Written for the Voltron Holiday Gift Exchange for Yoshi, based on her prompt: Something happens that forces Lance to declare Keith unfit for command and relieve him from duty (with a happy ending please!)
The sky was dark over the Castle of Lions. Thunder rumbled in the distance, warning of the approaching storm's strength. Soon rain began falling in thick sheets; visibility disappearing within seconds. Keith looked at his display, thankful for the instruments to guide him when his eyes couldn't.
"So much for a nice easy patrol," he ground out through clenched teeth as he worked to bring the Black Lion to its resting place atop the stone pedestal. Winds buffeted and jostled the craft, pushing it away from the safety of the castle. Keith swore under his breath and redoubled his efforts to land the lion. He squinted, trying to see anything through the pounding rain, then gave up and set the forward display to show him readouts from the various systems that he would have to use to navigate instead.
Finally, after fifteen minutes of concentration, straining muscles, and muttered imprecations, the captain landed his craft. He began the shutdown cycle, taking a moment to rest before pressing the sequence of keys that would complete the process and lower him into the shuttle pod waiting to transport him to the castle. But when he touched the last button, nothing happened. He pressed it again. Still nothing. The pilot's seat remained stubbornly in place. Shaking his head, Keith let out a heavy breath and reactivated the sensor system assuming that he must have failed to line up with the entry tunnel.
Unfortunately, that wasn't what the screen told him. He frowned, adjusted the controls, changed the scan parameters, and frowned again before rebooting the system. But no matter what he did, no matter what adjustments he made to the scanners, the display remained the same. The Black Lion was not sitting atop its customary perch. Not only were they not on the pedestal, according to his readouts, they weren't even near the castle.
Standing, Keith tugged his helmet off and let it fall from his fingers, barely noticing when it landed on his abandoned seat with a dull thud. "Guess I better see if I can figure out where I am," he mumbled to himself as he made his way out of the cockpit. He strode quickly through the familiar passageways that allowed him access to other parts of the lion ship. Before long, he found himself standing at one of the craft's numerous exits. Keith braced for the driving wind and rain that were sure to greet him as the door slid open, and was surprised to find only a still silence instead. He peered into the darkness in confusion. Despite the strength of the storm that had been raging around the castle, there should have been some light visible instead of the thick, dull, gloom that he now faced.
Keith exited slowly and cautiously, his fingers resting lightly on the laser blaster strapped to his hip. But even with his guard up, the captain never saw the hand that snaked out and pressed a cloth over his mouth and nose. He collapsed almost instantly and was dragged away into the darkness.
***/\\\***
Lance sat in Castle Control and glared at the console before him. He punched a button with one hand and clutched the microphone tightly in his other. "Castle Control to Black Lion. Come in, Keith." After a few moments of silence, he stabbed at another button and tried again. "Keith, where are you? Answer me will ya?" He grunted in frustration when there was still no response from the communications unit.
Allura, having entered the room a few moments earlier, approached the pilot, gently placing a hand on his shoulder as she stopped beside him. "What's wrong?" she asked quietly, searching Lance's profile.
"Keith's late getting back from his patrol and I can't get him to answer my hails. I've been trying Black Lion and his personal unit, but he's not responding on either one. The last time I heard from him was over an hour ago. He made his final check in and was supposed to be coming back to the castle. Then a nasty storm popped up and he disappeared from my screens. I've been trying to get in touch with him ever since."
"You don't think something's happened to him, do you?" she asked, her light blue eyes flaring wide and darkening.
"I don't know what to think right now," he responded shaking his head slowly.
***/\\\***
The captive sat limply in a chair. His head slumped forward; dark, stringy hair obscuring his face. Lotor grinned smugly as he crossed the room, a chalice filled with thick red liquid grasped carefully in one hand. He chuckled when the man didn't acknowledge his presence and, once beside the chair, he turned on his heel, putting himself slightly behind the bound form. Reaching down swiftly with one gloved hand, he grasped a fistful of hair and tugged, forcing the man's head up.
