. But she knew better than that, knew better than to tell him what to feel, and let him press their hands to his chest and say, "Neither of us are good at this, but we're both trying. That's what matters. That's all that matters. Nothing else - not my parents or your scars or our mistakes. Nothing else."Violet nodded, and smiled, and felt like she wanted to cry, but in the end she just pulled him close and put her head in the groove in his shoulder that was now molded to make space for her, just like all of him was - Keith had always been excellent at making space for her. For a while, they just swayed together, outside the door to the medbay where an Erythian was sleeping, inside the Garrison where a war council was spending their last night on Earth, inside a planet where a people was remembering what peace felt and looked and smelled like.Then there were footsteps, and a grunt of surprise followed by someone awkwardly clearing their throat. Violet looked up to see Commander Iverson standing in the hallway, with the expression of someone who'd just walked in on someone else taking a shit."I'll just..." he muttered, and brushed past them, grumbling something about damn PDA and military bases have protocols, you know, as he passed.Violet let out a small, happy sigh, watching him turn the corner. "Someday, Iverson is going to find some beautiful man or woman or space alien person who is going to make him float around like a lovesick puppy and play crappy romance pop songs during briefing meetings, and when I meet them I am going to give them my utmost thanks for taking that stick out of his ass."Keith huffed a laugh. "Iverson does give me very strong Swiftie energy, now that I think about it.""I was thinking more along the lines of Backstreet Boys..."Keith gasped. "How dare you! Brian Litrell was my idol."She snorted. "I should've guessed."He poked her arm. "I will tolerate zero BSB slander while you're in my presence, Idalia. I didn't survive an alien invasion war to hear your grief."She mimed zipping up her lips and throwing the key away. I bet Lance agrees with me, anyways.Keith stepped away, still smiling. "I'll come to your room around seven, okay?"His hand, which had been curled around her waist, now left a cold feeling. "Okay," she agreed. "I'll just go get ready then."Keith blinked. "It's three in the afternoon.""So? We're going on our first official date. I need to find something to wear.""For four hours?""I know, it'll be tight. I'll talk to the girls about clothes." Violet walked away, aiming for her room. She had no idea what to wear - she definitely couldn't show up in her suit, since she wore that almost every day. She'd have to buy a dress or borrow from Veronica - they were mostly the same size."Violet! We've been looking for you."Romelle was walking towards her, pulling Allura along. "Someone's going out with the Lancenator tonight! We must attain sufficient attire."Violet blinked, having no idea what the girl had just said. "How much did Lance pay you to say that, and, what?""By someone, I meant Allura," Romelle supplied unhelpfully. "And he told me that was his full name."Allura sighed. "We need your help finding new clothes. Since Pidge doesn't seem that ... indulgent in fashion and Lance is the person I'm going out with, you were the only person we could come to." She paused. "Also, Vi, you were the one who got me into this in the first place. It's only fair you assist me in finding the proper attire.""I'll help you," said Violet. "I need good clothes anyway. It's just ... the last time I was on Earth was when I was ten. I don't know where to find clothes anymore than you do. If we want to get good dresses, we'll have to bring in someone else." Her face spread into a grin. "Actually, I know the perfect person."-"Alright, girls, we have a lot of ground to cover and not enough time to do it," Veronica announced. "I have a map of the best shopping malls within the city, old ones that survived the war and rebuilds alike. This is a mission for only the strongest of hearts and only the most resilient will make it through."Romelle blinked. "Mission? We are going shopping, right? Is human shopping different from Altean shopping?"Violet laughed nervously, regretting her decision to bring her sister into the occasion already. She placed her hands on Veronica's shoulders and steered her away from the table they were gathered around. "Veronica's just ... excited. She's right, though. We don't have a lot of time to get dresses for the evening.""I say we divide and conquer," Veronica added. "I've pinpointed four of the best malls we should start with. We'll go to each in pairs and compare clothes once we're done."Everyone exchanged looks. "It seems like a good enough plan," Allura hedged."Great. I'll go with Violet and you can go with Romelle," Veronica said cheerfully. "Let's go!"She dragged them to the first shopping center, dropping Romelle and Allura off with promises to meet after an hour. Violet began to browse, enjoying the familiarity she had with her sister. They hadn't spent time together since they'd visited their fathers grave, which really should've counted."What are you buying a dress for, anyways?" Veronica asked, holding up a slim green dress to the nearby mirror. "You refused to wear anything you couldn't run in before ... everything. You hated frilly skirts.""I had good reason," Violet replied, holding up a dress. "This one looks like a marshmallow. Who would want to wear it?""It's a sophisticated ball gown," Veronica corrected. "And you didn't answer my question. Who is this for?"Violet sighed. "I'm going out with Keith tonight."Veronica's eyebrows shot up. "Your boyfriend?""No, the guy I randomly kissed in front of everyone before we left to go on a life-threatening mission," Violet shot back.Veronica grinned. "Why didn't you say so? I wasn't lying when I said he was hot. Do you like him?""Of course I do," Violet replied honestly. "I'm lucky to have him.""Good, good. Tell me everything. Do you know where he's taking you tonight?" Violet shook her head. "Have the two of you been on many dates before this?""Not really," Violet said, tapping her chin. "He hasn't officially asked me out.""Did you have any moments?" Veronica inquired, going on to full interrogation mode. "Times where you gazed into each other's eyes?"Violet said, annoyed, "Ronnie-""Answer the question, Violetta."She groaned. "Veronica, we've been fighting a war. In space. The only thing I would call a 'moment' was the time I got turned into a mind-controlled slave in an alternate reality and tried to kill Keith, forcing him to stab me in the back of the neck."Veronica grimaced. "It's worse than I thought, then. This calls for extreme measures.""Extreme-""I'm calling Nadia Rizavi," Veronica interrupted. "And Leifsdottir. We need full-on support to pull this off." She rubbed her hands together. "My sister, on her first date. We need something to wear that will make Keith's eyes pop out of his head."Violet frowned. "Don't do that, please. It's really not a big deal. I don't do ostentatious, and neither does he.""Who said we were going to get you something ostentatious?" Veronica held up her hands to form brackets and peered at Violet through them. "Hm. I'm thinking short, simple, dark. Maybe sparkly. Everything's better with sparkles."Violet groaned. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"Fishing out her phone, Veronica replied with a smirk, "Most certainly."-Violet smirked. "Are you going to stand there and gape all evening?"Keith couldn't form words. Violet was standing before him, hand on the doorknob, looking so beautiful his breath was taken away.She was wearing a dress the color of the sky at twilight - dark blues and dusty pinks and soft purple fading into each other, with tiny silver beads scattered throughout the fabric. Combined with the silver bracelets on her wrists and the silver necklace brushing against her collar, she looked like a star - something ethereal and graceful and too beautiful to touch.But there was more to it. The curve of her shoulders, the soft waves of her hair brushing against her neck, the glint in her eyes; those had always been there. She was beautiful even without the dress.So of course the only thing Keith blurted to her was, "You look really nice."Violet only smiled. "You look really nice, too." She stepped out of her room, closing the door behind her. "Shall we?"Keith nodded, and offered her his hand. She took it, and he felt himself relax as he led her out of the building. "Since Earth has recently survived a war and an attempted destruction of the planet, there's not many dinner options," Keith began. "But I managed to find one." He led her into the courtyard, where he'd set up a table by the old oak tree sitting in the center of the garden.Violet gasped in delight. "You-" she turned to him, eyes shining. "It's the castle."And it was. Coran had helped him - turning the courtyard into a version of the castle's dining room, complete with the white table and chairs. The only difference was that instead of walls and shelves, there were trees and flowers blooming, and it was by candlelight instead of the blue lights that powered the castle."I originally planned to do this in the castle of lions," Keith said, "But then we lost it. So I thought I'd try to do so anyway." He gestured to the table. "Our brilliant chef Hunk prepared his customary four-course meal of gourmet space goo." He paused. "Is that alright? I know you don't like the goo from the castle, but-""Oh, Keith," Violet breathed. "It's perfect." She tilted her face towards his, and kissed him; Keith felt his lips curling upwards as she drew away, flushing slightly. "This - I hadn't realized how much I missed the castle until I saw this. Thank you."Keith felt his face heat slightly. "It's noth-""Mullet? What are you doing here?"He groaned. "Oh, no.""Lance?" Violet asked. The paladin walked into view with Allura by his side, wearing one of the white dresses she'd picked out for her."This is where we're having our date!" Lance exclaimed. "By the old oak tree. Please tell me the two of you are here for a random stroll."Violet gestured to the table. "We're having dinner here. You both are coming, too?""Perhaps this is a nice opportunity," Allura mused. "We could dine together!""Like ... a double date?" Lance asked. "With Keith?""No," said Keith."Yes," said Violet. "This will be great! We can have Hunk bring in two more chairs, I'm sure he's made enough space goo for four." She and Allura exchanged bright smiles. "Let's do it."Keith cast an irritated look at Lance, who mirrored it. But he wasn't about to argue with Vi, and Lance wouldn't stop Allura from spending time with her friend.He was going on a double date.With Lance.Great.-"And then," Violet said, "Lance was all, 'oh, I can win because I'm the strongest, blah blah macho male testosterone' and just leapt headfirst at the thing-"Allura snorted. "No offense, Lance, but even an Altean could not best a Gun Ha'dal. They are quite muscular. Coran, actually, developed a phobia of them ever since he and his fraternity buddies tried to wrangle one on a dare.""Really?" Violet braced her elbows on the table. The sky was darkening, and they were just starting on the third course of Hunk's gourmet meal. Violet had eaten everything with ferocity; the food tasted exactly like it had on the castle. She'd spent the first half hour reminiscing all the times she and the paladins had spent in the castle of lions."I didn't know that," Violet continued. "I don't know what any of us fear, actually. Do any of you have phobias I should know about?""Well ... sometimes I find myself unable to sleep," Allura admitted. "The last time I let myself fall asleep fully, I woke up ten thousand years later.""That's understandable," said Violet, then offered, "I have a fear of geese.""Geese?" Lance asked dubiously."I get that," said Keith. His hand was on hers over the table, a comforting presence during dinner. Violet was surprised by how much she liked it. "They're really rude."Violet added, "When I was six, I went to a park with Veronica and my dad. There were these geese chilling by the pond, and we wanted to feed them. So Veronica threw a banana peel at them and they just ... stared at us." She shuddered. "Geese have these beady black eyes that just peer into your soul. It's creepy and I hate them."Allura chuckled. "Lance, what about you?"He crossed his arms. "I have no fears.""What if you woke up one day and Pidge was taller than you?" Keith asked.Lance blanched. "I have one fear."They all laughed, and Violet found herself unable to stop smiling. She felt happier than she'd been in a long time."Thank you, Keith," Allura said softly, mirroring her thoughts, "For preparing this. I never thought I'd see the castle again, but, inexplicably - here it is."Violet smiled. "I know this was supposed to be a private evening, but ... I don't think the castle is a place anymore. It's people." She stood. "And there's only one more thing I can think of that would complete this."Keith nodded. Allura thought it was an amazing idea; Lance agreed as well. Within the next half-hour, they'd gathered everyone.Pidge came, dragging Matt, Colleen, Sam and her dog, Bae-Bae, along; Hunk was scrambling to make enough space-goo sorbet for everyone. Shiro came with Coran and Kosmo; Krolia and Kolivan followed. Nyma, Rolo and Beezer joined in as well, and Shay and Romelle. Veronica and Acxa filed in last, Veronica wearing the short blue dress she'd picked out earlier.There weren't enough seats, so most people stood. Violet looked around at everyone - the people who'd come to be her family - and raised her glass."To us," she said. "To everything we've fought for and everything we've given up. To all the legends that will be told about this day, the stories forged in blood and tears. To all the shattered dreams, all the fallen stars, all the broken crowns. To all the kings and queens." She smiled wide. "Here's to all we've loved, and all we've lost, and all we've found. Here's to everyone who said we'd never do it, that we never had a chance. Here's to everyone who said we couldn't change the world."Keith stood as well, raising his glass. "Here's to them ... because we did stand a chance. We did do what they said we couldn't." He met her eyes. "We did change the world.""Because we did change the world," Violet repeated softly, letting the words sink into her.Everyone tipped their heads back and drank, the air alight with the glowing embers of joy.-After dinner, everyone cleared off, and Violet and Keith took a walk along the garden. "There's one more thing I want to show you," Keith said. "I know it's late. Would you mind?""Of course not."He smiled, and took her from the Garrison base. They drove into what seemed like an uninhabited area. Violet began to wonder where Keith was going; then she saw the shack in the distance.Keith stopped the car and jumped out; together, they walked towards the house. "This is where I used to live," Keith said, voice soft with the night and the warmth where their hands were linked. "Before everything happened and I became a paladin.""It's peaceful," Violet murmured, touching the door frame. "Quiet. I can see why you'd like it.""I liked living here for a different reason," Keith said, taking her hand. "Come on."Violet raised an eyebrow as he showed her a ladder leading to the roof, but climbed up. Keith lay down on the rafters, looking up at the sky; Violet did so, and her face broke into a smile."You can see the stars.""Yeah," said Keith. "All of them. There used to be tons of meteor showers here - I'd get to watch them every night.""That's what I'd do," said Violet, "When I lived with my father. We'd go out on the deck every night and try to catch a shooting star. Veronica always said she saw them, but I never believed her."Keith laughed softly. "So ... at one point, we were both on the same earth, looking at the same stars.""To think that we'd never met before that, and yet we were so close to each other," Violet murmured. "You'd think our paths would cross before you got wrapped into being a legendary defender and I got captured by aliens.""That's fate for you," Keith replied, and his hand closed over hers for the third time that night. Violet leaned into him, letting his warmth seep into her bones, as she stared at the stars.She gasped, and her hand tightened around his. "Keith, look!""I see it," he whispered. There, blazing brighter than the sun, a shooting star was streaking a path through the sky. Violet's breath caught at the sheer beauty of it."You're supposed to kiss when you see a shooting star," she said.Keith's lips twisted. "Pretty sure you're supposed to make a wish. But I've been wanting to kiss you all night, so..." he angled his body towards her and tilted her chin towards him, pressing his mouth against hers.Violet let her hands roam as the kiss deepened, running them along the curve of his shoulders, the hard panels of his chest, the smooth skin of his stomach. Keith growled, a rumble deep in his throat, and kissed her deeper; and in that moment, Violet wondered if there was a limit to how much you could love someone, or a limit to how much joy another person could bring you. Because whatever it was, Keith had crossed that line.She touched his cheek, sliding her fingers down his jaw. Keith's eyes fluttered closed, his lashes brushing against his face. Holding her breath, Violet moved down to his mouth, delicately tracing the seam of his lips. Keith's eyes opened, and he caught her hand, moving it out of the way to kiss her freely. Violet let out a soft noise and his hands began to wander, thumbs tracing the curve of her hip bone, moving higher until they brushed her ribs.They kissed for a while longer, steady, leisurely kisses, until the sky was so dark she could only see his outline and the stars shining as brightly as the sun. Violet found herself almost on top of Keith, her head against the crook of his shoulder.Keith traced the spots on her forearms, sending shivers up her shoulder. "I love you," he said. "Sometimes I wonder if you're even real, or just some kind of angelic star that fell to earth by chance. But then you make a sarcastic comment or hug someone or say something utterly stupid and I know that can't be true."Violet laughed and replied, "I don't think I'd be angelic. More like a meteoroid that got knocked from the sky and crash-landed here.""You're still beautiful either way," said Keith. He kissed her shoulder.Violet's heart warmed, and she smiled. "I love you with every scrap of my soul," she said. "It's not a lot - even now, my soul is a dark, shriveled thing. But it belongs to you, and it always will.""And mine is yours," Keith answered. "Both of our souls aren't exactly pristine. Mine hasn't been used in a while. But I love you with all of it."He kissed her, and she felt like a flower unfurling - blooming, stretching its petals towards the sun.And then something started to ring.Violet paused, turning her head to look at the source of the noise. It sounded like a communication device - she didn't have one, since she couldn't figure out how to use one for the life of her - so ... Keith. He drew the orange communication device from his pocket, frowning, and flicked it on. "Commander Holt? What-""Keith, are you with Violet?" Sam interrupted.He blinked. "Yeah. Why?""It's urgent." His voice filled the air. "The Erythian is awake."-Violet was leaping off the roof in seconds, any lingering heat gone, whipped away by the ice marching through her blood. The Erythian was alive, and conscious, and asking for her.Keith didn't complain; he just fired up the hover car, and they rode back to the base in grim silence.As soon as they were there, Violet raced to the medbay. Commander Holt was waiting for her, eyes wide. "She won't talk to anyone," he said. "We thought if she saw you, she'd be more open."Violet nodded and calmed herself before walking into the room.The Erythian looked up as she came in, face changing from hostility to pure shock. She jerked back, her back pressed against the bed. "You. How do you - what - who are you?"Violet drew in a long breath. "My name is Violet," she said gently - softly. "What's your name?"The girl seemed to calm down slightly. "Luka.""I was a refugee from Erythia," Violet continued. They'd agreed, in those frantic meetings in the weeks after the war was over, that she'd hide her status at first if she ever meant another of her own kind. They didn't want that power imbalance ruining anything, and they weren't sure what the traditions were for royalty anyway. It didn't feel quite right hiding a part of herself again, but Violet was used to it enough that by this point It just felt like a necessary evil. "My family settled down on earth, and I grew up not knowing about who I was. I only figured it out a few months ago. I thought I was one of the last Erythians. Are there more of you?" Luka only gaped at her. "You-" she broke off, shuddering, and when she looked up, her face was contorted in anger. "You. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if the Lost Queen isn't a myth. You betrayed our people. You are no queen." She pointed a shaking finger at Violet. "How dare you side with the great destroyers? The people that have hunted us for generations? You are no Erythian."Violet blinked, taken aback. "Luka, please - I have no idea what you're talking about-""Don't talk to me!" Luka shouted. "She's told us of your lies. She's told us of your dark power. She's going to fix it all. She'll reunite us with our people, with Erythia, no matter who challenges her throne. You don't stand a chance against our Empress Honerva-"There was a beep, and Luka gasped, her body going horribly stiff. "No!" Violet yelled, jolting out of her chair to catch Luka's body as she fell. The heartbeat monitor by her bed let out a long, flat noise, the line straightening out.Commander Holt rushed in. "Violet! What happened?""I don't know," Violet said, her voice shaking. "My magic. I - I can save her-" she scrabbled desperately for her power, the slumbering well of energy inside her. But it evaded her grasp, slipping from her reach. Violet's hands slammed onto the bed in frustration, Luka's body limply falling against the mattress.Sam asked, "Is she..."Violet nodded, forcing the words past her throat. "I don't know how or why. But she did tell me a few things." She turned, pushing the tears away, and touched her markings. Stupid. So stupid. Of course hiding her royal identity was foolish - any Erythian would know the second they saw her face. Her father had told her - he'd told her gold markings were of power, for the best of the best, but she hadn't connected the dots until now. She stood. "Honerva - the alchemist from ten thousand years ago - is back. And she's become empress of the Erythians."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Allow me to introduce my main alchemist," Alfor said proudly. "Honerva."
Zarkon blinked as Honerva turned, smiling cheerfully at him. "It is my pleasure to be working with you."
"I've never seen an Erythian before," Zarkon said dumbly. "I - you're very elegant."
He cursed himself inwardly, but Honerva just laughed. She had dark red stripes along the sides of her face that crinkled when she smiled.
"Honerva is one of the best Erythian scientists in hundreds of years," Alfor said. "It was no question to bring her here to investigate this ... odd thing." He frowned at the glowing ore that had crashed on Altea's surface two movements ago.
"I - I have to go," Zarkon stuttered, then turned and stumbled off. Alfor blinked in surprise; he'd never seen his friend this ... flustered.
"He's nice," said Honerva.
Alfor chuckled. "'Nice' isn't usually a word to describe the emperor of the Galra."
"Well, I think so," Honerva replied cheerfully, turning to him. "Why did you want to see me, anyways?"
"It's about the ore." Alfor gestured to the hunk of rock that sat before them. "When I discovered it, I ... I felt this flash of energy. It was strange, but I think the comet was ... communicating with me."
Honerva's eyes widened. "Fascinating. What did it say?"
"That's the thing. It didn't say anything. It gave me an image." Alfor scratched his chin. "Of these ... lions. Five of them, different colors, but ... there was something else.
"A white lion. I think that before this comet crashed into our reality, it was the white lion."
"So what is the white lion, exactly?"
Alfor, troubled, gazed at the ore. "I don't know."
-
Kova's tail curled around Honerva's leg, but she ignored him, watching the battle above her. The lions - Voltron - were fighting the beast, the darkness that had come from the rift.
But the lions.
They were beautiful, and Honerva couldn't take her eyes off them. She felt drawn to them in a way she couldn't explain; it was if she and the lions were one.
The black lion - the head of Voltron - took a hit, and Honerva winced, reaching out without thinking. Are you okay?
Strangely, a surge of warmth flooded through her, coming from the black lion - like a reassurance that yes, it was okay. Honerva smiled despite the battle waging around her.
Being Erythian, she could sense the energy coming off of Voltron; it was amazing. She had always been the weakest of her family - a disappointment to her mother, who expected her heir to have as much power as the other gold-marked members of their family. After all, if Honerva could not light-master, was she really that different from the lowly red-marked Erythians? The purple-marked worker class? Power is what makes us different. Her mother's voice flitted to her. We must never forget that we are not the same as them.
And her mother was right. Power was everything.Voltron struck the swarm of darkness with a mighty blow, and it disintegrated. From her spot in the shelter of the palace, Honerva's lips curled into a smile.
-
"Tell me more about Erythia," Zarkon said, leaning towards Honerva. They were sitting by the trees in the garden, eating lunch; Zarkon had offered to keep her company, and Honerva found she enjoyed it. "Is it true that Erythians could summon swords of pure light that can cut a thousand enemy soldiers?"
Honerva laughed. "Only the royal lineage has such power, and the focus and strength required to light-master - to summon weapons of quintessence - has never been seen in generations. Besides, Erythia has no reason for weapons and battle. The most power our people have is healing and light." She looked down sadly. "It is ironic that we cannot heal our own planet."
Erythia was dying. It had been for years; the overload of quintessence was sickening it, and no one could stop it. Lest of all her, even though she knew her mother expected it from her more than anyone else. It was her destiny.
The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire time of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all.
And what direr time could the Erythians be in, now that they were about to be made refugees, homeless, abandoned? When the threat of war was hanging over the galaxy like a promise? All of their oracles had repeated the same prophecy for months, with increasing urgency. The time was coming, and her mother was convinced Honerva was the lost queen. Always away in Altea with your frivolous alchemy experiments, she said, flicking her hand. Soon you will remember your place and return.
Zarkon took her hand. "I am sorry. But shouldn't the royal line have enough power to keep Erythia stable, if only for a little while?"
Honerva shook her head. "We just don't have that kind of power. Watch." She moved her hand to the patch of flowers where she was sitting, picking a bud. Honerva centered herself and focused on the flower, like her mother had taught her; she could feel the petals inside, waiting to bloom. Slowly, she urged life into the flower.
Zarkon sucked in a breath as the flower uncurled, its vibrant petals reaching for the sun. But Honerva couldn't hold it. Her concentration was shaky, and her control slipped. The petals died as quickly as they'd bloomed, the flower turning black and crumbling into dust.
"You see?" Honerva said. "Only the most powerful can fully revive something. Everyone else can only hold it for so long. Healers are trained from the day they're born to keep their magic permanent and effective, and all the healers in the world could still never revive Erythia."
Zarkon nodded. "I understand."
"Do you see my markings?" Honerva continued, pointing to the curving shapes below her eyes. "They're gold. The color of Erythian markings correspond with their power. White is for shape-shifting, which is why all our markings are light, since every Erythian has a scrap of the ability. Gold is the strongest; it's why we are the rulers. Next is blue, for healing, green for shielding, purple for teleportation. Red is the lowest; the only power it carries is enhanced spirituality. The only use they serve is the fraction of them that become oracles. Only the royal line has gold markings; supposedly, we have the gifts of every color, as well as light-mastering, but each new generation of the lineage is weaker and weaker. It doesn't make sense; the existence of people of the sun is that we never lose or gain power. It is only ever shifted. Gold-marked have exactly double the power of green-marked; red-marked have exactly half. Healers draw on energy from themselves to heal. Light and dark; give and take. Like I just showed you." She nodded to the flower. "Having the power become a trickle in our blood means it is preparing for a flood. Our oracles say it is because of the prophecy - that the lost queen who will save Erythia will have more power than ever before. But my mother is convinced it's me, and, well..." she sighed. "I'm practically powerless. I've never even been able to summon solid light. Useless, in my mother's eyes."
"You're not useless," Zarkon said fiercely. "You are the opposite of useless, Honerva. You could do great things someday - you already have." He smiled. "You could change the world, if you only tried."
She blushed.
-
Honerva's eyes narrowed, and she shut out the memory, instead turning to Merla, one of her acolytes. Unfalteringly loyal - the Erythians were surprisingly easy to convince, once she'd revealed that she was Lotor's mother, and that he - their savior - had been half-Erythian. Though the Galra blood in his veins had snuffed his ancient abilities out like a match, they'd still rejoiced that he had been one of them. Exactly what she needed."Are we ready?"Merla nodded. "Almost, Empress."Honerva lifted her chin. "We must make haste," she told Merla. "Voltron is gathering its forces. It will stop at nothing to destroy us."Merla nodded, and said hesitantly, "There is - one other thing, Empress.""What is it?"Merla shifted. "There are rumors of - of another gold-marked Erythian. An heir. The last of the royal line, hidden away all these years. They're saying she's the Lost Queen, Empress."Honerva rounded on her. "And you think she has more of a right to the throne than me? This - this imposter? I was the one who led you when Lotor fell. I was the one who helped you achieve this. I am the only true blood of the royal line." She flung out an arm towards the towering mech robot they were overseeing. "And I will be the one to lead us to victory, bring back Lotor and reunite us with Erythia. You dare question me?"Merla stepped back fearfully, shaking her head. "It was not I who started the story, Empress, I'd never-""See to it," Honerva said, her voice as cold as ice - colder, "that these rumors are halted. Immediately."Merla dipped her head ecstatically. "Yes, Empress."Honerva turned back to the mech, and, once she was sure Merla had vanished, let out a breath. So Kieran was alive. That human rat must not have finished the job, then. No matter; whoever his child was, she was a half-breed. The worst kind of shame. She'd have less than a drop, her blood contaminated. She'd never be able to rival Honerva's power.Besides. Even if the girl arrived the next morning, she'd be too late.It had already begun.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I don't understand," said Veronica. "Honerva - the Erythian scientist - somehow became queen? Isn't that ... not allowed?""She has gold markings," Violet replied glumly. "She's royalty. She has more of a claim to the throne than me.""No way, José." Lance wiggled his finger at her from where he sat on the floor, doing Veronica's nails. They were both criss-cross applesauce, while Violet sat behind them on her bed, elbows pressed into her knees as she thought. "You definitely have more power than her. You're you and she's ... who exactly? Some boomer witch who came from the first century where they apparently didn't have conditioner or proper frizz control." He patted her foot. "If you two were to face off in a ring, I'd bet on you every time. Put on a face mask."Violet sighed, reaching for the cardboard box with colorful faces painted on it and popping the lid. She'd learned not to ask questions when Lance appeared in her room with face masks and nail polish he'd gotten god-knows-where because my cuticles are dry, Violet, and I can feel the space acne coming on and we both know you've been moping around the Atlas for so long you're giving Keith competition. This particular time Veronica had been with him, brandishing a hair mask like a weapon with a devilish grin. At some point during the years Violet was gone, Veronica had learned Spanish - apparently they'd made bilinguality a requirement for enrollment to the Garrison - and she and Lance had become friends frighteningly quickly once Lance had found out. Violet found them sitting in the mess hall or doing yoga together amicably gossiping multiple times. No one knew what they were talking about. Violet suspected it was one of the things that kept Shiro up at night.No way José was not being used as the popular expression. Lance actually called her José. "He's my aunt's second husband," he had said by way of explanation. "You guys have the exact same laugh. And you kinda look like him when you're mad.""No, I don't," Violet had snapped."It's almost like he's here with me," Lance had said emotionally, wiping away a fake tear.As she applied the face mask, which smelled heavenly - the box made claims of honeydew with a touch of vanilla - she said, "We don't know how much power she has. We don't know anything about her. And I haven't been able to call on my power since the fight with the robeast. What if ... what if it's gone? What if the fight used it all up?""Violet," Veronica said firmly - her mom voice - "Your power's not gone. Just depleted. You're the heir to the Erythians. The throne is no one's but yours'." She started to lay her hand comfortingly on Violet's shoulder, but Lance let out a noise of protest and grabbed her hand back, continuing to delicately paint it with seafood green. He muttered something chiding in Spanish that vaguely sounded like estas chicas."You're right," Violet said softly. "But what if the paladins get hurt and I need to heal them? Or I need to use my magic and I can't? I don't want anyone to get hurt because I was too afraid of my own power.""That's what we're here for," Lance replied steadily, not looking up from Veronica's nails. "The Atlas and Voltron. So that when you falter, we'll be able to step in. You forget that you're not the only defender of the universe. You don't have to do everything alone, even though you probably could if you tried."Violet smiled. "Thanks, Lance." "No problem, José."-
After Lance was done, they put on face masks - Veronica refused because "we all know my skin is flawless" - and turned the lights down. Lance immediately began to nap, but Violet found herself staring up at the ceiling, wide-awake, feeling the honeydew-with-a-touch-of-vanilla slowly dry out on her skin. They'd been in space for almost a week now, and she still couldn't take her mind off Luka. The first of her people that she'd met - dead. Because Violet couldn't save her.
