A/N: Decided to temporarily put my two a/u fanfics on hold, and am pursuing a fanfic for my newest series obsession, VOLTRON LEGENDARY DEFENDER BOM BOM BOM BAAA BOM BOM BAAAAAAAAAAAAA. It has consumed me. My OTP for this series is Pidge and Lance, most don't really go with this, but I like it. SPOILERRRRRRR ALERRRRRTTTTTT If you are just starting, don't read this, wait until you get to the end of the current seasons… because pidge is a girl… I know it isn't revealed that late, but there are also other spoilers. PLANCE FANCLUB FOR LIFE! But seriously, they did a good job on the show, watch it if you haven't yet… anyhoo, enough of me rambles… ENJOY!
A Paladin's Trials
Lance stood at the bow of a galra battle cruiser, bayard outstretched. The area around the ship scattered with the remains of what was Zarkon's escort fleet.
"Foolish paladin, do you really think you can defeat me alone? I took all of you on as Voltron."
Lance was fatigued and beaten, but he stood tall.
"I may not be Voltron, but I will not let you hurt my family."
Zarkon threw his head back and let out a bone chilling laugh.
"You have more tenacity than your precious leader. You will die a warrior's death."
Lance smiled and charged his energy rifle.
"Not a warrior, but a defender."
Zarkon's charge was interrupted as a beam of multi-colored light burst from lance. The tyrant cautiously watched, as he knew the unexpected power Voltron could manifest in the oddest circumstances.
As the beam subsided, Lance appeared, heavily laden in medieval style armor. The breastplate resembled a lion roaring, the boots had large claws protruding from the toes, the gauntlets were a shimmering gold, and the helmet had a mane of blue fur that engulfed Lance's shoulders and upper back.
"Thanks, blue. Take care of them for me. Keith can't run his missions without cover, Hunk will need someone to cover his six, Shiro needs some comic relief, Allura needs the super sexy swimsuit guy, Coran need his bomb detector, and Pidge… Katie needs a friend, someone who will test her new equipment, pay retro video games with her, and keep her awake with stupid ramblings. Can you help Red find someone like that?"
An echoing feminine voice resounded, "I will do my best to see that only one suitable pilots him. You have my word, old friend."
Lance let a tear form, "Thanks, Blue. Farewell."
Without warning, Lance's weapon transformed from a rifle into what more resembled a small cannon. The weapon started to charge as Lance lunged for the Galra leader.
Zarkon growled and charged forward, sending bolts of lightning from his fist as he swung at the smaller paladin. Despite the new size of the weapon he carried, Lance felt no heavier than he did when he started the duel.
"I'm not going down without a damn good fight!"
Lance's voice thundered across the cruiser as he and Zarkon clashed. The noise and tremors woke the smallest of the paladins from her unconscious state.
Pidge groaned and looked around, trying to assess the situation. The lions were all inactive, the team was down, and some strange person was holding off Zarkon. She decided that it was best to get the others to wake up, so they could retreat and regroup.
"Shiro, we need to get going, come on wake up."
Shiro groaned at the persistent shaking and prodding, but woke. The sight he saw was unpleasant. He could make out that Hunk's left arm was broken in several places, and Allura's right leg was in the same state.
"Where's lance, we need everyone, so we can get back safely."
Pidge looked around, trying to pick his face out amongst the injured and unconscious, but came up short.
Shiro was distracted by the blue blur clashing with Zarkon. The galra was charging up for a heavy attack, but it looked like the blue counterpart was doing the same.
Shiro did the math, but it didn't add up as Lance wasn't strong enough to actually go toe-to-toe with Zarkon. His brain was muddling over the possibilities when the figure spoke.
"I'm gonna need you to get everyone out, Shiro. I haven't used this weapon, and Zarkon isn't going to be too forgiving with his aim."
The voice over the radio was Lance's, and if it weren't for years of battle experience, he would have been dumbstruck by the revelation.
"Pidge, get Allura and Hunk to safety. I'll hang back for our blue barbarian."
Pidge dutifully obeyed, helping her injured teammates to their respective lions. The blue and yellow lions were retreating to the castle, but she stayed to keep an eye on her two remaining friends.
Shiro scrambled into the cockpit of the black lion, just in time to witness the immense outpouring of power. The two beams collided midway, seeming to cancel each-other out, but the purple beam from Zarkon's hands started to edge forwards. Lance gritted his teeth and widened his stance. What was to come would be painful, and possibly end in death, but he was prepared.
The blue beam narrowed and plowed through the middle of the purple beam, but allowing the outer fringes of the purple beam to get by. The blue beam struck Zarkon, sending him rocketing towards the back of the ship. Lance had his shield bared, ready to be vaporized, but all that he experienced was a burning, excruciating pain in his legs, after which the world went dark.
Shiro bolted out of the black lion, running towards Lance's unconscious and bloody form. His legs were completely gone from the knee down, and gushing blood.
"It is a very good thing you're not awake to feel this," Shiro muttered.
The prosthetic hand glowed purple, heat radiating off it. Shiro nearly puked when the smell of burning flesh hit his nostrils.
"Don't… He needs you to be at your best right now."
Shiro grunted, hefting Lance onto his shoulders and headed for the black lion. Shiro was relieved when he saw the mechanical marvel moving toward him with urgency and grace.
"We need to hurry, or else he will die."
The black lion dipped its head dutifully and opened its maw. Once Shiro had Lance firmly secured, he jumped into the cockpit and gunned it for the castle.
Lance was stabilized by a cryopod when they arrived at the castle. The process lasted less than a few minutes, but to the other members of the ship, it felt like an eternity.
Allura limped into the command room and addressed the small crew, "Lance is stable, and should heal within a week, but his body is in a comatose state, and he may take a few more foebs to wake up.
Hunk breathed a sigh of relief, "I knew he'd pull through. He always does."
Shiro felt a small bit of pride well up, knowing that at least the mission wasn't a complete loss.
Pidge was already asleep, as she was the one hit the hardest when Zarkon forced the lions apart using the same attack that had crippled Lance.
Allura smiled at the peaceful face of the girl, hoping that she could continue to find the same amount of peace in the coming months.
Coran cleared his throat, getting every conscious member's attention.
"I think it's time that we all follow number five's example and get some much-needed rest. The ship is already in a safe sector."
Allura smiled warmly, "Yes, that sounds like a great idea."
And for the first time in months, they slept without worry of the outside world.