Chapter Text
When the Galra came, Lance was training in the courtyard with the Blue Paladin. Relations had been deteriorating since the Queen had died, but King Alfor was still optimistic.
Then Flurralin was turned to dust.
In the flurry following the evacuation of the capital city, Lance didn’t realize what was happening until the Blue Paladin picked him up and dragged him onto Blue.
“Wh—the lions are the other way!” Lance protested.
“They should be.” The Blue Paladin was uncharacteristically serious.
“No, what about Voltron?!”
“We can’t form Voltron without the Black Paladin! Zarkon could break us apart if we tried to replace him!” The Blue Paladin snapped.
Lance stepped back. “Hreth…”
She sighed, passing one of her many hands over her eyes. “You should get some rest, Allances.”
“Where is Allura? Where’s Father?”
Blue withdrew a syringe without Lance noticing. “I don’t know—I don’t know where any of the other Paladins are. Rest assured though, they’d be high priorities.”
“Hreth, it’s—why are you so serious? It’s going to be okay, right?”
The Blue Paladin wrestled with herself for a moment—literally, one of her arms wrestled another—before she acquiesced. “It’s all going to be okay. I promise. Besides, it takes more than a silly Galra to take down a Paladin of Voltron!”
But Lance was taken down very easily by a syringe to the neck.
“Hreth…” He gasped as his vision darkened and he collapsed. Softly, lovingly, the Blue Paladin picked him up. “Goodbye, Allances.”
~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~
When Lance woke up, there was a group of aliens surrounding him, a hand on his shoulder, and one of the aliens coming far too close. From here, he could tell this one was an alien because it had the weirdest ears Lance had ever seen.
Lance sat up, knocking the alien in the head. “What are you doing?”
The alien babbled something unintelligible, but seemed embarrassed. Lance messed with his translator implants in his cheekbones as the other aliens began talking.
“—believe you were going to kiss him!” The small alien with floofy hair snickered.
Lance made finger guns. “Believe this— I am totally down for being woken up with a kiss, and maybe even more.”
The one with the weird hair who was going to kiss him turned red. “This-this… you were awake the whole time?!”
“You speak English?” The husky one asked.
Lance shrugged. “No. My translator always gets knocked out, but I fixed it.” He tapped one of the crescents on his cheeks. “Now, who are you? Where am I? Where’s Hreth?”
“Slow down.” The muscled one with mismatched hair answered. “My name is Takashi Shirogane, this is my brother Keith, and his friends Pidge Gunderson and Hunk Garrett. You’re on Earth.”
Lance glanced at the hand this Takashi Shirogane offered, then back at Takashi, then back at the hand. “Which is… where, exactly?”
“Milky Way Galaxy?” The short floofy one identified as Pidge answered.
“Hmmm… no. Doesn’t ring a bell. Where’s Hreth? Where’s Blue?”
“You’re the only one we’ve found.” The big one (Hunk, apparently) replied. “Can you tell us what these markings are?”
“Can you tell us what you were doing, playing Snow White?” Keith hissed.
“I don’t know what you mean, so I’m going to assume that’s an insult.” Lance replied. “And these? They’re about Blue. Look.” He pressed his hand against the stone, stepping back as it lit up.
Part of the floor crumbled away, and he could just see Blue underneath. “Come on, this way! There’s Blue!”
He scrambled down without waiting for the aliens, then looked around wildly. “Hreth? Hreth! I’m awake!”
Blue’s forcefield came down, and she gave a low rumble.
“Yeah, just wait a tick, Blue! Hreth! Where are you?”
“Who’s Hreth?” Pidge asked.
“My friend—she’s the Blue Paladin, this is her lion… she made the carvings… how fresh did they look?” He turned to Hunk, as he seemed the most trustworthy.
“Thousands of years old.”
“Alright. So, Keith. How did you open my cryopod anyway?” Lance asked suspiciously.
“I didn’t! It popped open on it’s own.” Keith protested.
“Uh huh, sure. That would only happen if I’d been in there for… 10,000 years? I’m not good with the mechanics, but it would be impossible. Hreth would have gotten me out.”
“I don’t think so. The exact date was all over the cave up there, I spent months figuring it out!” Keith protested.
Lance frowned. “It’s not… Hreth wouldn’t have… Blue will know.” Blue’s jaw snapped open, and all of the aliens and Lance ended up in the cockpit.
“When are we…?” Lance muttered to himself as he pulled up the relevant information. Then he stared at the screen. “No. No no no…”
“I’m sure your friend was in a pod just like yours.” The mismatched one—Takashi? No, didn’t one call him Shiro before he got the translator up? Shiro said kindly.
“There’s only one per lion.” Lance remarked, before taking a deep breath. “I need to find the rest of Voltron before… before Zarkon does.”
“Wait, Voltron? What’s Voltron?” Pidge interjected as Shiro muttered to himself, “Zarkon…?”
