"No."
The queen raised an eyebrow at her from where she sat on her throne, shifting in the plush cushions. "No?"
She said it like it was a fucking surprise.
Pidge leveled her best glare at her, though it probably wasn't much considering she was on her knees in front of the platform, only wearing her undersuit and the cuffs that shackled her wrists wrenched behind her back.
"No." Pidge repeated her answer more forcefully. "I won't do it. I'd rather die than kill for you."
The queen gave her an unimpressed, almost disappointed look, before sitting back in her chair. "Well, that truly is a shame then," she began, and Pidge's eyes widened at the sincere resignation in her voice. "You would've been a great help in the civil war on Yurolo. I have heard many stories of your genius intellect and astounding prowess in battle. Your talents are going to waste as you serve that Altean princess in a futile attempt at revolution."
Her white, almost translucent lips, curled up into a sneer, and it made Pidge's blood freeze in her veins.
"Of course, I've also heard many stories of your... bond with a certain teammate." she snapped her fingers. "Bring him out."
The marble doors that were next to the throne burst open, and Pidge's worst fears were confirmed, her heart dropping like stone.
"Lance," she couldn't stop his name from falling from her lips and she must've unconsciously leaned forward because her chains strained from where they were locked to the floor.
Lance's head snapped up at the sound of her voice - oh God, he was blindfolded. "Pidge?" he breathed, barely a whisper. He was still in his armor, but he walked with a limp as the Yurolian guards dragged him atop of the platform and when Pidge looked closer she could tell that his knee guard was shattered and blood was steadily leaking from it.
Oh God.
"He was quite easy to capture. Oh, he resisted, don't get me wrong, very much so that one of my men had to blow his knee cap to ensure he would stop fighting. But that still didn't stop him. That is, until we threatened your life." The queen said as she rose from her throne and sashayed her way over to Lance, white gown trailing behind her. "After that, he was as compliant as a dog. Weren't you, Paladin?
Her slimy fingers hooked Lance's chin at the question. Pidge bristled but Lance had other plans: even blindfolded he still lashed out, teeth catching the queen's fingers and clamping down, hard.
The queen shrieked and pulled away, clutching her hand as Lance turned his head to the side and spat bright green blood out from his mouth. "How's that for a compliant dog?" Lance snapped, scowling under the blindfold.
The sharp backhand he received reverberated through the throne room and mingled with the blood that was roaring in Pidge's ears.
"That was very disrespectful of you, Paladin." The queen sneered, accepting the handkerchief that was offered to her by a servant and dabbed at the wound on her hand. "Under normal circumstances, I would have you killed for that. But I won't. Unless..." she trailed off as her leery, green eyes landed on Pidge. "you want him to be, Green Paladin?"
"Don't touch him." Pidge hissed.
"Aha!" The queen laughed, clapping her hands. "So my assumptions were correct! You two are lovers, or something close." Her tone dipped as she deviously smiled. "Oh, how this will be very interesting."
Pidge swallowed thickly.
"You are one... crazy queen, you know that, right? Maybe that's why... your people want to overthrow you." Lance heaved, grimacing.
His blindfold had been knocked off from the sheer force of the slap, an angry red already blooming across his cheek and a trickle of blood leaked from where one of the queen jewel rings had sliced him. He was putting all of his weight on his uninjured knee, a small pool of blood already smearing on the floor from his shattered one.
"Talk again, Paladin, and I'll cut out your lover's tongue. She doesn't need to speak to serve me." The queen snapped. Lance clamped his mouth shut, but his glare held so much intensity that if looks could kill, Pidge was sure the queen would be dead a thousand times over.
"If... if all you want is for me to join you," Pidge started slowly, careful to keep her voice calm and steady. "then why capture him? He doesn't need to be here."
"Now, now, I thought you were smarter than that, Green Paladin." The queen said, tsking. "To use him as leverage, of course! If, for an absurd reason, you refuse me. Which you are."
"Of course I'm refusing! You're killing your own people!" Pidge exclaimed, tugging at her chains. "That's not what the Paladins of Voltron do! We-"
"I don't care what the Paladins of Voltron do or do not do, you are supposed to help me! Which your Altean princess vehemently refused to do!"
"For fucking good reason!" Pidge shouted back, unable to hold back her anger at the unprompted shot at Allura, her heart pounding. "A queen is supposed to serve her people, not the other way around!"
The queen snapped her mouth shut, her jaw twitching in anger. She briskly turned to Lance. "You know what, perhaps I will cut out your lover's tongue. She has quite a mouth on her, doesn't she?"
Lance's eyes flicked to Pidge's, before he said, "If you stop slaughtering your people and step down from the throne, Voltron can help Yurolo rebuild. There'll be a proper trial, but we'll make sure the verdict is fair and justified. You don't have to do this."
"Look who's the crazy one now!" The queen jeered, having none of it. Her green eyes blazed. "My planet needs to learn who their rightful ruler is! Me! And if Voltron can't see that, well then, perhaps I need to kill you too."
She threw a heated glare back at Pidge. "You brought this on yourself, Green Paladin."
She snapped her fingers and one of her servants walked up with a metal tray carrying something Pidge couldn't see. The queen took what looked like a clear container full of a dark, purple substance off of the tray. "Methods of transfer?" She asked the servant as she unscrewed the cap.
"Lip to lip contact." The servant - maester? - answered as he handed the queen another vial, this one a clear liquid. "Drink this after it is done."
The queen hummed as she coated her lips with the dark purple. "And how long?"
"Two dobashes. One if it is administered properly and well. Drink the antidote immediately after."
"Good. You are dismissed."
The maester bowed, and spun to leave. His eyes caught Pidge's as he made his way down the steps off the platform to the throne, a silent apology in his remorseful, guilt-ridden eyes.
Pidge's eyes widened as fear suddenly seized her lungs in a suffocating grip. "W-wait! What is that?" Pidge demanded as the queen spun around to face Lance, who held his head up and glared at her defiantly, though she could see in the minute way he tensed that he knew exactly what was going to happen.
"If you have had sworn your fealty unconditionally to me earlier, this would not have been required to happen." The queen said instead of answering.
She grabbed ahold of Lance's chin with bruising force. "Don't make this more painful than it has to be." she growled when Lance resisted, his lips pressed together in a tight line.
"Stop! What are you going to do to him?! Stop!" Pidge felt sick. Her stomach hallowed out and she was badly trembling, barely able to keep her voice from doing so as well.
Oh God, oh God, oh God...
"I'll join you!" she desperately shouted, yanking at her chains. Fire raced up her arms as her wrists were rubbed raw and blood dripped down the manacles. "Just don't! Please!"
The queen paused. For a moment. Before a twisted smile of delight stretched across her face, an animalistic glee filling her eyes. "Ah! There it is! That desperation! That love! Oh, I've always been one for a good, tragic, love story. It is already too late now, Green Paladin. This is much too entertaining."
And with that, her foot swept out from under her gown, striking Lance point blank right on his shattered knee cap.
Lance didn't have a choice, his mouth ripped open in a strangled scream.
And the queen silenced him with her lips.