Keith barely reacted to the rough handling. His chest rose and fell in time with his ragged breathing, his once pristine uniform now darkened with blood, dirt, and other unidentifiable substances. His face was bruised, one eye swollen nearly shut, evidence of the treatment he'd been receiving since his capture. When Lotor released his hold on Keith's hair, the captain's head slumped forward again, his chin falling to his chest.
Lotor grunted in disgust, his foe's lack of resistance failing to keep his interest. The prince made his way to the front of the chair. He reached out and grasped Keith's hair again, yanking savagely to raise the captain's head. One dark eye tried blearily to focus on him, but it was impossible to tell if it succeeded. Lotor shoved the rim of the chalice against the bruised and split lips of his captive, tilting it and frowning in disgust when almost as much liquid dribbled down the man's chin to drip on his soiled uniform as found its way into his mouth. "Swallow it!" Lotor commanded. When his order was ignored, he reached down and pinched Keith's nose closed. A look of mild amusement settled on his face as he watched his enemy choke on, and eventually swallow, some of the fluid. Satisfied, he pulled the goblet away and returned to his throne.
"Now, my dear Captain," the prince purred, "you will tell me the secret of Voltron as well as provide me the information I need to convince Allura to agree to become my wife."
"Never," Keith mumbled, defiant despite his failing strength.
"Oh, don't be so sure of that my friend. That was a truth potion you just drank. You won't have a choice but to tell me what I want to know," he gloated.
Keith's eyes flared as the full impact of Lotor's revelation filtered into his pain fogged brain.
***/\\\***
"How much longer, Pidge?"
"Keep your pants on, Lance. I'm working as fast as I can." Pidge's fingers flew across the control panel as he tried to gain remote access to the Black Lion's homing signal.
Lance paced behind him, the clicking of his heels blending in with the other pilot's keystrokes. He shoved his hands into his jacket, absently worrying the lucky rabbit's foot in his pocket. When the door to the control room slid open, his head snapped around to identify the newcomer, his posture sagging when Allura stepped into the room.
"Any luck, Pidge?" Allura asked, wringing her hands anxiously.
"Not yet, Princess. But I'm still trying." He stopped typing and turned to face his two companions. "I can say this much though; wherever Black Lion is, it's not on Arus."
Lance froze in his tracks and turned to stare at Pidge. "What do you mean not on Arus? He was just running a routine patrol. He was less than five minutes away at his last check in. Where else could he be?"
Pidge shook his head slowly, the overhead lights glinting from his glasses. "I don't know, Lance. That's why I said 'wherever Black Lion is' instead of naming a place."
"I know you're trying your hardest, Pidge," Allura began, "Lance is just frustrated. After two days, we all are," she finished quietly, her voice breaking as she lowered her eyes to the floor.
Lance's stance softened as he strode to the princess's side and gently wrapped his arms around her, guiding her head to his shoulder in the process. She clung to him, her hands fisted in his jacket as the tears she'd been holding back broke loose and began to fall. Pidge, fighting to keep his own tears in check, stood and joined them.
Hunk was greeted by the sight of his teammates huddled together when he entered the room a few moments later. Without saying a word, he joined his family and they welcomed him into their embrace. The four pilots held each other, taking and offering quiet consolation in their shared pain.
"How quaint… The Voltron Force reduced to sniffling children," Lotor suddenly drawled from the main view screen.
Lance disengaged himself from his teammates and turned to face the monitor. "Don't you have something better to do, Lotor?"
"Well, I could go back to entertaining my houseguest, I suppose, though that was starting to get a bit boring. He hasn't been nearly as much fun as he was when he first arrived," he said offhandedly. "Maybe if you said hello to him he would perk up a bit. Would you be willing to do that for me, Lance?"
Lance just glared at the screen and growled. "I don't know what game you're playing at, Lotor, but count me out!"
"A shame. I think he would have liked to hear from you. What about you, my dearest Allura? Would you be willing to bolster my friend's spirits? I'm sure he'd be thrilled to hear your voice."
Allura stepped closer to the monitor, stopping when she was shoulder to shoulder with Lance. Before she could say a word, Lotor took a step to one side and exited the frame, revealing a slumped form bound to a chair.