Lance forced a brilliant smile. “Voltron is the universe’s greatest weapon. And you, lucky aliens, are in its right leg right now.”
“Wait, its leg? How does that work?” Hunk asked.
“Good question. Sit down, and I’ll show you.” Lance reached forward, and felt Blue enter his mind like so many times during training with Hreth. Except this time, it was just him. Maybe the other lions in the distance, but they were little more than a whisper.
“Let’s go home.” Lance whispered, pushing a lever. Within seconds, the aliens were thrown around.
“Are you trying to kill us?!” Keith yelled.
“Oh, you’ll be fine!” Lance yelled back. “I’m one of the most promising fliers on Altea!”
“Promise doesn’t mean you’re good yet!” Keith hissed.
Just for that, Lance did a barrel roll. Screw Keith in particular.
They finally made it to the Castle of the Lions, encountering a Galra ship on the way. Lance practically threw himself out of Blue in their escape. He remembered seeing the stars for the first time in a ship like that one, how the soldiers had taken quicker to him than his sister and for once he was the special one.
Mother was gone. Hreth was gone. Altea was gone. Please, gods, let there be someone left.
He ran to the medical bay, the aliens following him. He nearly cried with relief when he saw Allura and Coran in the pods.
He unlocked Allura’s first.
“What are you doing—” Shiro automatically threw up his arms to catch Allura.
“Wha… who are you?” Allura asked.
“Uh…”
“Your ears… they’re hideous…” she pointed out, before stepping back. “Who are you?”
“That’s honestly what I’d like to know about you?” Hunk muttered.
Allura’s lips were a thin line. “Where is King Alfor? What are you doing here?!”
“We were brought here by a giant, flying, mechanical blue lion.” Pidge pointed out. “At this point, your guess is better than ours.”
“A blue lion…? Where is its Paladin…?” Allura caught sight of Lance and marched over, pulling him into a tight hug. “I thought you were dead!”
“Aw, Allura, that’s so sweet--- ow ow stop!” Lance howled as Allura grabbed the tip of his ear.
“I thought you were dead.” She repeated. “Where were you?! Where’s Hreth?”
“Hreth took me to some place from Earth! I just woke up from a cryopod myself! Stop!”
Allura finally released Lance. “How long has it been?”
“Long enough.” Lance muttered. “Blue said it was ten thousand years.”
“Who are you?” Keith asked. “Both of you?”
“I am Princess Allura of Altea. This is my younger brother, Allances.” Allura replied. “We call him Lance most of the time. Lance, get Coran out while I verify that it’s really been that long. Blue has been known to play tricks, after all.”
“That was one time!” Lance hissed, but he smiled in spite of himself.
“Enemy combatants--! Oh, Allances, there you are! Quick, boy, get in the pod, I’ll handle these!” Coran twirled his moustache most impressively.
“Why does everyone want to fight my new buddies?” Lance huffed.
“Why do you think we’re your friends?” Keith asked.
“Smooth, Keith.” Pidge commented.
“Because he seems pretty chill, actually?” Hunk added. “I’d be friends with him.”
“Thank you, Hunk. Keith—go quiznak yourself.”
Coran and Allura both gasped. “That is not proper language for a prince!” Coran reprimanded. Allura stepped away from the screen, hands shaking. She apparently hadn’t heard Lance. “Coran, Allances… Altea is gone. The entire solar system is gone. We’re all that’s left. He destroyed everything.”
“Who?” Hunk asked.
“Zarkon.” Allura spat. “A ruthless, cruel, traitorous king of the Galra.”
“Breathe.” Coran reminded her gently.
Shiro looked shell-shocked. “But… he… I was his prisoner!”
“How long do humans last?” Lance wondered briefly.
“Not ten thousand years.” Keith snarked.
Lance stuck out his tongue. “I knew that.”
“No you didn’t.”
“I did!”
“Allances, …other one… can we please all just calm down for a moment?” Coran begged. “Do you want me to give you the talk on the subject of--?”
“No!” Lance and Allura said together, flushing.
“Never again.” Lance stated firmly.
“Once was enough.” Allura agreed.
“Princess, Zarkon was searching for something called Voltron?” Shiro tried.
“It’s the only thing that can defeat him.” Allura agreed. “We need to find it before Zarkon.”
“Also it’s an enormous super weapon that can get revenge for Altea.” Lance interjected. “Like this; schwang, schwang, pew pew pew pew, thunk thunk, arghhhh get wrecked, Zarkon!” Lance pantomimed a series of weapons.
“Yes… Princess, Prince, when is the last time that either of you ate?”
“That’s easy, it was breakfast with…” Lance trailed off, and Coran rolled his eyes. “So you haven’t eaten for ten thousand years! Both of you simply must eat!”
