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Chapter Text

'Cause you stood right there

And then you broke apart the lies

You told me I had something beautiful inside

You brought to life the part of me I thought had died

'Cause you stood right there until I saw me

I saw me through your eyes

                                                      -Through Your Eyes, by Britt Nicole

Code of Honor

As usual, getting inside the base was both heart-racing as well as customary. Equal parts thrilling, and equal parts common. Never the less, the value of it all came from the accomplishment of a job well done. That's all that mattered. Everything else was merely an afterthought. 

This was the tenth secret Galra military base they had managed to infiltrate. Every time, more and more was added to the seemingly never-ending list of concerns, in regards to the whereabouts of a certain Galra prince they have been trying--and failing--to track down for a long time.

The base was located underwater this time. Once inside, the cargo ship rose from an indoor opening of water. The Galra sentries--robot minions that attacked on the tiniest sign of trouble-- and Galra soldiers exited the catwalk, pushing out a large number of containers. Each one carrying a luminescent substance which ranged from aquamarine, yellow, and purple coloring. 

Three humanoid figures observed from high above. Their dark clothing merging them into the shadows, even with the luminescent purple outlines of their chest-plates, masks and blades.

"We destroyed the Comar, how is it the Galra are still producing vast amounts of quintessence?" their leader said. His voice somewhat robotic underneath his mask. Each one covered the wearer's entire front of their face. The back of their heards covered by a black hood which never fell off, even when in combat.

"Find out where it's coming from and where it's going." the leader turned to his companion to his left. He was almost as tall as he was, but what distinguished him was his long purple, bluish tail. He nodded and went ahead.

The leader turned to the shorter one beside him. "Get a reading on that shipment." The younger looking cadet prepared to leave, only to stop midway when the leader clasped his hand over his shoulder. "Remember," he warned, "This is purely intelligence gathering. Do not engage."

The cadet nodded and moved quickly and silently as a mouse scurrying over the kitchen floor. The soldier with the tail jumped down an elevator shaft, using his big feet and claws to cement himself to the side of the walls. Using his tail, he pulled out his blade to cut open the metal surface, revealing a hidden compartment and inserted a flash drive. The solider downloaded the intel, sending it to his superior.

Meanwhile, the younger cadet silently made his way to the containers, unseen by the Galra sentries. He analyzed the material, sending it to the leader. A holographic screen formed over his wrist band. 

"Impossible." he exclaimed in a hushed tone. "It's overloading my monitor. I've never seen these kinds of readings before."

The young cadet sensed a secondary presence and ceased his work to turn his head. The first sentry had spotted him, aiming its gun to fire. The cadet pulled out his blade and hurled it through the air, piercing right through the sentry's chest. As it fell, its robot finger pulled the trigger, unleashing several laser shots across the room.

"We've been compromised. Abort, now!" the leader ordered. "Extraction point in two dobashes."

The cadet ran, pulling his knife from the sentry's chest. The alarm went off and more sentries came out firing. He dodged the incoming blasts, slicing the guns and stabbing the humanoid robots with his blade. He hurried towards the ship, which was stationed right underneath the base. He arrived just in time before launch.

The cadet looked around the ship, only he and his superior were present. "He's not back yet?" he said between haggard breaths.

"He's got thirty ticks." said the leader. He turned his head and saw the cadet running out of the ship to retrieve their comrade. "Begin preparations for take off." 

The leader waited for a few more tics, the doors already closing. Three tics. Now four. Five. Six. Still nothing. His back was halfway towards the closing doors, until the cadet came flying in, carrying his comrade over his back. 

The two rolled onto the floor just as the ship took off. With only three tics to spare. The cadet panted, feeling his heartbeat up to his skull. The soldier whom he had ran off to rescue had been shot in the shoulder. Once the ship was safely out of the base, the leader placed a device over his companion's shoulder.

"Will he be alright?" 

"You broke protocol." The leader replied sternly to the young cadet, ignoring his question. 

The cadet removed his hood, his mask dematerializing to reveal a young man with medium skin and messy raven hair, with bangs that hung over his forehead. His eyes rivaling the purple of their suits.

"I had to."

The leader too removed his hood, his mask also dematerialized. Rather than being human, he was a tall, muscular alien humanoid being with purple skin and hair. His eyes were entirely yellow with no pupils and a single scar ran over his left eye towards the side of his mouth.

"You didn't consider that something could have happened to you! That would make two men down instead of one. Ever member of the Blade of Marmora understands that the mission is more important than the individual."

The young man looked over at his injured friend, hands half clenched in irritation. This wasn't the first time he had been schooled in not following direct orders. Orders he knew already by heart at this point, and yet he still couldn't will himself to stick to those orders one hundred percent. He knew both the importance of their missions, but he also knew the importance of his fellow comrades. 

"This isn't Voltron." the leader concluded. The mere mention of the name ignited a sense of longing within the young man's chest. A longing he hid very well from his superior's eyes.

"I know that. In Voltron, we would have gotten back to save Regris. I went back to save the mission." he pulled out the flash drive Regris had been using to download the information on the shipment. "Regris had the intel. Getting it and him back on the ship was worth the risk." The young man placed the drive on the leader's, hand. "Speaking of which, I should be heading back.”

The lad stopped in his tracks when Regris began to stir. "Hey… Keith."

"Yeah?"

"Tell your princess I said, Hi." Regris waved his good hand, a chuckle heard from underneath his mask. The young man, Keith, smiled and nodded. 

"Will do." Keith and his leader shared one final glance--the latter looking more irritated than impressed--before walking out to return to his own pod.

Once the doors closed behind Keith, Regris's mask dematerialized, laughing even louder. "That kid never ceases to impress me."

"You think this is some kind of game?"

"Don't be like that, Kolivan. He did good."

"He didn't obey my orders."

"And if he hadn't, I wouldn't even be here. And neither would the intel. The boy's a quick thinker, and a team player." Regris gave his superior, Kolivan, a smug grin, which only made his blood boil. More so than it already had.  

Kolivan sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What am I going to do with you, Regris?"

"Grow bored?" Regris said with a laugh, which only made Kolivan's migraine grow ten fold.

(~)

Unlike the rest of the Blade's ships, which consisted of shades of purple and dark blues, the pod from which Keith had used to travel with was white with neon blue outlines. The ride back to Olkarion was a silent one, as usual.

The silence was broken when a familiar face appeared on the computer screen in front of him. A face with a smile that was so contagious Keith felt the corners of his mouth turn upwards at the exact same time hers did.

"Keith, I was hoping you would pick up." she said in a lighthearted tone, accompanied by an english-like accent. 

His beloved princess with eyes that would make sapphires weep with envy, accompanied with small pink dots on the center of her pupils. Hair of silver that sparkled in just the right light, and dark brown skin adorned with two pink parkings underneath her eyes. As usual, her hair was up in a bun, and the locket he had given her hung elegantly around her neck.

"Hey, Allura. I'll be back at the castle in just a few."

"Wonderful! How did your mission go?" 

"It was okay. Not much happened." Keith said with a shrug, his eyes briefly glancing to his window then back at the princess. Her smile slightly dropped and a single brow rose up in suspicion. 

"Are you sure about that?"

"Well, Kolivan is still Kolivan, and Regris says Hi."

Allura giggled, "When you see him again, tell him I miss him too. What new information did you find?"

"From the looks of it, we may have just uncovered a new form of quintessence. The readings are off the charts, and Kolivan says it could be linked to Lotor."

"So progress. That's wonderful!" Allura said joyfully, but her joy was short lived when she noticed the distress in Keith's eyes. "I know it's not exactly a cause for celebration. I mean, the news of a secret quintessence supply line is deeply troubling, but you should be proud of the progress you've made. I know I am."

Her smile, as always, made Keith smile back. "Thanks. I'll tell you more about it when I get back, okay."

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

The call ended, leaving Keith alone to his thoughts once more. He could have talked more with Allura, but over time, speaking to her about his Marmora missions just became more and more melancholy. It had nothing to do with secrets, or wether not not she would understand. It had far more to do with the fact that Keith was with the Blades, and Allura had remained with Voltron. 

Technically, he was still a paladin as well, but so far balancing these Blade missions and his responsibilities with Voltron felt like he was being pulled both ways. Both teams had a common mission, but this going back and forth was eating Keith up inside. 

But, as it was with the Blades, he had to push those feelings aside for what was really important. If only it were that simple. If only his while dilemma were that simple. 

(~)

Keith arrived at the castle deck, changing into his normal attire. Shiro stood before a hologram of various ships, several being pulled by the lions. "Good, you're back." Shiro said, not once turning his head to address Keith. "The team's on a mission, you need to get to your lions and join them immediately."

"I will." said Keith, "But I think we just discovered a new form of quintessence. I told Allura and--"

"Okay, we'll discus it when you return. The team's escorting refugees out of the Finn System." Shiro said. Throughout Keith's entire conversation, the older paladin never once turned his way. His eyes were dead set on the holographic ships in front of him. 

"This is Lotor we're talking about! He hasn't been seen in months, this could be our chance to track him down!"

"I said; we'll discuss it later. Right now I need you to focus on the mission at hand." 

"But--"

"This isn't a request, Keith!" Shiro snapped, and Keith stiffened. "Get to the Finn System. That's an order."

Keith easily gave in and did as he was told. Just like with Kolivan, it would seem no matter what Keith did, even when he tried to do the right thing, he always seem to make somebody angry these days. He took his lion and hurried to join the others. As expected, his welcome was far from warm and pleasant. 

"Well, look who finally decided to show up." the green paladin Pidge scoffed in annoyance. 

"Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?" Lance said, his tone matching Pidge's own disapproval. It wasn't every day that their unofficial goofball of the team, Lance, would school Keith like this. Not the most pleasant feeling in the world, especially after the day Keith just had.

"Sorry I'm late." Keith said in downcast and proceeded to assist the refuge ships. The blue lion hovered beside his. 

"Don't let them get to you." Allura said sweetly, "You're here now, and that's what matters."

"Thanks." Keith replied, trying his best to sound more upbeat, but the events of his day made it a difficult task. "Let's just get these guys to Olkarion. They've waited long enough."

Keith flew on ahead, leaving Allura to fly closest to the green lion. As they traveled, Pidge cut off any communication with the boys before addressing the princess. "Allura, can we talk?"

"I understand you are upset Pidge, but I am really not in the mood for a lecture right now." the princess replied, practically clenching her teeth. 

"No, no, not a lecture. Just some girl talk."

Allura rose a brow. "Since when do you refer to it as "girl talk"?"

Pidge sighed in exasperation at her poor choice of words. Not a very subtle approach, to be sure. "Look, I think it's really sweet that you want to support Keith in his Marmora training, or whatever. But, don't you think they're getting a little out of hand? I mean, it was fine at first but now it's turned into a struggle just to keep him on that lion, and on the team."

Allura sighed. "Believe me, I'm well aware of that."

"Again, I know you're trying to support him, but as his girlfriend, and teammate, maybe you should try and talk some sense into him?"

"Pidge, this is a far more complicated issue than you realize."

"Well, complicated or not, something's gotta be done about this. We can't just wait around for him to show up to form Voltron." Pidge heard nothing but silence, and she feared she had said the wrong thing. "Allura?"

"Alright. I'll have a talk with him."

"Good. If there is anyone he'll listen to, it's you."

Allura leaned back against her seat. Pidge wasn't wrong, she knew this. These missions have been a tad difficult to balance as of late. Liberating planets, and inspiring others to join in their fight against the Galra. They were going to need all the help they could get. And they were going to need all four lions as well.

Allura wasn't trying to push the issue back, she tried her best not to, she was simply trying to find the right time to talk about it with Keith. He was already going through so much, and his current position as the leader of Voltron since Shiro's unexpected return had not been easy on him. And just as well, she understood how important the Blade's missions too.

But Pidge was right. Maybe it was time to stop beating around the bush and just be upfront. Perhaps, between the two of them, they could working something out.

It was so much easier beforehand. Back when things were more stretched out. Tragically, reality could never stay in one spot for very long. It was merely the calm before the storm.

…………..

Five months earlier…

Weeks passed since Shiro's unexpected return. Days felt longer and nights ever more restless. Being optimistic was an obstacle half the time. Not impossible, but certainly not easy. 

In that time, Team Voltron had been working daily on the coalition. Their home base was located on Olkarion. The Olkari were generous enough to welcome so many new species to their home planet. More and more citizens readied to join the fight. The paladins had caught Shiro up to speed on every last detail he had missed out on, and he got ready to work.

He got into the grove of leadership so seamlessly it was like he never left. His lack of a lion didn't stop him from knowing exactly what to do and what to say at the right time. He welcomed the new allies that had arrived on Olkarion and worked closely with Hunk and Pidge on any new updates on Galra activity. His finger was on the pulse of everything.

Keith should have felt ecstatic to have Shiro back, and he was. But as time went on, he quickly felt like he was fading into the background. Normally, for an introverted guy like Keith, this wouldn't be an issue. But, when you were the supposed leader of a team with someone else also filling the role, that was an entirely different issue.

Allura often acquainted herself with their new allies, with Keith right beside her. He didn't always speak much, but it did help him feel more comfortable around these people. They were folks who had lost so much and yet found hope in joining their coalition. Keith empathized with their stories. Even children who had either lost a parent, or both, arrived with their guardians or grandparents, aunts or elder siblings. They were absolutely star struck upon meeting the paladins.

Allura struggled a bit with dealing with children, given her lack of experience, but knowing how much they have dealt with at such a young age made it easy for her to empathize with them. Keith, who grew up with orphans just like them, felt a little more comfortable. As a kid, he would often ignore the other kids out of fear of rejection. As he got older, he regretted not having had the courage to form a bond with them. Speaking with these orphans may not erase that part of his lonely childhood, but if he could at least give them some motivation, then that was enough for him.

Plus, they reminded him of Ember. The little longma he and Allura had adopted but, understandably, had to release back to her family. The memory of their time together remained in their minds and hearts. Showing these kids they weren't alone in this war-torn world was very fulfilling for Keith.

Allura adored seeing him socialize with the kids. He was certainly better with them than he was with the diplomats. Even now, the children would still run on over to Keith, asking him questions about his latest expedition. 