"Keith!" Allura breathed, recognizing the captive immediately. "What have you done to him?" she demanded.
"Oh, I assure you that your precious captain has received only the very best treatment during his stay here," the prince purred. "He's had the finest accommodations, as you can see," he continued with a smirk.
"You're a monster!" Allura cried as she studied Keith's limp form, searching for any sign that he was still alive.
"I'm no monster, I assure you, merely skilled in the art of persuasion. And I must say, once I found the right motivation, your captain became quite the chatty guest. He told me some very entertaining stories before he grew weary and chose to take a nap. I'm actually very excited to see just how well some of his advice works. Perhaps I'll come visit you after he wakes up and I've had the chance to have one more conversation with him."
Before she could react, Lotor closed the connection and the screen went blank.
"Well, it looks like we just found Black Lion," Lance gritted out, the muscles in his jaw jumping and twitching. "Who's up for a little trip to planet Doom?"
***/\\\***
A booming explosion echoed through the stone hallway and was closely followed by the high-pitched whine of laser blasters and the staccato tapping of running feet. Seconds later, Hunk threw himself against a door, knocking it from its hinges and reducing it to splinters. Lance remained outside in the corridor, standing guard while Allura and Pidge raced in and fell to their knees before their shackled captain.
"Keith, are you alright?" Allura asked as she took in his beaten appearance.
He struggled to raise his head, his good eye coming to rest on her face, and a look of relief spread across his features. Together with Pidge, she caught Keith as he collapsed when the last of his bonds were released. She held him in a tight embrace, stroking his hair and whispering soothing noises of comfort for herself as much as for him. "It's OK. You're safe now."
She pulled back slightly to get a better look at his face, reaching out to wipe some of the blood and grime from his cheek. Gently, she smoothed his hair back from his face, wincing at the dark bruises that covered so much of his skin.
"You look terrible, Keith," Lance pointed out as he entered the room and knelt before his friend. "Think you can walk back to the lions with us?"
Keith nodded and slowly tried to stand, swaying and falling backwards into Allura's arms as his one of legs gave out. "Or maybe not," he whispered hoarsely.
She lowered him back to the ground and ran her hands slowly and carefully along his leg, her eyes snapping to his when he suddenly gasped. "I think it might be broken, Keith, but I can't be sure without taking your boot off."
He nodded and swallowed against the pain. "Just leave it. I'll manage to get to the lions."
"What did he do, use you as a piñata?" Lance snarled.
"Something like that," Keith groaned, his eyes slipping closed momentarily. "Let's just say that Lotor has an odd sense of hospitality and didn't like taking 'no' for an answer to his demands."
Lance growled, the sound low and deep in his throat. "Let's get you to the Lions and back to Arus." Without waiting for an acknowledgement from his captain, he turned toward the splinters that were all that remained of the cell door. "Hey, Hunk," he called out toward the entryway, "Get in here, we need your muscle."
"Keith's leg might be broken," Allura cautioned the Yellow Lion pilot as he approached them.
Hunk nodded, then, ignoring the captain's protests, gently scooped Keith into his arms and followed Lance into the hallway. "Don't worry, Chief! We'll get you back home and fixed up in no time."
"I'm sure you will, Hunk," Keith replied with a grunt, his eyes clenched in pain.
***/\\\***
Lance looked up at the sound of someone entering the room. "Hey, Keith. Shouldn't you be resting?"
"It seems like that's all anyone thinks I should be doing anymore. I'm getting restless," he grumbled.
Lance nodded, stood, and stretched. He took a step towards the captain, stopping when Keith raised an eyebrow at him. "Sorry, just thought you might need some help."
"I'm fine, Lance. It's just a broken leg," Keith muttered as he carefully navigated his way to the couch, dropping heavily to the cushions.
"Here, let me at least take the crutches for you," Lance offered, slipping them from Keith's unresisting hands without waiting for a response.
"Thanks," the captain said, gingerly placing his injured foot on the coffee table.
"Need anything else?" Lance asked. When Keith shook his head, the lanky pilot resumed his seat on the couch and faced his commander.
"What, Lance?" Keith asked, eyes closed. "I can practically feel you staring at me."
