Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron/Go Lion or any of their characters. They are the property of Dreamworks, WEP and Devil's Due Comic and Toei Animation. All other characters are mine. This is written purely for entertainment purposes and I am not monetarily compensated in any way.
A/N: Written just after I watched Season 2, this is an introspective character exploration and speculation of what I thought may come in future seasons. Now that we're three season's along from there, I'm feeling a bit validated and frankly my Lotor fangirl heart is over joyed about the direction the show runners have chosen to take with his character. Lotor's come a long way since his GoLion/ Voltron 84 days.
A/N #2: I thought I lost this when my computer crashed a while ago, but I found it on a thumb drive and decided to post. Better late than never, right?
Pater Familis
By the time it reached him, Hagar's summons was old news. Prince Lotor's own spies had already informed him of his father's catastrophic loss and injury.
'The Emperor has been defeated by the Champion.' The first surreptitious message had come through heavily encrypted, mere hours after the last battle. The information had taken the prince by surprise at first. Then more reports confirmed that his father was being rushed to the Druids, gravely injured and not expected to survive. Lotor didn't believe it. It was impossible. The Champion, as stalwart as he was, was no match for Zarkon. No, his spies were mistaken. If his father finally lay at death's door it was not because of Takashi Shirogane. No, his father had been defeated by the only force in the galaxy—possibly the universe—that could: the Black Lion of Voltron.
Lotor had a week to contemplate these facts before Hagar decided to formally notify him of his father's grave state. Already prepared, the Prince Imperial departed his location in his pinace and headed straightaway to Castle Galra and to his father's bedside. The implications of his sudden departure was lost on no one.
It had been years since he had walked through the looming halls and echoing corridors of Castle Galra. A part of him had always believed he would never return. But that fear had become unfounded and Lotor cast it aside as he strode up to the dark, lacquered doors of the receiving room. He paused a moment. He knew behind it courtiers had gathered, thick as a flock of vultures waiting for the last death rattle breath. And the vicious grasping and plotting for power and position would begin in earnest, if it hadn't already, and he, Lotor, would be smack dab in the middle of it.
The doors swung open and he walked in flanked by two of his generals*, Zethrid and Narti, both chosen for this mission for their ability to fight their way out of anywhere. All whispers ceased and all heads turned to his direction. The only sound was his and his compainions footsteps on the gleaming parquet floor as the crowd parted to let them pass. The prince kept his own eyes straight ahead as he made his way to his father's private apartments, but noted who made obeisances and who exchanged sidelong glances with whom. Challenging times were indeed ahead.
Guards saluted as he approached and partially opened a single door. Lotor gestured for his generals* to wait outside. He wanted privacy for this. He slipped through and headed to his father's chamber. His stride shortened a half a step and his breath caught as he saw his father laying prone surrounded by a flickering energy field. Hagar, as usual, hovered over the Emperor. She looked up as he came near.
"Prince Lotor, it is good of you to come so quickly," she said, inclining her head in a small gesture of respect.
"He is my father. What else could I do?" Lotor's question was purely rhetorical. After a moment he asked, "Do you think he will recover?"
Hagar glanced away for a moment before answering. " I don't know," her voice was hollow and uncertain. To Lotor, it seemed to have the undertones of fear.
Lotor stared at his father through the energy field. Never in all his life had he seen Zarkon like this. In spite of his armor, the emperor looked frail, almost brittle. His face, already haggard by millenia of stolen years, looked like a skull covered in desiccated flesh. His eyes were sunken, his cheeks were deep hollows and his lips shriveled and skinned back from his yellow stained teeth. He looks already dead. Not all the Quintessence in the universe will save you now, father, will it? Was it worth it? How did it feel, Father, when you saw him again, after all those years. Did he recognize you, your Black Lion? What did you think would happen? That he would leap to you like a long separated pet?
It must have been quite an ugly surprise to you when he had bonded so strongly with The Champion. But how could you have not seen it? How could you not have seen what you've become? Did you believe all the evil you've done in your quest to find quintessancehad not changed you? You've corrupted yourself so completely he barely knows you as the Paladin he bonded with so closely those ten thousand years ago. Of course he chose the Champion over you. He is everything you were in those days and more. Courageous, uncorrupted and strong. Truly strong, with a strength not forced into him by Druid magick and quintessance...Everything you were then and nothing that you are now. You should have known better, Father.
Lotor shook his head sadly. I always wanted this--control over your empire. But I never wanted it this way. But there's nothing to be done about it now. Make no mistake, Father, I will rule after you. Our Empire will grow and prosper like never before. But I will not do it your way and make your mistakes. You ruled with an iron fist and whole civilisations trembled at the mention of you name. They obeyed you not out of respect but out of fear. That will not be my way, father. I have seen what it did to you. These people—your people—will be my people. And I will rule over them and this Empire you began- I will grow it and raise us higher and larger than even you and your witch and her druids could have forseen. And all our people, they will be my people now, and from them I will get what I am owed. They will give to me what you denied me and gave to that black metal beast that tuned and betrayed you in the end. They will pay your debt to me and I will give them all that you wouldn't. Because I will not be you, I will not make your mistakes. I will not rule them through fear. I will rule them with justice and reward their loyalty with greatness! And they will love me for it.
The prince imperial turned away from the emperor's still form abruptly and walked toward the towering doors.
"Where are you going?" Hagar demanded.
Lotor didn't answer and continued to walk away.
"What will you do?" the witch asked, her hands clenched into fists and her voice had the barest hint of alarm.
Lotor paused, then continued walking, "I will rule."