Though, now it wasn't just Keith and Allura greeting their new friends. Shiro had joined in as well, greeting and informing the people of their ultimate goal. Some of the non-orphan children, upon learning that Shiro was a former black paladin who escaped the Galra, twice, made him popular very quickly. Whenever someone had a question, they would either ask Allura… or Shiro.

Keith should have seen that coming. He still wasn't a social butterfly by comparison, and the newest recruits tended to lean further towards Shiro than him anyway. The children still looked up to the Galra-hybrid for inspiration and fun stories, while Shiro handled the diplomacy stuff. 

It didn't end there. On missions, Shiro would continue to lead the team from the castle. Instructing them on their next assignment, where to find refugees and rebel locations from intel received by the Blade of Marmora, as well as the Galra bases to take down. 

While Keith was… piloting the Black Lion. The first few times he would try to make decisions, not to compete with Shiro, but out of a natural responce. Sometimes an order would come out of his mouth out of concern for either of the paladins, only for Shiro to swoop in and correct him. Eventually, Keith just gave up in trying to think like a leader and fell back into the routine of following Shiro. 

Every time a mission had finished, Shiro would have a private talk with Keith about what he did incorrectly, and how he could improve. Constructive criticism in of itself wouldn't have been an issue… if it weren't for the fact that Keith received this almost every other mission they went on. Never seeming to get a break and wasn't doing his self esteem any favors.

When Keith tried to make a decision, he was stopped by Shiro. Never mind the times where Keith managed to find a clever way to solve their problems, even if it meant defying Shiro once or twice. Many times, his choices worked just as they did when they destroyed the Teladuv.

However, not every choice Keith made was successful, so Shiro needed to give a counter order. Keith was grateful to have Shiro swoop in when things got hairy, he really was. But the fact of the mater, it was Keith who remained on the Black Lion's seat and not Shiro.

This didn't make sense to Keith. Here they had a perfectly good, competent and reliable leader, yet the Black Lion insisted on keeping Keith as its one true paladin, when it was obvious he still had much to learn, and not enough time to master these leadership skills because of their situation. 

Since then, Keith merely listened to Shiro and didn't question him. He flew the lion, Shiro gave the orders like always. It should feel like old times, but it didn't. Things had changed immensely when Shiro was away, and the chances of things returning to the beginning were slim to none. 

Keith was the Black Paladin, but he wasn't a leader. Shiro was their leader, but not their paladin. 

While they were making progress with the coalition, there was still another thorn on their side. A thorn they had not seen in a long time, yet still managed to prick so much it frustrated them. At least it frustrated Keith.

That thorn was Prince Lotor. Days, weeks out of commission, no doubt scheming, plotting to open up a rift to another reality in order to obtain unlimited quintessence for the Galra Empire. He was as thirsty for the substance as his parents were. The Blade of Marmora were tasked with retrieving top secret Galra information for the paladins. So far, not much had been uncovered.

Most days, when everyone was more at ease, Keith retreated to his only thinking place; the training deck. Lashing out his frustrations at the gladiator. Today, however, for some reason, he didn't feel like slicing through a robot knight. Instead, he just sat outside the castle, overlooking the ever growing refugee base the Olkarion had built for the rebels. 

Keith watched in silence as the children he knew played alongside their friends or families. Some biological, others adopted, and or honorary. Whichever, they all looked happy in spite of the reality of the war. It was enough to relax him. The paladin smiled.

A pair of arms wrapped around him, followed by a pair of soft lips pressed against the crown of his head. The sweet aroma of her hair filled his senses. Allura made herself comfortable, sitting beside him, hand playfully ruffling his hair. They sat in silence, watching the children. 

"The innocence of a child." she spoke, "One of the universe's most under-appreciated gifts."

Allura's hand was over his left shoulder and Keith gently caressed her wrist. "It's a mix bag."

"What do you mean?"

"Seeing them happy after everything they went through. Oblivious to what's happening out there."

"They're not oblivious, Keith."

"I know they're not. Doesn't mean they don't wish they weren't."

"Not just them. Everyone." 

Keith turned away from the kids to look into the sparkly blue eyes of the princess. The wind blew, causing strands of her hair to come undone. He tucked them behind her ear like he always did before kissing her on the lips.

"We all wish for this war to end." she said, "And it will if we keep fighting. But that doesn't mean we should underestimate these small moments."

Keith smiled, kissing her cheek. She was right, it was moments like these that made all of their hard work worth it. The two leaned in for an actual kiss, which sadly never came to be. A ship from the Blade of Marmora headquarters landed right in front of the castle ship, interrupting the couple's tender moment. Keith and Allura hurried to greet whoever was inside. 

The Blade's leader, Kolivan exited the ship, his hood and mask absent. He was accompanied by another Blade member they had never met before. Granted, they didn't know too many Blades personally, so that wasn't saying much. This Blade member had a long tail and a face that looked more human than most Galra. 

Bald with markings and a small scar over his left eyebrow. His skin was a lighter blue and his ears were long and pointed, almost like a cat's. His eyes were a dark blue with yellow sclera. In contrast to Kolivan's stoic demeanor, this Galra looked friendlier. He smiled at the young couple, his eyes landing on their intertwined fingers, and he carried himself with confidence with a very relaxed posture. His tail swiping back and forth, indicating some form of happiness. 

"Kolivan. This is a surprise." Allura said. If Kolivan was here, then it had to be an urgent matter. Keith felt his spirits drop already. Their small moment had come and gone in a flash.

"Apologies for the sudden visit, Princess, but it is of the upmost importance."

"Rude." the second Galra said. Kolivan narrowed his eyes.

"Excuse me?"

"Upmost importance clearly doesn't include introducing people?"

Keith and Allura shared perplexed looks to each other and then to this new Galra. He was certainly… different than most Blades. Most were serious and intimidating, almost anti social. This one had the boldness to casually address his superior. Something no Blade in their right mind would ever do.

Kolivan groaned. "Keith, Allura, this is Regris. One of our eldest members."

"Come on, I'm not that old."

Allura blinked in surprise. He was one of their eldest members? Looking closer, he did carry some years on his face. Wrinkles, and a few faded scars. He could be almost the same age as Coran, give or take a few more years, but despite his age Regris looked quite lively. 

"It is an honor to meet you, Princess." Regris bowed and then kissed Allura's hand. "I've heard great things about you. You're as radiant as I thought you would be." his compliment made the princess blush. 

Regris turned towards Keith, bowing as well and offering his hand for the paladin to shake. "And you must be Keith. Black Paladin of Voltron, victor of the Trials of Marmora, and the princess's knight in shinning armor, if I'm not mistaken."

Regris nodded his head down to their hands, making the two teens blush. "It's very nice to meet you too, Regris." Allura said with a smile. This was the first time in ten thousand years since she had a pleasant conversation with a grown Galra. It took her back to the days of old when Galra and Alteans were still allies. 

"Likewise, Princess."

"If we are finished." Kolivan intervened rather impatiently. Regris rolled his eyes, mouthing 'killjoy'. Allura had to suck  in her lips to keep herself from laughing in Kolivan's presence. 

"We must speak with you and the rest of the paladins."

(~)

Kolivan had the entire team gathered together. The Blade's leader showed them several holographic images. Images of Galra ships and secret passageways within hidden bases. "Ever since the defeat of Zarkon, Galra activity both within and outside the Empire has been scares."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Hunk asked, "Because with you, it's a little hard to tell sometimes."

Kolivan ignored the yellow paladin's comment and proceeded with his demonstration. "In the past several weeks, our intel informed us of a supply route heading in the Quanta system."

"There aren't any Galra bases in that system." Shiro said. "And that's way off from the normal supply routes." 

"Exactly. Our sources are thin, but from what we have gathered, it would appear it is a supply route not even Zarkon was aware of." This revelation gained multiple gasps from the group. 

"How do you know for certain?" Allura asked. 

"Our spies which have been gathering intel from Zarkon for years have collected files of all the supply routes from before and after Lotor took the throne. This one just came up. Like I said, the details are still thin but it's worth checking out."

"So what's the plan?" Shiro asked, unintentionally stopping Keith from speaking. He was just about to ask the exact same question, but was beat by the elder paladin. Allura held his hand, smiling in reassurance. Keith smiled back. 

"As of late, our spies are scattered across the Empire to gather more information on Lotor. Sadly, the news came to us rather unexpectedly, so gathering more troops has been tricky. But if we are to uncover more on this new hidden supply route, we must act quickly or we may loose our chance. We have plans to infiltrate the ship before it leaves to see where it's heading."

It was then, Kolivan's unwaveringly cold yellow eyes turned to Keith. His eyes traveled all around the room, but Kolivan looked at no one else but him. "Me? Why are you asking me?"

"You are the only other generation Blade member we can count on for this mission. I will be in the base gathering more of the intel, while you and Regris infiltrate the supply route. Originally we intended for three to take on this mission, but--"

Shiro rose his hand to silence the Galra rebel. "I'm sorry, Kolivan, but Keith can't go." Keith in turn looked at Shiro with shock and displeasure. 

"Keith is the Black Paladin now. The team needs him."

"I understand that, but whatever it is they are transferring it could be of aid to Lotor." 

"That guy is pretty sneaky." Lance said, recalling every moment where Lotor had outsmarted then. He was not to be messed with.

"Exactly." Kolivan added, "We can't let this opportunity slip away."

"I understand, but now is just not the right time."

"Uh, excuse me?" Keith rose his hand as if he were in elementary class. "Don't I get a say in this?"

All eyes landed on Keith, which made him almost want to recoil and take back what he said. Especially when Shiro looked down at him, like a child misbehaving in class. Allura did not take kindly to this look. Keith asked a reasonable question, why did Shiro had to become so controlling? He had been so ever since he came back. She empathized he was struggling with a lot, but that was no right to take out his own stress out on Keith when he had been doing nothing but try to appease Shiro.

"Keith, I understand where Kolivan is coming from, but we can't risk it. What if something happens while you're gone? We won't be able to form Voltron."

"Shiro makes a good point." Lance said. One of the few occasions where he doesn't act smugly towards Keith, but rather shows empathy by merely siding with the rational side. As impulsive and loud as Lance could be, he was not without common sense when it was most necessary.

"If we move fast, we can have him back before--"

Shiro turned to Kolivan, "I'm sorry, but the answer is--"

"Yes."

All heads turned at once at the princess, who stared at Shiro with righteous fury in her eyes. "Keith will accompany you on your mission, Kolivan. As will I."

"What?!" both Shiro and Coran exclaimed in unison, while Lance, Pidge and Hunk merely face palmed. "Princess, you're not serious, are you?" Coran said, his mustache fizzled at the girl's bold responce. 

"I understand Shiro's perspective, but Kolivan is also correct. A supply route that even Zarkon was unaware of is deadly serious. We must act quickly if we are to comprehend what they are transferring."

"Allura's right." Keith said, "And it could be a lead to where Lotor is hiding."

Lance whispered to Hunk, "I want to say they're crazy, but at the same time, they're common crazy is part of what makes them so adorable."

"Lance, I think you have a shipping problem." Hunk whispered back.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'm fine."

"You literally came up with their ship name and you gush over them every chance you get."

"Oh, like you've never done it."

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a sane person with a life!"

"Hey, ladies, you done chit chatting or what?" Pidge said, standing in between the two. "I'm trying to listen."

Shiro was about ready to dismiss Keith's decision, only for Allura to step in. Unlike Keith, who at times hesitated more to speak up to Shiro when he believed he wasn't supposed to, Allura wasn't as intimidated by him. "Pidge has been scanning for any potential Galra threats. There haven't been any in the past several days. If not, perhaps these secret routs, or rather what they are transferring could possibly be linked to them. This was far too important, and if there hasn't been enough time to gather more Blades before the shipment takes effect, then it stands to reason Keith and I should suffice for now."

"Princess, this isn't a good idea." Shiro said, "Things may be slow now, but we don't know when they can change."

Allura and Keith looked to one another, then back at Shiro then at the two Blades. Keith took Allura's hand, "Uh, could you all excuse us for a moment?" he leads her out of the room, the door closing behind them, now out of hearing range. 

"You really think we should do this?"

"I don't see why we shouldn't." Allura replied, arms crossed, more irritated at the fact that Keith is having seconds thoughts because Shiro was being so controlling. "Everything about this sounds ominous. Too ominous for us to ignore. It happened quickly, the Blades are scattered, there is very little time to gather enough before they ship whatever it is they are sending to an unknown base in a system where there shouldn't be one? I say it would be unwise not to inspect this."

Keith stopped for a moment, pondering within his own mind. Considering all options. Once he was finished, he looked Allura in the eyes and kissed her forehead. He smiled, taking her hand and they walked back inside, where they saw Shiro and Kolivan conversing with one another.

"We're in."

Shiro shook his head. "Guys…"

"We'll check it out and come right back." Keith said, "Pidge can contact us if there is any trouble."

Shiro's brows twisted then he closed his eyes, breathing in deeply. He opened them and turned to Kolivan. "Alright. But this is a one time deal."

"Understood."

Shiro turned to the young couple. "And there better not be any funny business either." he warned. 

Allura wanted so badly to groan in exasperation. She hated being treated like a child, and Keith wasn't feeling like he was on top of the world either. Shiro may be a born leader and the one who practically raised Keith, but he wasn't his babysitter. 

"Are you certain you wish to do this, Princess?" Kolivan asked.

Allura arched an eyebrow while crossing her arms. "I've fought against Zarkon's witch and survived. I doubt your Blade methods will be anything remotely on that level of intensity."

Regris let out a haughty laugh. "An Altean with a Galra's fire. I like it."

(~)

It felt strange. Being in a uniform that wasn't his paladin armor. The last time Keith wore something with black and purple coloring was that suit they made him wear during the trials. Unlike the precious, this one didn't cause him to see things from his subconscious mind. There was no mirror for him to look at himself, but Keith had a general idea on how he looked. 

Like a normal human in a Blade uniform. Nothing more, nothing less. 

"It pinches a bit, but you get used to it." Regris walked in, placing his own blade into his holster, seeing Keith still inspecting his new attire. "First Blade mission, right?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you're young. The youth are usually pretty easy to figure out." Regris sat down in a corner of the room of the base where they awaited for Allura to board their ship, which was parked only two feet away. "Relax, once you survive the first field trip, the rest is easy." Keith's eyes widened in alarm. Regris chuckled. "It's a joke. A little good-will humor between us Blades."

