Chapter Text
“Guys, there's an opening, I'm going for it!”
“Lance get away from there!” “Just wait for me, Lance!” “Buddy, don't, there's too many of them!” “Just stay behind us Lance, just be our sharp shooter and keep these Galran fighters at bay until Keith can get through and finish them off!”
“Sorry guys, no can do! We won't get a chance like this again, just trust me!”
“Lance, don't, there has to be a better way!” “Idiot, stop it! You can't pull it off! Just wait for me like Shiro said!” “Buddy, listen to Shiro! Listen to the plan!” “Lance, fall back this instant! LISTEN TO ME AND FALL BACK, YOU CAN'T DO IT! LANCE MCCLAIN, GET OUT OF THERE! IT'S A TRAP!”
“Guys, listen to me, I know I can do this, I know I can! Just worry about those prisoners on your lions! I'm going to make this shot count!”
“LANCE! WATCH OUT!” “LANCE! ON YOUR LEFT! NO!” “LANCE!” “NO, STOP, LANCE! LANCE!”
*
Keith punched the wall of the red Lion's Bunker. Tears mixed with anger caused the red paladin to scream in rage. He tore off his helmet and threw it roughly against the ground, he heard glass break.
He wasn't fast enough.
*
Hunk dragged himself to the kitchen, shoulders slumped, tears poured from his eyes as he struggled to push down the lump in his throat. He looked ahead, eyes hardened, he pulled off his bandana, he let it fall to the ground. Every step he took, a new hole in the floor was made.
He wasn't strong enough.
*
Pidge lead the former prisoners to the cryopods. Their anger bubbled and boiled, threatening to overflow at any moment. Their nails dug into their hands, causing them to bleed, their filter, nonexistent.
They weren't smart enough.
*
Shiro locked himself in his room. The demons in his mind, yelling at him, mocking him. The black lion is nothing but a whisper in the back of his head. The black paladin ignored his pain as he hurts himself with his robotic arm. He broke a rib, but the pain and his demons reminded him it was not a worthy punishment, he needed to inflict more wounds, experience more pain. He needed to punish himself.
He wasn't good enough.
*
Princess Allura stayed in her room, tears and loud sobs consumed her. She took her crown and placed it on her pillow. She couldn't look at it. She refused to look at it, she refused to wear it. The princess held her knees, she rocked herself as she sobbed. The mice tried to console her, but they couldn't find the words to help. They couldn't help.
She wasn't worthy enough.
*
Coran tended to the prisoners, the light in his eyes and skip in his steps were gone. As he ushered each prisoner into the pods, he quietly walked the halls of the castle. He watched each paladin.
Keith was in the training room, he was fighting gladiator bot after bot. He looked at the controls and saw it was way past his skill level. Next to the control panel was his mamora blade. It was placed into the trashcan. Coran picked up and held onto it.
Hunk was eating, he looked so full and sick, but he kept eating. He walked away, he picked up the orange bandana in the hallway, he held onto it.
He saw pidge in the control room. All their electronics busted and chunks strewn across the room. A pair of glasses half broken, a lens is missing, Coran picked it up and held onto it.
Shiro was in his room, Coran heard him cry out in pain, and loud thuds. Outside his door was a picture of himself in his Garrison uniform, it was crumpled and ripped. He picked it up and held onto it.
The princess wasn't opening her chambers, he couldn't get in. The mice were waiting outside her door, they each held a part of her crown. Coran bent down and picked it up. He will hold onto it.
He didn't know where he was going, he wasn't thinking, he let his instincts take over. When he came to a stop, he found himself at Lance's room. Without thinking, he went in, he could feel a lump in his throat grow. He ignored the tears threatening to fall.
He felt a cool air rush past him, the room was dark, he turned the lights on. The light was blinding, he wanted to dim them. So much light in an empty room, full of items that belonged to a vibrant and colorful child.
Child.
Right, that's what Lance was, that's what all these paladin were. Children. Fighting a war that never had anything to do with them. Fighting in a war where loss is more common than gaining. These children were fighting a war that resulted in the loss of the heart of their family.
Coran felt his knees start to give out, he forced himself to sit at the edge of the bed. He placed all the items he collected onto the bed. He placed them around a familiar green jacket. He then picked the jacket up, he clutched it to his chest and sobbed into it. His weeping was muffled by the jacket, Lance’s jacket, his boy's jacket.
He couldn't do anything. He was useless.
*
The lions mourned as well. They were missing a vital piece of their pride. They were missing their sister, their dear Blue.They were a broken pride. The lions lost a part of themselves.
Each lion roared as one, each roar full of sadness, full of despair. Their paladins each felt their pain, even the princess. Their pride was torn apart, their paladins separated from one another. They isolated themselves, their lions clung to each other.
The castle of lions lost their hope. They weren't a team anymore. They were alone. They have nothing. Voltron is dead.