“I’m not hungry.” Allura replied. “Like Lance said—we ate a large breakfast.”
“Princess, you had porridge, and he had half of a bowl of goo.” Coran pointed out.
“I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday’s dinner, and I’m starving.” Hunk interjected. “Let alone ten thousand years.”
“Exactly, we should all eat!” Coran said, pushing Allura and Lance away from the pods. “Let’s not dwell on this in front of the Paladins, we can talk later, alright?” He whispered to them.
Alarms began to blare before Allura could reply. “There’s a Galra ship heading straight for us!”
“How long do we have before it gets here?” Shiro asked.
“Well… let’s see… carry the two, add the one… I’d say a couple of quintants!” Coran remarked. “Enough time for us to find the lions of Voltron!”
“How? Where are they? How many are there?” Pidge fired off questions
“We need to find three; we have the Blue Lion thanks to Lance, and we have the Black Lion hidden here in the castle. We need all four lions to open its hatch—an extra precaution against Zarkon. Speaking of which—we need pilots, and I see no reason why the four of you shouldn’t pilot the lions. The universe brought you all here for a reason, after all.”
“What if the other trainees are still alive?” Lance asked. “What if they had cryopods as well?”
Allura took a deep breath. “Allances, you may have to accept that’s not entirely feasible. The Green and Red lions are large enough to carry cryopods, Tavro-- the Black Lion’s trainee would have been interred with Coran and I, and the Yellow Lion is used to taking the bulk of the blow. It wouldn’t be used for transport of something as delicate as a cryopod.”
“But—”
“No, Lance. You have to accept that they’re gone.” Allura said firmly. “Just like-like… like Altea.”
“How are we going to find the other lions?” Shiro stepped in before she could break down.
“King Alfor was very clever! He tied the lions to Allura’s life force… well, most of them. Red is tied to both Allura and Allances, because Alfor didn’t know at the time what would happen! And after Allances was chosen by the Blue Lion to become a paladin in the future, he transferred the lion from Allura to Lance.” Coran interjected.
“And while we’re on the subject of the lions, I’d like to get back to the four of you piloting the other four, if you’re willing. Pidge, you would pilot the Green Lion, which is known for its inquisitive spirit and intellect. You will form the left arm of Voltron. Hunk, you will pilot the Yellow Lion, known for its heart and loyalty. You will form the left leg of Voltron. Keith, you will pilot the Red Lion—”
“What?!” Lance broke in. “Him?! Allura, you can’t be serious!”
“We can’t all have been chosen as trainees.” Keith huffed. “What’s your problem, anyway?”
“Give him the Black Lion!” Lance begged. “He—Keith can’t—it will never work!”
“From what I know of Keith, I am fairly certain that at this stage of his life, he is not a natural leader.” Allura replied smoothly. “No one else suits that lion better, Lance. Now please get over whatever differences you have with Keith before Coran decides to give us that talk again.”
“He was going to kiss me.” Lance muttered.
Keith heard. “I thought you were unconscious!”
“I was unconscious—wait, do you go around kissing unconscious people in caves?” Lance demanded. “What the hell, Keith?”
“It was—it was Pidge’s idea!” Keith protested.
“It’s a human fairytale and I was mostly joking.” Pidge slid their glasses up their nose, but smirked nonetheless.
“Paladins, pay attention. Keith, you will need to earn the respect of the Red Lion. It’s the fastest and most agile, but the most temperamental. You will form the right arm of Voltron. Finally, Shiro, you will have the most important job. As the Black Lion, you will form the head of Voltron. You have been chosen for this because you are decisive, and a natural-born leader.”
A small map appeared around her, two points blinking up in the universe in yellow and green. “That’s odd… Lance, come here and see if you can help me find the Red Lion.”
Lance moved to join his sister. “It’d be harder to track if it’s moving.”
“For the last time, it’s not—” Allura trailed off as a slowly blinking red dot appeared. “It is. Well, if it’s coming for us anyway… Lance, take Hunk and go get the Yellow Lion. Shiro, Pidge, you should go get the Green Lion. Coran, please load up their coordinates. I will work on the castle’s defenses.”
“What about me?” Keith asked.
“You can help me with the defenses. And you know, if you finish early, we might have tea together.” Allura smiled brightly, but both Lance and Coran’s heads whipped towards her.
“Why are you having tea with Keith?” Lance demanded. “Do we even have tea?”
“Of course we have tea, as well as other provisions!” Coran protested. “But, really Princess, they’ve just met—”
“All the better to do it as soon as possible!” Allura said.
Lance narrowed his eyes at his sister. “This had better not be what I think it is. Come on, Hunk. We need to hurry back— Allura, can you boot up the wormholes?”
“You’ll only have two vargas.” Allura replied with a nod.
“What are vargas?” Shiro asked.
“They’re 180 ticks!” Coran replied. “Anyway, Lance is right—off you pop!”