"I didn't think the Blades had a sense of humor. And I'm not a Blade, this is just a one time thing." Keith said as he continued to pace back and forth, looking at the door each time.

"That girl of yours sure is something else. We've never had an Altean join us before. Though, that's understandable given our history." Regris's word managed to get Keith to stop his pacing. "Tell me, how exactly did a Galra-half blood wind up with the last Altean Princess?"

Keith blinked, staring at Regris as if he were meeting him for the first time all over again. "You're pretty chatty for a Blade."

"Kid, stick with me long enough and you'll see I'm the only chatty Blade you'll ever meet." Regris chuckled, "But that still didn't answer my question."

Keith had only just met this Galra, yet he had a hunch he was not the kind to just let topics go so easily. Judging by the look in his eye, Regris was merely trying to find some form of entertainment. 

"Why do you want to know?"

"Cause I'm bored waiting around here talking to a jittery little half-blood with hair so silky he could be mistaken for a female."

As if Keith didn't feel anxious enough already, now the guy was making fun of his hair. He was right. Regris really was just trying to entertain himself. 

"And…" he continued, "I'm genuinely curious. It's not every day you get to see some happiness in this time of war. So when you do, you can't help but admire it." 

Keith noticed the way his voice softened. Speaking in an almost poetic manner. His eyes somewhat distant, like he was physically here, but his mind was somewhere else entirely. For a moment, Keith's mind was brought back to when he and Allura were watching the children play. A small moment of sunshine amongst a ragging storm of darkness above them.

"In the Astral Plane." Keith said, finally answering Regris's question. The older Galra looked perplexed. "When Allura was frozen, her pod activated a mind scape known as the Astral Plane where she could create anything she wanted. Except for living people. She didn't even know how long she had been there. So, one night when I fell asleep I just found myself in a field and that's when I met her."

"Let me guess," Regris began, a smile forming on his old lips. "Love at first sight, right?"

Keith grimaced, scratching the back of his head. "Nnnnnot exactly. She threw me to the ground, took my knife and was just about ready to cut me open like a fish."

This only made Regris laugh. "You know, for Galra, a battle usually serves as a form of courtship… or an actual battle to the death, it depends on the scenario."

This managed to get a chuckle out of Keith. "Luckily, nobody died. Allura was just scared. She thought I was Galra. Though, looking back, she wasn't too far off." reliving how they met filled Keith's stomach with butterflies. At the time, he never once considered the possibility of romance blossoming between them. He wasn't entirely sure how to feel about Allura then. 

Keith laughed at his foolish past self. Looking back, with a further understanding of his feelings, Keith realized that he had always been drawn to Allura from the start, and more so as days went by. 

From her mesmerizing blue eyes that carried so much life and promise, to her daring spirit and courage. When she fought him the first time, Keith realized he didn't feel fear per say, but rather intrigue. A woman who could hold her own alongside him in a brawl was admittedly very attractive. 

"Since then, every night we got to know each other and, eventually we just… got together."

"How did you end up in the Astral Plane anyway?"

"Where I used to live, I would sometimes feel this strange energy calling to me. Since Allura was connected to the lions, I guess I somehow managed to sense it and was able to contact her without knowing it. Eventually we found out the energy was coming from the Blue Lion."

"Sounds to me the fates interwove your stories together." Regris said, having pulled something from his back pocket while Keith was talking. "How'd she take the whole Galra thing? From what I heard, she didn't take kindly to our kind before." Regris shrugged. "Not that I blame her."

Keith felt his heart drop. Regris was one of the few Galra who was immensely self aware of the destruction his kind had left in its wake. A regretful man trying to amend his past sins. 

"It wasn't what I expected." Keith said, "I mean, it wasn't as bad as I thought, but didn't run so smoothly either."

"Well, from the looks of it, you two have managed to work things out just fine." Regris continued to fiddle with whatever it was he now held in his hands.

"What's that?"

"Just an old treasure." Regris opened his palm to reveal a pair of identical looking stones. Each one resembled those twenty sided dices from those D&D games, only instead of numbers the edges glowed with luminescent colors that faded between green, blue and light purple. The two made a chiming noise when they collided. 

"They're not much, but they're a great reminder."

"Reminder of what?"

Regris looked up from his hand, his eyes locked on Keith. He never got to answer the question for the doors had opened. "Did I keep you gentlemen waiting long?"

Keith's entire body froze in place, his voice caught in his throat and eyes wide. The princess stepped into the room wearing one of the Blade suits. She wore her hair in a bun, but instead of it being styled upwards, it was downwards. Her hood was up and she carried what appeared to be a dark purple staff of sorts. The suit hugged her perfect curves and her well toned arms. The dark and purple contrasts only enhanced her otherworldly beauty, making her shimmering eyes stand out more.

Allura smiled self cautiously. "What do you think? I've never worn anything in this shade of purple before."

"Whoa." was the only word that escaped Keith's mouth, which moved all on its own. He stood there as if stuck in a trance. 

Allura blinked and blushed at his responce. Back on Altea, when complimenting a woman's physical appearance one would usually say either "lovely" or "beautiful", or if one wanted to be really romantic, "enchanting", "enthralling", "mesmerizing". While Keith's reaction may not have been the most gallant of responses, the look of stunned admiration in his eyes made it more adorable rather than inappropriate. 

Keith shook his head when Regris elbowed him. Realizing his slip up, he began to stutter. "I-I-I mean, great! You look, I mean, it's great--that on you it's great, I mean I--"

Allura only giggled and kissed his cheek. "You're looking rather "whoa" yourself." she said, making Keith's face even redder. 

"I'm staring to see what your boss was so worried about." Regris said, making Keith's blush deepen from the embarrassment. "Let's move, rookies. That cargo ship isn't gonna infiltrate itself." Regris's mask manifested in front of his face, and Keith and Allura attempted the same. It came effortlessly as it was sliding from one room to the next. 

They mounted the ship and blasted away from the base.

(~)

The paladins managed to bring the refugees back to Olkarion safe and sound. The Black Lion was the last to arrive, where a group of children playing spotted the great beast.

"Hey, Keith's back!" One child exclaimed with glee. The other giggled and laughed excitedly once the lion landed, placing the cargo ship safely on the ground. Keith exited his lion, removing his helmet, only to hear the sound of multiple little voices calling his name.

"Keith!"

"You're back!"

"Did you miss us?"

The young paladin laughed happily when one of the kids, a young girl who had lost an eye and now wore an eyepatch, leaped up to Keith, who caught her in his arms. "Hey, Leia. Wow, you're a lot heavier than last time. Did you grow a few inches?"

"I did, actually! My mom measured me this morning." 

Another child tugged on Keith's leg. "Hey, Keith! Relike and I tried that kicking move you showed us and it worked!"

"Yeah!" his companion said gleefully, "He knocked the ball so far it landed on old man Whethen's head!"

"Really? I hope you apologized afterwards."

"We did. Had to clean his cargo supplies all afternoon." Relike said, pouting. 

"So what did you do today, Keith?" Laia asked, "Did you see anymore Galra?"

"Did you fight Lotor today?"

Keith chuckled as he gently placed Laia back down. "No, no Galra today, I'm afraid." the children all "aww'ed" in disappointment. "Sorry, guys. Stuff has been kind of slow lately."

"But, if the Galra do reel their ugly heads, you can bet Keith will give you all the details."

"Princess!" Laia and the other kids hurried to greet Allura and smiled at the children playfully surrounding Keith. She still remembered how self cautious he was when around the orphan children back on Pymra, but the moment he learned they were orphans a more paternal side of him slowly emerged. It was the same sense of protectiveness and affection he felt for Ember. 

There never once was a time whenever Allura saw Keith with the children that she hadn't thought about what their own child may be like one day. The princess blushed at the thought, just as she always did. 

"Princess," little Leia spoke, bringing Allura back from her daydreaming. "When will you and Keith have your own kids?"

Allura smiled at the little one's innocent curiosity, as well as thankful Keith hadn't heard her. "One day, little one."

"When the war is over?"

"Perhaps."

"When will it be over?"

Oh, how Allura wish she could give the eyepatch wearing girl the answer she wanted. She had a feeling her hopeful answer was one Allura had constantly hoped for herself.

"When we win." she answered, hopping it would be enough for now. Leia smiled and hugged Allura's neck. The Altean princess held back the tears before gently placing the child back down when her parents called out her name. The rest of the children ran along back to their respected parents and guardians. They waved farewell to Keith and Allura, the princess picking up on the look of longing in Keith's eyes.

That look of longing turned to one of alarm when they saw Shiro speaking to not only the children's guardians, but also to the new refugees the team had escorted. As usual, Keith was playing around with the kids while Shiro dealt with the more complicated, political issues. 

Seeing his disappointment, Allura tried to think of something to say, but Keith only turned away, not saying a word. Shiro was already taking care of the issues, so what point did he have in remaining? The urge to intervene boiled within Allura's stomach, but she couldn't make a scene here in front of everyone. So, like Keith, she too bottled up her words and turned away from the scene. However, that bottle would not remain sealed for long.

(~)

Once all were settled, Keith caught up with Shiro outside, overlooking the bases, new ones being built by the Olkari every day. "Were you able to speak with Kolivan about the intel?" she asked.

"I did. And we need to find out all we can about that quintessence." Shiro then turned to face Keith. "But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader."

"I know they do. And it should be you."

"Keith, we've discussed this before. Besides, we both know that the Black Lion has chosen you." Shiro sounded proud of that fact. Normally a proud smile from Shiro would boost Keith's confidence, if just a little. Now, it just made him impatient. 

"You only tried once."

"No." Shiro said.

"What are you--"

"It wasn't just once. I've tried several times already. Nothing." 

Keith was silent. Shiro had failed over and over again to reconnect with the Black Lion? Why? That wasn't like her? 

"Keith, " Shiro continued. "We all have our part to play. This is mine now. I've come to terms with that, now you need to." he placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "I support your decision to continue with your Marmora training, but not at the expense of the team. They need you Keith. They need you to be their leader."

Leader, huh? How was he supposed to be a leader when there already was one? Either Shiro was trying to fool himself into believing he wasn't relevant to give orders anymore, or he had become dense for some reason. If this was his attempt to push Keith into his leadership role, it didn't feel like pushing. It felt more on the lines of just saying he was this one thing when really he wasn't. 

(~)

As planned, Keith, Allura and Regris arrived at the ship. Their intel was on the money. They hid amongst the cargo, masks completely covering their faces "The ships is ready to leave." Regris whispered, observing the sentries boarding. "You kids sure this'll work?"

"Trust us." Allura said, her voice muffled with a robotic effect underneath the mask. The three put their plan into motion. Allura and Keith took a page from one of their old Voltron missions. They hid themselves within metal boxes which were being placed on board the ship. Once inside, Regris used his blade to free himself and the other two from their containment. 

"Good tip, kid." 

"How much longer until the ship reaches its destination?" Allura asked.

"Could be a varga or so. In the meantime, let's take a look at what they're sending." 

The two teens nodded in agreement and proceeded to look around the cargo hold. Keith pulled out a device provided by Kolivan and stuck it to the side of one of the containers, scanning what was inside. Allura and Regriss did the same thing on the other side of the room while the ship was in orbit to wherever it was heading.

"The Galra have been shipping a vast amount of quintessence for years to give to Zarkon. It shouldn't be surprising other Galra would desire this power for themselves." Allura said, unable to mask the bitterness in her tone.

"If I wasn't so evolved I just might take that personally." Regris said, alarming the princess. Noticing her jerk upwards he laughed. "Seriously, I'd expect paladins to have better senses of humor."

"Do you always crack up jokes while on missions?" 

"If I don't, who will? Somebody's got to keep these old timers awake."

Keith deactivated his device and crunched down next to the others. "Nothing to go on here. The real price must be where they're heading."

"See, Princess?" Regris gestured to Keith, "A joke or two kills time."

Allura and Keith deactivated their masks, feeling relief of having their faces out in the open again. The metallic smell became more noticeable once the masks were off. The inside of those things was chilling, an atmosphere within such a small confinement of the face. It was rather depressing. 

The three of them relaxed against the metal containers, half relaxed and half alert until they reached their destination, or if a druid came in. Regris didn't think they would, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. 

Allura rubbed her cheeks, still feeling the coldness of the mask. "You okay?" Keith asked.

"I'm fine. The mask is going to take some getting used to."

Regris leaned back against a cart. "I must say, you're holding up even better than I anticipated, Princess."

"This isn't my first infiltration, you know."

"Oh, I don't doubt that. I don't think there had been anyone that managed to face Haggar, let alone win and then live to tell about it. Most Blades avoid her like the plague. Her magic is unpredictable."

"I don't blame them for being afraid."

"In my opinion, it's not just fear, but also caution. Our line of work can't afford un-necessary risks."

"So I've heard." Allura thought she had muttered the words, but had briefly forgotten that Regris was right next to her. She flinched, her face red. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean--"

"Princess," Regris rose a hand then kindly clasped her shoulder. A firm, strong, yet comforting grip, similar to the ones Coran would give her. "I've seen, and heard a lot in the past eighty five years. The good, the bad, and the in between. I can assure you, whatever words that come out of that pretty little mouth of yours will not surprise, or offend me in the slightest." 

Allura was liking Regris more and more by the minute. He wasn't like the other Blades. He was welcoming, funny, and he spoke to her in a voice that brought back memories of her father during his older years. Where his voice would become lower with age, yet at the same time wiser. Even as time caught up to him, her father never lost his sense of humor. That glimmer of youthful joy that shined bright behind those tired old eyes. Eyes which, no doubt, have seen a lot as he just said.

"You've been with the Blades for eighty five years?" Keith said.

"Of course not. I've been with them for thirty one years. The first fourteen I've been with the Empire." Regris smiled in amusement to see the intrigued look in their eyes. He silently chuckled to himself. The youth never seemed to change. Always on the move, no matter what's in their way, and even if they have learned so much already there was still so, so much yet for them to understand. Judging by their expressions, Regris had a hunch they were eager to ask questions. Questions only he could answer. 