The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire times of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all.
She shivered, and sat up, not wanting to even try to sleep anymore. Such strange dreams, she'd been having, these past nights. Sharp and vibrant and hollow, like her mind was unrolling some ancient scroll and blowing off the dust. Memories that had not been remembered in centuries.She peeled off the face mask quietly, disposing of it in the trash can as Lance snored in the background. She was about to walk to the door when she felt two fingers tap lightly on her arm - their old way of getting each other's attention. "You should try to sleep," Veronica whispered. Her eyes were clear, their color still brightly visible even in the dim lighting."So should you," Violet replied, and walked out the door.The fluorescent lighting of the hallway accosted her eyes as she left her room, and she almost stumbled into Shiro. "Violet," he said, "Just the person I wanted to see. We're approaching a star system in half on hour - there should be a Galran outpost positioned right where we're headed. The paladins should be suiting up now, but I can't find Lance and Pidge."Violet thought of Lance snoring in her room, how little sleep they'd all gotten in the past few weeks. "How long can we wait?" she asked, then mimed a sleeping move with a point to the closed door.It occurred to her that a year ago, she wouldn't have even asked something like this, because Shiro would've been insistent on getting everyone moving and ready now, Hunk, but the current Shiro just smiled knowingly and said, "Maybe ten more minutes."As he walked away, she wondered when his smile had began to look so tired.-Ten minutes later, Violet woke Lance up and grabbed her communication device, hooking it to her earrings, before making her way to the black lion. She met up with Keith, and the lions flew out of the Atlas as they approached the base."Paladins, report status.""Ready," said Pidge."Ready," said Hunk.Lance yawned."Ready," said Allura."Alright, then let's go," said Keith, and the lions rose up into the stars.Violet watched the inky black of space fill up the cockpit windows with an odd feeling steaming in her gut. This was their first official mission after returning to space, and ... it felt slower than usual. Lance wasn't the only one acting sluggish: part of Violet was dragging her feet falling back into the rhythm of Voltron. When they'd returned home - set foot on earthen soil for the first time in years - things had shifted, both in Violet and the team. It had been a long time since they'd stayed so long in on place, and now that they were leaving again - leaving their families and homes back on earth as well - Violet had found herself struggling to get back that relentless drive that had kept her going with Voltron. It was still there, just ... a bit fainter. A bit farther away. She couldn't help but feel like it was all leading up to something, something big.Maybe, on that day, she'd finally get to rest.Either way, the sight of the rising stars made Violet feel more tired than she'd been in a while."Pidge, can you locate any Galran outposts on the planet's surface?" asked Shiro.Pidge nodded. "They're definitely there. We should see if we can contact them.""Alright," Keith said, and added in a lower voice, "I have a bad feeling about this.""Why?" Violet asked.Lance's face appeared on the black lion's screen. "Don't you ever get that little voice in your head telling you you're about to get in a lot of trouble?""No."Keith blinked. "That ... that explains so much.""We're approaching," Shiro warned. "Attention, Galran outpost. The Voltron Coalition is here in the pursuit of peace. We would appreciate it if you let us pass and-"He was cut off as the base sent out a beam of power from its ion cannon straight for them. The lions ducked out of the way, and the Atlas shielded itself. Fighters began pouring out of the base, headed straight for them.Violet rolled her eyes. "That was what, five seconds? Might be a new record.""It's fine." Lance cracked his knuckles. "They're just a couple fighters. This will be a piece of cake.""A piece of cake?" Allura asked. "Why? Are we supposed to eat it?""Er - no," Lance replied. "It's a metaphor.""It's a silly metaphor," Allura said, still puzzled. "Cake isn't easy at all. You could make it wrong, or it could taste bad-""Or you could 'accidentally' drop it on my face," Coran grumbled through his communication device."Coran, that was one time!""Allura, on your left!" Violet yelled. The blue lion swerved to avoid another blast from the galra base's cannons."We can talk about cake later," Keith ordered. "For now, stick to fighting. Everyone, on me!"The lions gathered and, as one, took out the cannon surrounding the base. "Good work," said Shiro. "We've taken over the outpost."They exited their lions and entered the outpost, where a Galran official stood, held with his hands bound by Veronica and the MFE fighters. "This guy is the one in charge of the base," Veronica informed them.Violet saw his face and blinked. "Hey, I know you," she said. "Where do I know you?"The commander stared at her. "You."She blinked as the memory hit her and cursed loudly, jumping behind Keith. "You know what, Keith, I think you were right about having a bad feeling about this."The commander roared and tried to run at her, but Veronica held him in place. "How do you know Violet?" she demanded.Violet cleared her throat. "Everyone, this is Warlord Lahn," she said. "I may have ... conquered him ... once. When I was sixteen." She coughed. "I challenged him to a duel, and when he accepted, I may have, um-""She cheated!" Lahn shouted angrily. "The little runt threw sand in my eyes!""I didn't cheat," Violet shot back, annoyed. "I used every ability at my disposal. Throwing sand in your face was my only option.""It was dishonorable and against the rules," Lahn sneered. "Now you're back, are you? Come to take control of my fleet again?"Shiro stepped in. "We didn't come here to fight," he said firmly. "Warlord Lahn, we're asking you to join the Voltron Coalition to help provide stability to the universe.""Stability? You just attacked my outpost and blasted my cannons to bits!" Lahn yelled.Lance shrugged. "He has a point.""Look," Violet said, "I know we don't seem that reliable, but you're going to have to trust us.""Never," Lahn hissed. "I'd rather die."Violet threw up her hands. "By the stars- we're not your enemy. Get that through your thick skull!"Shiro interrupted before Lahn could lunge for her again. "Warlord Lahn. Is there anything we can do for you to prove that we are trustworthy? Voltron is here to help. If you're in need of something, we can be of assistance."Lahn subsided, but he hesitated before replying to Shiro. "Fifteen of my supply cruisers went on a mission to a neighboring base two deca-phoebes ago. They never returned and were presumed dead. Find them for me, and I'll be in debt to you."Violet's eyes narrowed. "You don't think we can do it.""My soldiers regard Voltron and all its lackeys as enemies, and rightfully so," Lahn replied. "They would never agree to make peace with you.""I know," said Keith, standing straight up for the first time in their conversation. It was easy to forget that he was their leader, with Shiro always being the one to step in and make peace, but in these moments ... Keith was almost their secret weapon, staying quiet initially to think and observe his surroundings, then revealing himself as the true leader after everyone had underestimated him. "Which is why we're bringing you along."-"I'm running the signal now," said Pidge. "Lahn, if the ships are Klytax V-Threes like you said, this broadcast should make contact with them."Lahn crossed his arms from where he stood inside the black lion. "I am Warlord Lahn, and you will address me as such."Violet said from where she sat lounging on the floor, "Okay, Such."Lahn growled angrily, but Pidge interrupted him. "I'm getting a signal back. Downloading a visual now."They all turned their attention to the screen Pidge showed them - Galra cruisers, floating, lifeless, in space. "They're abandoned," Violet said disbelievingly."Impossible," Lahn snapped. "My sentries would never abandon their posts.""We're not saying they left willingly," Keith replied. "Something happened here. We need to find out what.""I'll try to access the security system once we're inside," Pidge offered.The paladins flew out of their lions and jetpacked into the nearest cruiser. "Okay, we'll need to split up to find any survivors," Keith instructed once they were all inside. "Hunk and Lance, clear the aft of the ship. Violet, start in the middle. I'll take the bow and work our way toward you. Pidge and Allura, take Lahn to go through the security logs. Find out what happened here."Lahn glowered and said gruffly, "I don't like taking orders on my own ship."Violet rolled her eyes. "We'll take that under consideration."They spread out, starting the search. Violet began scouring the ship, but there were only broken pieces of sentries littering the floor. No one was left.Violet turned a corner and yelped in surprise. There was a hole piercing the side of the wall, made by some kind of laser."Vi? What's wrong?"Keith walked in, accompanied by Kosmo. He shined his flashlight into the hole, but only darkness greeted them."Whoever did this," Violet breathed, "Did a really good job of it." She poked the side of the mangled wall."Let's hope they don't decide to do the same to us," Keith replied, and Kosmo whined in agreement.Violet and Keith continued walking, making their way towards the aft of the ship; still nothing.Pidge voice cut in. "Keith, Vi, Lance and Hunk just had a run-in with some kind of creature. You should-" she broke off suddenly, the communication severing.Violet exchanged looks with Keith. "Well," she said, "This has been super creepy and all, but I think we should get back to the others."Keith nodded. "Maybe they've found something." They turned to go, and then Violet heard it.A click - the scrape of claws on metal. Something was coming towards them. She grabbed Keith's arm, turning back around.Slowly, a sentry appeared before them, its feet dragging on the ground. It looked at them and said, "What ... what are you? Who are you?""I'm Keith," Keith replied, holding out his hands, "A paladin of Voltron. This is Violet. What happened here? Can you tell us where everyone else is?"The sentry inched closer, and Violet pulled out her blades. Something was off - the hairs on her arms were standing up. Or, as Lance would say, something had triggered her tingly Altean senses.Or Erythian senses. Violet had always wondered what had given her that strange feeling that day, when they'd discovered Lotor's comet. Apparently it was her heightened senses - she could sense the quintessence in the ore better than anyone else."What happened to the Galra? Where are they?" The sentry asked."Probably planet Ryker," Violet said. "Look, are you going to answer our questions or just-""Ryker," the sentry repeated. Except it wasn't the sentry's voice, and the sentry wasn't there anymore. It had been cast aside by something in the shadows behind it. A beast with a long, curling tail and dark eyes. Violet stepped back, a stream of curses erupting from her mouth.Keith looked at her, annoyed. "Vi, was that really necess-"The beast charged before he could finish, leaping for them. Kosmo teleported them out of the way before the thing could rip them apart with its claws. Violet threw her daggers, but the beats batted them aside and attacked Keith. He brought up his sword, blocking the monster's swipe, and teleported away again with Kosmo.Violet's blades weren't working. She cast them aside. "Alright, magic powers, time to work."Nothing.Violet groaned in frustration, trying to reach for the well of power inside her. But it didn't respond, and she was forced to duck out of the way as the beast leapt for her.It clipped her in the side, and she winced in pain; the monster rounded on her. And then Kosmo was there, snarling at the beast and lunging forward to bite its leg. It roared, tail wrapping around Kosmo and hurling him against the wall. Kosmo whimpered."THAT'S IT!" Violet yelled. "MESS WITH MY DOG AND YOU DON'T LIVE TO TELL THE TALE, BUDDY!" She leapt at the beast, fueled by blind rage, and slammed her hands into its chest. Light erupted from her palms, finally, and knocked the monster back. It scampered away from the blast, right into Keith's sword.The beast shrieked and recoiled, sprinting away along the hallway. The light died, and Violet rushed over to Kosmo, falling to her knees beside him. He was favoring one of his legs; there was a long cut on it from the beast's tail."He's stable," she told Keith, "For now. But we should still get him to a healer as soon as possible."Keith nodded, and asked Kosmo, "Can you get us back to the others?"Kosmo dipped his head, and Violet placed her hand on his head. In a flash, they teleported into the security room; Kosmo collapsed with a whine of pain. "Keith, Vi!" Hunk exclaimed. "You're here! There's a monster on the ship!""Yeah, we're aware," Violet muttered. "We need to get out of here - Kosmo's injured. I don't know if he'll be able to teleport anymore.""I don't understand how the beast got to my fleet," Lahn said, face furrowed. "All they were doing was picking up supplies from Warlord Ranveig's cruiser."Keith stilled. "I - I can't believe it.""What?" Violet asked."The creature that's attacked us - I've faced it before. It's a weapon, created to wipe the Galra from the universe - just the Galra."Violet blinked. "So ... it's like a Galra kryptonite?""Huh?"She sighed. "Never mind.""Ranveig thought it was some kind of animal from another reality," Keith continued. "He wanted to use it to assassinate his competitors for the throne. But something went wrong. The creature couldn't tell who to kill and who to defend - it just wanted to kill all Galra." His gaze fell. "Krolia and I discovered it on an intel mission. We set it free in exchange for a safe passage out of Ranveig's quadrant. I'm the reason it's loose.""Hey," said Violet, "It's not your fault the beast thingy wants to kill us. You can't blame yourself for things like that. It never does anyone any good." She cracked her knuckles. "Pidge, can you initiate some kind of self-destruct protocol? We need to destroy this ship and the monster along with it. And we need to do it now."Pidge nodded. "I got it. Every Galra ship has what's basically a giant red button that says 'press to explode.' I just need to find it ... there. Okay, when I start it, we're going to have to get out of the ship's radius in a little less than two doboshes."Lance asked, "Isn't two hours kinda long for a grand escape?""It's not two hours. It's two minutes," Violet corrected."Two minutes?" Lance squawked. "We won't be able to make it!""Too late - I already pressed the giant red button," Pidge replied. "We gotta go!" They all ran from the room. The lions were parked on one of the nearby cruisers, and they all ran for the hangar doors at the far exit of the ship. However, thirty feet from the door, something jumped into their path.Violet cursed, and the beast leapt at them. She pulled Lahn out of the way, but the monster rounded and charged at him a second time. Violet thrust out her hands, and light shot from her palms, pushing it back. Undaunted, the beast attacked again.And then the paladins were there. Allura and Pidge wrapped their bayards around the beast's legs while Lance and Hunk fired at it from above. With a snarl, the monster stumbled - leaving Keith to leap for it head-on.Violet shoved Warlord Lahn out of the way. "It's going to go for you because you're Galra," she barked at him. "So stay behind me." She drew upon her magic once more, calling it to her hands."Victory or death!" Lahn yelled, charging at the beast and completely disregarding her. Violet stifled a groan of annoyance and jumped after him.The monster's head swiveled towards Lahn, and it shook off Pidge and Allura's bayards, causing them to slide across the floor. It stepped towards him, and Violet spotted Kosmo - lying prone on the ground, directly in the beast's path. He'd be crushed."Keith!" Violet yelled, pointing to Kosmo. Keith saw him and nodded, understanding what she wanted him to do.The beast charged towards Lahn, boring down on Kosmo - and Keith was there, sliding through its legs and pulling Kosmo out of the way. The monster leapt, its fangs aiming for Lahn's throat-And bouncing off a shield of gold light. Sweat dripped down Violet's brow as she reinforced her shield, the light scraping against the beast's teeth. Lahn scrambled out of the way, trembling."Run," Violet ordered him. "Give up your stupid motto for once and save yourself!"Lahn did, sprinting for the hangar doors and the abyss of space beyond. Lance helped Allura to her feet, Hunk doing the same for Pidge, and they darted for the exit as well. Violet dropped her shield and rolled; the monster lurched forward, and she added to its momentum by aiming a blast of light at its back. Violet turned and ran."Violet!" someone shouted - Keith, hauling Kosmo with him. He was almost to the exit, the others waiting beyond it."Go," she snapped at him. "I'll be right behind you.""Like hell," Keith said. "I'm not going to leave you."Violet glared at him, and he glared right back."If you two idiots are done staring into each other's eyes, there's a mega-beast about to attack you!" Lance shouted. "Stop trying to be noble and righteous and fucking run!""Fine," Violet hissed, and ran to Keith, helping him drag Kosmo to the doors."The beast's coming!" Pidge warned. Violet risked a glance behind her. The monster was aiming for them again, preparing to launch itself at them. "Get to the other side of the hangar doors and I'll open them!"She met Keith's eyes. They weren't going to make it.Somehow, Keith saw the determination on her face - saw it and realized what she was about to do - and paled. "Don't.""I'm sorry," Violet whispered, and raised her hands.Keith reached towards her, but he was too late.Far too late as gold light blasted from her palms - not to hurt, but to help. It pushed him and Kosmo across the room. They tumbled to the exit, Keith bowling into Lance in the process, as Violet turned around and faced the beast."Open the doors!" she shouted at Lahn. Not Pidge or Hunk or Allura - they'd never leave her. But Lahn ... he was Galra. He knew what it was like to make sacrifices. Lahn nodded, face hardening with determination, and lunged for the panel at the side of the doors."NO!" Keith yelled, but he could do nothing to stop it.The hangar doors slid open, and the paladins were sucked into space. They shut in the next second.Trapping her inside with the beast.Violet's body began to glow, and her hair floated above her head as she let her magic twist around her. The beast charged for her, pure fury in its eyes, and Violet leapt to the side. It spun around and attacked again, and she still ducked away. The monster roared and charged for her a third and final time.And the world exploded.-
"No," Honerva snapped. Her fingers gripped the sides of the throne so hard they were turning white.
"Honerva, please," Alfor said, his voice saccharine sweet. He stood before her on the dais, having shown up to speak to her urgently in secret. A long time ago, she would have welcomed him, when they were both budding rulers thinking they could change the world. Things were different now. She loved Zarkon. She was queen. Her mother was dead. And she was powerful. Of course they'd choose Alfor to speak for them, Alfor with his silver tongue, loyal, gallant Alfor, her best friend. Honerva wanted to spit.
"I will not betray him," she said, feeling the anger curdling in her gut. Anger was her constant companion now. How dare they? How dare they betray her, betray Zarkon, their closest ally? Altea, Erythia, and Daibazaal were supposed to be in harmony. Their three races were supposed to be allies, united like times of old. And now Alfor wanted Honerva to stab Zarkon in the back? To use her people, her planet, as soldiers in Altea's war? She was disgusted that Alfor would do such a thing. The years had changed them.
"They've changed all of us," Alfor said, and she realized she'd spoken out loud. There was such a loud buzzing in her head, such a bright whiteness tinting her vision, but Honerva did not want to ask for her elixir in front of her former friend. He'd think she was ailing, weak. She was anything but. The quintessence had made her more powerful than her brothers, long dead now, than even her parents. She no longer needed light-mastering. She had achieved things beyond what her fool of a mother had ever expected of her.
"Please," Alfor said again, and she curled her lip in distaste. "He's gone mad, Honerva. We both know it. The things he says - he wants to rule the universe. He wants to be a conqueror."
"And why shouldn't we?" Honerva said, lifting her chin. Her fingers had lost feeling now. "Our three races could be gods. The people of the stars, with huge advancements in science and alchemy; the people of the moon, the ultimate army; and the people of the sun, the strongest, the healers. We could rule it all. Maybe we should."
But Alfor's face had paled, and he said, voice soft and broken, "'We'?"
In that moment, Honerva knew it had shifted. It was her and Zarkon now, against the world - against the people who had once been their friends. Alfor was weak, lost in his delusion and his childhood fantasies for peace. Peace was fruitless and unfulfilling. She was destined for more.
The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire times of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all.
With her quintessence, she would be able to save Erythia. She was already doing it - her advancements were healing the planet, inch by inch. She would fulfill the prophecy, her destiny, with or without Alfor.