"Nothing, just admiring the patterns and colors in your bruises, that's all."
A lopsided smile crossed the captain's face. "Lotor has a certain flair, doesn't he?" He stretched his arms out, pulling up one sleeve to study the various shades of reds, purples, yellows, and greens on his skin. "It's like he knows just how much force to use without breaking the bones." He dropped his arms back to his sides and switched his attention to the cast on his leg, "Unless he wants to."
Lance swallowed hard and looked away from the other man's injuries. "You know we started looking for you as soon as you disappeared. I still can't figure out how he got you in the first place."
"It was bound to happen sooner or later. He's a crafty opponent. You can't blame yourself."
Lance frowned and narrowed his eyes at Keith. "It almost sounds like you admire him or something. Since when do you take his side?"
"I'm not taking his side. Just pointing out that we may not be giving him enough credit," he answered with a shrug.
"I think maybe he hit you in the head harder than we realized. He doesn't deserve any credit. He deserves to be put in a cell for the rest of his life," Lance growled.
"Or maybe we just need to understand his motivations better," Keith said through a yawn. "Hand me my crutches, will you? I think maybe I do need to go rest for a while after all."
Moments later, Lance watched as the door slid shut behind his wounded teammate.
***/\\\***
"I'm telling you, he was defending Lotor."
"You're imagining things, Lance. Keith would never do that. He hates Lotor as much as the rest of us, if not more."
"I know what I heard, Pidge. He told me that we needed to see things from Lotor's point of view. Something funny's going on here and I intend to find out what it is."
"So, what are you planning to do, spy on him? Set a watch outside his door? He's the captain of the Voltron Force, what kind of restrictions do you think you can put on him?"
"I don't know, but I'll come up with something."
***/\\\***
"Haggar, answer me, you old hag," a voice rasped in the darkness of the room.
"I'm here, my Prince, no need to get testy," the witch's voice replied impudently.
"The plan is working perfectly so far. I have free access to the castle and they don't suspect a thing. You have things under control there?"
"I told you it would work. The prisoner is safely hidden away and no one is the wiser to your absence."
"Perfect. Continue according to schedule. I will make sure everything is in place here. Lotor out."
***/\\\***
A door opened, spilling light into the darkness. "Keith? Is that you?" Allura called into the room quietly.
Keith slowly made his way from the shadows, his crutches thudding against the hard surface of the floor.
"Is someone in there with you? I thought I heard voices," the princess questioned as he came to a stop before her.
"No, just me," he replied, shrugging awkwardly as he tried not to lose hold of the crutches.
Allura stared at him and frowned. "What are you doing in here anyway?"
"Couldn't sleep."
"That doesn't answer my question, Keith. What were you doing in the main computer room?"
"I was wandering the hallways and thought I heard a noise so I came in to investigate. You know how cunning our enemies can be. Can't take any chances, now can we? It just wouldn't do to risk anyone trying to kidnap our beautiful princess," he breathed, reaching out to tuck a stray tendril of hair behind her ear.
Allura took a step back, uncomfortable with his sudden forwardness. "Maybe you should go back to bed. I'll have someone else come in here and take a good look around."
"No need, I've already checked and it was a false alarm. It was probably those pesky mice sneaking around again."
She narrowed her eyes but didn't say anything. The mice were her friends. He knew that.
"Good night," he said, doing his best to slip past her and enter the hallway.
She watched him go, a cold shiver running along her spine.
***/\\\***
Lance paced before the windows, pausing occasionally to look at his teammates' reflections in the glass. Hunk, Pidge, and Allura sat on the couch watching him.
"I think you're starting to wear a path in the floor," Pidge remarked a few minutes later.
With a sigh, Lance stopped and turned to face his friends. "I can't help it. Doctor Gorma is examining Keith right now and could be clearing him for duty even as we speak."
"I thought that was supposed to be a good thing," Hunk said, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Normally, it would be, Hunk. But, I trust Lance's instincts. Keith hasn't been himself since we rescued him. You must have noticed some odd behavior over the last few weeks. I know I have," Allura said quietly, her eyes moving from the Yellow Lion pilot to the toes of her boots.