"Same old story." he began, "Galra raised into that brainwashing mentality of violence and a delight for conquest. Compassion is for the week, and love for the mindless." Regris leaned back for a bit. His smile now forming into a half grin upon seeing the young princess's eyes. "I'm sorry, you probably don't want to hear about--"

Allura shook her head. "No. I want to understand. I've spent so many years hating your people for what Zarkon did. I want to see them through their own eyes."

"Me too." Keith said, nodding in agreement. The two got more comfortable, sitting side by side. 

"You're lucky. No other Blade would dare speak of their past so casually. They're not very big on sharing feelings and stuff. It hurts too much."

Never the less, their silence and small smiles was their silent way of asking him to continue. The older Galra felt deeply touched. And thus, he began his tale.

"When Galra are born, the Empire wastes no time in molding the next generation of planetary conquerors. Some kids are taken from their parents and trained at a young age in top military academies. Though, I had it tougher since I was a half-breed. Most of us have to really push ourselves to gain a level of respect."

"My father was the only one who I didn't have to work too hard to earn respect. Used to call me his little champion. Taught me everything he knew. I ate, slept, and breathed violence. Victory or Death. Despite this, my father loved me more than anyone else. As I grew older, I rose up the ranks. My biggest dream was to tower above each and every other solider in our military. Become the best of the best. Nothing else mattered."

"But that mind set was what took my father from me. When he heard of a jealous cadet conspiring to kill me, he intervened. He gave his life for me. To me, my father was a hero. But to everyone else, he was a failure. He shouldn't have intervened, they told me. I should have been able to survive on my own without someone coming to my aid. It was a sign of weakness. I continued to love my father for what he did for me. But I kept this to myself. On the outside, I resented him for tarnishing my good name."

"As the years passed, it was the same routine. Kill. Conquer. Repeat. In that time, a few of the planets we had conquered formed a rebellion and fought back. There were men, woman and children. Kids no more older than you two." 

Keith and Allura's eyes widened. They could only imagine the things those poor souls must have seen at that time. 

"One had me at gunpoint. He didn't stand a chance." Regris closed his eyes. The sound of the laser gun shooting the man echoed in his ears. "A boy came running out, crying for his father. I froze. I had become what the Empire always wanted me to be. I should have been happy. But instead, I killed one of my own. I stopped him from harming the boy."

The young couple gathered the reason why Regris had spared the boy. After he had… taken the boy's father, he saw himself in him. His love for his father was what provoked his change of heart.

"I was stripped of my weapon, shot in the arm. I was so sure I was going to die. When I awoke I found myself in a sanctuary. The rebels who fought my men had spared my life. They tended to my wounds, offered me kindness and hospitality. Things like this which were so alien in the Empire." 

"What happened to the boy? The one you spared?" Keith asked, intentionally leaving out the part where it was Regris who made the little one an orphan to begin with. 

Allura didn't say anything against Regris for that part of the story. It shocked her, yes, but at the same time upon learning about what he had been raised into it, she couldn't feel anger. At least, not towards Regris, but towards those who inspired that mentality onto him. If Regris had a choice from the start, she knew in her heart he would never have done such a thing. To live your whole life with that guilt had to be like living in a never ending nightmare with no chances of ever waking up. It was endless torture. 

"I never saw that little boy again." Regris said, "They say he and his mother had been sent to a colony on a far off system where they would be safe. He probably joined those other rebel bases. I can only hope he turned out better than I did."

"What did you do then?" Keith asked after a brief pause to take it all in. Allura had linked her arm with his halfway through the story. He didn't look away from Regris the entire time. Neither of them did.

"What could I do?" Regris proceeded, "Refusing an order from the Empire, and killing one of my own to spare another life made me a traitor. My father was gone, my mother had already passed away when I was little. I had nothing in the Empire anymore." 

Regris paused for a moment before smiling, "Thankfully, some of the rebels were kind enough to give me a second chance. My time there changed me. I got to meet new people and I found a new purpose. I started a new life fighting against the Empire. I became a leader, a friend, a husband, and a father."

Keith looked at Regris's clenched fists. "Those stones…"

Regris opened his palm to reveal the two beautiful stones. "Our wedding stones. A custom on her home planet." he smiled as the light of the ship caught the edges of the stones. 

Rainbow colors danced on the floor and bits on the walls. The young couple could easily tell how deeply in love Regris was with his late wife. Even in his old age, the memory of his beloved was enough to make his cheeks turn red. Allura felt her lips quiver and her eyes sting. She hesitated to ask what had happened to her, and their child.

Regris's eyes became misty and his blissful expression slowly shifted to one of remorse. "But, as it is… you can't change your past. Especially if your past is with the Empire. Our secret was revealed by a traitor. Many lives were lost. People I loved." 

Regris's hand closed tightly, his fist trembling as the memory flashed in his mind's eye. The explosions, crying and pleading rang in his ears, as loud as they were on the day it happened. 

"The people who gave me a new life… only for my old one to take them away from me. After that, I eventually found the Blade of Marmora and the rest is history."

Silence. Followed by sobbing. Low at first, but Allura could not contain herself for much longer. The shame she felt over her distrust towards the Galra came back at full force. How she had misjudged them. More so than she had believed. Regris had lost his entire world in a blink. He was just as much a victim of the Empire as she had been. What's worse, these events were still happening. Every day, more and more lives lost, and more of the Galra's next generation were raised to become as cold and unloving as their predecessors. 

Her heart broke at the thought of if Keith had been one of those children. Then another thought crossed her mind. One she never anticipated…

What if Lotor had gone through the same thing? What if he truly was just a young boy who had been groomed to follow in such twisted footsteps. Footsteps which had been warped years ago. The Zarkon her father once knew would have loved his son as much as he had loved his wife. But that Zarkon had died long ago. All that remained was the shell of a monster.

The same thought crossed Keith's mind as well. Regris's story had shed on a new light on the Galra Empire. Fighting them now felt more like a tragic consequence of a mistake made ten thousand years ago. So many lives lost to in the name of the Galra… an empire which had been tainted by darkness for so long they knew of no other way. And those that managed to find it only suffered more because the past just wouldn't let them go.

"I am so sorry." Allura tried to level her sobs, but found she couldn't. Her body trembled so Keith held her close to try and ease her. "You didn't deserve any of it. Neither did your father, or--."

"Oh, easy now. It's alright, princess." Regris wiped the tears from Allura's face with his thumb. Keith released Allura, allowing her to hug Regris, which even too him by surprise. He soothed her by patting her back. "Easy now. We don't want the folks upstairs to hear."

Allura took in deep breaths as she cleaned her face. "Sorry."

"It's alright, it's alright." Regris said softly like a kindly grandfather. "It's okay to cry. I know the story started off sad, but there's some happy moments in there."

"How do you do it?" Allura asked while drying off her face. "Stay so optimistic in spite of everything you had gone through?"

"I wasn't always this charming. For years, I tried so hard to wash away my past. Even in moments of joy with my family I could never erase it. I wished I hadn't pretended not to love my father. Or anyone for that matter." 

"How did you get through it?" Keith asked.

"Well, in time, I accepted that you can never change the past, but it doesn't have to defy who you will become. I instead use my experiences to remind me of why I want to be better, rather than have them knock me back down."

Regris handed the stones to Allura for her to see up close. "I know my family would have wanted me to keep living, and to keep fighting. So, I do just that. Each memory is a lesson. Each lesson a motivation. Rather than store them at the back of my mind, I keep them in my heart every single moment of every day."

Regris fiddled with the stones in his hands. "The Blades don't necessarily fear emotions, rather they fear the ones that dominates the Empire. Greed and hunger. They're not wrong, of course. Emotions can cloud your better judgment, especially the negative ones. But, if you close yourself off too much, you'll be as dead inside as if you were actually dead. The Empire believes in Victory or death. The blades, Knowledge or death. I go by my own mantra. Love… or death."

Now Allura was tearing up again, but for an entirely different reason. "Thank you." Keith said as he wrapped his arm around Allura.

Regris smiled, eyes teary. "You're good kids. You keep on fighting, and you keep on hoping. The world may not be all light… but it's not all dark either." The ship shook, startling the trio. "Looks like we're ahead of schedule." 

(~)

So far, the plan was going as expected. They arrived at the secret base, and just as the intel described, it was way off from the normal routes. Whatever they had in this base must really be something of worth if the Galra were willing to go behind Zarkon's back like this. How they managed without him knowing was a mystery for another day. If this supply was for Lotor, then they had to take this chance. 

The trio silently made their way pass the sentries and into the halls, hiding whenever a sentry walked by. It was the extraction mission all over again for Allura. Only now, she had to keep herself hidden rather than hide in plain sight. She kept her senses on high alert, she couldn't risk being distracted even for a second. 

Keith was a natural. His movements in sync with Regris. She managed to move in step with them, keeping her retractable staff around her waist. They ducked behind one more wall upon seeing where the sentry was taking the metallic box. The robot walked through a pair of metallic doors, and another walked out, carrying something luminescent. A radiant yellow clashing with the neon purple lights of the Galra walls. Once the sentry had left, Regriss managed to infiltrate the system, allowing them access inside.

The trio stood over a railing, two staircases positioned on opposite sides, and down bellow was a large room. Rows of metallic containers filled with glowing yellow substance aligned left and right, up and down and anywhere in between.

Regris whistled low. "That's a lot of yellow." 

"Wording." Allura said rather nauseated.

"Sorry." 

Regris led the way and the trio hurried down. There were machined stacking the boxes and tubes, while sentries all around proceeded to extract and transport. Once again, the group hid. They couldn't draw attention to themselves. Thankfully, the room was massive, so they blended into one row that was completely free of sentries. 

"You know the plan." Regris began. "This is strictly intelligence gathering. In short, no decapitating sentries. Even if it is fun."

The two paladins chuckled underneath their masks, some of the stress of the mission diminishing. The three split up, gathering information on this new material. Allura crunched down near one of the containers, pulled out a rounded device, attacked it and pressed the center, scanning what was inside. Her eyes widened from inside the large, rounded glowing purple goggles.

"Keith, are you seeing this?"

"Yeah." her boyfriend replied, his scanner showing crazy levels of energy. Fresh, and still willy. "Where are they getting this?"

"If Lotor managed to build a ship from the comet's ore, what if he managed to open another rift?" 

"For that, he'd need another comet." Keith said. There was no telling just what that man was capable of. Allura continued to scan the material. It started off strong, but then leveled to normal. 

Allura didn't like this. Knowing the Galra had this much quintessence at their disposal, it was incredibly frightening. "I wish we had brought explosives. What would I give to destroy this place."

"You'd be destroying all of this quintessence along with it." 

"It'd be better than leaving it in the hands of the Galra."

"Remember why we're here. We get the intel, and go."

Allura groaned underneath her mask. She knew she wasn't thinking straight, but still, the idea of leaving all of this energy with the Galra made her sick to her stomach. Once they had gathered all they needed, Regris appeared before them. 

"Let's get out of here quick before--" he stopped midway when the sound of a loaded laser gun was heard behind him. "And, there it is."

Without turning his back, Regris wrapped his tail around the sentry's ankles, twisting it in mid air and throwing him hard against the floor, smashing it to pieces. Naturally, this caught the attention of more sentries. But rather than get upset, Regris smiled underneath his mask. 

"Time to play, kids."

The trio leaped into action, with Keith hurling his directly at the robot, stabbing it from afar. The shooting began and Regris leaped into action, either stabbing the robots, slicing through their guns, or throwing them across the room with his tail. 

Allura charged at the sentries, slicing through them with the sharp end of her staff. She lashed out all of her pent up rage. The rage she felt for what happened to Altea. What happened to Regris's family, what the Empire continues to do to innocent children, and other planets. For all the lives lost and childhoods taken. She unleashed all of her hatred towards their philosophy, toward the darkness that consumed Zarkon, the poison it had created which expanded into a civilization that lived off of misery and pride. And now, they continued to do so by taking quintessence for their own personal gain.

She hated it. She hated their way of thinking. She hated Zarkon even though he was dead. She wanted to hate Lotor, but now she saw him as another product of Zarkon's mistakes, and she doubted he could be reasoned with by that matter.

"Allura! Stop!" 

Keith's voice broke her from her violent frenzy. Each of the sentries were down in pieces, scattered across the floor. "I think they've had enough." 

Allura blushed and willed the staff to shrink. She cleared her throat, adjusting her hood and walked by the two. "Shall we, gentlemen?" 

As she approached the doors, walking by more decapitated sentries, Regris elbowed Keith. "She's a keeper."

The three of them made their way down the coriander, bypassing--and destroying--any sentry that came their way. Three more came in the opposite direction, right behind Allura. Keith jumped in and fought them off single handedly. His knife extending into a purple sword, slicing through them with all the agile grace and fury that came with being a paladin of Voltron. 

"Get to one of the fighter ships! I'll hold them off!"

"Keith, what are you--"

"Go!"

Rather than wait for Allura to protest again, Regris grabbed the princess by the arm and ran off, leaving Keith to fight the sentries. Allura kept looking back, seeing more and more sentries falling down until both Keith and the robots were out of view. They arched the deck where the fighter ships were located.

"Regris, we can't just leave him!"

"He'll catch up." Regris said. No more than two seconds later, Keith arrived, sword in hand, panting as he dashed towards them. "See, I told ya."

More sentries fired at them, and the trio quickly entered the fighter ship. Regris took the controls and flew the ship. Regris's piloting was, rather unorthodox to say the least. He was piloting a small fighter ships while they were still inside, knocking down the rest of the sentries. 

"Regris, if you have a plan, now would be a good time to hear it!" Keith exclaimed, holding Allura close, while his other hand was gripping the upper side of the ship.

"I was in the military kid, I always have a plan!" Regris pushed the controls forward, accelerating their speed and using the leaser of the ship, created their own opening on the wall, just as the cargo ship was leaving. 

Allura gasped when the cargo ship exploded. For once, the princess was grateful for her mask, which shielded her eyes from the intense blast. This gave way for Regris to fly on by, undetected. Once they were far enough away, the older Galra let out a laugh of relief.

"Well, I call that a job well done."

"Was blowing up the cargo ship part of the plan?" Allura asked as she dematerialized her mask and removed her hood.

"Actually…" Keith removed his mask and hood and revealed that he had the controller that would activate the explosives. 

"I thought you said this was only to gather intelligence."