I will change the world, Honerva thought, glaring down at the king of Altea from her throne. Attempt to stop me, please - I'd like to see you try.-Consciousness threatened to slip away, but Violet clung to it, refusing to let herself sink herself into darkness. The ship had blown up while she was in it. For all reasons she should be dead.But she wasn't.Funny how many times that happened.The sound of boiling metal and exploding pieces of ship slowly faded, leaving Violet's ears ringing, and she opened her eyes. She was floating in space, the remnants of the cruiser around her.And she was encased in a glowing gold bubble.Violet whooped. "Yeah! Magic powers are the best!"She looked around. Where were the lions? She was fine - the shield had protected her. And the beast didn't have sparkly golden magic, so it was, hopefully, dead. Had the others made it out?Her ruptured ears picked up the sound of something large behind her, and Violet turned to see the black lion hovering in space. Violet coughed. "Hey, Keith."The black lion glared at her - if a metal weapon could glare. Violet had the sense that Blacky was mad at her. "Violet Idalia," Keith said, voice tense, "You're grounded.""You can't ground me!" Violet retorted, aghast. "I'm eighteen! Technically twenty-one if you count the three years everyone thought we were dead but we weren't!""I don't care," Keith said, and the black lion moved forward to swallow her. "From now on, you're not allowed to go out on your own, try to sacrifice yourself for us, or try to fight something by yourself. I may not even let you go on missions in the first place."Violet entered the cockpit, crossing her arms. "It's not my fault I almost get killed every time we fight something!""Yes, it is," everyone said at once."I have to agree with Keith on this," Lance said, "And you know how much I hate agreeing with Keith. You can't keep scaring us like that, Vi."Violet sighed. "I know. And I'm sorry. But I'm not going to stand by and let you all get hurt. That's not who I am."She came and stood next to Keith, whose hands were gripping the black lion's controls. "We know, Vi," Keith said quietly, "But that won't stop us from going out of our minds every time you die."Violet kissed him on the cheek. "I'd say I'll do better in the future, but I really won't."Keith's lips quirked. "We wouldn't believe you anyways.""Wow," Lahn commented dryly. "This is so sweet. Like a soap opera but with worse acting.""Oh, yay," said Violet, turning her head to glare at him. "You survived."Lahn stood and walked over to her, his face becoming serious. "Violet, I want to apologize for holding a grudge. I see now that Voltron can help us."Violet blinked. "I didn't think you were the type of person to come around." She held out her hand, smiling. "Good for you, Lahn.""Warlord Lahn," he muttered, taking her hand. "You know, since I apologized, you can apologize too. For speaking so rudely to me."Violet smirked. "Sorry to get your hopes up, Warlord Lahn. But I never say anything I don't mean."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Acxa and Violet were sitting in the latter's room, hanging remade star charts out to dry. "Have you been making friends aboard the Atlas?" Violet asked her, clipping up a map of the Ardiane solar system. "The Cadets are great. Griffin's kinda edgy but he's cool once you get to know him."Acxa frowned. "I don't need friends.""I mean as teammates," Violet replied. "You shouldn't have to fight alone, not when you have all of these people on the Atlas to have your back." She reached for another map."You're right," Acxa said, folding a star chart and putting it in a neat pile with the others. "But I've been relying on myself my whole life. I'm not particularly inclined to start now." She sighed. "Not trusting others - working by yourself, fighting by yourself - it's the Galra way. As much as everyone else dislikes it, I am half-Galra."Violet frowned. "Are people still giving you trouble for that? Give me a name. I'm the Golden War hero, they'll listen to me.""It's nobody," Acxa said, her smile thin and easy in the way that meant she was lying.Fear and hatred of alien races had been high since the beginning, when Earth had initially made the jump to contact other forms of life and become a part of the galactic coalition, but since the Golden War anti-Galra sentiment had skyrocketed. Violet knew that ever since that day, right before her speech, when Acxa had shown up outside the Garrison base unannounced and it was only her half-human features, and the happenstance of Violet's presence, that stopped the guards from shooting her on the spot ... ever since that day, the implications of looking like a Galra on Earth had shifted forever, in irrevocable ways. Acxa was one amongst many others who were forced to bear the brunt of them.Violet put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "Anyone who can't see past your past doesn't deserve to be a part of your future. But there are good people here. I've found them; I know you can too. I've been learning to be part of a team myself. It's definitely hard. But it's worth it."Her friend nodded, and they went back to folding and hanging star charts. "Oh, look!" Violet exclaimed. "I taught myself a new trick." She held out her hands and focused on the map of the Ulippa system in front of her, drawing her magic. A clear sphere of twisting gold strands formed around the piece of paper. Acxa knocked on it experimentally, blinking in surprise when she realized it was solid.The ball of light evaporated, and Violet beamed proudly. "I've been practicing my powers. What do you think?"Acxa's brows furrowed. "Definitely very ... handy. Magic space bubbles. Yeah.""Oh, don't give me that look," Violet said, laughing. "These are awesome. I can use them for, uh ... floating things! Like socks! And if I can manage how to get one around myself again, I'll be able to be underwater." She paused. "I'll have to hold my breath, though, because I'm pretty sure there's no oxygen in those things.""So you still haven't mastered your magic?" Acxa asked, serious once more. "Can you control it?"Violet blew out a breath. "Mostly. It's hard for me to make anything substantial unless I'm, like ... really angry. Or really scared. But more than anything I wish I'd had it when we were with Lotor - there are so many things I could've done. People I could've saved."Her gaze fell. Acxa said softly, "Do you ever think about Ezor? And Zethrid?""All the time." Violet abandoned the star charts. "Mostly I feel guilty. For not trying harder to get them out. Sometimes it's like Lotor is still here, manipulating us and what we do. Whenever I make a decision, I think, 'is this something he would have me do?' and then I do the opposite.""I hear his voice in my head," Acxa whispered. "Telling me to hold on to all the rage and regret. Mostly it's only in dreams, when I'm back in his ship, loading the teludav, and you come in and I point the gun at you. He tells me to pull the trigger. But I never do.""I know you won't," Violet said, "Because you're not what Lotor did to you. You're more than that. You're the Acxa that turned her life around." She smiled. "Even though Ezor and Zethrid tried to kill us, I still hope they're free. Alive and alright. That they've made something good out of the life they've been given too"Acxa nodded, her face grave, and it was at that moment that Veronica burst into Violet's room. "Vi, did you hear-" she cut off when she saw Acxa. "Oh. Am I interrupting something?""Yes," said Acxa.Violet shot her a pointed glance. "Is something wrong, Ron?""No." Veronica shook her head. "It's just - Shiro found a lead on one of the robeasts. He thinks he can track it. But we can't give up the pursuit of Honerva. He wants Voltron and the Atlas to split up."Violet leapt to her feet. "What? That - no. I can't. I can't leave you again."Veronica's eyes fell to the floor. "I know. But we can't follow the robeasts and Honerva at once."Acxa stood as well, her face concerned. "Vi...""I'm fine," Violet said, straightening. "It's fine. It's for the best." She tried to smile and failed. "You'll come back, though. Right?"Veronica met her eyes, face clear. "Of course," she said. "We can do transmissions every day. Stay in touch. It won't be that long, either. Maybe a few weeks at best.""Okay." Violet sucked in a breath, letting her shoulders relax. "Okay."-"It's settled, then," Shiro said somberly. "The Atlas and Voltron will part first thing in the morning."Everyone stood from their seats, and Violet forced herself to stand as well, even though her legs felt numb. Tomorrow - twelve hours until Veronica and Acxa would leave. She let out a breath. There was a weight on her chest, so heavy it was hard to breathe.It shouldn't be this hard. It wasn't like Veronica was leaving forever, and it wasn't like Acxa wouldn't come back. So why was it so hard to let them go?Violet's vision blurred, and she rubbed at her eyes. Stars. She wouldn't sleep tonight at all."Hey." Keith walked over to her, looking concerned."I'm fine," Violet told him, and turned away. "You don't have to ask.""No, you're not," Keith said. Violet started walking back to her rooms, and he followed. "You don't have to talk about it, but you don't have to deal with this alone. None of us are going to be happy in our lions with nothing to do for days on end.""Don't remind me," Violet muttered. "I just - I just got my sister back. I feel like if they leave again, they'll never return."Keith stopped in the middle of the hallway, catching her arm. "They will. Do you know how I know?" he smiled. "Because I did. I came back to you, and so will they, Vi. You'll see." He kissed the place between her brows, and Violet closed her eyes."Stay."Keith blinked, surprised. "Stay," Violet repeated, almost whispering. "With me. Tonight. I won't - I won't be able to sleep without you."He hesitated for a split second, and Violet felt a jolt of worry that he would say no, that he'd think she was weak or overreacting or-"Okay," Keith said. He took her hand, a smile creeping onto his face. "My room or yours?"Violet's face softened, and she replied, "Yours."Keith led her down the hall, and Violet slung off her overshirt and weapons while he changed. When they were ready, Keith lay down and Violet followed, putting her head on his pillow. Keith wrapped his arm around her shoulders and tucked her into his chest, pulling up the covers.Violet exhaled, her body relaxing. She felt ... warm. Safe. Oddly comfortable, even though they were sharing a tiny bed in space.But still, sleep evaded her. So Violet said softly, "Could you - talk to me? Tell me some kind of story?"Keith hesitated a moment before replying. "Sure. I'm terrible at storytelling, but I do have a story in mind." Keith's hands began to trace lazy patterns on her arms, along the stripes on her shoulders and the curve of her forearm."Once upon a time, there was a boy."Violet peered up at him to see him smiling faintly. "What kind of boy?""One with dark hair and darker eyes," Keith said. "This ... this is his story."-Violet woke up to the gentle press of a breath against her face.She blinked, disoriented, until Keith's guilty face came into focus. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't mean to wake you."Violet yawned. "It's fine. Did I ... fall asleep?" She sat up, looking around. They were in Keith's room. Right - she asked to stay with him for the night. And he'd told her a story - of a young boy without a mother, whose father had died in a fire, with dark eyes almost as black as his hair. Violet smiled as she remembered it."I didn't think I'd sleep so easily either," Keith admitted. "I think it's ... nine? Ten? We might have overslept.""I haven't slept through the night in ... a long time," Violet said softly. "Thank you, Keith. For letting me stay."Keith kissed her shoulder, right where it met her collarbone. "I'll always let you stay," he replied.Before Violet could reply, someone knocked hastily at the door. "Keith!" Lance called. "Have you seen Violet? She's not in her room. I wanted to make sure she was alright."Violet got up and opened the door. "I'm alright, Lance. What time is it?"He jumped back. "Vi? What are you doing here?" Keith walked up, and Lance's eyes grew wider. "Have you two been together all night?""Yeah," said Keith. "Once again: what time is it?"Lance replied, "Nine thirty - everyone's having breakfast in the mess hall." He squinted at Keith, then at Violet. "Did you two-"Violet felt her face heat. "No," she said quickly. "Stars, Lance, no."His ears turned pink. "Oh. Got it.""I should probably get back to my room," Violet muttered, "now that Lance has made this awkward." She pivoted back into Keith's room and grabbed her clothes, pausing at the doorway. She said to Keith, "I'll meet you for breakfast. Okay?"He nodded, eyes softening, and Violet left, striding down the hall to her room. As she walked away, she heard Lance say, "You really love her, huh?"She could hear the smile in Keith's voice as he replied, the one he saved just for her. "Yeah."-"Keith," said Violet, "I'm ten seconds away from setting something on fire.""I figured," Keith replied. "You've been moping on the floor of my lion for the past hour."Violet sat up, irritated, and glared at the back of his seat. "I don't mope. I dramatically flop around because I'm bored.""How is that any better?"She let herself fall back onto the floor, closing her eyes. "It's not."Keith's lips quirked, and he turned in his seat to look at her. "It's been a week without the Atlas, Vi. We survived a lot longer than that after defeating Lotor.""Yeah, but then we had Kosmo and Krolia and Romelle and Shiro and Coran," Violet pointed out. "We were all bored together. Now it's just me." She stood, glaring at the black lion's controls. "I never thought I'd say this, but I want to be a paladin so I can fly around all day in a magic rainbow lion instead of doing nothing."Keith was staring at her, his tongue poking against the inside of his cheek like he was deep in thought. Violet blinked. "What?"He just smiled, turning his attention back to flying his lion. "For some reason, you're really attractive when you're pouting."Violet's brows rose, and her face stretched into a grin. "I'll make sure to do it more often, then.""Not what I meant," Keith muttered. Violet smirked and kissed him; Keith touched the side of her face, tilting her chin to return the kiss. Violet let herself relish in the softness of his lips - she'd never get used to it, no matter how many times they ended up like this, with her hands twisting in the hair at the nape of his neck and his arm curling around the curve of her hips like a puzzle piece sliding home.When they drew away, Violet said softly, "I'm not bored anymore."Keith laughed low in his throat and kissed her again, his mouth aligning with hers. Violet sank into it, wishing he wasn't sitting in his seat in the cockpit and she wasn't standing over him. Keith kissed the corners of her mouth, his hand sliding up to cup her face, and the black lion's control panel made the noise that meant someone was sending a transmission.Violet broke away a second before Pidge's excited face appeared on the screen. "Guys! The Atlas is hailing us!" she exclaimed.Keith coughed. "Right. Patch them in, then." He cast her a crooked grin. "How do I look?"Violet bit her lip to stop from laughing. Keith's hair was mussed, his lips were pink, and his face was flushed. "Like you've just been making out with me. Do you think Shiro will realize it?"He shrugged. "Probably. Atlas, come in."Instead of Shiro's face appearing, though, only a speaker popped up. "Voltron, we've discovered information on the robeasts," Shiro's voice said. "We need to reunite immediately. I've scouted the nearby galaxies, and the Baltuf Nebula is the optimal location." "Are you sure?" Pidge asked. "The oxygen levels there are fine, and the atmosphere is steady - no co2 - but it's sheltered from the rest of the galaxy. Almost hidden.""That would help us remain unseen," Lance pointed out."Affirmative," Shiro replied. "We'll be there in less than a varga.""Copy that, Shiro," said Keith. "We'll see you there."Violet frowned. Shiro used Earthen time measurement, not alien. It wasn't like him to say 'varga' instead of 'hour.'It didn't matter, though. She'd return to Veronica and Acxa. They were alright, and safe, and had gathered information that could help them take down Honerva. Violet's heart lifted. It didn't matter if it was in an hour or a varga. She was going to see her sister again.-When Voltron arrived at the planet bordering the Baltuf Nebula, they found the Atlas already there. "That's odd," Allura noted. "Shiro said he'd be here in a varga - it's only been thirty doboshes.""Yeah, I have a bad feeling about this," Lance added."Don't be superstitious, Lance," Violet said. "The Atlas wouldn't betray us. We need to find out what information they have.""Violet's right," Keith said. "Atlas, we have a visual. Come in."Nothing. Violet squinted at the blurred shape of the Atlas on the planet's surface - something wasn't right. "Shiro," Keith repeated. "Come in.""Guys..." Hunk warned. The Atlas on the ground was changing. Before her eyes, a barrier peeled away - it wasn't the Atlas at all. But a Galra cruiser in disguise."Paladins, get out of range immediately!" Keith yelled. "This is a trap!""I told you so!" Lance shouted as the cruiser fired a beam of purple light for the lions. "Ha-ha, Vi! I went with my gut and my gut said that this was a trap but you said no-o-o, and I was ri - yah!" The beam caught the red lion, and Lance went down, getting pulled to the ground below."Lance!" Allura cried, and the blue lion veered off; however, she was caught too.The black lion swerved to avoid the beam, but Pidge and Hunk were snatched up by it. With a curse from Violet, the blast moved back around and sucked down the black lion as well."It's just like when we were caught by those pirates!" Hunk yelled as the lions were sucked down to the cruiser."We're pinned down!" Lance shouted.Keith ordered, "Emergency ejection!" He sprinted from the cockpit as the black lion thudded onto the planet's surface, leaping out of it with Violet on his heels.They barely escaped the gravity beam. The rest of the paladins caught up, and they fled from the cruiser. "We need cover!" Pidge shouted at Keith. "Somewhere to hide!"Violet frantically scanned their surroundings. The surface was gray and rocky, with tall cliffs surrounding them. No wonder whoever had lured them in had wanted this planetoid - there was nowhere to run."Fighters are coming right now!" Lance warned. "I'll hold them off!" He pulled out his bayard and started shooting at the fighters, Hunk following suit.Keith flung his arm out, causing Violet to skid to a stop. "Wait!" he shouted. "Look!"Violet glanced to where he pointed. Someone was sprinting towards them across the ragged terrain at full speed. They motioned wildly at the paladins. Keith drew his sword.The person ran to their side. They were wearing a long cloak that obscured most of their features and a long hood, but from what Violet could tell, they had a long body and ran nimbly. "Quickly. I know a place where we can hide.""Who are you?" Violet demanded. "We're not going anywhere with a stranger."The person hesitated. Their voice was vaguely female, somewhat familiar. "I am saving your life," she hissed. "You will be caught by Zethrid if you do not follow me now.""Zethrid?" Violet asked. "She's the one who trapped us?""Yes," the stranger said. "You must come. I can't let you die." She said it with such conviction that Violet believed her. She nodded to Keith."Fine," he said. "Paladins, on me!"Lance and Hunk stopped firing at the fighters, and the stranger took off, sprinting back the way she came. Violet and the others followed, but the fighters were still on their tail."We need to get rid of those!" Keith shouted. "Lance?""Can't," Lance said between gasping breaths. "Not enough time."Violet cast a look over her shoulder, adrenaline curdling in her gut. I can do this. I can do this.Without a word, she spun around, letting her fear and panic rise in her body like a wave. As it crested, she flung out her hands.Three golden balls of light erupted from her palms and hovered, floating, in the air.Completely harmless.Shit, Violet thought, because now the fighters were thirty feet from her, but as they drew near, one of the wings brushed a ball of twisting golden light...And exploded.Violet was already running, but she let out a whoop of jubilation as the sounds of the other two bursting into flames fell behind her. "Take that, Acxa!" she yelled at the wind. She pulled up beside Keith. "Was that awesome or was that awesome?"He didn't answer, surely because he was out of breath. The stranger began to slow down as they neared the cliffs. Violet cursed. "There's no way we can scale these!" she shouted at them. "Are you crazy?""Quite possibly," the stranger replied. "But not in this case." She leapt at the rock, and, in a flash, vanished.Violet blinked and looked harder. There was a gap in the rock shelf - a crease in the cliffs. The person had sailed through it. "I'll go in first," said Keith. "Make sure it's safe." He squeezed through the gap, and after a second yelled, "All clear!""Pidge, you first," Violet ordered, grabbing the green paladin by the arm. Pidge wedged herself through."Hunk, you're next." He had a bit of trouble, but was able to make it. Violet glanced back; three more fighters were tailing them, maybe fifty feet away. "Lance?""No way," Lance said. "I'll get you covered. Allura goes in."The princess nodded and slipped through. The fighters were almost on them; they began to fire, the blasts hitting the ground around Violet's feet. She spun around and returned fire, light shooting from her hands. "Go," Violet gritted out to Lance. "I'll be right behind you."Lance's brow creased, but he nodded. Violet thrust up her hand; a wall of gold light formed between her and the fighters, and she shoved herself through the gap, stumbling into a wide cavern with hollow shelves carved into the sides. Clearly, someone had made this. She looked around; Pidge, Hunk, Lance, Keith and Allura were doing the same. The stranger was standing in the center of the room, eyeing Violet wearily.Keith blew out a breath as she went to stand beside him; Violet laced her hand through his, more of a precaution than a comfort. Real? Yes, it's real. She turned to the stranger. "Who are you? What do you know about Zethrid? And why did you save us?"The person sighed. "I'll tell you," she said, "If you promise not to kill me on sight. I can explain everything if you give me a chance first."Violet frowned, catching Keith's worried glance. "We won't kill you," he conceded, "But if you attack us or try to harm us, I will."The stranger nodded and lifted her hood.Violet's breath caught sharply in her throat. It was Ezor.Ezor, with an eyepatch covering her left eye, torn clothes and utter despair written across her face as she whispered, "You have to help me.""You," Lance snarled. "You tried to kill Violet! And mostly succeeded! And now you're asking us for help?" He raised his gun."Wait!" Ezor held up her hands. "Please listen to me. Violet, I - I ran away. Like you did. Like Acxa did. The bloodshed, the war, the hate - Zethrid thrived in it. But not me. Not us." She lowered her head. "I had to get out. I ... I couldn't survive living like that. So I left. I left Zethrid and her fleet and the Galra."She looked up at Violet, and there were tears in her eyes. "I'm so sorry. What Lotor did ... I was so angry. I just wanted to hurt you, for abandoning us. For being his favorite. He pitted us against each other, and I drank it in. I let him kill Narti - I watched as you almost died by our hands - and I didn't do anything."But I got out. I left, and I put it all behind me. It was the best decision I've ever made." Ezor smiled softly. "You have to believe me, Violet. I switched sides. I want to help Voltron.""I believe you," Violet said softly. There was something in Ezor's voice that couldn't be faked. Violet knew she was telling the truth - knew, because she'd looked the same, felt the same, when she'd left Lotor herself."So why are you here?" Keith challenged. "Are you trying to go back?"Ezor shook her head. "The opposite. I want to get Zethrid on the other side. You wouldn't understand. But, Violet ... you know what it's like. All that rage and pain. It consumed Zethrid. She tried to stop me."When I left ... she has nothing left to lose, now. It's my duty to make sure she doesn't hurt anyone else. I can't leave her to that never-ending cycle of destruction and loss. I have to convince her to switch sides - to let go of the anger." Ezor met Violet's eyes. "But I won't be able to do it without your help.""What do you propose?" Violet asked.Ezor sat, her face grateful. "I need to reach out to her. If Violet and I can get close enough to Zethrid, we can try to reason with her. She'll listen to us. Violet - you've always had a way with words that I didn't. You can do it. I know you can.""We're not going to risk everything to try to talk to one of Lotor's generals," Allura said sharply. "She chose to hold on to her rage and fury. It was her decision - I say let her get out of it on her own."Keith stood, shaking his head. "She won't. We're her only chance." His face hardened. "But I won't put our lives on the line to give her a second chance. I'm sorry, Ezor."Ezor's face fell. "Please," she said. "You must. Zethrid - she won't hurt me. Together, we can convince her to join us."Violet got to her feet, standing with Keith. "Keith," she murmured. "Zethrid still harbors hate for you and the others. But Ezor and I could reason with her."He turned his gaze on her. "No.""I have to.""No, you don't! We've talked about this, Vi. You can't throw yourself into every dangerous situation you see." He took her hands pleadingly.Violet looked down at his hands, entwined with hers. "Keith.""Don't," he whispered. "Don't say my name like you've already made up your mind."She told him gently, softly, "Zethrid is in the same spot I was. The same place Acxa and Ezor were. I can't leave her to rot in it, not when I know what it's like." She kissed Keith - only for a moment - before slipping her hands from his and facing Ezor. "The rest of you can try to get a signal to the Atlas while I'm gone, and get back to your lions." She let out a breath, forcing a smile. "Stay safe. I'll see you on the other side."-With Ezor's invisibility, she and Violet made it close enough to Zethrid's cruiser without trouble. Ezor was skilled in tracking and scouting, because Lotor had wanted to hone her agility and use it to his advantage.Zethrid's best asset had always been her strength. She'd take down whole buildings while Ezor infiltrated them. Acxa and Violet had always been better at defense - clearing away all the ground soldiers. And Narti had stayed by Lotor's side, finishing anyone off and using her powers to force their will.Now, Narti was dead, Acxa was off on the Atlas somewhere, and Ezor and Violet were trying to get through to Zethrid. Their group had never been family - definitely not as close as Violet was to the paladins - but it had been whole. It would never be like that again.Ezor nodded to Violet and vanished, turning invisible to scout ahead. They were on the rise next to one of the volcanoes dotting the planet, using it as cover for Zethrid's cruiser. Violet crouched down behind a rock, keeping her breathing even, and waited for Ezor to return.When the ground shifted, she felt it. With a start, the air changed - something was wrong. Violet frowned, the hairs on her arms stiffening. Someone else was here.There was a slight hum, and instinct had Violet leaping out of the way as a gun blasted apart the rock she'd been hiding behind. Too late - the blast tore through the side of her right bicep, causing Violet to fall. She cursed, pressing her hands to the wound, and peered up to where the shot had come from.Zethrid jumped down from where she'd been hidden above Violet with a roar, the blaster in her hand still smoking. Violet flung out her uninjured arm, and Zethrid bounced off a wall of golden light. Pain threatened to knock her out, but Violet focused her attention on Zethrid, who was leaping for her again.Zethrid hit the shield with her fists, and it shuddered, but didn't give way. Violet clenched her teeth and pushed against Zethrid's blows. Something caught her eye - a shimmer in the air behind Zethrid. Ezor, invisible.And then she wasn't. Ezor's appendage wrapped around Zethrid's leg and yanked her away; Violet lowered her shield, struggling to her feet, as Zethrid attacked Ezor, flinging her aside.Violet barely had time to jump out of the way as Zethrid launched herself at her; she spun, her shoulder protesting, and met Zethrid's next strike with a gold beam of light. Zethrid dodged it and attacked Violet again, grabbing her wounded arm and twisting it.Pain exploded in Violet's vision, and she stifled a cry. "You took everything from me," Zethrid growled, her face contorted with rage. "You should never have left your precious friends. Now there will be no one to save you. You will die alone." She dragged Violet into the rock shelf overlooking the volcano and lifted her by the throat; Violet's vision spotted, and she clawed at her neck, trying to dislodge Zethrid's grip."You're wrong." Zethrid looked up, blinking in surprise at the voice, and quickly pulled Violet against her with one arm.The MFE Fighters came first, swooping into view and landing on the ground. Then, like a divine being, the Atlas broke through the hazy sky, followed by the lions.It was Veronica who said, "Violet's not alone. She has us."-The Atlas - the real one - had raced to the Baltuf Nebula upon receiving Pidge's transmission. Acxa had paced around the cockpit of the ship, trying to push away the fear coiling in her gut. Keith had told them Violet and Ezor were going to confront Zethrid. Alone.Out of them all, Zethrid's rage had been the worst. She had been born and bred for war and hate, and Lotor had been all too happy to give it to her. Acxa wanted to be able to help her. But Violet came first.Veronica noticed her from where she sat. "Violet will be okay," she said. "Trust me."Acxa regarded her wearily. Veronica had been one of the few cadets at the Garrison who didn't look at her like she was a monster, and so far the only one who seemed to be completely comfortable around her. The other four cadets she knew, the group led by Violet's Griffin guy, had welcomed her - even gone so far as to protect her from the other cadets who were not so peaceful when confronted with her purple skin - but she knew that some part of them would always flinch when she walked into the room. Some people had been hurt too badly by people who looked like her.Acxa didn't blame them. She was not one who had high moral expectations for humans to begin with. They were so fragile, with their small bony arms and delicate emotions. How strange, to grow up in a society that did not feed on war like breastmilk. Most people she met did not even know how to weld more than three kinds of weapons, let alone have knowledge of stategy and battle tactics. Humans were odd.But Veronica ... for some reason, she was different. She lifted her chin when Acxa walked in, rather than averting her gaze, almost like she was making a challenge: I see you.Acxa wasn't yet sure if the warm feeling she got when they locked eyes was unease or gratitude. "How do you know?" she asked.Veronica smiled softly. "Because my sister's gotten through a lot worse than this. She won't let a warlord with anger issues take her down, not when so many worse things have tried and failed."Acxa felt a smile tugging at the corners of her lips at the truth in that. "I hope you're right," she replied."We're entering the Baltuf Nebula now," Coran reported. "Should arrive at the place where Pidge sent the transmission in thirty ticks. MFE Fighters, get ready."Acxa stood. "I'm going with them."Shiro raised an eyebrow, but he had clearly learned a long time ago not to tell girls like her what to do, because he just said, "Get suited up, then."She nodded in thanks and left the room, grabbing a suit and entering the hangar. "Five ticks," Coran said. "Four, three, two, one."Acxa opened the doors and jumped out of the Atlas, landing with a roll on the rocky surface of a volcano. She ducked behind a boulder and looked out at the scene, dread rushing through her in a wave. Zethrid was standing at the edge of an overhang with lava below her, holding Violet by the throat. Ezor was standing a few yards away, calling out to her former ally. "Zethrid, don't do this!" she shouted."Does anyone have the shot?" Griffin demanded through her earpiece. His voice was strained, and she felt the implications of this mission weighing on her like rocks had been piled on her shoulders. It was Violet's life, now, that was hanging in the balance.Acxa raised her gun. She did - she was at Zethrid's blind spot. She wouldn't miss - Acxa hadn't missed a shot a day in her life. She'd never hit Violet. She could shoot Zethrid and be done with it. Zethrid would fall off the rock and into the lava. She'd be gone.Do it, Lotor taunted in her mind. You'd eliminate the threat, simply and efficiently. Do it. Pull the trigger.Ezor was pleading, "Please, Zethrid. I know you're angry, but it doesn't have to lead to more pain. You don't have to follow the path Lotor set out for us. I left, and so can you. You don't have to keep holding on to all this rage."I trained you, Lotor hissed in her mind. You survived because of me. Do as I say. Shoot the target.Acxa aimed her gun and paused, unable to pull the trigger. She couldn't. Not Zethrid."Let it go. Let Violet go," Ezor continued. "Can't you see? We don't have to fight anymore!"For a second, Zethrid almost looked sad. "Who would I be then? Fighting is the only thing I know how do." She raised the blaster.
Fighting is the only thing I know how to do.
Violet let out the little gasping breath that meant there wasn't any air left in her lungs. Acxa closed her eyes. "I'm sorry, Zethrid," she whispered, and pulled the trigger.Zethrid gasped, her arm loosening, and Violet collapsed onto the rock. Silently, Zethrid fell, the fury leaving her face until she looked almost peaceful. Ezor screamed - probably her name.And then Violet's hand closed around Zethrid's wrist, causing her to jerk to a stop. Blood dripped down Violet's arm from the cut on her shoulder, but she held on.Ezor was there in the next moment, her appendage wrapping around Zethrid's chest, and Acxa moved in as well, sliding onto her stomach and grabbing Zethrid's other hand. Inch by inch, the three of them pulled her back up.They collapsed on the rock shelf, Violet's eyes falling closed. I did it, Acxa thought. I pulled the trigger. For them. For her.
For me.
Somehow, she found the strength to stand. To pull Violet, half-conscious and losing blood fast, to her feet, and get her to a medic. To help Ezor lug Zethrid into the Atlas, where she could be handled and decide what to do with. And, finally, to walk back to the control room, where Veronica was waiting.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Zethrid hadn't moved from where she sat in her cell, staring unseeing at the wall, when Violet visited her for a second time."This is pointless, Violet," she said dully. "I am beyond saving.""I won't give up on you, Zethrid," Violet responded, crossing her arms. "You don't have to be like this. We can help you."Zethrid stood. "Don't you see? It's too late. I tried to kill Ezor, and Acxa, and you." Her gaze fell to the pale jagged line that now scarred Violet's shoulder, between her two stripes. "I wanted to. How can you ever look at me without hate and fear again?" She sat, defeated. "Why did you catch me, Violet? Why didn't you let me fall?"Violet touched the cell wall. "Life didn't give you a second chance, Zethrid. So I took up the duty instead." She smiled. "We're the same. Acxa and Ezor and you and I - we were all in the same place that you're in now. And we all got out of it. We deserve this. We deserve to be able to move on from Lotor, to have real lives - to have friends. We deserve to have a second chance, Zethrid." She turned to walk away. "We've all forgiven you. Now you just have to forgive yourself."Zethrid didn't speak, and Violet didn't turn around. But as she opened the door and made to leave, Zethrid said quietly, "Wait."Violet faced her again. "Are you ... an Erythian?" Zethrid asked.Violet blinked in surprise. "Yes. Erythians are a shape-changing species. We can manipulate energy - it's how I summoned the gold shield."Zethrid nodded. "I wondered about your light tricks. Did you have a planet?""Erythia. But it was destroyed thousands of years ago from quintessence poisoning. My people were forced to flee.""That's what I thought," Zethrid murmured. She stood, and her eyes blazed. "Erythia was not destroyed. It still stands, and Honerva has made it her base.""What? How?" Violet demanded. "Erythia blew up. Imploded. Even if it somehow didn't, it would be a husk. The quintessence would have turned it to ash."Zethrid shook her head. "I don't know how. But my alchemists found a way to track the robeasts. We figured out that they travel by wormholes. The wormholes all center around one point in the heart of the universe: the place where Erythia once was. I sent scouts there, but they never returned."Violet stumbled back. "That can't be," she whispered. "It can't-"
She'll reunite us with our people, with Erythia. You don't stand a chance against Empress Honerva.