Before Hunk could reply, the door opened and Keith strolled into the room. "Ah, there you all are. Good news. I've been given a clean bill of health."
"Congrats, Keith," Pidge responded without much emotion. The rest of the team chimed in with vague nods and mumbles.
"Wow, your enthusiasm is overwhelming," the captain said, crossing his arms over his chest and studying the rest of his team. "Perhaps you've all been too lax during my recuperation. I think it's time to see what you and your lions can do."
"You're joking, right?" Hunk protested.
"Do I sound like I'm joking?"
Four sets of eyes blinked at the captain, but there was no other movement in the room.
Keith raised an eyebrow and returned their gazes calmly for a moment. But there was still no reaction from the rest of the team. "I said to get to your lions. NOW!" he commanded with a roar, his finger pointing toward the exit.
The others rose, obediently following his order.
***/\\\***
"That was completely unacceptable," Keith chastised the team as they gathered in a conference room after practice. "Your maneuvers were uninspired and uncoordinated. You'd never stand a chance against the highly trained forces from planet Doom."
"What are you talking about, Keith? You're the one who didn't seem to know what he was doing out there!" Lance shouted, standing to face his captain. "It's like you forgot all our normal drills. We're supposed to work together as a team. You were acting like Lotor out there."
"You say that like it's a bad thing. Lotor demands the utmost discipline from his troops, something you all could stand to learn a bit of."
"What did he do to you while he held you captive? You've been singing his praises since we got you back," Lance accused, leaning menacingly towards the captain.
Pidge, Hunk, and Allura watched in wide-eyed silence as the argument between their captain and his second in command escalated swiftly.
"That's it! I've had enough!" Lance shouted few minutes later, his arms swiping through the air. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but this can't go on anymore. Consider yourself relieved of command, Keith. This is now my team until you can get your head on straight again!"
"You… you can't do that!" Keith sputtered, his face nearly purple with rage. "I'm the captain of this team. You're the one who's grounded!"
Allura stood and faced Keith across the table. "I agree with Lance," she began quietly. "As Princess of planet Arus, I outrank both of you and if you won't recognize Lance's authority to relieve you, then you'd better recognize mine." She spoke evenly, the steel of command in her voice as she met his gaze calmly. "And, until we figure out just what's going on, I'd feel better if you were held in custody."
"Allura," he wheedled, moving around the table to approach her, "I know you don't mean that. You're just tired. I'll accompany you to your room where you can rest and think about what you're saying." He reached out to take her hands in his. She flinched at his touch and took a step backwards, putting Hunk between them.
"No, Keith. I'm not tired. I know exactly what I'm saying," she informed him over the Yellow Lion pilot's shoulder. The captain growled softly, his eyes tightening, but made no further move toward the princess.
"You heard her. I don't want to hurt you, but I will if that's what it takes," Hunk said, his eyes locked on Keith's.
Glancing around the room, it quickly became obvious that the captain would find no ally to stand with him. Without a word, he turned and made his way to the door. Hunk quickly rose and followed him, ensuring that the commander was placed in custody without further incident.
**/\\**
Coran sat before the console in Castle Control. His fingers danced across the panel as the large wall monitor rotated through various views of the planet.
"Coran, please update the record. Keith is officially relieved of command and will be held under guard until further notice," Allura informed her advisor.
He turned to face her in confusion. "Excuse me?" he began, "I think I must have misheard you. Did you say that you've relieved the commander and put him under arrest?"
"I did, Coran. I don't want him anywhere near the lions. Something strange is going on. He's not acting like himself and until we get to the bottom of it, I don't trust him."
"I see. Where is he now?"
"Hunk took him to a holding cell. Lance is working up a schedule to put at least two guards outside the door at all times."
"Do you really think that's necessary?" Coran asked gently.
She nodded. "I do. But I wish I didn't."
***/\\\***
Alarms blared through the castle corridors, red lights flashed brightly from the ceilings, and four members of the Voltron force raced to Castle Control. They skidded to a halt behind the console and stared at the view screen. Lotor's command ship hung in the air high above the castle, surrounded by what appeared to be dozens of fighter ships.