"It was. But, you were also right in that leaving this much power with the Galra would be risky, so even if I didn't have enough explosives to destroy the base, at least this way we can delay their transportation to the Empire. Even if for a while. I know it's not much, and I should have told you, so I--"

Allura grabbed Keith by the collar of his suit and forced him closer, capturing his lips with her own. With one hand still gripping his collar, the other she wrapped around his shoulder, pulling him closer. Once the kiss ended, Allura laughed.

"You are unbelievable!"

"You mean that in a good way, or in a 'I'm-tempted-to-smack-you-upside-the-head' way?"

"Yes." Allura said… giving Keith a smack upside the head, right before kissing him again, which he delightfully returned.

Regris chuckled from his seat, his free hand fiddling with his twin stones. "Yep. Job well done." he smiled.

(~)

Afternoons on Olkarion were always pleasant. The cool breeze accompanied with the hushed sounds of working rebels meshed beautifully in a symphony which created an actively tranquil sense in the air. An odd yet pleasant combination for sure.

Allura, now dressed in her casual suit, hair down as it often was during times of solitude or tranquility, she walked out to see Keith, still in his armor, and still in the exact same spot from when he had spoken with Shiro earlier today. The Black Lion parked right behind him, still as a statue.

"Did you talk with Shiro?" she asked as she approached him.

"Yeah." Keith replied in a monotone. 

"Did he speak with Kolivan about the quintessence?"

"Yeah."

"Didn't go so well, did it?"

"Better than last time, I can say that much."

Allura stepped closer, and Keith looked up, seeing the wind sweeping her hair, creating the illusion of ocean waves in mid air. "Want some company?" she asked. When Keith didn't answer instantly, she quickly followed up with, "No lectures, I promise."

Keith nodded, allowing the princess a spot beside him. The two sat in comfortable silence, taking in the sounds around them. Close enough to be heard, yet far enough to not overwhelm them with intense noise.

"You want to say something." Keith spoke, "I can tell."

Allura was hoping to ease into this at first. Perhaps start with some light conversation, or simply sit in silence until one of them felt like talking. Anything that wouldn't feel as if Keith was being pressured into making a choice. He's been dealing with a lot of pressure lately, the last thing she wanted was to add more to the pile.

"I'm sorry. I was hoping we could, maybe, talk about it?"

"About what? The Blades or Voltron?"

"Well… both, actually." Allura took in a deep breath, preparing herself mentally for what to say next. "Keith, I know how important the work you've been doing with the Blades is. They are incredible allies, and have been instrumental in our victories over the Galra. And while the news of a new quintessence supply line is deeply troubling, believe I know, I also can't help but… notice that…" Allura trailed off for a bit, unsure on how to explain the rest.

"I know."

"Y-You do?"

"I know I've been neglecting the team, and I'm sorry. Believe me, I don't like it anymore than you, or Shiro or anybody else." Keith took Allura's hand into his own. "Allura, I know how important this coalition is. How important it is to you. I still keep my promise to help you in any way I can, that's why I've been working with the Blades."

"I know you're intentions are admirable." Allura said, feeling her cheeks heat up. Good old sweet, honest and stouthearted Keith. "Words can no express who grateful I am to you." her smile began to waver. "But, there's also the fact that you're still very much needed here. You're the Black Paladin, our team needs their leader."

Keith sighed, releasing Allura's hand as he stood up. He ran his hand through his thick mess of a hair, pacing left and right. "Lead. Lead what? I'm barely leading anything. All I do now is pilot the Black Lion while Shiro gives the orders." Keith exclaimed, waving his hands, gesturing to the Black Lion in front of him. "I'm practically a seat warmer at this point."

Allura also stood up. "I know this hasn't been an easy transition, but the lion will not allow anyone else to pilot it but you."

"You know what, maybe the Black Lion is just really bad a choosing a paladin, have you ever thought of that? She did choose Zarkon, after all."

"That was before he became corrupted by the quintessence."

"And what explanation is there now? Why would the lion allow me to find Shiro and then not let him pilot it?" 

With every breath, Keith's voice grew louder. His anger rising, yet Allura remained unfazed. She didn't take his lashing out to heart, seeing as this was his way of releasing the stress he was feeling. 

"Even when I try to act like a leader, Shiro always steps in. If that's not a sign that I have no idea what I'm doing then I don't know what is! At least with the Blades I'm doing something!"

"Keith, since our battle with Zarkon, we've been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol. Voltron." Allura gently took Keith's hand and led him closer to where the bases were. A variety of aliens from all walks of life, some wounded, some alone, some frightened, now growing stronger and healthier by the day. Many of which included the children Keith had befriended.

Witnessing them reminded Keith of Regris's story. About his family, how he lost them, and how their memory keeps him fighting until the very end. He carried hope around his heart rather than anger or constant caution. 

"It's become so much more than a weapon. It's become a symbol of freedom, and hope for the oppress to rally around. We keep fighting, and we keep hoping." she turned to look at him, while he continued to observe the children and their new families together. "I guess, what I'm trying to say is, the Marmora can continue on without you. They have for thousands of years. But Voltron can not… we can not."

Keith closed his eyes briefly, taking in her words. Once they opened, his gaze was sharp. On guard. "If I continue with the Blades, I'm putting the team at risk. But if I stay, all I'll be a "leader" without actually leading anyone. A loose, loose either way."

Keith turned and walked on ahead. He didn't look back, or hear Allura calling out to him. The princess stood there watching her boyfriend leave the scene. All that remained was herself, the soft noise, and the breeze in her hair.

None of which provided her any real comfort.

(~)

Keith was fortunate to be working with Regris again. With Kolivan… not so much. 

It was no secret that the Blade's leader wasn't a big fan of the normally impulsive young half-blood, but he dealt with the situation with great maturity… even if the grunts and glares were hard to ignore.

Keith sat dejectedly in his seat right beside Regris. Both their masks had been deactivated, the eldest Galra, once again, fiddling with his twin stones.

"Trouble with the lady, son?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Like I always say; the youth are very easy to figure out."

Keith leaned his back against the wall, staring up at the ceiling. Keith struck out numerous times trying to get through to Shiro. Allura was the only other person with whom he could talk to about this sort of thing, but at this point it wasn't helping. Kolivan clearly wasn't going to be of any help, so Regris seemed like the other best candidate right now.

"Allura's just worried. Worried I won't be able to balance being a blade and being a paladin."

"I see." Regris continued to fiddle with his stones, while Kolivan piloted the ship, completely ignoring their conversation. Trying to get them to stop talking about relationships was pointless, especially with Regris.

"Did you guys have something important due today?"

"No. Just some lame show of arms."

"Oh, that Voltron show! I watched the last one you guys did after you freed Dryhna last week. Quite the spectacle."

Keith gave Regris a perplexed look, which lasted only a few seconds before he laughed. "I should have known you'd like that kind of stuff."

"But won't they need five lions? Not much of a Voltron show without all lions and paladins present, don't you think?"

"This mission is way more important than some stupid flight show." Keith folded his arms and scowled, "Everyone else says it's to inspire people, but I just don't see it. We're just as a joke."

"A joke? I don't think any of the planets you've freed would ever think of you guys as a joke. As far as performances go, yours are actually a lot more tasteful than most. It beats those bloody fights in the gladiator rings back at the Empire." Regris shuddered at the memory. 

"Still, I just don't see why they care about it so much."

"That's something I've noticed about you, Keith. You're someone who sees the bigger picture. But, sometimes, when you look big, you miss out on a few little details."

Keith, once again, looked confused. A clear sign Regris had peaked his interest. The youth truly were easy to read.

"Allura told me you're really handy with kids, am I right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, picture this. A little boy or girl, lived most of their lives being enslaved by the Galra. Maybe had one or two family members taken from them. Forced to grow up too fast. Some probably don't even remember what it's like to be free."

Keith was immediately reminded of the Balmara. Of Shay and her people, how they didn't even know the meaning of the word "freedom", and now were a thriving race once again. Keith placed himself in the shoes of a lonely child, which for him wasn't too difficult.

"Now, imagine one day, out of the blue, in a flash of rainbow colors, this massive robot warrior swoops in and takes down your oppressors. Seeing that, for the first time in your entire life, there just might be one small spark of a chance that things can get better. One little spark spark is the first step to starting a fire. A fire that lights a way through that dark tunnel until you reach the end. And, if you can have a little bit of fun with confetti and fireworks on the side, then why not? Sometimes, folks need a little laughter every one in a while, or else they'll forget how to laugh."

Regris's words struck a cord with Keith, specifically because in a way… he had described his own experience. Except for Keith, that spark in his life wasn't a giant robot, but Shiro. He showed Keith that there was hope for him, he was the one who led him on the path to believing in himself. It was a small spark, and that spark had grown ever since. Right to the point where he would meet Allura, which ignited yet another spark, and another when he met the paladins, another the more they learned from one another, and one special spark that ignited when he saved Ember. 

He understood what Regris meant. It was like ripples in the water. So small at first, but they grow quickly. Only once someone starts them.

Still, there was no way a simple silly show could have that big an impact… could it? Or was Regris right and Keith just wasn't looking at things another way too?

"Let's move." Kolivan ordered. The trio manifested their masks, attached their jetpacks and jumped from their own pod towards the Galra supply ship. The three separated and landed on opposite sides of the ship. Keith scanned the interior.

"Not detecting any biorhythms."

"Could be a crew of sentries." Kolivan said, also not detecting any known life on the ship. "Let's get in and find out."

The three Blades searched the entire ship, but found nothing. No sentries, no Galra soldiers. It was as if the ship had been completely deserted. Why would a supply ship, with absolutely no one on board, be heading to a supply route? Nothing about this seemed right. Kolivan's first instinct was to leave.

"We came all this way. We should at least plant the tracker and find out where the ship ends up." Keith said. Perhaps there was a reason they just weren't seeing. The safest plan would be to leave the tracker on the ship so they could be sure. 

Kolivan agreed, "Let's make it quick."

They made their way into the control room, and like everything else, it was empty. Regris went to check the logs on the computer while Keith planted the tracker. But when Regris tried to enter the code, the computer flashed red. An alarm went off and the door closed behind them.

"I'm locked out of the system! This thing is rigged to blow!"

"The ship's a decoy! Everyone out!" Kolican pulled out his sword and with Keith's help they pushed the doors open. The two struggled to tear the doors open, the clock literally ticking. Regris used his blade to force one final push and the three quickly made their way out. The computer's timer went off and the ship began to tear apart piece by piece, beginning with the control room, and going all the way down to the rest of the ship.

The trio ran, the heat of the blast right on their tail. The Galra must have planted this ship to distract anyone from attempting to try and locate their hidden supply routes. The opening was straight ahead but before they could reach it, the fire engulfed them. 

Keith screamed as he was being thrown out into space. A piece of the ship came spiraling at him, striking his face directly. His mask activated and, foolishly, he attempted to inhale, only to realize he had no air to breath in. His eyes went wide, unable to reach out for anything and slowly loosing consciousness. His vision became blurry until something cold and metallic covered his face. 

Keith was able to breath again. He inhaled deeply, realizing a second mask had covered his face. He turned to look at the face of his rescuer, only to gasp in horror upon seeing it was Regris. He was lucky enough to have inhaled first before removing his mask, his cheeks bloated with the only oxygen he had left. 

"Regris, no!" Keith tried desperately to contact Kolivan, but no answer. The communication had been damaged during the explosion. Keith held Regris close and hurled his knife, which was attacked to a metal wire, towards a nearby piece of debris. Working together, they pulled on the rope to reach the piece of broken metal. Keith spotted the ship a few feet away.

He noticed Regris's face was turning blue. Well, bluer than normal. He was running out of time. "Hang in there, Regris. We're gonna make it." 

Keith pushed himself as hard as he could, Regris slowly loosing his strength with every second that passed. His ability to keep the air within him was wavering. They jumped and leaped from one broken piece to another. The ship was within reach.

"Almost there." Keith's hopes we snuffed when he saw that Regris had given way, his mouth now open, unable to inhale. 

"NO!"

Keith picked up the paste, pushing and grunting as he went until he reached the opening of the ship. He pushed Regris inside first before landing into the ship himself. Both rolled onto the floor, Keith's mask dematerialized, allowing him to breath. Regris laid on the floor, his chest rising and lowering each time. Keith did it, Regris was going to be okay.

Kolivan squatted down to look at his friend. His face read anything but relief. Keith pushed himself towards Regris, noticing that his breathing was haggard, and he was coughing roughly. His face was pale now, his eyes less vibrant than normal. Keith looked down at Regris's ribcage. A piece of his suit had been torn, but in his hurry to get back to the ship Keith hadn't noticed.

Tearing the fabric off, Keith's heart stopped to see that Regris had been terribly wounded. The surface of his skin was black, torn and from the looks of it, he was experiencing sever internal bleeding. 

"No. No, no! Regris, talk to me!" Keith held the older Galra's face in his hands. "It's gonna be okay. You're going to be okay." he kept repeating to himself, hoping that if he said it enough it would come true. Keith turned to Kolivan, his eyes shimmering, "What are you waiting for?! We have to get him help!"

"The ship was damaged. It's going to take a while to--"

"We don't have a while! He's dying!"

"K-kid…" Regris coughed, his eyes squinted tight with every breath. 

"Don't talk. We'll figure this out. I promise." Keith couldn't contain himself anymore. He couldn't keep his emotions contained like Kolivan could. The dam broke, tears came out nearly blurring his vision. 

With what little strength he had, Regris clapped Keith's palms into his own, as if in prayer. Even with his eyes becoming paler, he still managed to smile at the young paladin. 

"Give Allura my regards."

Keith's hands were trembling. "No, no don't talk like that. You'll see her soon." Regris's grip was loosening, which made Keith sob harder. "Regris… Regris, you can't go."

Regris whispered, loud enough for Keith to hear. "Love… or death…"

The grip on Keith's palms disappeared. The hands that held his own now laid on the cold floor. Keith hung his head and cried over Regris's chest. It has been a long time since Keith cried so much his face hurt. His bangs stuck to his tear stained cheeks as he looked up at Kolivan. His back was turned, his head hung low. 

Keith wanted to be angry. He wanted to yell at Kolivan, but he had a strong feeling he was just as saddened for Regris's death as he was. He simply kept it to himself. Even if Kolivan didn't cry on the outside, Keith could sense he was a wreck inside.