"Luka," Violet whispered. "She - she wasn't rambling. Honerva gained the Erythian's loyalty by promising to give them back their home." she met Zethrid's eyes. "Thank you, Zethrid."Zethrid just said, "Go."Violet didn't need to be told twice. She ran for Shiro.-"With Zethrid's tracker, we've been able to monitor Honerva's robeasts," Coran informed them. "They've entered the atmospheres of three planets in galaxies bordering Erythia and have launched a simultaneous attack." He lowered the screen he'd been looking at, face somber. Violet and Shiro had called an emergency meeting to employ Zethrid's information and use her tracking, and things were dire."So what can the Coalition do?" Hunk asked.Shiro responded levelly, "We stay focused. Coran, I want you to continue monitoring the planets that the robeasts have landed on. Veronica, tell us as soon as they make a move."Veronica turned her attention to her screen. "About that ... a think they have. I just received another update - the robeasts are equipped with long scimitars that they've plunged into the ground. They think..." she sucked in a breath. "They think they're taking the quintessence from the planets."Allura stood. "Then we must get to them all before they can siphon it all, protect as many lives as possible. None of the planets attacked have the necessary force to fight the robeasts off.""Voltron won't be able to be in three places at once," Keith pointed out. "We could divide up Voltron - two lions and the MFEs for each planet. We wouldn't be able to take down the robeasts, but we could stop them temporarily.""That won't be enough. If Allura pitched in, she could wormhole us to each planet. The robeasts would have to face the full force of Voltron and the Atlas," said Shiro.Violet pushed back her chair and stood. "We're not doing any of those things."Coran asked, "What do you have in mind?"She drew in a breath. "As you all know, Honerva has taken Erythia, my home planet." She pulled up a diagram of the planet on the screen for everyone to see. "Over ten thousand years ago, it was poisoned by the quintessence living in its core. The Erythians were forced to evacuate before it could implode and destroy them, abandoning it."But that's not what happened. For some reason, Erythia didn't implode - it just reverted into itself. It became a husk of the vibrant planet it once was. So what would Honerva want with it?" She paused. "I ... I think I know."A couple weeks ago, I had this ... dream. Of Honerva, before she went mad, before Altea was destroyed - when Alfor was alive. I'm pretty sure it was when he built Voltron. In my dream, Honerva was sitting in a garden with Zarkon, explaining to him how Erythian magic worked. He asked why Erythians wouldn't use their powers to heal their planet, and she answered him by using her own magic. She made a flower's petals bloom, even though it was only a bud, revitalizing it. But then the flower died, and it turned into ash.""You think that's happening to Erythia?" Allura asked."Not exactly," said Violet. "From what I gathered, Erythians with enough magic in their blood can use their powers to temporarily bring something back to life by infusing it with quintessence. But without the quintessence to sustain it, it dies. It's all about balance. Light and dark. Give and take. It's my belief she's going to do that to Erythia.""That makes sense," Coran said, "But why would she want to revitalize Erythia?"
The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire time of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all.
"Three reasons," Violet replied, holding up two of her fingers. "One - she believes it is her destiny. She thinks her duty is to save Erythia. Two - she promised the Erythians to reunite them with their home. It's how she gained their loyalty - by telling them she'd bring back their planet. Three - there are mass amounts of energy in Erythia. It's how the planet was alive so long. Restoring it could give her access to unlimited power for a short while. She could do anything she wanted. She could rip apart reality itself.""That monster," Allura breathed. "We cannot let her succeed."Pidge asked, "What use could she have for that much quintessence?"Violet shook her head, thinking of Honerva's voice in her dreams, bitter and sad. "I don't know. Even now there's a chance I'm wrong about this, but even if there's only a one percent chance that I'm right ... it could mean the end of the war. We need to act immediately. We need to stop her, and the only way to do that is by going directly to Erythia.""Then that's what we'll do," said Keith."The Atlas and the rest of the Coalition will attend to the planets being siphoned of quintessence," Shiro added. "Paladins, be careful. We don't know what we're dealing with here."Violet dipped her chin. "We will, Shiro. I'll keep them safe.""Because you're so careful," Lance muttered."For your benefit, Lance, I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," said Violet. She curled her fingertips, feeling a spark of apprehension. "If everyone is ready, let's start our siege on Erythia."-In the center of the universe, Honerva looked up at Erythia's gray atmosphere as her beasts covered the bleak sky. "Our people have given their lives for too long." She stared down at the crowd before her, the Erythians with faces a mixture of awe and apprehension. Her soldiers, her warriors. "We found our home unable to sustain us, our powers unable to assist us, our monarchs - the people who we'd sworn our loyalty to - doing nothing but sit on their golden thrones as the world crumbled around them."In the Atlas, the MFE Fighters prepared to launch, and Violet's voice broke over the speaker. "I grew up hearing stories of the fall of humanity," she began. "Usually they were zombie apocalypses and alien invasions. I never thought I'd be the one to fight them. But I am one of the only ones who can." Her voice hardened."I have given up too much," Honerva said. "We have given up too much. And finally, the universe is paying us back."Keith walked up to Violet as she continued, waiting for her to finish. He put his hand on her shoulder, and Violet covered it with her own hand gratefully. "Honerva has convinced the Erythians - my people - that they would get their home back. She led them into war. She used them as pawns on her chessboard to defend her - the queen. And now she has built a weapon that could destroy the entire galaxy."Honerva's voice rang out through the dry, despairing planet. "We will get what we deserve - all that pain, all that suffering, will amount to something. All I ask is that you help me achieve it - and end anyone who tries to stop us." Her eyes narrowed, scanning over every Erythian standing before her. "There have been murmurs of an imposter queen, a half-breed with gold markings. This is false. I am your empress, and I am the one who will lead you to victory.""Today," said Violet, "We risk our lives to topple Honerva's false throne. She is no queen, and we will show her how a real ruler leads. We are the only thing that can stop her."Honerva raised her hands, and her robeasts rose all around her. "May you find the strength to fight and vanquish your opponents."As one, the two queens spoke, light years away from each other, their voices becoming one. "This ends today. Once and for all."-Erythia was located in a forgotten quadrant of space, which was, according to some ancient star charts, the center of the universe. Violet gasped when it came into view. It was obvious that the planet had once been vibrant and glowing, full of life. Now it was a husk - gray smoke billowing in storm clouds, a dark, rough surface and jagged canyons and peaks dotting the land. No sign of life at all, not even Erythians.All the same, Violet felt magic surge through her. She felt powerful. Connected to her abilities in a way she'd never experienced before. Keith's eyes widened in surprise when he looked at her. "Vi, you're glowing.""Thanks, but now's not really the time for compliments," Violet said. "We should be focusing on Erythia.""No, I meant ... you're literally glowing. Look." Keith held up her arm, and Violet blinked. Her whole body was emitting a soft light."Huh," she said. "Must be because I'm so close to my home planet, even if it's drained and ruined.""Watch out, everyone," Pidge warned. "We've got double trouble." She pulled up a screen, zooming in on two robeasts speeding towards them. "Let's take them down," Keith said, and Voltron shot forward. As they broke through the atmosphere, two robeasts could be seen. "Form swords!" Keith commanded. "Vi, try to find Honerva. She has to be down there.""On it," said Violet, and scoured the ground below. There was a palace sitting on a rise on Erythia's surface, with a wide platform at the center; she could make out a tiny figure standing on it, arms raised, crackling energy forming above her. Honerva."Got her." Violet summoned her magic, and it came easier than she'd expected. "We need to shake these things and get down there.""That might be a bit of a problem," Keith said, and Voltron swerved to avoid a robeast. The second shot up behind them and drove its scimitars home. Violet grunted as Voltron took the hit. The first, seeing its opportunity, rose up to deliver the last blow.Violet raised her hands, instinct driving her, and pressed them against the side of the black lion. Voltron lit up with a hum, and Keith, looking surprised, twisted the controls. Voltron dislodged itself from the robeast's scimitar and ducked out of the way of the first's - just as it brought it's blade down, striking the second with it's blades.The robeast, looking miffed, pulled away and dove for Voltron again. But the lions dodged easily, swiping at the robeast as it passed with it's swords. "This is incredible," Pidge said as Voltron attacked the other robeast. "Voltron's energy levels - I've never seen anything like it.""Yeah, that might be me," Violet admitted through tight breaths. "I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm pretty sure it's helping, so ... HEADS!"Voltron dodged one of the robeast's scimitars in the nick of time. Violet felt herself weaken, but she kept pouring her energy into Voltron. The black lion was alight with gold sparks now, little balls of energy rising from its controls."We need to hold them off," Keith commanded. "Hunk, form shoulder cannon!"Hunk drove his bayard into its port, and the shoulder cannon fired at the robeasts. In the haze, Voltron swept down to where Honerva was still gathering energy, and Violet tore her fingers from the black lion. With a jolt, the light disappeared."Look out!" Lance yelled. Voltron turned as a beam of dark power blazed behind them and shot into the palace, right where Honerva was. Three other beams appeared on the other sides of Erythia, coalescing above Honerva.Violet didn't have time to shout before the light erupted, bathing them all in inky black.
A boy with a loud laugh and tired eyes sitting with a girl who looked like Veronica, watching their younger cousins play.
Alteans, watching the clouds on Altea, the marks under their eyes glowing as they looked up at the sky.
A pack of wolves with long fur racing across a moon, disappearing and vanishing into thin air as they saw fit.
A brother and a sister crouched in the ruins of a temple, whispering the prayer for the mourning. A year later, the brother kneeling alone, the language of grief flowing from his lips.
A woman with stars in her hair looking up at the sun, waiting for her husband to come home.
And then Violet was back, blinking against the bright light. Dimly, she felt something hot on her face; her fingers came away wet. She brought one to her lips. Salt.
"What just happened?" she asked, voice hoarse, as if she'd been screaming for hours."I think ... those were different realities," Pidge said, her voice filled with utter shock."Huh?!" Lance cried. "That shouldn't be possible, right? Normally we can't see into other realities! Right?"There was silence, and in it Violet realized they were all waiting for Pidge to explain it - to tell them what had happened so it could all make sense, so they knew how to retaliate, so they knew that everything was as it should be."Pidge?" Hunk said through the line, his voice crackly and nervous.When she spoke, it was so quiet Violet had to strain to hear it over the static. "Honerva must have - must have torn open some kind of ... gap in the threads that bind the world together," she whispered. "Now, there are other realities filtering in. If that rift doesn't close soon ... our reality could crumble."For the first time, Violet wondered what kinds of things the others had seen when they were swallowed by the darkness."Paladins," Allura said, and her voice cracked with despair. "Look."Violet peered down at the palace, and the blood drained from her face. Honerva had collapsed, and, before her, stood a monster wreathed in ash and dust.Her bones shook. "No," Violet breathed. "No, I can't - he can't be back. No.""This was Honerva's plan all along," said Keith, face pale. "She used the massive amounts of quintessence in Erythia to break into the rift. She brought Lotor back."Violet closed her eyes, pressing her palms against them. Not this. Anything but this.The monster whipped its head towards them and shot forward, lashing its tail. Voltron struck with its swords, and the monster caught them. Metal screeched against metal as the robot gripped the two swords, and Violet could have sworn it's eyes glinted with malice before it head-butted Voltron in the face.The black lion jerked back, and Lotor's mech took the opportunity to punch Voltron in the chest. This is his revenge, she realized numbly, as if from far away. They went down, and the monster kicked them onto Erythia's surface, relentlessly raining blows down.Voltron thudded into the ground, red alarms blaring, and the monster raised its hands for one final, fatal blow. In that moment, Keith met Violet's eyes."Go," he rasped. "Now.""I'm not leaving you," Violet snapped back. "We'll go down together."He shook his head. "You're the only one who can defeat Honerva. Get to her and end this. We'll hold on until you do."Violet knew they wouldn't, but she was useless here. Lotor's mech straightened, its chest humming as it prepared to strike Voltron in the chest. Violet spun around and ran, not letting herself look back - not wanting to say something to him that would sound too much like a goodbye.She blasted out of the black lion, sprinting for the platform where Honerva stood, her hand held out to the monster. She felt the air grow still, heard the whoosh of the monster's blades.
Not fast enough. I'm not fast enough.
Clenching her teeth, Violet reached out her hand and pushed.
She teleported directly into the air above Honerva's head, a dagger in her hand, as Lotor's scimitar came down.
And as the two mighty blades sank to their targets, Honerva's eyes flashed up and locked with Violet's, and she felt herself being pulled down - summoned - into their inky depths, and was engulfed in darkness for the second time that day.-"Well, well, well." Honerva's voice floated in the black abyss. "The imposter Lost Queen. I finally get to meet the child challenging my throne."Violet whipped around, but no one was there. "It is not your throne," she hissed. "You have no right to lead the Erythians.""And you do?" Honerva taunted."Not really, no," said Violet, "But I know I'll do better than you, because I'd direct my people to peace. I wouldn't use them like you are. The quintessence has poisoned you, Honerva.""The quintessence has made me stronger!" Honerva shouted, her voice rasping and maniacal. "I never needed the prophecy. I made my own power. And my Erythians see that. They are ready to fight. They are my warriors, and they are ready to die for me. You would do the same." Violet felt her materialize behind her. "Our people have suffered at the hands of those who would claim to be our friends for too long, my child. Don't you feel their pain? Their hate? Don't you long to make our enemies pay?""You are my enemy," Violet said with all the certainty she could muster. She whipped around, but there was only darkness.Honerva laughed. She actually laughed, not a sneer but a real, cackling laugh that echoed in Violet's ears from every direction. "Oh, my child. You have been fed so many lies. You should know that no Erythian will ever be your enemy. We are loyal to each other, and no one else.""That loyalty is what killed us," Violet snapped. "Erythia was lost ten thousand years ago because you refused to accept the help of the Alteans. If you hadn't been poisoned, Erythia would still be alive."Honerva appeared in front of her in a blink, her eyes no longer narrowed; instead, they stared straight at Violet, catching her gaze so sharply she could not look away. The markings under her eyes glowed. Honerva drew in a ragged breath, her voice deadly quiet. "Is that what they told you?"Violet tensed, frowning. Everything in her screamed at her to attack, to use her magic, to get away from this thing, but ... there was something here. Some secret she desperately needed to know. "What are you talking about?" She asked.Honerva's gaze burned into her like a wound. She closed her eyes, and in a flash, they were no longer surrounded by darkness, but - light.They were in Erythia.Violet sucked in a breath, the sheer scale of the planet filling her senses. She knew this was a vision, not real, and yet ... she felt as if she just reached out, she could touch her planet. Her home. it called to her in a way she'd never heard before."What have you done?" Violet jumped - not at the voice, but because she knew exactly who it belonged to.She spun around to see Honerva stalking across the field before them, her face a mask of rage. Now that Violet was focused, she realized many important things in quick succession: first, the ground she was standing on was ashy and leeched of color, and the field before them was brittle and dying; second, Alfor was standing a little ways away at the entrance to a mine, clad in armor; and third, on Honerva's brow was a golden circle that looked exactly like Allura's.All of this she registered, and more, but was not able to comprehend any of it, because Honerva had reached Alfor and said, her voice trembling, "It was you. It was never Zarkon and his generals harvesting the quintessence from Erythia. It was you.""Yes and no," Alfor said, and she noticed lines on his face that had not been there before. There were sparks of light dancing along Honerva's fists, but he didn't seem afraid, just tired. "Erythia was already being poisoned by your family's hunt for power. They abused this planet far more than we ever did; we just sped up the process."Honerva stared at Alfor, her eyes wide and strangely human. When she spoke, her voice broke. "But - but why? I was going to save it. I was going to save us, Alfor. Erythia was healing. I could see it - Erythia was healing. And you hurt it all over again.""We thought," Alfor said quietly, "That if you knew the lengths Zarkon would go to get power at your expense, you would listen to reason."Honerva exploded. "REASON?" She screamed. "REASON? You have been killing my home for years to power your armies behind my back, pretending to be my ally, my friend, while I have given every last shred of my magic to try and save it - and tried to frame the only person who has ever been on my side? And you think I am the one who needs to see reason? You think Zarkon and I are the villains of this story? Look at yourself, Alfor! Look at yourself!" She spat at his feet. "I will burn you to the ground. I hope you know that. I will destroy your home as surely as you have destroyed mine. How is little Allura now, Alfor? Fast asleep in her cradle? Is Melenor watching over her while you go off to betray the people you once swore to protect?"Alfor's jaw tensed at Allura's name, but otherwise his face was stony as he said, "I'm sorry, Honerva. I wish it did not have to end this way."Honerva's eyes blazed, and she opened her mouth to scream again, but he cut her off. "Queen Honerva of Erythia, I hereby renounce your crown on behalf of the Erythian people for allowing your home planet to be abused by your family for generations in an evil quest to get more power, and then by the Galra to supply their armies and ships with energy.The throne will pass to your next of kin, and if you should have none, to your appointed successor, the current ruler of Altea. Me."Honerva sneered, "You don't really think I'd ever-"And then, in one swift movement, Alfor activated his Bayard and sunk his sword into her chest.Violet gasped, feeling like it was her skin being impaled, her heart thudding like a frightened animal in her ribs. Honerva made a choking sound, her eyes going wide, the magic dying at her fingertips. Gently, Alfor knelt, lowering her to the ground like he was laying her to rest.She clutched his shoulder, bringing their heads close. "I will ... k-kill them all."Silently, Alfor placed his hands around her temples and lifted the circlet off of Honerva's brow.She was still by the time it was in his hands.In a flash, they were back, and Violet was on her hands and knees in the black void, her face sticky and hot. Her chest heaved, and she dug her palms into the ground, struggling to orient herself.That was when she realized it - the ground was made of ash.Gasping, she scrambled to her feet, only to be greeted face-to-face by Honerva. Had her heart not already been beating a mile a minute, she would've jumped out of her skin."You see, now," Honerva said, her voice sad, resigned. As if replaying the memory had taken as much of a toll on her as it had on Violet."How," Violet managed to say, pushing sweaty strands of hair back from her face. She gaped at Honerva, at her bare forehead, thinking of the gold circlet that was now on another heir's brow. "How did you survive that?"Honerva smiled, and it was both sad and evil at once, so much so that Violet wondered if they were really very different at all. "I've already told you, my child. I had my own power." Pale light bubbled up at her spread hands, painfully bright in the dark void.Violet felt the need to shield her eyes, but she didn't. Instead, she let the light in.She could still hear Alfor's voice, so terribly flat, like he'd made the decision to betray Honerva a long time ago and was now just dealing with the consequences.Would Allura believe her, if she told her her father had murdered a queen in cold blood? Or if she told her about the circlet? Would anyone believe her if she told them the truth about the fall of Erythia, that it was Altea, not the Galra, that had sabotaged the planet?It didn't even matter, really. Not any of it. The secrets of the past were only important to those who still lived in it.And Honerva...Violet met her gaze, searching in the lost queen's eyes for anything real, anything tangible or sane or human. "You shouldn't be alive," she whispered, dread settling in her gut. "You ... Erythia is supposed to be about balance. Light and dark. Give and take. You showed me that. But you ... you just took. You were supposed to die that day, but you didn't.""And it's good that I didn't," Honerva said, face eager. "The prophecy still needs fulfilling - I can still save Erythia. But, my child ... if I had you with me, we could accomplish so much more."Violet's voice was stiff. "Why do you keep calling me that? I'm not your child."Honerva tilted her head to the side. "Oh, but you are."Suddenly, Voilet found she couldn't swallow. Her throat closed. "What?""It's obvious, isn't it?" Honerva's eyes flashed brightly, something twisted and greedy sending them alight. "You have the markings, which means you must be descended from me." Her knuckles brushed Violet's cheek, and she had to hold in a shudder. Honerva touched her almost tenderly. "I'm your grandmother, Violetta."Violet's could've sworn her heart stopped beating."Well, give or take a few generations." Honerva's hand dropped, and she smiled bitterly. "My mother had ordered me to continue the line when we noticed the war on the horizon; I refused - I was twenty. I didn't want children. But she found a nice third cousin and, well ... I never really had a choice. She didn't even get to see my daughter, though. Died the day before." Her hand waved through the air dismissively, as if the memory of her mother's death was a passing fly. "But I followed the line. I did my best to eradicate it, mind you. Almost succeeded with Kieran - but that little human runt slipped me up. I hear he's dead anyways, though?"Violet jolted back, her skin burning. "Don't you dare say his name," she said sharply. "You don't deserve it.""That's the thing about power, granddaughter," said Honerva, and showed her teeth. Magic curled around her hands. "Nobody thinks you deserve any of it. That's why you have to take it." Her hand stretched out. "Join me. Let's put our differences aside. We are so similar, you and I. Our magic, our blood, our strength. With your power, we could be unstoppable. We could remake Erythia. Our people would never have to suffer again."
Unstoppable.
Violet let out a breath, watching Honerva's hand. She felt Honerva creep closer, thinking she'd won."They are not your people," Violet said, "And they never will be. You should've died the day Alfor cut out your heart." She whipped around, lashing out at Honerva with a gold blast of light. Honerva blocked it easily with her own shield, and Violet pressed against it harder. With a growl, Honerva pushed it away and dissolved back into darkness."You cannot keep me here forever," Violet snarled at nothing, "and the moment you release your hold, I will kill you."Honerva reappeared with a glowing orb in her hands. "Then you will end your friends as well. I am the only thing keeping my son at bay." She bore the orb to Violet with a hungry grin. It was an image - of Lotor's monster, poised to strike down Voltron. The black lion stood, prone, before it, and Violet's heart clenched, reminding her of everything that lay outside this black void. Keith.If she struck down Honerva, there would be nothing to stop Lotor. Voltron would be defeated. Keith and the others would be gone."Join the right side of this war," Honerva breathed into her ear, and then the darkness was gone and Violet was back on Erythia, her dagger aimed at the witch's heart.She had to do it. With Honerva gone, she could claim the Erythian throne and bring her people together. Conquer Lotor again, if she had to, and liberate the universe. it was the right thing to do, too, in more ways than one. Killing Honerva would restore whatever balance she'd broken by using her poisoned magic to keep herself alive.Violet thought of Keith. His laugh, his lopsided grin, the way his eyes caught in the light when he was talking about something he believed in. The way his voice sounded during those long, quiet nights, when they lay together and he whispered in her ear three words over and over, like a mantra built into the folds of his bones, a promise made when all was lost.
I love you.
With a cry, Violet shoved her power aside. The light faded, and she crashed to the ground in front of Honerva."Good decision," Honerva said, her lips curling.Violet stood, shaking in fury. "Do not die tomorrow," she said. "Or the day after. Stay alive until I can kill you myself. I might not be able to do it today. But I promise you, witch, your blood will be the last that stains my hands."She could've sworn Honerva flinched, but Violet didn't pause to see it. She turned and summoned her power, feeling it race through her blood. Wreathed in light, Violet vanished into golden mist.She teleported back into the black lion, feeling her pulse skitter at the sudden jump. "Paladins," Violet said. "Are you all with me? We need to go now." She ran over to Keith, who was sitting up wearily. "We need to get out of here or we'll all die.""My lion's back on," Lance reported. "What happened?""We lost," Violet said quietly. I lost. "And all the realities will pay for it."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
At first, there was bright light. This was always how the dreams started, and ended too. Silver light stretching across the stars and swallowing the sky until all that was left was blank space.
Then the voices came, whispers along the wind, always her name. Then the brush of something distinctly feline against her calves; she heard Kova's low purr but couldn't look down to see him. He was gone as soon as he'd come. And then, in the white void, a woman - an Erythian, with gold markings, laughing joyfully. Honerva, when she'd just been a scientist. And then, a growl, from somewhere beyond the void - the growl of a lion calling. She turned, face brightening further - almost unnaturally so - and then the vision changed.
Dust and bits of marble rose into the air, parting for a creature one with a long, curling tail and double swords and narrowed eyes. Join me, it hissed. With your power, we could be unstoppable. We could remake Erythia. Our people would never have to suffer again.
The monster offered its clawed hand, palm open; and then Honerva was there instead, her face serene, her hand outstretched, standing in the white void.
The light came next, in a searing blast, until only Honerva's glowing markings could be seen amidst the blinding light.