The image flickered and was replaced by Lotor's smug grin. "Hand over your Princess and I'll consider sparing the rest of you."
"In your dreams, Lotor!" Lance shouted right before he reached over Coran's shoulder to close the connection.
"To the Lions, boys!" Allura commanded.
Coran raised the dais, allowing the team access to the launch bays.
Within minutes, the red, green, blue, and yellow lions were in the air above the castle. They engaged the fighter ships, destroying many of them handily with missiles, claws, and teeth. Before long they had reduced the number of enemy craft by half. As they regrouped to take another run at the pesky fighters, a coffin ship was disgorged from the belly of the largest cruiser. Before it reached the ground, it opened and ejected a robeast into the air. A bright ray of light shot from the command ship and engulfed the monster. The creature grew as it absorbed the energy from the beam.
In a few moments, it had reached full size and turned to face the Voltron Force. Red Lion raced directly at it, breathing a stream of fire into the monster's face. The other lions joined him, firing claws, shooting eye beams, and cutting with their mouth blades.
The remaining fighter ships took advantage of the opportunity to harry the lions like a swarm of mosquitoes.
"It figures that Lotor would come at us when we're a body short," Lance muttered before taking out a small craft with his lion's tail.
"It's almost like he knew," Pidge added.
"But, how could he? It has to be a coincidence," Allura replied as she sent a flood of water at the robeast.
"Too bad Keith doesn't have his head on straight, we could really use him right about now," Hunk grunted, voicing the thought they all shared.
In all the confusion of engaging the monster and the remaining fighters, no one noticed that one of the small ships was not shooting at the lions, but at the other Doom vessels instead. Realizing that one of their own had turned against them, the remaining available units turned their attention from the lions to the rogue craft. They pursued it relentlessly, not letting up until it crashed into the castle moat.
Smoke wafted from the downed ship, obscuring any view of its occupant. Confident that the traitor had been dealt with, the other fighters returned to the fray. Seconds after they left, the hatch popped open and the pilot leapt from the cockpit into the water. The figure swam to the shore and raced across the drawbridge, seeking entry into the castle.
He was met at the gates by half a dozen sentries. "You have to let me into the castle. I need to get Black Lion and help the team. They need me to form Voltron!"
The guards exchanged glances before their leader stepped forward to face the stranger. "We'll let you into the castle, but it will be into a holding cell. There is no way a Doom soldier is getting into the cockpit of any lion, much less the Black Lion."
"You don't understand. I'm not who you think I am. It's me, Keith, commander of the Voltron Force. You have to believe me!" he pleaded desperately.
"Why would we believe you? You don't look like Keith. Besides, you're wearing the uniform of an enemy soldier and you were flying one of their fighter ships."
"I'm telling you, it's me. Please, let me talk to Coran. Let me find a way to prove who I am."
The captain of the guard studied the man standing before him. The closer he looked, the more the sentry realized that he didn't seem to be facing a normal Doom fighter. The other man was bruised and looked malnourished. If anything, he looked more like an escaped slave than a trained soldier. Taking pity on the stranger, the commander turned and nodded to one of the guards ranged behind him. "Go. Find Coran. Tell him what's going on and see what he wants us to do."
Returning his superior's nod, the sentry turned on his heel and disappeared inside the castle.
"Thank you," the Doom soldier said quietly. "I promise you won't regret this."
"I'll reserve judgement on that, if you don't mind."
The man proclaiming to be Keith, nodded silently, his eyes on the castle entryway.
***/\\\***
Coran sat at the control panel, relaying information and advice to the four lions as they struggled to hold off the robeast.
"Coran, sir, I'm sorry to interrupt, but I was sent to get you."
"Don't you realize that we are in the middle of a battle? Without the Black Lion, it's more important than ever for me to remain here coordinating the efforts of the Voltron Force."
"I understand, sir, but this is important. A pilot who escaped one of their downed fighter ships claims to be Keith and wants to come inside and get access to Black Lion. He insists that he can prove it if you question him."
"He said what?" Coran asked with a frown.
"He insists that he's Keith."