As it was for the Blades to keep their feelings to themselves, placing the mission ahead of everything. Regris placed his love for Keith above his own. He could only hope that Regris was now reunited with his wife and daughter once again. After everything he had been through, he deserved it.

Regris was a fighter. He fought for love… and he died for it too.

(~)

The Voltron show was success, even without Keith. Though, it would have been a lot better, especially seeing as so many were asking where the Black Lion was. 

Allura was happy they made these once oppressed citizens believe again, and seeing their delightful faces was always the highlight of these events. As much as she enjoyed freeing planets by fighting the Galra, it was nice to have these people just relax and have fun with the ones who saved them. Lance, especially, liked the attention.

A swarm of fangirls gathered to take a picture with him. Naturally, Allura rolled her eyes, but this time, she noticed that someone was even more irritated by the display than she could ever be.

Pidge, who had been chatting with a few younger aliens, had been watching Lance flirt with the alien females, and the entire time Allura noticed a look of irritation and… hurt in the green paladin's eyes. 

Looking back, she did notice how Pidge would sometimes become annoyed whenever Lance flirted with another female. Over time, it became more and more prominent. It wasn't always like this, Lance and Pidge have been known to get along well with each other, and their banter was just their way of showing affection. Especially on Pidge's end.

Pidge was a firecracker, daring and curious, but also playful and sweet when she so desired to be. Lance, in spite of his absentmindedness, was an admirably buoyant and affectionate fellow. It was no surprise he got along with practically everyone, even Keith of all people. He just had that kind of personality. So it didn't surprise Allura that Lance would, perhaps, trigger Pidge's more lighthearted side, or Pidge's snark to trigger Lance's more fiery side as well.

Ever since their conversation that night, Allura had noticed a change in their interactions, especially when it came to Pidge's annoyance with Lance's flirtatiousness. 

Allura dared to walk up to Pidge and coax her to speak with Lance, but by the time she made her decision, it was too late. Pidge had already walked away, and Lance had already finished signing autographs and taking pictures.

"Hey, Princess! Check it out, Red Paladin Lance is growing quite the fanbase." Lance beamed with pride at the pictures he took, some of which were even drawings of him on white cardboard. 

Allura pouted and shoved the phone away from her line of vision. "Yes, so happy to know you're enjoying yourself."

Lance's once happy disposition switched to one of regret. "Well, I mean, this is good for the coalition, right? And hey, we're making folks happy, isn't that a good thing?"

"Yes, it is." 

"You okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just…"

"Ooooh, wait. I think see what's going on."

"Do you?" Allura had a hunch he really didn't.

"You're upset because Keith was a no show. Trust me, I'm just as disappointed as you are. I'm telling ya, that mission of his better had been worth it."

Allura received a call on the communicator on her wrist, where she and Lance saw Keith, without his mask and still in his Marmora suit. He looked utterly deflated. 

"Keith? What happened?" Allura asked, with Lance mirroring her concerns. The news Keith was about to share would make Lance eat his own words.

(~)

Allura undid her bun, now a braid draped over her shoulder, as she and Keith bid their new friend farewell. "Hopefully this intel can give us a clue as to how we can track Lotor." Keith said, still feeling the rush from their mission.

"Might take a while. Tracking down quintessence from secret supply lines isn't easy. Especially if someone has worked this hard to keep them secret. Don't worry, I'll be sure to let you kids know if we find anything. You did pretty good for your first mission."

"Thanks to you. I actually had fun." Allura said. 

Regris smiled affectionately at the princess. "You know, you remind me a lot of my own daughter. She too had quite the fiery spirit."

Allura felt both touched and saddened by Regris's compliment. Whoever his daughter was, she knew she would be proud of her father. If only she had the chance to see him now. "It was an honor to work with you, Regris."

"The honor was all mine, Princess." Regris bowed and kissed her hand. "You can keep the suit if you like."

"Won't Kolivan be mad?"

"I won't tell him if you won't." he winked, earning a sly grin from the princess, and even one from Keith. "Keep fighting with honor, Princess… and keep those stones close while you do."

The young couple nodded in agreement, only for Regris to surprise them both with a great bear hug that nearly left them out of oxygen. Regris ruffled Keith's hair before leaving, waving farewell, while holding his twin stones. A physical reminder of his earlier metaphor. 

"Not bad for my first mission with the Blade of Marmora." Allura said, while at the same time admiring her new outfit. "And this shade of purple is really starting to grow on me."

"It's definitely growing on me." Keith said, which then he immediately regretted. "That sounded less creepy in my head." he blushed red in embarrassment while face palming himself. 

Allura laughed, "I'm sure I know what you really meant."

"I'm glad you came along, Allura."

"Of course I did. We're partners, Keith. Wether that's with Voltron, or anything else."

(~)

The news of Regris's death struck hard with Allura. She had only been on one mission with him, and spoken several times afterwards because she enjoyed his company as much as he enjoyed hers. He truly was like the grandfather she never had. And now, he was gone.

He worked so hard all his life to saving lives after years of taking them beforehand. A man with such a beautiful soul, admirable morality and a fearless sense of enthusiasm in spite of his tragic past. Someone who saw the good in the simpler things in life, which in turn inspired him to move forward and continue fighting. 

When Keith came back and revealed what happened, Allura was frozen in place. Her body rigid, it took Keith wrapping his arms around her to get any form of responce. The princess sobbed and weeped in Keith's arms, every once in a while unleashing an agonizing scream. She was especially upset when she learned that the Blades would not hold a proper memorial for Regris. Only that they would cremate his body and place in the room of deceased Blades from who's bodies they managed to salvage. Keith explained that funerals were not something the Blades took time in doing. If they mourned, it would be in private.

Nobody else spoke for the remainder of the day. 

Keith couldn't sleep. He kept reliving the events over and over again in his mind. He could never forget Regris slowly breathing his last breath. All the times he supported him and gave him words of advice. The universe truly had lost a good soul in Regris, but Keith kept wondering, if he hadn't been on that mission, would Regris still be alive?

If Regris hadn't used his own mask to save Keith, would he have made it to the ship in time? No. But, if Keith hadn't suggested they stayed to plant the tracker, maybe Regris wouldn't have gotten injured, and instead of saving himself, he wouldn't have wasted his time saving Keith.

Keith unclenched his hands, revealing the twin stones Regris had given him. His final words echoed. "Love… or death..."

Keith wanted to blame himself for what happened, but he was either too tired, or perhaps Regris and Allura's words were finally drilling through his thick skull. If Regris hadn't died for Keith, he would have died for anyone. Heck, he would have died for Kolivan if given the chance. 

Keith understood what his manta meant. Love or death. Regris was never referring to a physical death, but an internal one. Even as he faded away, his smile remained. Regris died with a smile, meaning if he had the choice, he would have done it all over again.

Never had Keith seen such a display of love performed from a Galra. That small moment reminded him of all the times those he loved displayed such heroic acts. Just as Regris's own words had inspired Keith and Allura, Shiro's support and guidance inspired Keith, and Keith's unconditional love for Allura inspired her to never lose hope. Or how Allura's own unyielding spirit inspired Keith to be a better man. How their love for Ember inspired her to fight against that bounty hunter. When Hunk's friendship with Shay inspired her and her family to fight back.

Or… even how the Voltron show inspired others that there was indeed light in the darkness. How strange, this one death was making everything come together. 

But that still left one big issue. If Keith was meant to inspire and be a leader, then why all of this? Why make Shiro come back and Keith be such a screw up? Keith may finally understand the value of such small fetes amongst the larger ones, but the question of where he stood on the team still needed to be answered.

Keith sat upright on his bed, staring down at the twin stones. He got up and walked towards the hangar, approaching the Black Lion. He stood there, staring at the beast for what felt like hours, when in reality it was only a couple minutes.

"Why?" he asked the frozen, slumbering beast. "Why did you choose me? You already have Shiro, why would you want someone like me? I'm just some poor orphan who wasn't good at anything but getting into trouble. Just… what is it about me that makes you so sure I'm meant to be your paladin? You seriously think this is easy for me? You think I don't want to lead because I'm scared? Well you're right, I am scared, but I'm not scared for me, I'm scared for them!" 

Keith pointed to behind him, he figured the lion--asleep or no-- got the gist of it.

"I've been alone for so long. So scared of letting people in because I was afraid they would reject me… and I hate it! I've always hated pushing people away, and now for the first time in my life I feel that I've found a place where I belong. Even if they're not perfect and some of them still drive me crazy--Lance usually comes to mind--I wouldn't trade them for anything."

Keith sobbed, tears landing on the floor. "You want me to say it? I love these people, okay? I love Shiro, he's been my brother for as long as I can remember. I love Allura with all of my heart, she means the world to me. I love Coran, and Lance, and Pidge, and Hunk, I even love the mice. And even though it was for a short time, I still love Ember, and not a day goes by that I don't think of her. I love these people just as I loved my dad, and even though I still don't know the truth, a part of me wants to love my mother." 

He wiped his tears with the back of his glove before continuing. "So… if you really, really think I'm the one who should lead this team, then please… please tell me why. They deserve a good leader. I care more about their well being than I do my own. That's why I have to know."

… perhaps this is what death felt like. Cold, silent, no sign of movement. That's how the Black Lion looked right now. Keith poured his heart out to a robot cat, and what did he get for it? Just a blank stare, a tear stained face, and still no answer to his questions.

What now?

Just as Keith was about to leave, the lion stirred. Its eyes glowed a bright yellow and its head lowered down. It opened its mouth, allowing Keith access inside. He stepped in and sat on the chair, waiting for an answer. 

(~)

Shiro normally did his strategic work in the lounge where he ate his meal and focused on his work. Ever since the aftermath of Zarkon's defeat, Shiro had been on edge. Every now and again he had a restless sleep, and knowing just how much has happened in his absence placed him on high alert almost twenty four seven.

The doors opened behind him. "Shiro, may we talk?"

"Sure, Princess. I've been meaning to go by--" Shiro blinked in surprise when the princess slammed her hand on the device, deactivating the hologram projector. 

"I'm not here to talk about missions. I'm here to talk about Keith." 

Shiro was at a loss. The princess was speaking to him as if he committed some kind of crime. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No. Or perhaps and you simply don't realize it."

"What are you talking about."

"Shiro, before you disappeared, you trusted Keith to lead Voltron in your stead, correct?"

"Correct."

"And ever since you've returned, Keith has done nothing but pilot your lion while you continue to dismiss him."

Shiro was still a bit confused as to where the princess was going with this. "Allura, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Clarify for me, Shiro, because I'm struggling to understand." The princess kept her arms crossed and a glare that could pierce through a billion Galra ships with only one shoot. "Is Keith the leader of this team, or not?"

"Of course he is. He's the Black Paladin, the lion choose him."

"Then how come, whenever he tries to act like a leader, or at the very least share his thoughts with you, you either shrug him off or take control of the mission yourself?"

"What are you say--"

"I'm saying, you're not making it easy for him, Shiro! Keith admires you, he looks up to you! Nobody on this team holds your words to heart more than he does. You keep insisting that he's the leader yet at the same time you keep stepping in while shoving him aside! What's more, you don't even seem to be aware you're doing it!"

"Look, I know this change hasn't been smooth, but I'm just doing my best to teach Keith the ropes. Everything I do is for him to learn leadership skills."

"Funny, because as of late, all he has learned is how to question his own self worth, and continues to work with the Blades because this way he feels he's actually contributing to something instead to simply be piloting a lion he strongly believes should be yours."

Shiro opened his mouth, expecting a counter argument… nothing came out. Shiro took a step back for a moment. He sat down again, processing everything Allura had just told him. 

Ever since Shiro returned, he knew he had been on edge lately. The stress of the Galra weighed heavy on him, so much so that he didn't feel right just sitting on the side lines. Shiro had been gone from the team, and every day in the wilderness, trying to get back, he was plagued with the terror of anything happening to them. His controlling attitude lately was all part of a coping mechanism to make sure the same thing wouldn't happen again. 

Shiro thought that, by leading by example, Keith would learn something from him. But, as it would seem, Shiro had been so wrapped up in his desire to contribute, mixed with his desire to make up for lost time, and natural take-charge attitude, maybe instead of giving Keith the space to learn and grow, Shiro had been unintentionally preventing Keith from actually growing. 

Whenever Keith tried to inform him about the quintessence supply line, or anything on Lotor, Shiro would dismiss him and remind him of the team. Whenever they were on a mission, Shiro felt an impulse to guide them and lead them out of trouble. Even when he tried to give Keith advice, afterwards he still took action rather than allow Keith to put these lessons to action.

He knew what Keith was capable of, but not giving him the space, or the chance, to actually make it on his own… Shiro had only made the poor boy's situation worse than better.

All because Shiro wouldn't speak about his own trauma to anyone. Instead using his leadership as an outlet to have some control of a situation. Understandable, sure, but not fair for Keith.

"I'm sorry." he said after taking the time to analyze his own thought process. "I think I understand now. Ever since our last fight with Zarkon, and being away for so long I've been… terrified of something happening if I don't take control. I didn't stop think about how Keith was really feeling."

Shiro hung his head, burying his face into his palms, and Allura began to feel horrible for having yelled at him. Of course, the man had been going through some serious trauma, from the very beginning. Since he first arrived at the castle with the others, Shiro still struggled with the painful memories from his time as a Galra prisoner. 

Allura sat beside him, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "I'm the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. I know you've been through a lot, and you are wonderful leader. We all love you, Shiro. We look up to you."

"Still, you're right about Keith. I can't pilot the Black Lion anymore, only he can. I should have known this would be a lot for him to deal with."

"Perhaps, next time you can… share your issues with your friends instead of keeping them to yourself." Allura then muttered, "Now I know where Keith gets it."

"I heard that." Shiro said with a light chuckle then patted Allura's hand, which was still on his shoulder. "Thanks, Allura. Talking about it really does make me feel better."

"I thought it might."

"Keith's very lucky to have you."

"He's lucky to have you, too. He can be a great leader, I've seen what he is capable of. His quick wit, his steadfast loyalty, his sense of justice, and his compassion. Many qualities which you posses as well, even if Keith demonstrates them differently."

Shiro nodded. "I know."

The alarm went off, startling the two and they rushed towards the deck. "What's going on?"