Violet jerked upright, gasping, in her bed, her hand going instinctively to her pillow, where her sharpest dagger was hidden underneath. Her room was dark - there was no one there but her.She forced her heartbeat to slow. It had been a dream. The same one that had plagued her every night for a week - Honerva and Lotor, reaching out their hand to her in a silver void. Violet had no idea what it meant. She hoped desperately that it was her imagination, and nothing more.With a groan, she flopped back onto her bed. She'd been sleeping with Keith more after the nightmares came - she'd never be able to fall back asleep otherwise. Tonight, though, it had to be three in the morning, and she didn't want to wake him. Sleeping through the night was precious, these days.Violet held her hand up to her face, staring at the callouses on the tops of her fingers. They'd come from using her magic, summoning the light in beams and shields. Circles of torn, rough skin at the tips of her hands. Violet concentrated, and a thread of light appeared in the palm of her hand, illuminating the room.She extinguished it with a long sigh and slipped on her boots. She'd had more than enough light for the day.-The Erythians were awake when Violet came in - they always were. Every robeast the Atlas had hunted down from Honerva's attack had held an injured Erythian inside. Once they'd defeated the beasts, the Erythians had been taken aboard the Atlas. They were held in one of the empty guest rooms, some cross between prisoners and refugees no one really knew what to do with.The newest, Tavo, eyed her wearily as she walked into the room, but didn't give her the hostile glare that others were directing at her. "Why are you here?" One asked. Violet blinked at him for a second before his face clicked - Ender. A smattering of freckles across his nose and pale blue irises that expanded when he glared. Green markings - shielding."To talk. Why else?" Violet replied. "We're the only people on board awake. There's no one other than us about."Ender glared at her, but said nothing. As always, his eyes flitted to the gold markings under Violet's eyes.Violet blew out a breath. "Look," she said, "I know you don't trust me. I'm not asking you to. But I didn't come here to interrogate you or extract information. I came here to be among other Erythians." She shrugged. "You don't have to answer my questions. But that won't stop me from asking them."The Erythians were quiet before Tavo said quietly, "We will talk with you. Know, though, that you are not a queen, and certainly not ours."Violet's eyes hardened. "I don't want to be queen," she replied honestly. "But I will, if that's what I have to do to see my people at peace again."Tavo went silent, and tension hung thick in the air. Until one of the Erythians - Lin, who hadn't spoken since they'd found her - murmured, "Do you know what it was like? Erythia?" When everyone looked at her, she added hastily, "Honerva brought us back to our home. But I don't believe it really used to look so ... gray." She looked up hopefully, her red markings offsetting her pale skin.Violet smiled. "I haven't seen it with my own eyes," she said, "but I've gotten glimpses, in dreams and memories." The Erythian's ears perked."They say it was bursting with color," One of the Erythians whispered. "Full of life and light.""It was," said Violet. "That and more." She sat down on one of the chairs, fingering a strand of her hair. "Pulsing, almost, with energy. It felt like it was made for us. When I traveled to Erythia a week ago and saw it for the first time - gray, old, and forgotten - I could still ... feel that energy." She looked up. "You all can feel it too. Just being close to Erythia gives me strength."Lin nodded, her face becoming wistful. "Red markings mean we can see the way the energy connects to the heart of the world," she said. "It was just what Honerva needed in her pilots. We're quicker, stronger, more agile than any other Erythian. And we can endure anything. When I first stepped onto Erythia, it was like ... like I'd been asleep my whole life and I was finally awake."Ender stood, glaring at Lin. "Do not spill your emotions as easily as water from a fountain," he spat. "Honerva will reunite us with Erythia, as she promised, while we stand her with some imposter queen and tell tall tales of our planet. They can lie all they want, but the truth is that they have lost. Lotor is back, and soon his light will shine on us all."Violet shot to her feet, her anger sparking. "You don't know half of what you speak," she said, forcing her voice to be steady. "You have been fed lies so thoroughly you have forgotten to seek the truth. Look around you, Ender. Have we lied to you, or mistreated you, since you have been here? Use something other than your ears. Do you see me?" She pointed to her markings. "Can you see what color they are? Gold. Gold for power - the true kind, not the unnatural energy Honerva harvests - and gold for Erythia. I can't change it, and neither can you."Ender sat down with a huff, but he was quiet. Violet said to the Erythians, "Please listen. Lotor may give you light, but it is to blind you. Don't let yourself fall to him like I did." She walked to the door, pausing at the exit, and blew out a breath. "I will never be a good queen, and I'll probably never be the ruler you want me to be. But at least I love the stars enough not to blind them with my light."-Keith was waiting for her at breakfast a couple hours later. "Anything?"Violet shook her head, angrily searching for her cereal. "Nothing I say gets them to change their minds. I don't know why I try." She slammed a cupboard. "Dammit! Where are the Frosted Flakes?"He blinked. "The what now?""Sugar cereal. I swear to all the stars, if Lance ate them again..."Violet started to slam another cupboard, but Keith caught her hand. "If you search for these frosted flakes more aggressively you're going to break the cabinet doors. Sit down with me, okay?"Violet blew out a breath. "Okay." Keith led her to his table in the mess hall. "I know speaking with the Erythians is getting you frustrated, and you're visiting them before dawn every day. Maybe you should take a break."She was shaking her head before the words were out of his mouth. "I can't. The Erythians are my people - I have to help them. But they're turning me away. You have no idea how it feels to be rejected by your own people.""Actually," said Keith, "I do. Half-Galra, remember? An outcast on both sides." He shrugged. "I'm not a lost princess, though, so I guess there's that."Violet's lips twitched upward. "Keith the Lost Princess. I like the sound of it.""If you call me that, I'm going to start calling you Violetta."She glared at him. "You wouldn't."He saluted her sarcastically. She raised a hand to smack him, but he caught it, face softening. "My point is, Vi, I don't know what it's like for you. But that doesn't mean you're alone. You've suffered more than anyone should in a thousand lifetimes, and I'd die to keep you from suffering for one more."Violet smiled. "Thank you, Keith. But I've suffered so that the others don't have to. So that you don't have to. Which is why you're not allowed to die. We made a promise, remember? You said you wouldn't leave me again.""I know," Keith said softly. "I intend to uphold it. But ... sometimes I feel like things can't stay this perfect. Like something has to happen sooner or later that will rip us apart." He frowned, reaching for his cereal, and poured milk into his bowl. "Every second I spend with you feels like you're just slipping further away.""You still love me, though," Violet said, and smiled. "Look at it this way. Let's say it turned out we were all going to die tomorrow. No loopholes. How would you spend your last day alive?""That's easy," said Keith. "With you."Violet took his hand, clasping it with hers. "Exactly. Even if you knew that things would go to hell, and you'd lose me forever, it wouldn't change what you felt. Because love is about giving in to your heart - it's about caring for someone wholly, with every inch of your soul." She drew her hand away and finished, "You love me now with all the vastness of the stars in the sky, and even death can't take that away.""You're wrong about one thing," said Keith, and he kissed her forehead. "My love for you is vaster than the stars."She laughed, feeling light; and then noticed which cereal Keith was eating.Violet said as calmly as she could, "Keith Kogane. Are you eating my Frosted Flakes?"He blinked in surprise, looking over to the cereal box next to his bowl. "Those are Frosted Flakes? I didn't realize." He shrugged and handed the box over to Violet, pausing to shake the cereal into his bowl.Violet jerked away, almost falling off the bench, and considered breaking up with him. "You - you put the milk before the cereal."He looked at her, confused. "Doesn't everyone?"Violet gaped at him, but before she could lose the remainder of her sanity, someone called her name. She turned to see Allura rushing towards her."The Erythians," she said, breathless. "They want to speak with you!"Violet blinked. "Me? Me as in their rejected Lost Queen me?" She checked behind her. "Really? Why?"Allura shook her head. "I do not know. But something you said to them must have inspired them. Hunk is bringing along cookies he made - he says it might help in bringing them together."Violet's face stretched into a grin. "It's good they've come around." She turned to Keith. "Let's go.""Actually, Violet, I think it would be better if you talked to them alone," said Allura. "The Erythians are much less willing to talk to anyone who isn't of their people. Keith is also half-Galra. I don't think they'd be as inclined to speak freely with him around."Violet's eyes narrowed, and she bit back the retort on the tip of her tongue. "Fine. I'll go alone, then."Keith kissed her, sweeter than any sugar cereal. "I'll be waiting for you as soon as you're done, okay?" he said, and she nodded.-Tavo was waiting for Violet when she walked in. "Good, you're here," he said, relieved.Violet smiled, sitting down opposite him. "Thank you for speaking with me, Tavo. I hope I can get to know you."Tavo shook his head. "You won't. We must make haste. Honerva will know what I have done soon, and then it will be too late."Violet frowned. "What do you mean? Honerva is galaxies away. She couldn't-""We're losing time," Tavo interrupted, his face urgent. "Please. You were right when you said Honerva's piower was unnatural. Her magic - it reeks of unbalance. She reeks of it. It's easier for the other to ignore, but Lin and me - we can sense it. My healing magic is repelled by her. The universe had rejected her creation."Violet regarded him with narrowed eyes. "Why are you telling me this?""Because I know she is not the Lost Queen. Which means it must be someone else."His eyes dropped to her markings, and she understood. "You think it's me," she said.Tavo looked away. "The lost queen comes," he said, voice so low he could've been talking to himself. "She heals what has been broken. She ends the war. She saves us all." His gaze flashed to hers, sure and quick. "I do not know who you are, Violetta Idalia. But if you can be her - if you really can save us all - then I will follow you."Violet swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry, and nodded. "I know my purpose," she said softly.Tavo dipped his chin, some long-forgotten ritual that held the significance of worlds, of queens, of planets. "Then you must know that you are in grave danger. With Lotor back, Honerva can use his mech to-" he let out a choked noise, cutting off, and fell from his seat.Violet darted towards him, her heart pounding. Nonononono- Tavo caught her hand, his face contorting in pain. "My family," he managed to gasp out. "My wife, Issabela - Honerva will punish her. Save her." He went limp."No!" Violet cried. Hastily, she held her hands over Tavo's body, summoning her magic. She hadn't tried healing before, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She shoved her power into him, and Tavo gasped, his eyes flying back open. But they weren't dark gray anymore - they were gold, the color of the light emanating from his body.Commander Holt rushed into the room, stopping when he saw Tavo's gaping mouth. "Violet," he whispered. "What did you do?"Violet tried to scramble to her feet, but Tavo still gripped her wrist. "I - I don't know," she said. "I tried to heal him.""V-Violet." Tavo was speaking, his voice guttural and strange. "Push your magic - into me. Seal it."Violet did as he said, closing her eyes and reaching out for Tavo. She thrust her magic into his body, and he relaxed slightly, face calming."Thank you," he said. "You will not be able to hold me for long, and when you lose control I will die." He smiled softly. "Tell the other Erythians what I did, but make sure they know it was their choice. Do not let any of them speak with you as I have done, for it will put them in danger."A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Violet's face, and she forced more of her magic into Tavo. but her control was shaky, stumbling; no matter how much energy she poured into him, it wasn't enough. It was like what Honerva had done with the flower in her dream - restored it. But when she couldn't hold on..."I believe in you," Tavo continued, his grip on her wrist loosening. "I didn't want to accept it before. But now ... now I see. You are the Lost Queen, and you have returned. I wish - I wish I could've been there to see the day you ceased to be a Lost Queen - the day you became a real one." He let out an odd, low noise, and said through gritted teeth, "Honerva plans to use Lotor's mech, not Lotor himself. The true prince is gone - she found only poison when she reached into the rift. His beast is the only thing capable of piercing realities."With a last stutter, Violet's power slipped. She cried out, but it was too late - Tavo slumped, his eyes closing. The light faded from him, until he was back to normal.But he kept dimming. Tavo faded away until he fully disintegrated into ash.Violet stared at the gray pile of dust that used to be Tavo. She felt the wrongness of it simmer in her bones. She never wanted to use healing magic again. Not like this."Violet," Sam said softly. "Look."Violet stared numbly at the mound of ash. There was something under it - something alive. Confused, she watched as a dark orb emerged from the pile, hovering in the air.And then it attacked.Pure instinct had Violet diving out of the way as the sphere spiraled towards her. She scrambled to her feet, pulse racing, as the orb twisted back around for another attack. "We have to get out of here!" Sam ordered, making a beeline for the exit. Violet followed, still stunned, and the orb thudded into the door as it closed behind her.-"This is a case created to hold viruses and unknown diseases," Sam was saying. "It isn't the perfect option, but it will contain this orb ... thing until we can figure out where it came from." When she didn't respond, he turned to her. "Violet? Are you alright?"She blinked and let out a startled laugh. "Am I - no, Sam. Of course I'm not alright. I just killed one of my people. I killed an - an innocent person, and now I have to deal with - this." She squinted at the dark orb, which was floating in the tank. "In what scenario could I possibly be alright?"She felt Sam's hand on her shoulder. "I know. It was a bad question. I'm sorry." He paused. "I can see that you're stressed, Violet ... perhaps you should get some rest. Until we know more information about this, it's probably a good idea to keep our distance."Violet was staring at the sphere again. It was still now, focused on her. She could feel it - feel its dark energy, writhing around in the tank. Almost like it was calling to her."Violet?""Right." She shook off the feeling, forcing herself to walk away. "Keep our distance."Keith was waiting for them when they left the room. He immediately stood, his face concerned. "Vi? What happened?"Violet looked to Sam. she didn't have the strength to recount the events. He gave Keith a brief description of what had commenced, and Keith's brows furrowed further with each word. When Sam finished, he said, "Commander Holt - can we have a moment?""Of course," Sam said, and left.Keith said as soon as he left, "You didn't kill him."Violet's gaze fell. "I did, though. I did the same thing Honerva tried to do with Erythia. I infused him with magic until I'd taken what I needed, and then I let him die. He turned to ash, Keith. There was nothing left but that - that-"Keith pulled her against him, and Violet realized she was shaking. His arms wrapped around her, and she sank against his chest."You didn't let him die," Keith said as he held her. "Honerva was the one who killed him."Violet's eyes burned. "He's still dead. I still could have saved him."Keith pulled away and tilted her face up so she was forced to meet his eyes. "Yes, he is, and yes, you could have, and that knowledge is never going to get easier. But if you shut down and blame yourself you won't be able to prevent Honerva from killing another Erythian. So focus on what's ahead and all the people out there you can still save. Okay?"Violet nodded. "Okay."He relaxed. "Shiro says we're stopping at a planet to go to a carnival later today. Do you want to come?""I think I should rest," Violet said, shaking her head. "I've been having..." dreams. Visions. Nightmares."I've been having trouble sleeping lately," she finished lamely. Of course Keith knew that - she'd been sleeping in his room almost every night, and when she wasn't, she was visiting the Erythians."I could stay here with you if you want," Keith offered. "I don't think the Atlas could survive if you got bored again."Violet felt herself smile softly. "You should go," she said. "We've all been copped up on this ship. You can get me something - be warned, I have high demands. It must be big, fluffy, or outrageously sparkly."Keith grinned. "The sparkliest they have."-The five lions flew down to the carnival. "This is going to be a relaxing, stress-free day," Shiro instructed. "All of these people only get one day to celebrate a year. I want you all to celebrate as much as they are. However, we're also here to protect these people. If you see anything suspicious, make contact with the Atlas immediately.""I spent my savings of gizmars and bought each one of us fifteen Clear Day chips," Coran said once they touched down. "They'll get you to rides and shows. Or you can buy some food. I suggest not eating, though. The last time I tried one of their pig-in-a-blankets-""Hey, where's Vi?" asked Lance, looking around the group.Keith replied, "She's going to stay back and rest. The thing with Tavo really shook her, so I'm going to bring her something back.""I can help, then," Lance said. "I have the perfect idea in mind. You know how Vi's hair has been growing since you accidentally chopped it off when you were in your Galra form?""I ... don't see how that's relevant," said Keith.Lance flapped his hand at him. "Just listen. It's too short for her to pull it up like she used to, so she's experimenting with this braid-ponytail thing. The point is she needs a new hair pin."Keith was still frowning. He had no experience whatsoever shopping for women's hair products.Lance smirked at his lost expression. "Don't worry, Mullet. I'll help you."Keith's mood soured further. "When are you going to stop calling me that?" He grumbled.Lance slung an arm across his shoulders, which he immediately shrugged off. "Until the day I die."-Back in the Atlas, Violet was meeting with the Erythians to tell them about Tavo. She knew she should try to get some rest, but lying in her bed and staring up at the ceiling didn't seem that inviting."Where is Tavo?" Ender asked as she walked in. "Is he alright?" For once, his face wasn't angry.Violet ignored him. "Can any of you heal?" she asked, scanning the Erythians until her gaze landed on Zoya, an Erythian who looked similar to Tavo with dark hair, gray eyes and pale blue markings. "Zoya?"Zoya's eyes narrowed, but she said, "Yes. Tavo and I are cousins - we come from a long line of healers. Is he here?"It was clear she wouldn't move until her questions were answered, so Violet said, "Tavo is dead. Honerva killed him."Ender shot to his feet. "Impossible!" he shouted. "We are light years away from our Empress. What have you done with him? Did you murder him? Have you come to finish us off, too?"Violet stared him down. "Tavo agreed to talk to me about finding out what Honerva had planned for Erythia. Before he could say anything, she killed him using the connection she has to all of you. We were able to extract it - it takes on the appearance of a dark orb with a mind of its own, and there's one in all of you. Honerva uses them to spy on you. There's a possibility she's spying on this very conversation."Lin, who'd been sitting on the floor, pulled her knees up to her chest, her eyes wide. "But why? Honerva knows we are loyal.""Honerva takes no chances," Violet replied. "You all know this." She sat down, uninvited, on one of the chairs. "I tried to heal Tavo, but I am inexperienced. I revived him with my magic, but I couldn't hold on, and he..." Her voice died.Zoya's face went pale. "You Faded him," she whispered."I don't know what I did," Violet said sharply, and calmed herself. She chose her words carefully. "I want to learn about it. How to control it." I want to know if it works on certain people. "So the next time someone I love gets hurt, I can save them.""How dare you claim to love him?" Ender snarled. "You hold nothing for Tavo but hate. How do we know you are not lying to us?""Love does not have to be clear," said Violet. She stood. "Most of the time it isn't. Love is a bond between two things. Tavo and I are bonded. I am his queen, and he is my people. I am bonded to him as I am bonded to all of you." She faced him until they were inches apart. "I love all of you. Call it what you want. But it certainly isn't hate."Lin said softly from her spot on the floor, "She's not lying."Ender's head whipped towards her. "What?""She's not lying," Lin said, lifting her chin. "She has the residue on her. When you Fade someone, you give up part of your energy. It can never be regained. Hers is depleted in that way - like a hole is the very essence of her being. It used to be light - now it is nothing but ash.""You can see that?" asked Violet. "I can feel it as well." The spot where he power was in the center of her body - there was a tiny hole missing from it. She'd poured her magic into Tavo, and it hadn't regenerated. It was odd - one small piece of herself, lost forever.Zoya, who'd been listening to them talk, stood. "I will teach you the ways of Fading and proper healing, Violetta. But not for you. For Tavo."Violet nodded. "I'll take it. When can we start?""Tomorrow." said Zoya. "For now, I must grieve the loss of my cousin."Violet paused. "One last thing. Do any of you know an Erythian named Issabela?"Zoya blinked. "Yes. Tavo's wife."Issabela. Violet memorized the name. Just one other Erythian she'd try to save. "Once you all go back to the others," she said, "Point her out to me. I'd like to give her my regards."She left, Zoya's mouth parting in surprise behind her, and returned to her room. She might as well try and sleep, and wait for the others to come home. Or she could visit Veronica.Violet was so lost in her thoughts she didn't realize she was going in the wrong direction until she walked into a room and realized it wasn't hers.The orb stilled when she looked at it, twisting around. It didn't have a face, but she sensed that it was looking at her. Violet froze.She backed away, striding away as quickly as she could without running. Violet made it to her room, and slumped against the door, breathing hard. She could still feel the sphere, still here its voice ringing in her head, all too familiar.
Violet. Violet. Violet.
Wait. That wasn't the sphere.She looked up, eyes widening. Lotor was standing in the middle of her room.-There was a screech. Lotor turned to look disdainfully at the section of the wall behind him Violet had blasted apart with a beam of light. The magic had gone straight through him."Not exactly the warm welcome I was expecting," Lotor said, his mouth turning up at the side.Violet stood, lifting her chin and calming her erratic heartbeats. "What are you doing here?" He was only a ghost - nothing more. He had to be.Lotor tilted his head smoothly to the side. "To see you, of course. It has been so long, Violet, and I've only just returned."Violet's eyes narrowed. He was trying to scare her - manipulate her. He always had. Not this time."I thought you were still playing Honerva's lapdog," she said, letting herself relax. "How did that happen, by the way? You just wanted to find the most powerful empress so you could kneel to them?" Her gaze cut into his. "It's unlike you, Lotor."His eyes blazed, and she knew she'd met her mark. "I am no one's lapdog, and certainly not that witch's. She is my mother."Violet blinked. Now that she thought about it, it made sense. Honerva had been Zarkon's only love - who else could Lotor's mother be? But that meant..."You're Erythian?""Only by blood. I have no magic." He frowned down at himself. "But the Erythian intellect, grace, their connection to quintessence ... it was how I was able to build the trans-reality ship. Although I'm a bit irritated that I did not realize what you were as soon as you unlocked the Oriande stone."Violet stared at him, another pair of dots connecting in her mind. "Wait ... you're my brother."He smiled, showing his teeth. "Half. Give or take a few centuries."She forced her face to stay neutral. This was just another thing she would purposely not think about. "You ... you're not real."His face softened, and he stepped closer. "I am here. To aid you in killing Honerva."Violet masked her surprise, instead snorting. "And why should I trust you? You lied to me. You hurt my friends. I don't know how she brought you back, but I know that she shouldn't have. You went mad, Lotor.""A small price to pay for all that I - all that we - accomplished," Lotor replied easily. He took another step towards her. "The rift is where Honerva gets her power. If we cut off her access to it, we can take her down."Violet couldn't hide the flash of interest and a sliver of hope that flitted across her face, and she smoothed her voice before saying, "Be that as it may, Honerva has Erythia. With the planet's power, she could rival me. And I am untrained and inexperienced. She is a queen, and I am not.""You are mistaken. Honerva is not a true queen. But you, Violet..." he was almost to her. "You are a survivor, a fighter, and a queen. Honerva would never stand a chance." He stopped and stood in front of her, eyes glinting with what could have been pride. "All you must do is try."Violet's mouth was dry. She wet her lips, and the word slid from her mouth before she could catch it. "How?"Lotor smiled, and then they were no longer in her room; they were standing next to the tank that held the orb. "This entity holds the power you seek," said Lotor. "Honerva stole it from the quintessence field, twisted it with her magic until is was dark and vile. But it is powerful, and allows her to form connections with her people - sometimes even control them. "Bonding with the entity could cause your magic to rise to levels far beyond anyone's comprehension. You would be able to shift your shape, teleport, blast cities to ruin with your light - all in the blink of an eye. But most importantly, you could protect your friends. With this unlimited power, you'd never have to watch them fall before you."The room faded into darkness, and when Violet turned, she found herself on a dry landscape with rocky green-yellow earth and tall cacti. There were tents dotting the planet's surface, flapping in the light breeze. As she watched, someone emerged from the tent closest to her.Violet's throat caught. "Mom?"Ivy Idalia smiled, and her face looked so much like Veronica's that Violet stopped breathing for a second. "I'm so glad you're finally here," she said, her voice warm. "My daughter, home right in the nick of time.""Right in the nick of time? Why?" Violet asked.The smile never leaving her face, Ivy pointed to the horizon. Violet looked and stumbled back. Galra cruisers were blinking into existence, dark patches against the clear blue sky.Ivy spread her hands. "Only you can save us, Violetta."The cruisers began to fire, tearing up the ground by her mother's feet. And then, through the smoke, someone emerged.The very air seemed to halt. Violet stared at the figure in the dust as they raised their arms.And then light blazed, so bright she was knocked off her feet. The ground split, the planet groaning, as light shot for the Galra cruisers. They exploded from the inside, shattering into pieces that rained down upon the earth.The dust surrounding the figure cleared, and Violet got a good look at them. It was her. Her, with her back straight and her chin raised defiantly. Her, with glowing gold eyes and light shrouding her like mist. Her, with a crown placed atop her brow.Ivy's voice floated to her, disembodied. "I'm so proud of you."Violet turned and gasped. Her mother was gray, along with the rest of the planet. It had Faded, and there was nothing left as her mother turned into ash.-"Lance," said Keith. "I found it."Lance looked over from where he'd been browning jewelry. "Mnm?"Keith held up the hair clip. It was ornate, a gold circular pin with a star in the center. It matched Violet's arm cuffs and earrings, and it screamed her name.Lance whistled. "Wow, muchacho. You outdid yourself.""Don't call me muchacho," Keith said. "That's worse than Mullet." Lance had been trying to find new nicknames for him for the past two hours, offering varying words in Spanish, English - at one point even calling him mein liebling, which apparently meant 'friend' in German. "Let's go find the shopkeeper. Vi's going to love this."They paid for the clip and left the store. "Thanks for helping me, Lance," Keith said. "You should get something for Allura, too."Lance's face lit up. "Oh, yeah! I could get her a toy blue lion or something."A man who was standing in front of them glared. "Hurry up, you two! You're slowing down the line!""What line?" asked Lance. Keith looked around. They were standing in front of a long line of people, next to a car that led into a tent - some kind of ride."We're not trying to go on the ride," Keith said to the person who was at the head of the line."One Clear Day chip each," the guy said, holding out his hand. "Now."Grumbling, Lance gave him two chips. "Can we go now?"The guy snorted. "Of course not." He pushed Lance and Keith into the ride. "Do not leave the car, even if there's an emergency. If you stick your hands out of the car's radius, you will no longer have hands. Have a fun time in the Tunnel of Love." The car began to move."Wait," said Lance. "The tunnel of what?"The pink and red lights blinked on to reveal a long track the car was on, with arches shaped like hearts and stick figures popping up from the ground to sing. "As long as we have love, we'll be together forever, together forever, as long as we have love..."Everything was red and pink, including Lance's face. "I ... was not expecting this."Keith groaned as they passed through a heart-shaped archway. "This is hell. I've died and I'm in hell.""At least it'll be over soon," Lance pointed out.Suddenly, the car they were in stuttered to a stop. The speakers clicked on, and a voice cut over the music: "Apologies for the malfunction. We'll be right back on track soon. For now, you lovebirds have a fun time in the Tunnel of Love!""Lo-ove is magic and wonderful kisses," the stick figures sang, forming pairs and square dancing together. "Such beautiful things with magical fishes." Cardboard fish jumped out of the ground to kiss other fish."I have to get out of here," said Keith.-Violet shot up with a strangled gasp, looking around wildly. She was in her room, the sheets strewn about the bed, her face wet with cold sweat.She shivered. It had been a dream.Violet got out of the bed, rubbing her forearms. The dream haunted her, and she knew there was only one thing to do.She slipped out of her room and made her way down the hall.The entity was waiting - as if it knew she'd come. Violet walked up to the glass of the tank, unable to tear her eyes from the thing."What do you want from me?" she asked. "What are you trying to tell me?"It was Lotor who responded, standing behind her. "Everything you need, the ability you've been seeking, within your grasp. Go ahead, Violet. Free it."Violet whipped around, but he was no longer there. "I can't," she said to empty air. "I won't."Keith walked over to her, his face calm. "It won't do any harm. The entity will help you. It will save all of us. You won't have to leave me again."Violet turned away from him, squeezing her eyes shut. "No. This isn't real!""Only you can save us all." Violet looked up at the voice. Luka stood in front of her, gaze free of hostility. "Release the entity."And then Tavo was there, returned to full color. "You don't have to see another of your people suffer.""Come home to Erythia." The breath left Violet in a whoosh as Kieran Idalia appeared in front of her. "Come home to me." He smiled, reaching out his hand; and then it was Lotor in his place, Lotor and Honerva, palm upraised."Take my hand. Join me."Violet told herself she could outlast them. She was strong enough to refuse the temptation.But in the end, she could not stand it a second longer, and her hand closed over theirs.-"Vi?" Veronica knocked on her sister's door. "I brought you some tea - I know you've been having some trouble sleeping lately, and I thought it might help."No one answered. Veronica frowned and pushed the door open. "Violet?"She wasn't there. Veronica blinked in surprise. Maybe she was in the cafeteria, getting lunch?She wasn't, but Acxa was. She stood and walked over upon seeing Veronica's concerned face. "Is something wrong?"Veronica replied, "I can't find Violet. She's not in her room ... do you think she went down to the carnival with the paladins?""Without telling us?" Acxa shook her head. "Not likely. Maybe she's with the Erythians."Veronica nodded, still holding the now cold tea. "Yeah, that's probably it. I'm just worried after what happened to Tavo, and the whole dark magic orb thing. It doesn't feel right to have it on the ship.""Maybe we should check that room first," Acxa suggested, her brows furrowing. "Just to make sure."They changed course, hurrying to the room where the entity was kept. The door was wide open. Veronica pushed into the room and froze.The tea crashed to the floor, breaking, in time to the strangled noise that tore from Veronica's throat as she half-fell to her sister's side. Violet was unconscious, lying on the floor, with dark light pulsing from a point in the center of her chest."The tank is broken," Acxa said, kneeling beside Veronica. "The entity got free." She checked Violet's pulse. "Vi, can you hear me? Violet! Violet!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"I don't understand," Keith was saying. "How could she have allowed the entity to escape? How did you let this happen?""It wasn't Shiro's fault," Commander Holt interjected. "If anyone's, it was mine. I didn't realize how strong the pull was between her and the orb.""Didn't-" Keith cut himself off, voice furious. "She's in a coma. The entity did something to her while we were all off partying-""I know what's wrong," Allura said suddenly; everyone turned to look at her. She didn't turn away from staring at Violet's still form in the medical bay, her face pained, eyes firmly shut, dark light twisting and snaking around her. "I can sense the entity within her. It ... fused with her somehow. Honerva is connected to her."Keith blinked, logic taking over his anger. "Why would Violet do that?"Allura shook her head. "I don't know. It's possible she was tricked into it." At last, she met his eyes, as well as Shiro's and Sam's. "But we need to get to Violet. And since she won't come to us ... we're going to have to come to her.""What do you propose?" asked Shiro."Violet has a strong bond with the lions," Allura replied. "I think we can take advantage of that to enter her consciousness. There was an ancient ritual we performed on Altea to visit a person's spirit, but it was confined to Alteans, and Alteans only." She paused. "However ... using the ritual as a bridge and her bond with the lions as a door, we might be able to enter Violet's consciousness for a short period of time. If we could figure out what happened with the entity, we could figure out how to use it.""That sounds risky," Shiro said, "Are you sure you could undergo the ritual successfully?""No," said Allura, "but we have to try. Violet may never wake up - this is our best chance. Our only one." She cast a worried glance at the tendrils of black smoke swirling around her friend's chest. "We may already be too late."-The five paladins formed Voltron, and drove all their bayards into their ports at once. Meanwhile, Allura brought Violet's body into the blue lion. Aided by the surge of energy, Allura formed a bridge into Violet's consciousness, and the group entered.They floated down in darkness, until Keith found a bright spot of light. It was a glowing bubble, and Violet was in it, her eyes closed peacefully.Lance saw her first. "Vi!"Her eyes flew open. "Lance? What are you all doing here? What-" she looked around. "Where am I?""Your consciousness," Allura explained. "This bright spot is where your mind is, sheltered from the rest of the world."Violet stared down at herself. Slowly, the bubble moved away, and she floated through it, facing the paladins. "This ... you all shouldn't be here." She frowned. "I bonded with the entity, didn't I? I can feel it - feel her. Honerva.""Is she here?" asked Hunk. "Is she part of the entity?"Violet shook her head. "No. The entity is more of a link. I've been trying to use it - to get to her - but I can't. She's blocked the way."Allura stepped forward. "We can help. The reason why we're here is to find out what Honerva is planning and save you. But, Violet ... you'll have to let us help you. You won't be able to do this on your own."Violet's eyes closed. "Alright," she said softly. "You all can come with me.""'Can?'" Keith snorted. "We're coming with you whether you want us there or not, Vi.""Yeah," added Lance, "We're not going to let you fight Honerva alone."Violet arched an eyebrow. "Fine. Take my hand." She held out her hand to Keith, who grabbed Lance's, who held hands with Hunk, and so on, until they formed a ring.Allura, who was on Violet's left, asked, "Think of your consciousness like a kingdom, Violet. The place where your magic resides - it should also be where the entity is. Can you bring us there?"Violet nodded, inhaling through her nose. In a flash of green light, the paladins teleported into a familiar planet."Erythia," said Pidge, staring at the planet. It was, but no longer gray and dry. Rather, the planet was bursting with light, colorful greens and blues and reds and purples and yellows dotting its surface. Black clouds wreathed around the atmosphere, the same dark energy as the entity. It was Erythia - corrupted."The entity is here," said Violet. "This is as close as I can get. To actually travel into Honerva's mind ... that's another story."Allura released Violet's hand. "I can do it. Everyone, hold on."She stretched her arm towards Erythia, and the dark shapes and clouds began to float towards her. Closer and closer until they brushed her fingertips.Darkness swallowed the paladins whole.-Violet fell onto cold black glass with a grunt, feeling like she'd been tossed into a blender and spun around a few times. Her chest - the core of her power - was throbbing in pain, too much light and darkness inside it. Soon it would overflow."What is this?" asked Hunk, rubbing his head. Violet glanced at her surroundings - nothing but the black glass and them, stretching towards the horizon."We're not in my consciousness anymore," Violet breathed. "Beyond this glass..." she crouched down and pressed her hand against the smooth surface. "...is Honerva's mind. We have to get through."Allura leapt forward. "Vi, get back-"Too late. As if hearing Violet's words, black hands shot from the dark glass and latched onto her wrist, yanking her below the surface. Violet cried out, feeling her feet sink into the glass that had been solid a second ago. She struggled with the disembodied limbs, trying to free her hand so she could get to the other paladins, who were also being pulled down."Violet!" Keith shouted, reaching out his hand to her. Violet leaned towards him, her chest sinking under the surface. Almost there...Her fingers brushed his. And then she was pulled under, her head submerging in the cold dark.Violet twisted, and the hands holding her vanished. She stood warily, scanning her surroundings: a dark void with white light illuminating the space."Hello, Violet."She turned. "Honerva. What did you do? I can't ... I can't feel the paladins. I can't feel the lions. Where are they?"Honerva stalked towards her. "They are waging their own battles. Did you think I wouldn't sense you immediately, in my own mind? I have pitted them against each other. Paladins to paladin."Violet's eyes narrowed. "Stop being vague. You know we are equals. We are both queens, both Erythians. There will never be another one of us. So tell me straight. What have you done?"Honerva paused in front of Violet - they were the same height. "I created the paladins of old to protect my mind. Gyrgan, paladin of the yellow lion, is locked in battle against Hunk. Trigel, paladin of the green lion, is fighting Pidge. Blaytz is fighting the princess; Alfor is fighting your friend, Lance. And Zarkon is fighting Keith." Her lips curled."I am no paladin," Violet challenged. "So why am I with you?"Honerva's smirk grew. "Don't ask questions you already know the answer to. Or have you not guessed?"Violet's lips pursed. "It's not possible. Where is your armor, your bayard? Your lion?""Bayards and weapons do not make a paladin," said Honerva. "The white paladin does not need a lion. The white paladin is the lion." She raised a hand, and the light around them swelled, plunging Violet into a new plain. In it, an image appeared before her.The image showed a lion made of strands of pure light. It was the same as the five other lions. Honerva appeared beside Violet, gazing at the White Lion."Only an Erythian can pilot it," she said. "Only a shape-shifter." She turned to Violet. "You have not controlled that ability yet, have you? You can teleport and shield, maybe even heal with work - but you've never tried to shape-shift. Why is it? Because you don't know how? Or because you're scared of what you could do with it?"Violet growled and lunged for Honerva. Honerva vanished, and they appeared back in the black void dotted with white stars. Honerva was still smirking. A ball of dark power formed in her hands, and she hurled it at Violet. Violet shielded it with golden light.She summoned her magic as a beam of light, but instead of appearing, a jolt of pain went through her chest, so sharp that she stumbled with a gasp. Trails of black smoke streamed from her body.Honerva laughed, but it was all wrong - laughing was supposed to be a joyous sound, something that made you want to laugh, too. This was a twisted laugh that was borne from cruelty, and the sound of it made Violet's skin prickle. "You never should have let the entity fuse with you. Now it lives contentedly inside your magic. I control it now. You are defenseless." She sent another surge of energy for Violet, who ducked. Honerva aimed another blast of magic for her, and her magic rose to answer it - rose, and fell back as her chest cried out in pain, like something dark and ancient and wrong had wrapped its fist around her chest and squeezed. Violet threw herself to the side to avoid the spiral of power.Honerva stalked towards her, growing in size. Violet watched, eyes widening, as she shape-shifted into Allura, and then Lance, and then Keith. "Who's form shall I wear when I crush you?"Violet pulled herself to standing. "You would never reduce me to such a cowardly death as one where I cannot see my opponent. If I die by your hand, grandmother, it will be on my feet.""Death knows no difference between cowardice and courage. It is I who would grant you dignity in your last breaths." Honerva slid back into her real form, dark power swirling around her hands. "What do you think your precious friends will do when they learn of your destruction? The leader in particular. How he will rage when he realizes you are gone."Violet clenched her teeth, blocking the words, and shielded another blast of power, her chest screaming in agony."You think you've won," she said. Honerva summoned another shot. "You think that my link with the entity has allowed it to control me. You think I took your hand, bonded with the entity, thinking I could actually come out of it on top."Violet stood, and the pain vanished. "But you thought wrong. I have been manipulated far too many times to fall prey to it again. I will never take your hand, or Lotor's, ever again." She began to glow. "While your entity was inside me, greedily sucking up my magic, I was talking to it. Coaxing it. I was the one winning - quietly, letting you think I'd lost."Honerva struck, but her dark power halted before it could get to Violet. She let out a choked gasp, clutching her chest. "I-Impossible."Violet stepped towards her, gold light forming on her fingers. "Is it impossible? That I could get to you through the entity as you did to me? A bridge goes both ways, Honerva. You let me bond with the entity, thinking that it could control me. But now I control it."Honerva fell to avoid a blast of golden power. Violet's eyes glowed with the darkness of the entity within her; her chest glowed with the light inside it. Honerva scrambled back, and Violet strode towards her, her steps confident."It will destroy you," Honerva gasped. "You cannot hold the entity and your power at once. It is too much."Violet lifted her hands. "So be it."