"We've received a distress signal." Coran said, showing what was on the monitor. "One of our convoys is being ambushed by a squadron of Galra cruisers."

"Our medical supply ships. We can't allow the Galra to get them." Shiro said urgently. 

"We must leave immediately." Allura said. "Voltron will keep those cruisers occupied long enough for the supply ships to make their escape."

"Actually, Voltron can't." Pidge said, worrying the princess. "Keith is gone."

"Yeah, I haven't seen him all day." Lance said. "He wasn't at breakfast."

"He wasn't in the training deck either." Hunk said. "That's usually the only other place he could be."

Allura and Shiro shared looks of concern. "He's probably on another Marmora mission." Shiro said, his brows lowering in anger, more so at himself. But now was not the time to beat himself up. Right now they needed to get the supply ships out of there.

"You'll have to go without Keith, the convoy needs you immediately. I'll sent help as soon as I find him."

(~)

In contrast to what Shiro believed, Keith hadn't left the castle all night. He had been inside the Black Lion, eyes closed, as if immersed in a trance. In his mind, no time had gone at all. Time became non existent, there was only him and the lion.

When Keith finally opened his eyes he was no longer sitting, but standing within a vast plane surrounded by stars all around. There was no ground yet he could feel the solid surface beneath him. Keith let out a frightened gasp when he noticed his body was glowing. His cloths and skin had gained a purple tint, and all around he felt a powerful yet calming presence.

"Well done, young paladin." a feminine voice rang in his ears. Keith spun around with a start.

"Who are you?"

"Do you not recognize my voice? I am the Black Lion. Your lion."

"How? How can I hear you?"

"With enough patience, any paladin can hear the voice of their lions as clearly as you can right now."

This was so surreal. For a moment, Keith suspected he was dreaming. But this couldn't be a dream. He pinched himself. It hurt. He was awake, yet his body felt as relaxed as it would had he been laying down on a cozy bed.  

"You had questions."

"Why did you choose me? Why did you tell me where Shiro was but won't let him pilot you?"

"I did choose Shiro because he was the right fit for me. At the time. I saw into his memories. How much he had gone through, and how much he loves you and all of the paladins as his own. I love him just as much, just as I had loved Zarkon years ago, even if I did need Shiro to help sever his link to me. Every lion loves their paladins, past, present, and future."

"Then why won't you let Shiro fly you anymore? Isn't he worthy enough?"

"Shiro has and will always be worthy. But, his journey is no longer with me. Yours is." 

Keith was silent. What did she mean by that?

"I've seen your heart, young one. I've seen the pain, and loneliness that has consumed you for so long. The fear of loss, yet that longing for companionship, at constant odds with one another. Yet, you found the strength to dare to open your heart. Your bond with Shiro was what first caught my attention when you asked me to save him. As I looked deeper, I see also your love for the Princess. That which is, without question, the grandest example of just how deep your love is."

The more she spoke, the more at peace Keith felt. Even without her physical appearance, Keith felt the warm embrace of the lion. He wondered if this was how a mother's hug must feel.

"Your love for her was only the beginning. With each new friend you have made you have demonstrated the compassion, devotion, integrity and of course, the leadership of a paladin meant to fly with me. I have seen your princess has told you many, many times. Her faith in you is as endless as the stars. Shiro has watched over you since you were a lad. Lance, in spite of his teasing, looks up to you. Hunk greatly respects you, and Pidge admires you. Coran adores you as if you were his own son, and Ember looked to you like a father." 

"But, how does any of that make me a good leader? I can't make decisions based on just warm and fuzzy feelings."

"You are correct. That's another quality you posses. Your sense of justice, your willingness to self-sacrifice, and yes, your capability to think rationally in a situation are very vital characteristics."

"But I'm reckless. I'm short tempered, I sometimes act on impulse--"

"Yes, yes, and yes. All of this is true."

"Then how does that make me a leader if I have these problems?"

"You think Shiro doesn't have problems? He struggles with his own burden every day, just as you do. Just as Allura does, just as everyone on your team. Tell me, can Voltron form without one of the five lions? Or without any of the five paladins?"

"No, of course not."

"Then how would any of you function without one another? Imagine how your life would have been had you never met Shiro, or Allura. Or anyone you've come to know."

Keith shuddered at the thought. Never having met them? He would be even worse than he was now. "I could never do that."

"Don't you see, child? You are all your best selves when you're together. You learn, you make mistakes, but most importantly, you build each other up. Look at who you were then, and who you are now. Don't you see a difference?"

Keith pondered on her words. Was he different? He didn't feel different. But, then again, there had been a time where he never would have imagined himself being surrounded by people for whom he would die for, and vice versa. He recalled Regris's story and how he had changed because of his family. What he told those leaders during the banquet so long ago. That Voltron was about banding together, not just the cool robot powers.

Long ago, Keith would never have the capability to do that. Or to give a short, yet honest speech to the Balmarans, or give some encouragement to Lance. It all made sense to him now. What the lion meant. What Allura and Shiro had been telling him all this time.

This whole time, he had been afraid of being a leader "by himself". Make all the choices, make all the demands, but nobody said it needed to be that way. After all, the head of Voltron wouldn't be able to stand without the other parts of its body. Each lion contributed to the warrior, just as they all did.

"Keith, I chose you because, like Regris and Shiro, you too understand the value of duty, and heart. Like them, you are capable of finding that balance. A balance both the Empire and the Blades of Marmora struggle to find. If you trust in my decision, and trust in the strength of your friends, believe me, your leadership will shine when it is needed the most. Just as it always had."

Keith wanted to believe that. He truly did. Yet, he still felt that lingering fear within his chest. A fear of failing. The fear of making the wrong choice. The fear of loosing anyone. Keith was still afraid.

"What if I'm not ready?"

"How will you know if you don't try?"

If he won't try? What did she mean?

Suddenly, a familiar voice echoed in the voice. The voice was screaming, yelling for help. It was Allura. Then, he heard Lance, then Pidge, and Hunk. They were all screaming, calling out to each other. The booming sound of lasers striking their lions. The closer he listened, the more he could comprehend their words.

"The supply ship is almost captured! Can anyone get to it?"

"We're trying!"

"Where are they all coming from?"

"Watch out behind you!"

"We can't do this without Voltron!"

"Where is Keith?!"

Keith fell to his knees. He could hear them, so close as if they were yelling right into his ears. They needed help. He needed to get to them. Both his head and his heart were calling out to them, screaming at his body to move and do something. But that fear was still anchoring him to the ground.

Was he ready? What if he failed? Should he try? Should he dare to try just as he dared to care?

"See them through my eyes, child. See yourself through my eyes."

Keith did as she said. He opened his eyes, embracing the warmth of her tenderness. In his mind he could see them clearly. He saw their lions being struck by a Galra fleet. He saw his friends. His family. Those he loved. Regris's words echoed in Keith's mind.

"I accepted that you can never change the past, but it doesn't have to defy who you will become. I instead use my experiences to remind me of why I want to be better, rather than have them knock me back down." 

"Emotions can cloud your better judgment, especially the negative ones. But, if you close yourself off too much, you'll be as dead inside as if you were actually dead."

"I go by my own mantra. Love… or death."

Was Keith really going to let fear of failure keep him from doing what was right? Was he going to allow his own past prevent him from growing into something more? 

No. Not now. Not anymore. 

(~)

The paladins were under heavy fire and the supply ships were in jeopardy of being struck down. Shiro tried desperately to reach Keith, but to no avail. "I can't find Keith. Kolivan says he hasn't seen him."

"What are we going to do?" Coran exclaimed, beads of sweat dripping down his brow. 

The castle trembled and, in a flash, a stream of purple came shooting out of the castle and into the sky. Coran and Shiro stared with jaws dropped at the speed the object was going.

"Was that… Keith?" Coran rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Shiro recognized that purple glow. There was no doubt about it. He smiled as the Black Lion made its way through space to reach the others.

"Go get em, buddy."

(~)

"There's no way we can beat all these fighters with only four lions!" Hunk shouted, his lion spiraling in circles after narrowly avoiding another incoming laser. 

"You won't have to!"

The four paladins all turned their heads to see the Black Lion coming into the scene, roaring with pride. Everyone in their lions cheered.

"Keith!"

"You're back!"

"What took you so long?"

"Sorry I'm late. Won't happen again." Keith replied as he flew his lion towards his teammates. He felt… incredible. His experience within the astral plane of the lion had truly transformed him. That fear that kept him anchored to the ground, he finally dared to break the chains and take flight. He trusted the lion's judgment now, and he trusted his friends. 

He even started to trust himself more.

Using the jaw blade, Keith sliced a fleet of fighter ships that were coming at Hunk. "Thanks man!"

"Anytime, buddy. Alright everyone, on me. Form Voltron!"

After a long time, the mighty robot was back, taking on the fleet in half the amount of time it took for the four lions to fight them off. The rest of the team noticed a change in the machine. Voltron felt faster, more energized. Even Keith was different. He sounded more confident, more in tune with the others. For the first time in a long time, the paladins were actually having some fun taking down the Galra. It was like the first time they forged all over again.

Once the fleet had been taken care of, Voltron flew near the supply ships. Keith conversed with them, relief to see that none of the ships had been harmed.

"Rebel craft, you're safe now. We'll escort you the rest of the way to Olkarion."

(~)

The flight back was calm, much to the relief of the rebels. Their supplies arrived unscarred, as did the passengers. Voltron had once again saved the day.

Keith exited his lion, having been in his casual wear this entire time--minus the jacket--once out, he bent down, resting his hands on his knees, taking in deep breaths. The adrenaline was unlike anything he had ever felt in a long time. He felt so much lighter now. Once he straightened himself, Keith was ambushed by Allura wrapping her arms around him. He spun her around once before welcoming her lips.

"Darling, you were incredible!"

Keith even got a surprise hug from Lance, who grabbed him by the head and started ruffling his hair. "Ha, ha! Good to have you back, Mullet Head!"

"Ow, Lance that hurts."

Hunk swooped in and hugged Keith so tight he could barely breath. The yellow paladin was leaking like a broken pipe. "I thought we were goners! I love you, man!"

"Yeah, same to you. Now please let me breath."

"Oh, right, sorry."

Finally, Pidge even hugged Keith from the waist. "I could kiss you! But I won't 'cause you're spoken for, and also you're not my type."

Keith only laughed and ruffled Pidge's hair just for the heck of it, making the two laugh. Shiro then walked in and proudly patted Keith on the back. 

"Good job, Keith. Thanks to you, the rebels will have enough medical supplies to last us months. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Shiro."

"But, seriously, where were you? Kolivan told me you weren't on a mission."

Keith looked surprised. "How long was I in that lion?" he said to himself.

"Wait, you were in the Black Lion this whole time?" Lance asked in surprise. 

"It's a long story. But, the important thing is you guys won't have to worry about me going off with the Blades ever again."

The others were silent, each one looking at each other, as if awaiting if either of them had heard what the other just heard.

"Are you saying…?" Allura eagerly awaited his answer. Keith took her hands into his. 

"You were right, Allura. My place is here. Besides, I was never really that cut out to be a Blade anyway. They're a little too stiff." he joked.

Allura was so overwhelmed tears came out as she hugged Keith. He was staying. No more back and forth, no more doubts, he was staying with the team. Staying with her. Words could not express how happy and relieved she felt. She could only imagine Regris's smug like grin right now.

"You get to keep the suit, right?" Allura whispered into his ear.

"I won't tell Kolivan if you won't." Keith whispered back. The two shared a laugh, wrapped in each other's arms. 

For the first time in months, Keith felt as if he were on top of the world. His experience with the lion, Regris's words, and literally everything good in his life up to this point lifted him up so high it would make his ears pop and he wouldn't even care.

"Hey, what's that?" Shiro looked up into the sky, pointing up with his robotic arm. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked upwards. Strange objects came into view, descending towards Olkarion. From afar, their shapes were difficult to distinguish.

"Are we being attacked? Is that a Galra fleet?" Hunk was on the verge of screaming. Those things really did look like Galra fleet ships. 

Allura held Hunk in place, her eyes locked on the mysterious objects coming their way. "No, wait!" 

As the objects came in closer, they realized that those couldn't have been ships. After all, since when do the wings of fighter ships flap? The objects were creatures with wings. Large wings that, as they drew even closer, resembled the wings of a bat of a pterodactyl. The creatures also had four legs and what appeared to be horns coming out from their skulls. Long tails with cuffs of hair, and muscular yet slender bodies. Long manes flapped behind them like waves.

Instantly, Coran and the four paladins recognized these creatures. They had seen them once before. One in particular caught their attention the most. A younger one with a wing that separated her from the rest. Her left wing was covered by a blue material, one of which Pidge recognized as one of her own creations.

The red scales, the pale pink mane, the long curved horn and bright yellow underbelly. Allura held her hands close to her mouth, her eyes watering and Keith… Keith dared to hope. Dared to believe that it was….

"Ember?" 

As the herd drew closer, everyone on Olkarion gasped in awe and wonder at the sight of the most beautiful creatures they had ever seen. Scales that shimmered with bright colors straight from a dream. Wings of great power and grace as they moved across the sky. A line of them flew ahead, younger little ones with two adults supporting one of their own, who was apparently injured.

The single red creature with the unique wing flew faster. Once she came into clear view, there was no doubt. No questioning it. 

"Ember!"

Keith and Allura's screams of joy could have been heard from all over the planet, possibly further. Lance, Pidge, Hunk and Coran all screamed happily as well, shouting her name, with Coran calling her a "Little Beastie" while weeping tears of joy. 

The little one flapped her wings as he made her descent, galloping towards the two paladins. Bright green eyes shimmering as she called to them.

"Mama! Papa!"

Keith and Allura got down on their knees and wrapped their arms around the little longma. She had grown in size, last time she reached only their knees. Now her head went past their waists. Never the less, the two embraced their little one, who in turn wrapped her wings around them. Her tears landing on Allura's armor. The rest of the paladins, and Coran, all swarmed around her, all the while crying with untold happiness. 

Keith had already cried so much today, he didn't think he had any more tears to shed. Yet, here he was, crying even more than before, if that was possible. 

"We missed you so much!"

"I missed you guys, too!" Ember said, nuzzling his cheek before nuzzling Allura's. 