Wait.
Violet stopped, blinking in surprise.Stop. The voice came from inside her, somewhere deep within Violet that she hadn't yet discovered. "Why?" Violet said. Why shouldn't she kill Honerva?
Let me show you.
And then, with a flare, Violet's mind was enveloped in light.
Honerva, staring at the night sky, feeling the same wonder Violet did when she looked at the stars.
Honerva, smiling at Zarkon, both their faces clear of malice.
Honerva, peering up at the lions, unable to explain her connection to them.
Honerva, brushing her fingers over the markings under her eyes - feeling proud to be an Erythian, to be part of a species as beautiful as hers.
Honerva, dreaming of a future with Zarkon, of a child she would love and raise. A family.
Honerva, when she was just Honerva - a woman with hopes and wishes and dreams.
And then a shadow.
Blinding light.
Darkness.
Quintessence, filling Honerva until it was all she could think about, all she knew - that horrible, desperate wanting for more.
Her happiness fading away, as surely as she had.
Putting one person over the rest of the universe is what we do. Being a paladin of Voltron means choosing that person and damning the consequences.
Honerva sitting on dark marble steps, mere feet away from the Galran throne - the very source of all of the fighting, the pain, the corruption that had damned the galaxy. She leans back, resting her spine against it, focused on something else entirely.
Lotor, a toddler, plays on the floor before her, clad in nothing but a diaper. He rolls over, laughing, and for a second, Honerva thinks the sees the shadow of markings under his eyes.
Then his face lights up, and he yells, "Dada!"
Honerva looks up. Her husband enters the room, striding towards the throne.
But he does not reach it. He ignores it entirely. Instead, he bends down, scooping Lotor up in his arms with a laugh. "Lotus, where are your robes? Did you hide from Dayak again?"
"I gave her the hour off," Honerva says, watching her husband and her son play. "Thought she could use it."
Her husband turns to smile at her, the one he saves just for her. And Honerva decides then that there is nothing she would not do for this family. For her son.
"Come to your mother, my little Lotus," she says, spreading her arms. Her husband sets Lotor down, and her son runs towards her. Her chest fills with a blissful kind of light.
A voice cut through the memories, and Honerva's contended smile faded into whiteness. Do you understand now?Violet nodded, her face wet.And then she was back, Honerva still cowering before her, Violet's hand still raised to strike her down.Slowly, her hand lowered."I can't," Violet whispered. Honerva's face flooded with surprise. "You hesitate, on the verge of ending my life? Why?""Because I..." Because you didn't choose. I thought you gave in to the quintessence because you were greedy and power-hungry. I thought you turned to it for revenge.
But you didn't turn to it at all. You did not corrupt it. It corrupted you.
I was so sure we were reflections of two different paths. I thought we both made ourselves into monsters, but the difference between us was that I found a way out.
But you were never given the chance.
Which means someone else has to give it to you.
Violet's hands fell to her sides. "I understand," she said. "You weren't born evil. Life made you that way."Honerva's jaw dropped. "I - I will kill everyone you love.""We both know I would never let that happen." Violet blew out a breath. "But if I don't give you a chance - a chance at ending this never-ending circle of loss and pain, of finding a way out, like I did - I will go against everything I stand for. If I blame you for doing this, blame you for letting yourself be corrupted, then I am no better than Lotor, than Zarkon. Than you."She extended her hand to Honerva, fallen before her. "So please. End this now. You don't have to be the villain anymore. Your family is gone - your old life is gone - but that doesn't mean you are too."Honerva's eyes shadowed. "My family was the only thing I ever had. The only thing I ever fought for. Without them, I am nothing." Her fists curled. "I will not accept that they are gone.""You're choosing yourself over the rest of the universe," Violet said desperately. "Please. It's not too late to go back - I know there's still something good in you. There's a woman inside you, Honerva, who is not beyond saving. Who did everything she did out of love. She's a survivor, like me. You can be her again. You can still be the lost queen. You can still be the one who restores the balance and saves us all. It doesn't have to be me. Please. Find her again. It's not too late."Honerva stared at her hand, the ghost of hope glimmering in her eyes.And then, like a light switching off, it was gone. "That girl is dead, Violetta. I killed her long ago." Something bittersweet crossed her face. "I never even knew her name."The two queens' eyes met, and Honerva thrust her palms towards Violet.She flew backward with a gasp, out of the void, out of Honerva's mind. The entity stayed behind, still connected to Honerva, its presence leaving her. Violet's eyes flew open.She was on the floor of the blue lion's cockpit. For a second, she had no idea how she'd gotten there - and then everything came rushing back, and her fists clenched. I should've done more. I know I can save her. If I'd tried harder-"Violet?" Allura win her her seat, blinking disorientedly. "You're okay!"
Am I?
"I'm sorry, Honerva," Violet whispered, and picked herself up off the floor.-Violet called a briefing and informed everyone of what had happened in Honerva's mind. "The paladins fought a twisted form of the originals," she said. "Keith fought Zarkon, Lance fought Alfor, and so on.""So what happened to you?" asked Shiro.Violet replied steadily, "I fought my paladin too."Everyone cast her confused looks, but she gave no further explanation. "Using the entity, I was able to take down Honerva. Instead of killing her, I made her sever my bond with the entity so I could leave safely."Keith blinked. "You had the chance to kill Honerva ... and you didn't?""What?" Allura stood, eyes blazing. "You could have ended it? You could've stopped Honerva once and for all? And you chose not to? Why?"Violet had debated telling the paladins the truth - but how could she? Even if they supported her, they'd never truly understand. This - her deal with Honerva - wasn't something she was about to pull them into. It was her fight, and her fight alone.So she lied."I would've died," Violet replied steadily, the words flowing smoothly off her tongue, "Had I kept the entity within me. I never would've woken up."Allura sat down in shock. "You chose to save your own skin. You chose yourself over the rest of the universe.""Not just the universe," said Violet. "Every universe. Every reality Honerva is going to destroy." She pulled up a screen on the table showing the ruined planet of Erythia. "Honerva and I were bound together for a short time. I know her as surely as I know myself. She wants her people - her home. She wants to be their empress, in a world without Voltron or the Galra, a world with Zarkon and her son, Lotor, back at her side. She might be a monster, but that doesn't mean she's incapable of being human. She loves as much as any one of us, however twisted her love is, and she will do anything for it.""Um," said Lance, "Isn't Zarkon, you know ... dead?"Pidge responded grimly, "Only in our reality." She nodded to Violet. "I get what you're saying. Honerva is going to use her power to access her perfect reality - one where her family is still alive. At the cost of every other one.""She's going to destroy everything," Coran said softly. "Just to get what she wants."Allura's gaze was cold. "She's selfish. She is thinking only of what she wants and letting everyone else pay the cost." She faced Violet. "Like someone we know.""Don't talk about things you don't fully understand," Violet snapped, her temper flaring. "I made the right choice letting Honerva live, and it wasn't the selfish one. I'm giving up more than you know.""People will die because of you!" Allura yelled. "Because of the decision you made!"Violet slammed her fist onto the table. "Don't you see? It doesn't matter if we face Honerva now or later. Either way the only person who's going to die is-" Violet cut herself off, clamping her mouth shut.Shiro's brows furrowed. "Is something wrong, Violet? I'm getting the feeling you're not telling us something."
You're right. I'm not telling you about any of the dreams, or the visions, or the light. Because now I know what's going to happen, and I know you're going to try to stop it.
But you can't. If you do, you'll have to choose between me and defeating Honerva, and I don't want you to have to be in that situation.
Because deep down, I know you'd pick me. Keith would without a second thought. So would Lance. Hunk would, because he cares for us too much. Pidge would never let it happen. Even Allura couldn't bear to lose another person she loves. All of you would choose me over everyone else - every reality. And I can't let that happen.
Violet blew out a breath and pushed back her chair, standing. "Nothing's wrong, Shiro."Allura let out a disgusted noise. "I can't believe you would do something this stupid.""Allura, doing stupid things is my hobby. I'm kind of concerned you're still surprised by it.""Do not be glib about this! You just threw away our only chance at saving the universe." Allura stalked past her. "I hope you're happy."Figures. Violet turned back to the others. "I'll be in my room," she said stiffly, and followed Allura out the door.That was where Keith found her a few minutes later: sitting on her bed with her knees pressed to her chest, a tiny orb of golden light hovering above her palm, akin to a sun."Hey," he said as he walked in. "Are you okay?"She nodded, not turning her gaze from the light in her hand. "Just pissed. Allura is hard to be friends with. Especially because she's as stubborn as me.""I'm stubborn," he pointed out. "And we're friends."The magic sun winked out, and Violet leaned back on the side of her bed with a sigh. "I'm friends with you because we balance each other out. You're hotheaded, but your desire to protect me and the others overtakes that. With Allura, she believes she's right. Always, no matter how valid someone else's opinion is. She was raised that way - raised to put herself above everyone else. She's a princess. It makes it hard to be with her, mostly because she'll do stupid things like throw a tantrum or lock me in a decontainment chamber."Also, both of us refuse to admit we're wrong. Which means we go head-to-head a lot. But at least Allura came to her senses, and learned to have an open perspective. As much as she infuriates me, she's a good person and a strong leader.""Maybe," Keith said slowly, "She feels threatened by you. After all, you're both royalty. Maybe she thinks you're trying to take her place?"It was such an absurd idea that Violet snorted. "Allura may be better off than I am, but I'd never want to be her. And she definitely shouldn't want to be me." She shrugged. "Is there something you wanted to tell me about, by the way? I don't think you came here to hear me rant about Allura.""True," Keith said, and pulled something from his pocket. "I got this for you during Clear Day, but then everything happened and I forgot."Violet examined it. It was a hair clip, a round one made out of gold with a shape in the middle that looked like a sun."Keith," she breathed, "It's perfect."He let out a relieved breath. "Thank god. Lance helped me buy it, so I'm not sure if I made the right decision trusting him."Violet laughed and leapt to her feet, taking the clip and rushing to her mirror. She fastened her hair into a braid and pulled it behind her head, sliding the clip into place, and turned back to Keith. "How do I look?"His eyes widened. "Wow. I'm the best boyfriend ever.""You are." Violet pressed her mouth to his. For a second she was almost able to forget the battle ahead of them, her fight with Allura, and what she knew would happen the next time they faced Honerva.Almost.But not quite.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Honerva hasn't made a move yet," said Shiro. "But with Lotor back, she could any day now. We need a plan to stop her.""What's she waiting for?" asked Lance. "She's giving us time. Why?""Because she knows the only chance we had at stopping her was two days ago," Allura replied cuttingly. She still hadn't forgiven Violet for not killing Honerva that day in her mind, and Violet was getting increasingly tired of putting up with it. Honerva still hadn't used her powers to pierce realities, and Shiro had called a meeting to come up with a plan."She's preparing," Violet corrected, ignoring Allura's angry gaze. "For the final battle." She looked up, gaze somber. "The next fight will be our last, no matter the outcome."Shiro nodded grimly. "I say we attack first. We know her location. She's on Erythia. If we launch a surprise attack with every unit we have, we could take her off guard.""We can't," protested Allura. "They're too powerful. We'd be obliterated.""There are some improvements we've been working on as well," said Keith. "We're not done yet, but they would mean the difference in the final battle. Commander Holt is working on a new weapon, and Krolia and the Blades are sending out signals to gather reinforcements and allies. I say we hold for a day or less - prepare for her. This will be the fight of our lives.""I agree," added Violet. "There are some things I need to do before we face Honerva. But we can't allow her any more time to do something terrible than necessary.""It's settled, then," Shiro said. "If Honerva has not made a move by tomorrow, we bring the fight to her."The meeting dispersed, and Violet headed to the Erythian's quarters.Zoya was waiting when she walked in. "Good, you're here. Might we go somewhere secluded to begin?""Sure," said Violet. She led the Erythian to her room; they both sat on the floor. Zoya crossed her legs over her knees. It was probably proper Erythian custom, but it just reminded Violet of the criss cross applesauce song her elementary teachers used to sing to get all the kids to sit down."Please stop humming," said Zoya. "it's distracting." She placed her open palms on the insides of her knees. "Where would you like to start?"Violet replied, "I want to know how to Fade someone - something. How to control it. How to use it to protect myself and others."Zoya tilted her head to the side. "I've never known an Erythian to use Fading as a weapon before. It is dangerous, and vile - it repels our very life essence. Are you sure you want to know?""I don't want to," Violet said simply, "I need to."Zoya's eyes were shadowed. "Your Fading killed my cousin. If you weaponize this, I need to know you will not give anyone the same fate. It is a horrible, painful way to die."Violet swallowed hard. "The only person I will ever use it on," she told Zoya, voice a whisper, "Is myself."Zoya's eyes widened, and her mouth parted in a soft O. "But you couldn't ... you'd - you'd die.""I'm not afraid of death," Violet said, trying to shrug it off. "At this point we've pretty much exchanged numbers. He calls, asks if tonight is alright or if I'm too busy, I say maybe another time but I'd love to even though I wouldn't, and we hang up and make plans to try again in the future.""Do not joke about this," Zoya said sharply, her brown face still wane. "What you're talking about - you have no idea.""So teach me," Violet shot back, and this time, she couldn't hide the desperation in her tone. "I have to do this - there's no other way. Honerva, she - she upset the balance, ten thousand years ago. She altered the universe in a way that has to be repaid. Someone has to make it right. That's the real meaning of the prophecy - that's the real duty of the lost queen. And I am the lost queen. I'm sure of it." Because if I'm not, then the only other person it can be is her. And if Honerva really is the one who saves us all, her "saving" will end with everyone I love dead. And I'd rewrite fate to change that."I understand," Zoya said after a minute and tense silence, although her face told Violet that she didn't understand, not really, not at all. But she didn't press the subject. It was part of the reason why Violet had chosen her - she was calm, capable, and wouldn't ask too many questions."We'll start with something easy," Zoya began, clearing her throat. She drew out a flower from the folds of her clothes, with dull blue petals. "Fade this."Violet took the flower and stared at it, summoning her power. She'd have to push her magic into it - infuse it with her quintessence. It shouldn't be too hard.But as Violet stared at the plant, all she saw was Tavo's broken face turning to dust. Zoya was right. Fading was evil, twisted - she never should have gone down this path.But it was her only chance. Violet narrowed her eyes at the flower. She wouldn't give up so soon.From her spot across from her, Zoya instructed, "Fading is disrupting the balance inside something - filling it with light, causing it to give way to the dark. Focus on the light. It will make it easier."Violet inhaled, and, on the exhale, pushed her energy into the flower. She told herself she was giving it light. Healing it.The flower burst into color, dots of energy rising from its petals, now vibrant and shining. "Good," said Zoya. "Now give it more. Give it until it can't take it any longer, and then some."Violet gripped the flower's stem and poured more of her magic into it. It began to quiver, the petals turning brighter and brighter, illuminating the room - until Violet's hold slipped, and the flower turned gray."The more magic you give it, the quicker it Fades," Zoya said quietly, watching the flower crumble into ash and settle on the floor between them. "Again." She drew out another flower.Violet repeated the process, going further - the flower's petals turned almost wholly white before her control slipped. Zoya just said simply, "Again."So she did it again, the hole in her chest slowly filling with ash.-Zoya was in her room with the other Erythians, mulling over what had happened with the queen, Violetta. She truly didn't know - how much magic she possessed. Great buckets of it, enough to fill up a thousand suns.
The lost queen comes, shroud in white and gold, when the sun's people are in their most dire time of need. She heals what has been broken. She breathes her life into their home. She ends the war and saves us all.
What they'd done today chilled her to the bone. Zoya knew the queen was planning something. Knew that she was preparing to face Honerva once and for all. Knew that the girl would do anything to protect her friends, her family. At any cost.Zoya also knew that she would never be able to stop Violet.But ... maybe someone else could.No. Zoya shut out the thought. She couldn't ask that - it would be like trading lives. But all the same, the idea flickered in her mind, refusing to fade.Violetta expected to fight Honerva by herself. She was relying on only her own abilities to do so. She didn't realize that her friends would fight for her, too.Understanding flooded through Zoya as she realized - Violet knew. She knew that her friends would fight by her side, because they had. She just believed that it wouldn't be enough.And she was right. It wouldn't. Violet would end up facing Honerva alone, queen to queen, and sacrificing herself. In a flash of clarity, Zoya knew, in her heart, her soul, that she had to do something to prevent it from happening. Violet was her queen - not just hers. All of Erythia's.Their salvation.Zoya stood and walked out of her room, striding through the hallways of the Atlas until she found the right one.The door opened as soon as she knocked. Zoya asked quickly, "How far will you go to ensure that Violetta survives the next battle with Honerva?"A beat of silence. And then-"As far as I can go.""Good." Zoya pushed into the room, not letting herself meet Princess Allura's eyes. "Then listen carefully."-That night, the Atlas prepared for battle. They'd leave in the morning for Erythia unless Honerva made a move before then. Violet was reading in her room when it hit her - this would be their last battle. Their last fight together, as one. For her, this would be the last time she could be with the paladins - her family - and be at peace.Ever.The thought drew Violet from her room, had her slipping down the hall. Had her raising her hand to knock on Keith's door. It opened before she could, and he motioned for her to come inside, already knowing why she was there.They lay on his bed for a while, just listening to each other's heartbeats. Violet kissed him, slow kisses that quickened until they were wrapped up in each other. They talked in between kisses, murmurs and whispered secrets."I love you," Keith said, and Violet almost told him everything right there - almost spilled her guts and told him not to. That loving her was a bad choice, because he'd have to deal with losing her. But Keith knew that, and he loved her anyway, and it would've brought her to her knees had she been standing.Their kisses heated, and Keith twisted around so that her back pressed onto the mattress. Keith's hands were at her waist, and he kissed her like it was the last time they'd ever see each other again.Which was a possibility. Both their kisses were desperate, but with different reasons. Keith's mouth, hot on hers, said all the words he couldn't speak. It was almost like he was ordering her - commanding that she stay alive, that this kiss would not be their last. Violet's was different. She looped her arms around his neck, her fingers brushing his hair, in a way that was almost a goodbye. Kissing him because she knew she'd never get to do so again.Violet had never been one to cry, but she felt tears threaten now. She'd refused to kill Honerva that day in her mind, in part, because she hadn't been ready - hadn't been ready for everything to end, for what would become of her. But now she doubted that she ever would be ready. Because this - this was better than every reality, every sun, every world.She still wasn't ready to let him go. She'd have to, though. This would be the last time they were together.Violet kissed him deeply, and let herself forget - forget everything that would happen tomorrow. Now, she just lost herself in Keith, and pretended that they had all the time in the world.-The next day, Shiro called everyone to the bridge. "Honerva has started to move. She's gathered her robeasts, and she's beginning to revitalize Erythia through the process Violet told us about.""Fading," Violet supplied. "That explains why she hasn't been doing anything for the past days - she's been gathering enough energy through the robeasts. We thought she was going to do it before, but really she used the onslaught of power to bring Lotor back. Now she's at it again.""She could end countless lives," Allura said, voice hollow.Violet's gaze fell. She could. And if she does, it'll be on me.Her only regret from that day in Honerva's mind had been that she hadn't tried harder to save her. She knew that if she had another chance at it - if she knew what Honerva would do before she asked it - Violet's actions wouldn't change. She still would've offered Honerva her hand - offered her a path out of all the rage and destruction. Her hand was always there, even if Honerva never took it. Someone's had to be."Then we'll have to stop her," said Keith. "Allura, can you open a wormhole to Erythia?"Allura nodded. She looked different, Violet noticed - her circlet was gone. The one she always wore, from ancient Altea, had disappeared from her brow. There was a faint tan line marking where it had been.Strange. Violet didn't ask - she didn't know if Allura was still mad at her, and it was too late to stop and chat. Everyone took their positions, the paladins heading for their lions, should they need to launch. Violet stood at Shiro's side at the front; Griffin stood by the far wall, offering her a reassuring nod. Veronica sat at the helm, hands already flashing lightning-fast over computer screens. Allura's voice rang out, and Violet closed her eyes. "Wormhole in five..."She thought of Keith."Four..."She thought of all the paladins, of Veronica a few feet away, of Shiro and Coran, of Romelle and Acxa."Three..." She thought of Zoya and Lin and Ender, and Tavo and Luka, too - all the ones she could and couldn't save. Her people."Two..." She thought of her father. She thought of her mother."One."Then, as the wormhole appeared, she spared a small, single thought for herself. Then she braced herself for what they would face on the other side.She was still completely unprepared.Violet didn't even have the chance to blink, let alone take in her surroundings, before blinding pain erupted in her skull. She fell into a crouch silently, clutching her head against the agony. Honerva's words echoed through her head:
Erythians. You have your chance at redemption. Your loyalties do not lie with an imposter queen - they lie with me, your true empress, and Lotor, your savior. All is forgiven if you follow me now. Give me the energy of the Atlas. Siphon it all. Do this and you will be spared.