Allura gently held Ember's head in her hands. "Look at you. You've grown so big." 

"Well, it has been months." Ember replied, still crying happy tears. Even her voice sounded different. Last time, her voice resembled that of an eight-year-old, now she sounded like a young lady around the ages of twelve or thirteen. Possible fourteen. She still looked as adorable innocent as before, but her eyes carried more maturity, intelligence and, dare she say, independence. 

"How did you find us?" Keith asked.

"Allura's earring." Ember flicked her right ear, revealing the dangling purple earring Allura had given her once, yet never took off even when they had to give Ember back to her kind. "I've kind of keeping tabs on you guys ever since. Last I heard you were located on Olkarion, and the herd has been through this quadrant before."

Keith chuckled with pride. "Clever girl."

Lance then started ruffling Ember's mane. "Wow, you're so grown up. Guess you're too old to call me Uncle Lance, huh?" 

Ember scoffed. "Please, you will always be Uncle Lance to me. No matter how old I get." Lance's lower lip started to tremble. Ember rolled her eyes playfully. "Let me guess. Something in your eye, again?"

"Yeah… they're called tears of joy!" Lance brawled as he hugged Ember, who hugged him with her wings. Even the mice came out and crawled up Ember's wings to see her again. They peppered her cheeks with nose kisses.

"Excuse me." A strong voice halted the tender moment. The paladins looked to see a female longma approach them. The same longma who first greeted Ember all those months ago. She was as majestic now as she was then, only up close she saw far more intimidating in spite of her white and gold coloring. She certain carried herself like a queen would.

"I hate to interrupt, but Ember told me you would be able to help my sister."

The longma turned her head towards two other adult longmas, supporting another. Her back leg was terribly bruised, her two wings draped over her companion's backs for support. 

Her body was of a dark orchid color with a lighter underbelly, gray-violet legs and hooves with green scales spearing the two colors. The greens matching the membranes of her wings. Her mane was magenta red and her eyes were a striking aquamarine. Her horns, the curved one at the front and the two on both sides of her head, were a light pale blue color. 

Ember introduced her friends to the injured longma. "Guys, this is Nebula. She's been hurt, and I know you guys had doctors around here from last time, so I was hoping you could help."

Shiro was at a loss for words. So, this was the Ember he's heard so much about. The creature Keith and Allura had adopted. She certainly looked as they had described. A creature that resembled a cross between a dragon and a unicorn. All aspects of equine and reptilian seamlessly blended together. Shiro took notice of the injured longma--Nebula's-- leg. 

"Hang on, mind of I take a look?"

Nebula and her sister hesitated, only until Ember nodded in reassurance did they allow Shiro to inspect her. Albeit, hesitantly. 

Shiro studied the injury closely. "I think I can help with this. Coran, I'm gonna need you to get me a list of medical supplies." Shiro gestured to the other longma to follow him to where he would be able to tend to Nebula. Seeing her hesitation, Shiro smiled.

"Don't worry. I promise, you're in good hands."

Nebula studied the human, then noticed his strange looking arm as well as the scar across his face. Ember nodded her head, silently communicating to the elder longma to trust the man. As they went, Ember began explaining to the rest of the paladins what had happened to her in the past several months.

"I have so much to tell you guys! I don't even know where to begin…"

(~)

Nebula was placed in a medical tent, where Shiro inspected the items Coran had retrieved for him. "I didn't know you were a doctor as well, Shiro."

"I'm not. But when I was a freshman in high school I spent my summers at my third uncle's horse ranch. One of the stallions got injured during a ride so I stayed up with his wife, who was a vet, and helped in tending the injury."

"And you sure you remember how to do this?"

"It's not as serious as with the stallion, but I'm pretty sure it'll work for her too."

Nebula turned another younger longma, who had stayed by her side the entire time, both sharing looks of confusion. "I have no idea what you're saying, alien." Nebula said.

"My name's Shiro, and the only thing you need to understand is that this will help your leg feel better."

"Will it hurt my mom?" the young longma asked. A male with a blue coat and light purple underbelly, pale yellow scales separating the color of his legs, which were a gray-aqua. The same yellow color was on his membranes and horns. His eyes were dark brown and his mane was long and dark with shades of blue.

"It'll sting, but it will help prevent the swelling. Also, her leg was slightly dislocated, so we're going to have to put a cast on her." the longma opened his mouth to ask again until Shiro added, "It won't hurt, I promise."

Nebula laid on the mat on the floor, observing the alien tamper with some materials she didn't recognize. "Coran, can you hand me a rack?" the Altean complied Shiro and rolled it into a half ball. "This is going to sting, so I'm going to need you to bite down onto this, okay. It won't take long."

Nebula opened her mouth and bit hard onto the rack as Shiro poured a stinging liquid. Nebula began to struggle, but Shiro held her down. "Easy, now. Don't move, it'll only make it worse. Just breath. Breath." Shiro stroked Nebula's back, soothing back her thin fur, steadying her breathing. Memories from his youth came flooding back, placing Shiro at ease. For once in months, he felt completely relaxed. No edge, no anxiety, he was completely in his element.

Once Nebula had calmed down, Shiro gently petted her head like he used to do for the horses back home. His touch soothed Nebula's nerves as the stinging diminished. 

"There we go. Good girl." After a few more minutes, Shiro had Coran help him with the cast for Nebula's back leg. "And… we're done."

Nebula cocked her head curiously upon seeing the white wraps around her leg. She leaned over to sniff it, but could only smell the horrid liquids Shiro had used to cease her swelling. 

"Just rest for a couple days before you start to walk again. In the mean time, we'll be sure to give you anything you need."

"Thank you… Shiro." Nebula said, rather hesitantly. Shiro had a hunch she wasn't the type to just spew out 'thank yous' very often. The little longma nuzzled his mother.

"Thank you for helping my mother."

"Don't mention it."

"My name's Comet, by the way. Ember's told us a lot about you paladins, but she's never mentioned you before."

"I… was somewhere else when Ember came along. We never got a chance to properly meet." Shiro said, scratching the back of his neck. For a moment, he had nearly forgotten about what he had endured. Maybe not forgotten, but it didn't hover over his head as it did before. 

"Then you must know Keith and Allura. Ember is always raving about them."

Hearing this made Shiro smile. "Yeah, I do. I've known Keith since he was very young."

"You raised him." Nebula concluded, "You have that… paternal aspect, I can tell." 

"Yeah. I guess you could say that."

"Well, if this "Keith" is anything like Ember… you've done well with him."

Shiro took in Nebula's words as she wrapped her wing around her son. Keith wasn't the only one who had a moment of clarity today.

(~)

Keith was caught off guard when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in." Shiro stepped into the room.

"Keith, we need to talk." the younger paladin looked worried, until Shiro smiled and rose his hand up. "Relax, I'm not here to lecture you. I actually came to apologize."

"Apologize? For what?"

"After I got back I realized I've been taking control a lot recently. At first I thought I was helping you by setting an example on leadership, but really I was acting out of my own issues."

"It's okay, Shiro. I understand. You've been through a lot, nobody blames you for any of that."

"I know. Still, it wasn't fair that I kept taking control when all you were trying to do was be the leader I trusted you to be. I wasn't giving you enough space to make your own decisions and for that I'm sorry. After I had a talk with Allura, she helped me realize that all of this anxiety I was feeling was because I was scared."

"Scared?" 

"I spent days terrified of what might happen to all of you, and when I got back that fear prompted me to be a bit more controlling, which I now realize wasn't helping you with your situation. I guess a part of that fear also came from that… you guys might not need me anymore." 

Keith scoffed as if it were the most ridiculous thing in the world. "Shiro, that's so not true. We will always need you. I know I always will." the two men shared a tender embrace, with Shiro ruffling Keith's hair like he used to do when he was younger.

"I should have known before. I should have been honest about it too." Shiro said as he ended the hug, but kept his hand on Keith's shoulder. "The Black Lion has chosen you to be its paladin, so from now on I'm gonna be letting you make your own decisions." Shiro then noticed Keith's hesitant look. "I thought you'd be happier about that."

"I am, but I just want to be clear on one thing. While I may technically be the leader now, I hope this doesn't mean I can't still come to you if I ever have any trouble."

Shiro smiled. "Of course not. You can always come to me, Keith."

"So what will you be doing in the mean time?"

"Well, thanks to you, we've got a whole herd of new allies in the fight against the Galra, and some new agents for the search on those hidden quintessence supply lines. Nebula still needs some time to heal and these new younger longma are gonna need some training if they're going to fight alongside Voltron. Besides, it's been a while since I've dealt with horses. Might be good therapy for me."

"You're gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I think I will be." The doors opened once more, and this time Coran walked in carrying something for Keith, much to his surprise.

"You're gonna need this."

(~)

Lance was surprised when he saw Keith now sporting the official Black Paladin armor. The transition had been completed. It was so strange to see Keith in black armor, and yet it somehow fit him perfectly.

"Well, looks like it's official now. You're the Black Paladin."

"Yeah. Still getting used to the tittle." Keith held the helmet in his hand. Shiro's helmet, now his. Still hard to believe this was real. For the first time, Keith didn't feel afraid about the change anymore. He knew this was how the Black Lion wanted it. He trusted her choice, and he trusted his friends.

"Have to say, I'm still really impressed you turned down my armor."

Lance gave a shrug. "Yeah, well, I already have your lion and your bayard, so the armor was just pushing it. Besides, I wouldn't trade my blue armor for anything."

A smile slowly formed on Keith's lips. "Seriously?"

"I know Red is my lion now, and we've gotten pretty close, but Blue will always have a special place in my heart. It's where I started, and also a reminder of where I'm going. So, thanks, but no thanks."

Keith nodded in understanding. "I'm happy to hear that."

"Besides, we both know it would look way better on someone else." Lance winked.

(~)

Allura walked into her room, ready to turn in, only to be surprised upon seeing the red paladin armor laying on her bed. The mice stood beside it, presenting it to her as if she had won it as a prize. A note was attached to the helmet.

"We all agreed it should be yours. I know your father would too.

-P.S. meet me outside in an hour. 

-love, Keith."

Allura's heart swelled with joy. Her father's old armor… now hers. This was truly the most thoughtful and meaningful gift her friends could have ever given her.

She wasted no time in putting on her new armor. As she gazed at her own reflection, for a moment, she saw her father smiling back at her. This day could not have been more perfect. Keith was staying, Ember had returned, and now Allura had inherited her father's paladin armor. The death of Regris was still fresh and heavy on her heart, and how she wished he were here to see all of this. Yet, her heart she knew he was watching over them just as her father was. Perhaps they met in the afterlife and were bonding right now.

Allura chuckled to herself at the thought. A happy thought. A happy moment. A moment to hold close to her heart. As she readied to put her hair up into a bun again, she stopped and let her hair down again. 

She looked so young still, but she didn't feel as young anymore. Today felt different. Change was in the air, change had been happening for a long time. Allura collected her hair into a fistful and draped it over her shoulder. Her hair had gotten even longer in time. Did it really need to be so long when she wore it up half the time?

Allura turned to her dresser and rummaged through her things, pulling out a pair of silver scissors. She held her hair close to her chest. The mice squeaked in alarm, frightened at what the princess would do to her lovely locks. 

Thankfully, the cut wasn't anything drastic. She still had long beautiful flowing silver hair, only rather than reach past her waist it stopped just above her chest. Not too long, and certainly not too short. Allura styled it into an over the shoulder braid, and a single bang swept over her forehead to the left side of her head.

A simple change, but she liked it. It was perfect.

Allura finally met Keith outside, both astonished to see each other's new looks. Keith looked incredibly dashing in his new black paladin armor. So tall, strong and heroic. He looked older too, hid shoulders more broad and his stance straighter. He no longer kept his arms folded so often. Yet, his eyes never lost their warmth on the day they met.

Keith was especially taken by Allura. The red really complimented her strong figure. Red for a passionate, fiery woman with an aura of elegance. Her hair made look radiant and reflected her spirit perfectly. A once innocence princess blossoming into a confident, devoted young woman with a heart as ferocious and as noble as a lioness. 

"Allura," Keith was left without breath as she walked closer. "You look amazing."

"So do you." Allura held her new helmet close, "This was really sweet."

"I know how much you wanted to pilot the Red Lion. This way you can always carry a part of him."

"Thank you. This means so much to me." Allura tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It's incredible how much has happened today."

"I know." Keith's face turned red, the wind sweeping his bangs, heightening his beauty in Allura's eyes. "And it's not over yet."

"What do you mean?"

Keith took Allura's hands into his own, staring deep into her eyes, their faces several inches apart. "Earlier today, the Black Lion spoke to me. It helped me reflect on a lot of things. My doubts about being leader, how I feel about the team… and how I feel about you."

Allura's heart was pounding so intensely she half expected Keith would be able to hear it. It got stronger as Keith went on. "Allura, for so long, I've struggled to open up to people. There were times when I was afraid even Shiro would leave me. But, when I met you, it was different. Probably because, technically, we're both different. Being aliens and all."

Allura chuckled. her heavenly voice only boosting Keith's urge to keep going. "Whenever I was with you… I never felt alone. Not once. I found myself drawn to you each and every day. I love everything about you. Your kindness, your courage, your temper and your stubbornness. I'm a better man because of you." 

Allura was so sure she had lost her voice. She hung on Keith's every word like a priceless treasure. 

"I wasn't sure if this was possible at first, but if there is anything Regris knew it was to live in the moment, and not let the good ones slip away."

Her body trembled as Keith pulled out one of the twin stones Regris had given him before he passed. Olkarion, the castle, literally everything around them seemed to disappear the moment Keith held the stone to Allura… and got down on one knee...

"Princess Allura,"

"Yes?"

"Will you—"

"Yes."

"—Mary me?"

"Yes! A thousand times, and in a thousand realities, YES!" 

Allura leaped into Keith's arms so fast she almost tumbled him over. The wind picked up, sweeping their hair as the two newly engaged coupled shared a tender loving kiss. 

This week had started out rough, with disagreements, self doubts, and of course, a very tragic death. But, through the ashes, embers burned brightly, and from those small sparks came a fire that burned even brighter than the last. Even with the war still raging and Lotor still being a threat, Keith and Allura knew that together they could face anything. Because they had everything they could ever need. This was where they belonged.

They were home.