The pain receded, leaving her weak and shaking. She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Someone was calling her name. "Violet? Vi?"
She blinked, shaking her head to clear it. Lotor's mech was hovering over Erythia, swords drawn, jaded wings jutting out from its back. The planet was pulsing, in time to the fading pounding in her head.Shiro was kneeling by her side, his face concerned. "Vi? Can you hear me? What happened?""Trap," Violet gasped out, fighting to stand. "It's a trap."Shiro's brow furrowed. "What-?""Captain!" That was Veronica, voice tight. "The Erythians have escaped their cell. They're heading directly our way!""I knew it!" Someone yelled. "They're turning on us!""They don't have a choice," Violet snapped, standing and forcing strength back into her limbs. "Honerva spoke to us. All of us." She met Shiro's eyes. "Prepare for a breach. I'll try to talk to them.""There's no way they'll be a breach," The same person spoke up. "These doors are made to hold internal ambushes just like this. They can withstand battering forces up to seven hundred M-tons. They're impossible to break.""The doors weren't made to hold Erythians," Violet said firmly. "We need to be ready.""We need to be ready for Honerva, who is currently flying a metal robot," Iverson interjected gruffly. "Which is, I remind you, the mission."There was a beat of tense silence; they all deferred to Shiro.Shiro drew in a breath, then nodded to Violet and pivoted towards the door. She felt her knees waver just slightly, and silently thanked all the stars for Takashi Shirogane. The entire room went quiet, braced and alert. Thin silence coated the air. Violet doubted she was the only one in the room holding their breath.Nothing happened. A furrow appeared in Shiro's brow as the seconds ticked by, slowly deepening until it was a full-on frown.Finally, Iverson snapped, "As I was saying-"And then, with a sharp popping noise, Fallon appeared in the space next to him, silver flashing in his hand as he dug a kitchen knife into his stomach.For a beat, Iverson just stared, as did everyone in the room, a choked gurgling noise bubbling past his lips; in that beat, Fallon teleported again to the door that could withstand up to seven hundred M-tons of battering force, took the handle, and opened it.It was the eyes of the Erythians - the dark, twisted black glow in them as they spilled through the door - that had adrenaline surging into Violet's limbs at last.She moved at the same time Zoya did, meeting her as she swung a blow at Shiro. Around them, the room dissolved into chaos. Griffin had rushed to Iverson's side, who had collapsed; the Erythians were attacking aimlessly, armed with weapons from the kitchen. This was her plan, Violet thought, feeling dread soak into her gut. To destroy us from the inside. She wanted Voltron to come. Was relying on it, even.And we walked straight into her hands."Zoya, stop this," she yelled, catching Zoya as she tried to swing again with her knife. "Ender, Lin, Fallon - please, listen to me! You have to fight her!"Zoya's eyes flickered, and she hesitated. Violet begged, "She doesn't care about you. Siphoning the energy out of the Atlas could kill you. Please, let me help you. I can't let more of my people die."Ender's face cleared. For a moment, Violet thought she might get through to them.And then Lin bowled into her, her normally peaceful face twisted into rage, her body slamming into Violet's with far too much power than should've been possible for someone of her size. Violet saw stars, and then there were hands at her throat, lifting her up. Immediately her lungs began to seize, her already-sore neck screaming in pain. Lin was deceptively strong. Violet clawed at her grip uselessly, legs kicking in the air."Lin-" she croaked, desperately trying to relieve that terrible pressure. Her vision spotted. Her magic - she needed her magic-Then Lin let out a sharp noise of pain; Violet saw out of the corner of her eye the shimmer of teleporting, and then Lin dropped her and she realized it was Kosmo - Kosmo who had teleported in and sunk his jaws into her calf.Lin let out a curse and gave him a solid kick. Violet heard a crack. Kosmo crumpled with a whine, and Lin deftly lifted him up and threw him at a wave of oncoming cadets. They all went down. Kosmo lay still.Lin turned back to her, but Violet was already gone, teleporting herself across the room as far as she could get. She tried to find Kosmo, but a shout caught her attention: out of the corner of her eye, Griffin was backed up against the wall, a bloody Iverson lying at his feet. Ender was advancing on him, armed with two knives; Griffin had nothing.None of them had been prepared to fight today. Not here. not on the Atlas. Honerva had caught them at their weakest.Violet was already slipping into the void between teleportation when a scream pierced the air, the voice one she recognized immediately. She half-turned, most of her already gone; by the time she'd teleported again, she'd switched destinations, landing at Veronica's side just in time to block the blow from an Erythian whose name she didn't know. Veronica and Cadet Rizavi were fighting back-to-back, Veronica already favoring her side. The Erythian raised his arms, a knife gleaming in his palm, already dripping with her sister's blood.Violet didn't think. She drew a dagger and stabbed him in the chest.Behind her, someone screamed.And then pain cut through her head again, filled with Honerva's voice. Enough. This is taking too long.The skull-splitting agony began to recede, but too slowly - far too slowly, forcing her to do nothing but watch as the five Erythians - one of them staggering over with Violet's blade still in his chest, coughing blood - took up positions, Lin knocking Shiro back as he tried to rise, and brought up the cylinder with the piece of the Castle of Lions in it, the heart of the Atlas. As one, they placed their hands against it.Violet struggled to her feet. "No!"Too late. The Atlas powered down, its energy forming a beam above the ship. The beam blasted towards Lotor's mech - now Honerva's. With a boom, the power struck the mech's chest, right at its heart. Honerva, enveloped in magic, drew her scimitars and thrust them into the earth.Erythia illuminated like a match to a flame, light from its core shining through it until it was wreathed in light. Violet felt like she'd been filled with stars - powerful, magical, but not in a good way. It was too much. It was all too much.The energy filled Erythia to the brim, and kept pouring into it. Violet could've sworn the whole world trembled. The magic stopped, and everything shuddered to a stop for a single second...And the universe imploded into flames.Honerva, somehow, still stood through it all as she tore open reality and peered into the rift. Erythia was seconds away from Fading, the quintessence overloading it's core. Honerva ripped open the world like a child would eagerly open a wrapped gift, the folds of the universe cleaving apart like tissue paper, and Violet could do nothing but watch as her mech slipped through the rift in the universe and vanished in a flare of light.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Paladins," ordered Keith, "Report status.""I'm offline," Lance grunted, attempting to move his lion.The blast Honerva had created had knocked them all out. Violet took in her surroundings, her mind slow to interpret what she was seeing: a smear of blood on the wall. Shiro groaning on the ground. The body of something feline - maybe a wolf - lying on the floor. Her dagger sticking out of an Erythian's chest.
"Atlas, come in," Keith's voice came.
Violet stood, blinking it all away. With a flash, she teleported into the black lion, causing Keith to jump. "In," she said, coming up to stand beside him. "You'll have to get back on. Our universe is collapsing - just like the day we lost the Castle of Lions. Honerva is causing the very fabric of reality to disintegrate.""No pressure, then," muttered Lance. "Vi, can you repower the lions with your magic? Red's still not responding to me."Violet shook her head. "I need to save my power. The final battle is still coming yet.""The Atlas's energy levels are down as well," reported Coran. "The Erythians did ... a lot of damage. Even if we were functional, I doubt we'd be able to continue manning the controls.""Hey, my lion's back on!" Hunk said excitedly. "Just in time, too."The black lion hummed with power, lighting up, and Keith grabbed his controls. "Good. We're going in.""Can we help?" Galra cruisers popped into view, led by none other than Krolia and Kolivan. "We brought some allies. I hope it's not too late.""There are innocent Erythians down there," said Violet. "If Erythia Fades, they'll just be floating in space - or they'll turn to dust, too. We have to sustain it. Erythia is the only thing holding the rift open. Once it's gone, there'll be nothing to stop the rift from tearing the universe apart.""Coran, work on stabilizing it," Shiro commanded. "Everyone who is uninjured, take your positions. The Atlas will fend off the robeasts and stop them from creating any further damage. Krolia, get your team down to the planet and pick up as many Erythians as you can."Krolia's voice crackled in, uncertain. "We'll try, Shiro, but...""But what?""These people have been refugees for centuries," she said. "Getting onto a Galra ship is going to be the last thing they want to do.""It'll be the last thing they ever do if we hesitate," Shiro replied, his face grim. "Do whatever you have to do, Krolia, but save them. Don't let their fear become the death of them all."This is what Zarkon wanted, Violet thought silently. This is how he stayed in control for so long. He made us afraid."Affirmative."Shiro continued, "Voltron, we won't be able to follow you into the rift. You'll be facing Honerva alone.""They won't be alone," Violet said grimly. "They'll have me."The black lion flew into position. "Then let's go," ordered Keith. "Paladins, form Voltron!"The lions merged together, and, as one, shot into the rift after Honerva.-Voltron appeared before a planet bursting with blue light. Allura's sharp intake of breath could be heard over her headset. "It's...""It's an alternate Altea," Pidge filled in. "And it's disintegrating, just like our world."Violet peered at the darkness creeping onto the planet. Hunk asked, "How come it's disintegrating so quickly?""Those wings created a sort of cosmic tunnel in one blast - the rift must lead directly to the reality Honerva's been looking for," replied Pidge, focusing their attention on the hole in the sky."And any reality that those wings port through is falling apart," Violet finished. "Along with everyone in them."
There was a beat where she didn't think any of them were breathing. Violet felt the gravity of what was happening sink over her shoulders like thick syrup. So many lives. The number was incomprehensible. If she thought about it, she'd break down.
"All of those people," Lance said softly. "Just like that."Voltron shot forward at Keith's command. "We can't think about that now. We have to keep going!"They flew through the portal - and straight into the collision course of a ball of energy. Voltron was knocked back as Honerva's mech reared up for another blast of power.Keith shoved forward at the last second, and the ball of magic swiveled around. An idea sparked in Violet's mind, and she yelled, "Keith, baseball!"Thankfully, he got what she was saying. "Form sword!" The red and green lions clashed together, forming Voltron's sword, and as the ball swung towards them, the sword knocked it away.Violet almost grinned. "Home run!"Honerva hissed and attacked again, her wings shooting from their places to speed for the lions. They were quick, but were no match against her mech. Violet grunted as they were knocked back, refusing to use her magic. Not yet."BEHIND US!" Allura screamed, but too late - Honerva's wings drove into Voltron's back, and they fell, the sharp blades pinning them to the earth. Honerva stood over them, her mech's dark eyes fading in and out of view. Violet blinked, trying to clear her vision against the ringing in her ears."This is where your stories come to an end."The wings slid from Voltron's shoulders, back into their places, and Honerva shot from the ground towards the portal. The darkness began to creep towards the place where Voltorn had fallen, swallowing everything in its path."We need - to get up," grunted Lance."Get your lions moving. Come on!" urged Violet. She looked around frantically for anything that could help them, but there was only darkness.Hunk replied, defeated. "I can't move.""Honerva absorbed all our strength," reported Pidge.Violet's hands curled into fists. "Please. You have to get up.""We can't," Allura whispered. "This reality - it's over."Violet's eyes closed. It would be easy. To let the darkness envelop them, to never leave this broken reality - never have to face what was awaiting her beyond it.
No.
"Look," she said, mouth dry. "I didn't want to die."
Her father's eyes, smiling up at her.
"I don't think anyone does. It's not really that fun."
Tavo, Luka, all the others, eyes wide in fear.
"But it's easy. Easier than living, that's for sure. Easier than fighting. It's letting go."
Lotor's gaze burning into her, his eyes wild with madness, but so familiar - so alike the quiet, lost boy-prince she used to know.
Her eyes opened, burning. "Except I didn't let go. Because there were things in my life more valuable to me than anything I could've faced on the other side. Death is easy; it's the living that's the hard one."But it's worth it. Because I get to fight beside you guys. I get to live beside you guys. And that's worth all the struggle and the pain. I wouldn't give it up for anything, least of all death."There are things in life worth dying for. But it's the things worth living for that really matter."Violet drew in a breath. "So don't give up. Not because your life is unfinished, or because we'd grieve for you. Stay alive because that's what we do. We keep fighting, we keep living, even when it seems impossible. Even when there is no hope and death comes knocking on our door." She met Keith's eyes, and he took her hand, lending her his strength."It's hard," Violet said softly. "But we're going to do it. It's why we were chosen; it's what we were born to do. If anything it's to defy everything telling us to let go."She faced the sky, the last bit of blue in all the black. "Will you all give up?"Voltron roared to life. Keith pushed on his controls, and they stood, one foot at a time. "Never."Violet smiled. "Good."Now let's do this."-Honerva was home.It was all that registered as she walked with Zarkon through the Erythian palace, the silver pillars dotting the entrance hall. She was home, in her reality, and she was going to meet her son."Lotor excelled in his Erythian studies," Zarkon was saying. "He has no ability beyond extended grace and agility, but he far makes up for it with his superior mind. He gets it from you."Honerva didn't allow herself to smile. Not yet. Not until she had her baby boy in her arms.They entered the observatory. A boy turned from where he was standing on the dias, and Honerva's chest eased. "My son," she breathed.Then she saw who was standing next to him.She stepped back reflexively, tearing her gaze from Violetta's face. She was younger in this reality, maybe nine or ten, her face delicate and elegant as she narrowed her eyes at Honerva.Lotor noticed, blinking at her. "Violet, is something wrong?""Nothing is wrong," Honerva interjected. It looked like the two were close - she'd have to change that. Violet's gold crescents glowed under her eyes, a symbol of all the power she'd been handed. It made Honerva want to spit. She kneeled to the floor, spreading her arms. "Come to me, my son. My little Lotus."Lotor beamed, and leapt off the dias, running to her- "I know you."Lotor's footsteps halted, and Honerva wished she could smite Violetta right then and there as the girl stared at Honerva, eyes wide in confusion. She said to Lotor, "Please, my child, come to me. I am your mother."He didn't move, face hardening. "No, you aren't."Her temper flared. "What?""This woman is not my mum," Lotor repeated, backing up to stand by Violetta's side. That movement bit into her chest and twisted, but she replaced the hurt with rage. Even in this reality, he chose her over his own mother."Emperor Zarkon, I fear that Lotor is right," Violet said slowly. "I do not know who this person is, but I know she is not the Erythian Honerva."Honerva stood, summoning her power. "I've spent lifetimes trying to get back. Countless worlds have fallen in the wake of my efforts to return to you. And this is how you welcome me? My own child, my own husband, question who I am!" Her magic rose in time to her anger. "I have sacrificed more than you will ever know!"Before she could attack Violetta, a loud crash sounded from outside the palace. Honerva turned towards the noise to see Voltron descending from the sky, surrounded by light.Zarkon turned to Honerva. "What is that?""It - it cannot be!" Honerva gasped. She had killed them. She had left them in that fragmented reality. Why were they not dead?"You brought this abomination upon us?" Zarkon demanded. "You are not the Empress - you are not my wife! Guards!"Violet stepped in front of Lotor, taking his hand, as guards burst into the room. Honerva felt her heart break.No. That wasn't right. She had no heart left. Foolish of her, expecting that coming here, to be at peace, would mend her heart, when really it had turned to ash along with every world she'd conquered.Honerva vanished into dark smoke, her words ringing through the palace. "If I cannot find a world rid of my enemies ... then I will destroy them all!"
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Voltron landed on Erythia's surface with a thud, stirring up dust.Honerva's mech stood before them, ready to fight, wings spread. Violet barely had a chance to take in the world they were in - Erythia, restored and alive - before Honerva attacked with a shout of rage."She doesn't look like she's found the perfect reality!" Lance noted as Voltron met the mech with its sword. "I'm inferring that it didn't go too well.""I HAVE LOST EVERYTHING!" Honerva screamed. "EVERYTHING, BECAUSE OF YOU!"Violet winced. "Yeah, it definitely didn't go too well.""Pidge, arm cannon!" ordered Keith, and the green lion swung forward, a blast striking Honerva in the chest. She fell back, but her wings rose up to take her place, angling down for Voltron. They ducked the first, shielded the second, and were hit by the third. Allura cried out as the wing pierced Voltron's leg, the blue lion's place.Voltron stumbled, right into Honerva's tail. Her mech, which had snuck up on them while distracted, pierced Voltron's chest straight through. Energy coursed through the lions, causing Violet to lose her balance as the cockpit lurched.Keith slammed his bayard into its port, and Voltron's eyes glowed, shooting a laser straight for Honerva's mech. It pushed her back long enough for them to regain their balance. "It's time to end this!" Allura shouted, and Voltron drove forward, sword in hand, at Honerva."WATCH OUT!" Lance yelled, far too late; Honerva's wings struck Voltron in the back. Honerva rose and plunged another wing into Voltron's chest. The others began to glow, forming a sphere of power that steadily grew.Voltron could do nothing as the magic exploded, surrounding them all in white.-Violet came to in a void, floating by herself. She looked around, spotting Keith and the others in similar positions. In the center of the void was light, glowing threads twisted and weaving from it all around them."Where are our lions?" asked Allura, brows furrowing. "Where ... where are we?"Violet stood, hovering in the air. "This is the end," she said softly. "And the beginning. It's the center of everything.""And the last place you will ever see." Honerva's mech appeared out of thin air, standing before them. Violet jerked back, but Voltron was gone. They had nothing to fight with.Honerva summoned a blast of power and shot it at them; Violet dove to the ground, instinct taking over. The beam spun over her head; oddly, she felt no wave of energy or heat, just a sharp, bright explosion as it hit one of the threads behind her. For a second, nothing happened; and then the light pulsed and agony burst into her brain.
Children playing on the bright orange grass, the stems curling around their feet as they ran.
Warriors with purple skin and centuries of blood on their hands, reaching out to people with markings under their eyes. Begging them to see beyond their ancestor's sins.
A family of three playing by a throne, two loving parents and a son who would swear he was going to save the world.
Magic and light and nothing else, a blank world without darkness.
Violet sucked in a ragged breath, her vision clearing. "That - the strands. They're...""Different realities," finished Pidge, her face filled with awe and agony. "The only ones left."Allura's face was ashen. "And she's going to destroy them all."Honerva's mech whipped forward, faster than even Voltron could stop. Another strand broke under it, images sweeping through Violet's mind, filling her head like water in a glass - people and monsters and war and peace and life and death and worlds, all wiped out in a blink.What Honerva had done, when she'd brought back Lotor's mech, giving them glimpses into other realities ... that was nothing. Nothing compared to this.Honerva blasted apart another thread, so forcefully the harsh, blinding light knocked Violet from her feet. Her head was ringing - her body, her mind hurt with the pain of worlds breaking around her, being torn and ripped apart - she tried to stand, but the destruction was like waves. They were not meant for this. Humans, even Erythians, even Violet - they were not built to be exposed to such raw energy, so much power of the inner workings of the universe laid bare.
Worlds with only darkness, no light created, no balance; worlds with pain and blood and fear, with nothing to bring the light. Bleak worlds of horror and endless, endless suffering.
Violet relived them all. They crashed over her, drowned her, until she couldn't breathe, couldn't think; blood dripped from her nose to wet her lips, but the sensation was dim, far away. Violet pried her eyes open, dragged in a heaving breath in the seconds before Honerva brought down her mech on another reality, light boring into every cell in Violet's body.The paladins - where were the paladins-Keith was fighting his way towards her, amidst the sea of light and storm, stretching out his hand as another reality cleaved in two, surging through Violet's bones so hard she wondered if they'd collapse. And yet - and yet Keith's hand was still in her view. Violet strained for it, a lifeline to grasp.The next wave hit them, then the next. Violet fought back with every bit of strength she didn't know she had, fighting the pull, fighting the pain, the light rising, rising. How many had Honerva destroyed by now? How many were left? She had to get to Keith, had to reach him-Violet was shoved down, the weight crushing her. She gasped, feeling a different weight, the weight of the teludav, her hands breaking-She could hear him. She could hear Keith, screaming her name. Violet turned her head, the light pounding through her head, her body. She couldn't move another inch.Neither could he. Keith dropped his hand and met her eyes, the blood from his nose scarlet against the blinding white, and mouthed, I love you.That quiet declaration - those three broken words said because he thought they would be his last ... that was what did it, in the end.And as Honerva brought her arm down on the last strand, as she destroyed the very last reality, turning it to ash ... Violet exploded.Power like she had never known filled her veins. She let the realities and worlds and light flood in, let them fill her with energy, stopped trying to block them out. Before she had felt like a tiny fish swimming against a current - now she was the current, and every drop of water in between.Violet's skin pulsed with light; Honerva twisted towards her, far too late.You asked me once why I never shape-shifted, Violet said. I was saving it. All of that energy never used, all of that power - I was waiting. For this.No, Honerva gasped, swinging for her; but Violet closed her eyes and let the magic wreath around her, and shape-shifted in a blaze of light that flung Honerva's mech back.Shape-shifting. It had taken her a while. Many sleepless nights, wondering what secrets lay in her dormant power. Wondering what it would cost. But eventually she'd figured out the puzzle.Honerva had been an alchemist ten thousand years ago, able to see the ways the world bound itself together. The heir to the royal lineage, but with barely a scrap of magical blood in her veins, she couldn't explain the connection she had with the ore that fell onto Altea, the ore that would soon be Voltron.She'd discovered the truth mainly through her dreams. Dreams of Alfor, puzzling over the ore late at night, trying to understand what it had shown him - a lion, from another world, unable to get to. What could this be? And how could he access it?The white lion. Another lion of Voltron, forgotten ... because it was impossible to access. It wasn't real - not an actual piece of metal like the others.Alfor had figured it out. To fly the white lion, to become it's paladin, one needed to be an Erythian - needed to be able to shape-shift. The paladin of the white lion wouldn't fly it - they would be it.Honerva was supposed to be its paladin, before the quintessence had driven her mad. She had never been able to access it - never been given the chance. But the white lion had called to her - she'd had a link with the Voltron lions, the same link that Violet had with them.Because, like the others, there were two paladins of the white lion.Honerva was one.Violet was the other.And as Honerva's mech was knocked back by the flash of light, Violet shape-shifted into the White Lion, and let out a roar that rattled the stars.-No. It couldn't be. Honerva stared, unable to function, up at the lion made wholly of light in front of her, its eyes pure gold - the color of Violetta's markings.She was its paladin. This couldn't be happening.And yet, as the lion opened its jaws and shot a laser straight for Honerva, she realized that it was indeed happening.And this very well might be her end.-Blast after blast, Violet knocked Honerva's mech back. It stood no chance. She tore open one of its wings with a single swipe of her claws, ripped into another with her teeth. Honerva screamed as Violet's tail laser burned a hole through her mech's chest.Finally, she brought up her sword to defend herself. Honerva's remaining wings shot for Violet, a last attempt to take them both down; Violet simply stood her ground. The wings bore towards her, aimed to hurt, to kill, to destroy-And they met nothing but light, passing through her with ease. Honerva's eyes widened, and she tried to stop her attack - but it was too late, too late to draw back far enough as Violet leapt for her with a roar, shoving her to the ground.Honerva's sword clattered uselessly to the side, beaten - and yet fury still marred her face. "Do it," she hissed. "Kill me." A challenge ... and a plea.Violet paused."Do it!" Honerva tried to rise, but Violet stepped on her broken mech, and she fell back, defeated. "Please," she gasped, spitting the word out like it took the shape of burning coals in her mouth. "Look at what I have done. I have destroyed every reality, every world, every life. There is nothing left but us. Kill me." Her voice broke, surely as she'd broken every reality in her path. "None of it ever mattered anyway."Violet said softly, no.Honerva gaped.I was yours, once, the white lion continued sadly. When you were good. When you loved life rather than hated it. So I know there is still light left in you.
Violet refused to give up on you. So neither shall I.
The white lion began to shimmer, its light stretching out - for the paladins behind it, watching the whole ordeal with open mouths, blood and tears streaming down their ravaged faces, to Honerva, lying in her broken monster, alone.The light enveloped everything, and they all dissolved into it.-Honerva knelt in a void of white and gold, surrounded by light on all sides.The other paladins glittered to life in front of her and, last of all, Violet, her face calm.Honerva stood, breathing jaggedly, her ancient face twisted with juvenile confusion. "What have you done? What is this place?""It's like the quintessence rift, but without the evil mind-poisoning. This is the connected heart of the universe as we know it." Violet spread her hands."It doesn't matter," Honerva repeated. Here, with the fight gone from her limbs, the vengeful poison vanished from her lips, she looked almost ... sad. "I destroyed them all. Soon, everything will cease to exist."Violet stepped towards her. "You can stop it. It's not too late; we can restore every reality."Honerva shook her head. "I've told you. It is impossible. Even if there was a way to redo this, there is no reality left for you to restore."Violet's lips curled. "Over the last few years, I've discovered that I have a penchant for doing the impossible." She met Honerva's eyes, gaze steady. "I can do it. I know how. But I need your help."Honerva blinked, understanding dawning on her. "You want to harness the energy of the white lion. To use it to restore every reality. But I'd have to give it to you." She paused. "Wait. You want me to...?"Violet nodded and turned back to the paladins, her work done. Their faces were a mix of emotions - awe on Pidge's face, because she'd always been the most curious of them all, the most interested in life. Uncertainty on Hunk's, because he was beyond fear, but he didn't know what would happen next. Wariness on Lance's, the face of someone who had suffered too long, too much. Concentration on Shiro's, because even after all this he was still trying to focus, to think of a plan that could keep them all safe.Keith's face was agonizingly heartbroken. It aged him ten years, sharpening the beautiful angles and long shadows. And Allura..."Vi," the princess said quietly, "What did you do?"Violet looked to the horizon of the white and gold void, feeling peace in her veins were pain had been seconds before. She knew her role, and she was not afraid."I think," she said slowly, as if testing out each word, "That I was never supposed to live. Ten thousand years ago, when Alfor stabbed Honerva in the heart ... she was meant to die. That was her fate, given to her by whatever concentrated power controls the universe. But she drew upon the rift instead, corrupted herself with that magic, and survived. And that act upset the balance of ... everything. It demanded a price; someone needed to pay it. Honerva was untouchable now - she'd made sure of that - but ... her descendant. A girl ... a mirror of Honerva, of who she used to be ... another who could fulfill the prophecy, who had the blood of generations of cumulated magic from the royal line in her veins ... she, maybe, could be the solution. The sacrifice."When I was born," Violet said, swallowing hard, "There was a moment where my heart stopped beating. My dad told me it was four minutes before he thought to use his magic to jump-start my heart. He wasn't expecting it to work, but it did, like a miracle. I think ... I think that was the first time I died."The second time was when I was with Lotor, and I got stabbed in the chest after a mission gone wrong. He was barely able to save me. The blade pierced within an inch of my heart, hitting my lung instead. Sometimes I still can't remember how to breathe right."The third time was with you all, when I was crushed by the teludav. I should have died, but ... I didn't. Allura lifted it off me, and you all got me to the cryo-pod, and I ended up okay."The fourth was when we fought Lotor in the quintessence rift. The energy completely destroyed my human body - I should've been destroyed with it. But I thought of the lot of you, and, somehow ... somehow, that was enough for me to find my way back."Violet looked down, her face stretching into a smile. "Really, for all my talk of saving the world, my entire life people have been saving me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you all. But ... I'm starting to think that might be the point. I was supposed to die, the first time, the second, the third, the fourth. To restore the balance, pay the price, fix the mistakes Honerva made. I was created to die." She shrugged. "I've been escaping from death a long time, but now ... now I think it's time I let it catch up."Keith stepped forward, his expression still wrought with despair. "You can't. I don't care what the world says, Vi. You deserve to live.""It's okay," she said softly. "I understand now. This is how I fulfill the prophecy. This is how I save us - save everyone. If that means my death, so be it." She offered him a smile, but it didn't quite make it to her face. "Some were born angels. I was born to join them."Allura walked over to him and placed her hand on his shoulder, face sad. "I agree with Violet," she said. "You were supposed to die, whether it was as soon as you were born or when you worked for Lotor or when you were with us. I don't think you were meant to have a second chance, or a third, or a fourth. The power in you - it is too much for any normal being to have."Keith's eyes blazed. "You're going to let her die? Just like that?""No." Allura turned towards Violet, until the two were face to face. "Because if I'm being honest, Violet, I don't care what you were meant to do or meant to be. I don't care if your destiny was to live or die or become some lost queen and end the war." She brought her hands to Violet's face. "You're our Violet - our family - and we're keeping you, no matter what the universe says." She pressed her brow to Violet's, the words a whispered promise. "You are capable of anything. You could change the world, if you dared to try."Tears clouded Violet's eyes at those words - those damned words - before the rest of Allura's words registered. Her brows furrowed. "Wait, how do you know about the lost queen?"That was when the blow came, so unexpectedly that Violet never saw it. Allura's elbow landed squarely in her diaphragm, and the breath left her in a sharp gasp. Violet fell to one knee, trying to get air into her seizing lungs, as Allura walked past her, towards Honerva, and answered clearly, "Because the lost queen is me."The other paladins raced forward, Keith leaning down to where Violet was struggling to her feet. "No," she gasped, trying to draw breath, to reorient her body, to get up, get up, get up-Allura was still striding towards Honerva. "That's the thing about prophecies," she said as she walked. "We always think we understand them, but we always forget to read between the lines. No one said the queen had to be Erythian." Her voice turned bitter. "And what queen could be more lost than the queen of a race that went extinct ten thousand years ago?"Bile rose in Violet's throat, and she forced her hands under her, feeling like the world was crashing down."Zoya knew what you planned to do," Allura was saying, still walking towards Honerva. "At first she thought you were going to Fade Honerva, to kill her. But that was never your plan, was it? You were going to Fade yourself."In order to restore every reality, you would make Honerva fill you with all the power of the white lion, and you would yield it all to bring back the worlds she crushed. Fulfilling the prophecy and ending the war. But Zoya knew she could not let her queen sacrifice herself ... so she found another one." Allura stopped, a mere foot away from Honerva. "She showed me how - how to let myself become a vessel for the power, to harness it long enough to do what needs to be done. She warned me what the cost would be, and I gladly accepted it. The universe does not need me, nor Voltron. But it does need you." She turned towards Violet, face heavy with the sadness of thousands of years, heavy with the weight of a world she should never have had to bear but did anyway. "We need you.""No," Violet gasped, and pushed herself to her feet, preparing to leap at Allura, knock her away, anything to stop her from doing this-Strong arms wrapped around her. Not to embrace her - but to hold her back. "I'm sorry," Keith whispered, and tightened his grip."No!" Violet struggled against him, straining to break free; and then Hunk and Pidge and Lance - Lance - were there, holding her back, tears streaming down their faces. "It's supposed to be me," she sobbed, her struggles frantic, pointless. "It's supposed to be me."Allura faced the universe, the consciousness of creation, and said simply, "Let me take her place. Let me restore the balance. So that she can live the life she was never meant to have."Honerva stood warily. "You are not a paladin of the white lion. It will be much harder for you to control the energy.""I know the cost."Honerva nodded and held out her hand. Keith let go of Violet, the damage already done, and she sprinted towards Allura, begging her trembling legs to get her there in time, running, leaping for them-The princess closed her hand over Honerva's as Violet jumped, her lips parted - whether to shout or scream or cry, she didn't know - and the world faded into darkness. - It is said that hundreds of years ago, there was a woman who wanted to rip the world to shreds, and a woman who wanted to save it.It is said that there was a prophecy that could only be fulfilled by the death of a lost queen.It is said that there was a great battle, one that held place in the space between realities, where world wove together like threads of a spider's web in colors of white and gold.It is said that in that space, a lion's roar was heard, so loud it shook the sky.It is said that a sacrifice was made to save the universe and the woman who was not meant to live, a sacrifice that brought life to a once-dying planet.And if this story is to be believed, then maybe the lost queen lives on still.Only the stars can say. - Violet jerked awake to find herself back in the black lion's cockpit, her hand still outstretched. The Atlas was back, and before them, the rift had closed - every reality was saved.A cry of frustration left Violet. "No! This-" she whirled on Keith, who was in his seat, eyes weary. "You let her - you let her sacrifice herself - why? Why?""She made her choice," Keith replied softly. "We all would have done the same."Violet sank to her knees, burying her face in her hands. This was all wrong. It - it was supposed to be her. She was the one who was supposed to die, repair all the centuries of hurt and damage Honerva had wrecked upon the world. That was her burden to bear. Not - not Allura. Not one of them. Never them.But she hadn't been able to stop it.
Allura, I'm so sorry.
Pidge's voice cut in. "Guys. Look."Violet lifted her head and stared down at the scene before them. The Atlas and several Galra cruisers stood flanking Erythia - Erythia, full of life and light. Violet's breath caught at the sheer beauty of it - she'd seen it in her dreams, but nothing compared to seeing it in real life. Colors she hadn't known existed formed swirling clouds around the planet's surface. The earth was bright gold, and she could see shimmering blue lakes dotting the planet from her point of view. The whole thing shone like a beacon of light, flooding her with strength."Erythia," she whispered. "It's back."-That day, when she got back to her rooms, there was something waiting on her bed. A note, written in crisp, elegant handwriting.
Violet.
By the time you read this, I will have already been gone. I just wanted to tell you that I am sorry. But I do not regret my choice.
I am sorry I didn't tell you, sorry I had to stop you. Sorry I did not make things right with you before I died.
You are the best friend I could ever ask for, Vi. That is why I did what I did.
Take the circlet. Honor me with it, and know that I will always be by your side.
I hope that someday you can find it in your heart to forgive me.
And there, gleaming like a gold star on the bed, sat Allura's Altean circlet, waiting forever for its owner to return.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"The construction is on course," said Issabela. "With Commander Holt's blueprints and Coran to fill in the gaps, we've been able to recreate the Castle of Lions."Violet nodded. The two of them were looking out over the construction site; the Castle of Lions was almost finished. Issabela, with her red markings, had proved to be an excellent engineer and had been a fundamental part of rebuilding Erythia. "You've made modifications as well?" she asked, and chuckled. "I'd rather not have the castle flying off in ship form when I'm trying to give a speech."Issabela smiled. "The ship function has been removed," she confirmed. "We've also set up preparations for tonight, but it seems your friend is occupying the space."Violet looked to where she pointed and laughed. Coran was standing in front of a group of Erythian children who were looking up at him with wide eyes, most probably recounting to them stories from his yalmor-fighting days.Her eyes caught on the statue of Allura before Coran, and her heart saddened. "The Castle of Lions won't feel the same without Allura," she said quietly. "It won't ever feel right for me to take her place."Issabela placed a hand on her shoulder in comfort. The two had grown close once Violet had sought her out after the war - almost friends. Zoya was also Violet's friend, though it had taken her a while to get over the fact that she'd informed Allura of how to sacrifice herself. She knew Zoya didn't regret it."You're not taking her place," said Issabela gently. "You're honoring her. With the teludav in the castle, we've been able to provide a center for Erythia's core. Instead of the quintessence poisoning the earth, it's now held safely and effectively. But also ... this is what Allura would have wanted. To see you living happily. And restoring her people, whom she loved so much.""I never could've done it without Romelle," Violet pointed out. "She helped to find every Altean refugee who had survived the destruction of their planet.""But you were the one who brought them back and gave them a home on Erythia." Issabela smiled broadly. "Alteans, Erythians and Galra used to be at war. Now we all share a planet. Erythia is home to three extraordinary species, and more are arriving every day. Erythians and Galra from across the galaxy are coming home, and they're bringing along the people they've lived with. Erythia is going to have a very unique culture, from so many different races." She sighed contentedly. "And we never could've done it without you, Violet. Our queen."Violet looked down, her lips curling. She doubted that she'd ever get used to the title. Queen of Erythia and the Erythians. The last of the royal line - a girl who'd emerged from hiding for a century and taken the throne after Honerva's destruction. Over the last year, she'd worked to rebuild the people Erythians had once been. Their home planet had virtually been a husk - after the final battle with Honerva, it had reverted back to its old form: starved and dying from the betrayal of the Alteans ten thousand years ago. But, piece by piece, Violet had worked to restore it, with the help of the surviving Erythians, who knew the intimacies of the planet's agriculture and safe harvesting techniques. Erythia might never hold all the glory it once did ... but now, with their knowledge, at least they had a start.In the end, although it had been Allura who'd saved Erythia - stopped Honerva from Fading the planet to ash, along with all the Erythians living on it - it had been all of them who had given it life again. Violet had not been there, when the Erythian refugees were rescued from the deteriorating planet by Krolia and Kolivan - she'd been fighting Honerva, in different realities - but she didn't need to have first-hand experience to understand how pivotal it was for the future of peace for both Erythians and Galra. Still, they rarely talked about those crucial hours. Rarely talked about the strength it had taken to get those Erythian refugees onto Galra ships, to convince a people in the middle of losing their home to transcend centuries of hatred and mistrust. To overcome the impossible. To forgive the unforgivable.They didn't talk about how big of an act it was for the hundreds of Erythians stranded on their dying planet to look into the yellow eyes of the warrior race who had hunted and murdered their people and choose peace.They didn't talk about it. But Violet thought about it every single day.If that day had not happened - if a single one of those Erythian refugees had refused to accept the Blade's help... none of this would be happening today, Violet was sure of it. The Erythians were one unit; they would only choose to look past the crimes of the Galra if all of them did. And now...Now, slowly but surely, they were learning. How to see beyond the race of a people - to not let someone's race define them. And how to judge people regardless of the sins of their ancestors.It was a lesson Violet had learned, more than anyone, from Allura.The Galra were learning, too. How to make amends for the sins of their ancestors. How to stop being so afraid.It was hard, but, together ... they were teaching each other. How to find peace, continuously, every day.Violet didn't know if true harmony was within reach. But if there was one thing she knew from her time fighting with Voltron, it was that the only way to know for sure was to try.She turned to Issabela. "They're asking me to lead, and I'm doing the best I can. But I know I can't do it alone. I was thinking ... a council? I asked Zoya, and she agreed as well. I think Coran and Romelle would like the position too, as the Altean representatives." she held out her hand. "I could use a good engineer like you."Issabela beamed. "I'd be honored." They clasped hands. Looking out at the castle, Issabela said, "You know, the Castle of Lions doesn't house lions anymore. Maybe you should rename it.""True," replied Violet. "Maybe ... the Castle of Stars?" She turned to her friend. "For me, stars have always been a symbol of hope and unity. It's exactly what I want this palace to portray. Beyond that ... this place is where Honerva's dias once was. She stood here when she tore apart reality. It's fitting that it is now a palace of peace.""The Castle of Stars," said Issabela. "I like it."Violet shrugged. "I don't really mind what it's called. Castle of lions or stars, to me it will always be home."-That night, Violet stood in her room, preparing for the night. It would be the first time she and the paladins had spent time together in a year. She'd seen Keith throughout it, since he was working with the Galra to transition to Erythia, but counting today it would've been two weeks. She hadn't seen Lance in far too long, or Pidge - the two were on Earth together. And the rest of their group ... stars, she could barely wait.Violet checked her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing her usual outfit - a blouse with puffed sleeves and long pants that let her move freely. Her arm cuffs and earrings accented her clothes, as well as the hair clip Keith had given her so long ago. Violet stared at the one last piece of jewelry on her stand.Allura's circlet stood proudly, its teal jem shining in the bright light. Violet drew in a long breath, wondering how something so flawless could be the bearer of so many centuries of secrets, betrayals, history that was now lost in time's ashes. She hadn't been able to put it on since Allura's death - hadn't thought she deserved it. It had seemed like a joke, taking what had once been the princess's. But now ... she'd do it to honor her friend. Who had sacrificed everything for Violet, and more.She knew she was also doing it for her heritage - for the generations and generations of queens who'd had that circlet stolen from their brows by Alfor's betrayal. One more reparation to be made.Sometimes Violet wanted to scream at the unfairness of it all. Why should she - why should anyone - have to be responsible for fixing all the things people before them had broken? Why had Allura given her life to repair a world that had never shown her kindness, to right the wrongs of a woman she didn't even share blood with? Why couldn't it have been someone else, anyone else, someone who deserved it, someone like Zarkon or Sendak?It hurt. It hurt that she didn't have an answer for any of it.But, maybe, there were some things that she could control. Like the kind of leader she could be for their people. Like the kind of person she could be for her friends. Like the ways she chose to honor Allura.Violet slid the circlet onto her forehead and smiled in the mirror. The gold gleamed against her skin, and in the light the circlet finally looked like a crown again.From her window, there was a roar, and Violet rushed to peer through the glass. The breath left her when she saw the black lion landing next to the palace gates, and her face broke into a smile.Overeager, she forgot to wait until the lion had actually landed before rushing into the courtyard. A spur of wind kicked up as its metal paws hit the sort earth, and she tripped with a curse, landing on her elbows in the dirt. "And I spent half an hour ironing out these sleeves," she muttered. "The stars are out to get me." "Need a hand?"She looked up.Standing before her was a boy with dark hair and darker eyes. There was something woven into the glint in his eyes, spilling through the sharp line of his jaw, that instantly flashed in her mind like a memory. Something about him spoke in a language Violet hadn't realized she understood until now.He smiled at her, eyes bright, and held out his hand.For a moment, she was reduced to a thin leaf in a storm as the flashback hit her like thunder, in those seconds between blinks when his hands changed to purple, fingers longer, nails ending at points. For a moment, it was Lotor's hand outstretched, straight from the ghosts that haunted her dreams.But she'd learned a long time ago how to live with your ghosts. The moment passed, and she was back in the sunlit courtyard again, and when her hand wrapped over his is was callused and warm and gentle - always so gentle - and she let him pull her back up to her feet.Keith kissed her as soon as she regained her balance, causing the last wisps of forgotten nightmares to evaporate like dew into the evening air. He drew away smiling, and said softly, "I missed you."Violet stepped away, noticing Krolia and Kolivan standing a little ways off, hiding smiles. "I missed you too," she murmured.He said nothing, eyes trained on her face. "You look ... different. In a good way. Like ... like a queen."Violet laughed lightly. "I should hope so. The last time I checked, I was one.""They're calling you the Queen of Light," Keith said, something sharp and beautiful and terrifying making the side of his mouth curve upward. "The Galra seeking a new home on Erythia. A queen of light, with a kingdom of stars."It was fitting. Her friends, her family, her people were her stars - and she was the sun.-"I mean, seriously, though, Earth has come a long way," said Pidge. "It's a hub for all alien activity now that my dad's stabilized his teludav technology. Not to mention the Garrison. With Lance as a new officer it's become an intelligent multiracial base.""What can I say? The Garrison needed a pilot as skilled as me," Lance replied smugly.Violet arched an eyebrow. "I keep a list of every planet's surface you've crashed onto flying Blue or Red. It's alphabetized.""Lance isn't just flying," interjected Shiro, always the one to diffuse the situation. "He's teaching junior cadets now. Commander Iverson just promoted him to take his place, now that he's retiring.""Teaching youngsters is so fun," sighed Coran. "I've been speaking with the schools here on Erythia, telling them about Voltron and Allura's sacrifice. Their eagerness to learn is inspiring.""Maybe you could give my kids a lesson one day," said Lance. "You've always been a great teacher, Coran."Violet grinned. "Lance, this is awesome! A whole new generation of Lances."Keith shuddered. "Please don't. I'll have nightmares.""I'll introduce you to them the next time you visit," offered Lance. "Speaking of which, when will you and Vi visit Earth? It's been a long time."Violet blew out a breath. "Sorry. Uniting three races is proving slightly difficult. Especially they all kind of hate each other, especially the Galra. No offense, Keith."He shrugged. "It's true. But we're redirecting ourselves. With Zarkon as emperor and Lotor after him, the Galra were never in a place of security; without access to a stable source of quintessence, the only way they knew how to survive was by taking it from other people. But once they have a real, strong leader who isn't a tyrant, and a way to collaborate with the Erythians and Alteans without harming them, they'll be able to change their old ways and move towards peace.""So I'm focusing on giving them that," said Violet. "A non-tyrannical leader, I mean.""You sure you can do it all by yourself, Vi?" Lance asked dryly. "Seems like a pretty high bar.""It's harder than you would think," Shiro replied. "Power lets people justify anything.""Shiro's right," Violet said, her mind flashing to other places, other times. "But I haven't been doing it alone. Krolia and Kolivan have been a big help, reaching out to all the Galra generals who were sent out by Zarkon during the war and bringing them to Erythia. Coran and Romelle too with the Alteans. I'm building a council - two Erythians, two Alteans, two Galra. Do you think Krolia and Kol would accept the position?"Keith nodded. "Once I finish transferring the Blade of Marmora into a humanitarian relief organization, they'd be happy to.""That should be done soon too," added Hunk. "I've almost finished supplying Keith's ships with enough resources to hand out to the planets they're going to hit. All food made by my chefs." He smiled. "People are just so much easier to reason with when they're full. Man, this diplomacy thing isn't nearly as easy as Allura made it look.""Right? But then, she did make everything look easy," Coran pointed out.Violet smiled and stood. "Allura was a force of nature. She's touched many lives by her actions. For some of us she was a diplomat, a teacher, a leader, and a friend." She raised her glass. "But to those of us around this table, she will always be family.""To Allura," Shiro said, rising as well."To Allura!" The paladins chorused, and Violet's heart warmed.She tipped her head back and drank.-Violet tiptoed along the halls of the Castle of Stars, careful not to wake the people sleeping behind the doors. She was headed to the observatory, where she always went when she couldn't sleep - which was admittedly often.If you thought about it, her whole life she'd been sleep-deprived. She had never slept fully after she was taken, and less when she began having moral conflicts about her work with Lotor; aboard the Atlas the only way she could sleep was in Keith's arms, and now, in the palace, everything felt too large, too empty. She supposed it was because of Allura's death. Violet had nightmares about that as well; in every one, she was unable to save her friend.
Does it still count of the nightmare is a memory?
But when Violet walked into the observatory, someone was already there.Lance jerked in surprise when she slid down onto the floor next to him, neatly folding her legs beneath her and looking up at the observatory's roof. After a second Lance chuckled and said, "I should've known you wouldn't be able to sleep either."Violet shrugged one shoulder. "I can't say the same for you. Usually you sleep like the dead."He looked up at the stars. "Yeah. Now I'm just haunted by them."Violet's eyes closed in pain. She knew what he meant. Here, after seeing them all again, talking and laughing together like they used to ... it brought back old wounds as much as old joys. Violet breathed in, feeling the words she'd pushed down since the day of the final battle slip through her lips like blood. "Why did you stop me, Lance?" she whispered into the moonlight. "Why did you hold me back so she could - could do it?"Lance's gaze moved from the sky to her face. "It was a collective decision. That you would get to live - that we'd save you, no matter what, if we ever got the chance. Since you'd saved us so much. "We'd all made the choice, even before that day - Allura was just the first one to realize what it would cost." He looked down. "I hope she'll forgive me for letting her go.""She does." Violet put her hand on his shoulder reassuringly, blinking back the hotness settling in her eyes. "Death isn't picky. Sometimes it takes bad people; sometimes it takes good people. Sometimes it takes the best of us. But we keep living anyway - we fall and we break and we love and we hate, because every day is a privilege and I'll be damned if I don't live it to the fullest. That's what she would want you to do, too."Lance grinned and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "You always know what to say." He let loose a long sigh. "I'll miss her. Every day.""We all will." Violet leaned into him. "But we'll be reminded of her every time we look at the sky. So she'll never really be gone.""The sky," murmured Lance. "That's fitting for her. She was always destined to have a place among the stars."They sat like that for a while, looking at the night sky together, and Violet felt her eyes close.Until a roar shook the castle, the sky lighting up, and her eyes flew open.Lance sat up. "Is that-?"He didn't need to finish the sentence. The two of them raced outside, to the courtyard where Honerva had once stood. Above them, shining brighter than the stars, the lions were rising.
Allura.
The outline of the princess hovered before them, face serene and beaming. In a blaze, the five sparks of light shot up through the sky, taking their place among the stars.Five points, forming a new constellation - a white lion."Thank you," Violet whispered to the lions, feeling their presence finally leave her. "For everything."She could've sworn the stars blinked in reply.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
"Mama!"A girl was racing down the hall, her dark hair flying out behind her. She flung herself into her mother's arms and looked up at her with wide eyes. "Do ya have to go?"Violet looked down at her daughter and laughed. "It will only be for a short while, Lu.""I know," the girl whined, "But Krolia's going to watch over us and if I don't perfect the front flip she showed us last time she's going to give me the look.""What look?"Lu arched her eyebrow and twisted her lip, giving a terrible imitation of Krolia's glare. "It's terrifying.""You'll have your father," Violet pointed out. "And Auntie Veronica will be staying to visit when we come back.""Really?" squealed Lu. "Can she and Auntie Acxa play Uno with me again?"Violet felt a smile tug at her lips. "I don't know ... you better go ask Auntie Acxa now, then, or else she might make plans to play with someone else."Lu gasped, appalled, and was gone in a blink, presumably off to hunt down Acxa and demand promises of game nights. She was the only person, to date, who was allowed to call Acxa anything other than her name, aside from Veronica. Lance had called Acxa 'Acxie' once and had been on crutches for a week.But that was Lu. From the moment Lura Kieran Idalia was born, she'd melted the hearts of everyone who saw her. Including Violet - who had only just realized that being a mother was something she'd always wanted for her future once she found the right person to spend it with, and was endlessly grateful she'd realized it soon enough.Said right person walked over as Lu ran away, lips curling. "What is she off to now?" He looked at her pointedly. "She gets into almost as much trouble as you."Violet sighed. "And she could rival you in hotheadedness. Honestly, I'm surprised she hasn't burned down the Castle of Stars yet."Keith laughed and tugged her against him, pressing his lips to hers. It had been ten years since she'd been crowned queen of Erythia and established her council, and through it all, her love for Keith was still as strong as when she'd first fallen for him. He'd been by her side through all of it, the ups and the downs and the utter catastrophes. She would've loved him for that alone, though there was so much more. Now, Erythia was one of the most advanced planets in the universe, its culture and technology a combination of three extraordinary races. Erythians, Alteans, and Galra - as one.Lance had become a chief officer at the Garrison, and had taken a break from Earth to help out in the new Blade of Marmora, becoming a certified member. He and Keith had ceded their old rivalry and were now the best of friends.Hunk had founded one of the biggest worldwide food programs in the galaxy, bringing people and planets together one meal at a time.Pidge and her family chose to stay on Earth, helping advance the planet into a fully-functioning intergalactic space hub.Shiro had left the battle behind. He was now married to Curtis, one of the Garrison officers, living out his life peacefully on Earth.Griffin and the other cadets had also stayed on earth, training to become the next generation of legendary defenders. Violet commed Griffin every month.Coran and Romelle became the Altean representatives of Violet's council, and Krolia and Kolivan had become the Galra. Issabela and Zoya made up the last members.Acxa, Ezor and Zethrid had chosen to work for Violet and Keith, becoming highly-respected Blades.And Veronica?She walked in now as Violet and Keith pulled apart, casting a pointed glance at the little space between them. "Ready to go, or do you two need more time?"Violet rolled her eyes, linking arms with her sister. "Ready when you are. We should go before Lu comes back, or she'll never let you leave."Veronica grinned. "Is she off getting into trouble again?""Most definitely." Violet took a deep breath, summoning her magic. "What do you think we'll find when we get there?""Only one way to find out." Veronica's arm tightened in hers.Violet's power rose, and she grasped it; the sisters disappeared in a flash of light.It had taken almost a decade before Violet was finally able to be comfortable with her magic. During the war, her years fighting with the paladins, she'd never had time to slow down and come to terms with the magic that lived inside her; she'd only ever drawn upon it like a tool when it was needed. After, though, she'd promised herself to do things differently. Promised to step back and let all of the strange twisted pieces of her rolling around beneath her skin settle, and smooth out around the edges a bit, until it could be shaped into something that vaguely resembled a person.It was hard, and painstaking, and made her feel guilty sometimes, though she didn't know why. But it was nice, too.One of the many pieces of herself she hadn't gotten back from the faint battle, however, was her ability to shape-shift. She'd tried to summon that part of her power a few times over the years, hesitantly, but every time she reached for it, it was like her hands were grasping in a dark well that had once been filled to the brim with water. She could hear it dripping from the stones, feel the dampness in the air; she knew there had once been water there, but now there was just cool emptiness.She didn't mind as much as she thought she might. She'd only ever really needed the ability for one purpose, and that purpose had been accomplished in the void. She no longer had a need for it.That being said, it still would have been cool as fuck to be able to turn into a giant white lion whenever she wanted. But we can't have everything.Her magic had many practical uses, too, which she'd figured out how to implement in various different ways. One of them was that Issabela had managed to connect her magic to the Castle of Stars so that she could self-wormhole. Now, she controlled it like Allura used to, using the castle to amplify her power. Violet and Veronica teleported across the galaxy to the place Violet envisioned in her mind: a planet with cacti and greenish dirt and billowing clouds that covered the sun. A cottage with curtains flapping in the breeze, and windows framed the walls - wide, so that you could easily see the stars.When she opened her eyes, they were there, but it was no longer day; the sun was gone, and there were stars in its place, shining brighter than they had on Earth.Veronica walked up to the cottage, holding up her hand to the door. She hesitated and turned to Violet. "What ... what if she's not there? What if she's gone, like Dad, or doesn't recognize us? What if she does and ... doesn't want to see us?"Violet sucked in a breath, calming her nerves. "I think there's only one way we can know. Only one thing we can do.""What?"Violet raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door, the sound echoing through the house.And as the door creaked open, she said to Veronica, "Try."