At a gasp over the ultrawave, Coran turned to the monitor, realizing that the channel had remained open during the exchange.
"Coran, is that even possible?" Allura asked from the Blue Lion's cockpit.
"With Haggar's magic, I fear anything is possible."
"Then you need to go. You need to find out if he's Keith. There's no time to waste."
"Right."
***/\\\***
Coran followed the sentry to the castle gate and was surprised at the enthusiastic greeting he received from the thin man dressed in the uniform of an enemy pilot.
"Coran!" the youth cried out in relief. "It's me… Keith," he continued when the castle diplomat failed to react to his greeting. "You have to believe me… please…" he pleaded.
The older man studied him for a moment, then walked around the young soldier slowly. "I don't see why I should believe you," he began, facing the youth again. "You bear no resemblance to the captain."
"I know and I can't explain that. I don't know what happened; but, you trusted me once when I first arrived on Arus. I'm asking you to do it again."
Coran raised one bushy eyebrow as he regarded the other man. "I'd be more likely to entertain your story if I didn't happen to know Keith's whereabouts right now."
This time it was the soldier's turn to eye the diplomat incredulously. "I don't understand."
"I'm not sure what's so difficult for you. I know where the captain happens to be right now and he isn't standing here before the castle gate.
"No…" he replied hoarsely. "That's not possible." He dropped to his knees, his head falling into his hands as he continued to whisper, 'It can't be' and 'That's not possible" repeatedly.
"Did you really think you'd be able to just walk into the castle and steal the Black Lion?"
The soldier shook his head and raised his eyes to meet those of the older man. "Of course not. I'm prepared to prove who I am. Ask me anything. Ask me something only Keith would know."
"Alright, I'll humor you, but only for a few moments. I'm needed in Castle Control and must to return to my post." Coran stared at the man kneeling before him and stroked his mustache. "If you really are Keith, you'll know where the Lion's keys were when the Voltron Force first arrived on Arus."
"Of course I remember where they were. The red, green, blue, and yellow keys were in King Alfor's tomb. The case for the Black Lion's was there too, but the mice had stolen the key itself as a good luck charm. Allura convinced them to get it for us after we trapped them."
Coran's eyes widened as the youth related the story. "Very well, then tell me this, how did Allura choose her partner for the reenactment of the legend of the love bridge?"
"Lance, Hunk, and Pidge drew cards. Hunk drew the joker and the privilege of joining her in the celebration."
"What about Keith?"
"I chose to remain behind in case of an emergency," he answered softly, his eyes averted.
Coran inhaled sharply. "Stand and follow me," he commanded the young man, turning to reenter the castle without waiting to see if his order was followed. "Alone," he amended when he noticed one of the guards falling into line behind them.
He led the enemy pilot into a conference room and closed the door behind them. "Sit, please," he instructed. Once they were both settled, Coran began to pepper the younger man with a series of questions. Some tested his knowledge of the castle. Others his awareness of various emergency strategies. All were answered accurately and without hesitation. Finally, Coran searched the young man's eyes. Seeing nothing but honesty and sincerity reflected back in the deep blue gaze, he asked one last set of questions related to the relationship between Keith and Allura and the captain's feelings for the beautiful princess. The youth's eyes widened at some of the questions. He refused to meet Coran's gaze for others. But, despite some minor hesitations, he answered them all, his voice cracking and breaking as he fought to keep his emotions under control.
And then, just when it seemed that the questions would never end, Coran stood and approached him. "Keith," he breathed, "it is you!"
Keith nodded. "I tried to tell you, but I understand your doubts and I don't blame you for not trusting me right away."
The advisor smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry for the personal nature of some of those questions. I just had to be sure beyond any doubt."
"I know." He hesitated, studied the familiar table and his unfamiliar hands, snorted at the irony before chewing his lower lip thoughtfully. "Coran, can I ask you a favor?"
"Of course."
"Please don't tell Allura what I've told you."
Coran nodded wordlessly. "Speaking of the princess, you should go join the team. They could use you and your lion."
"Right!" Keith leapt from the chair and raced to the control room, Coran following as quickly as he could.
****/\\\***
Within seconds Black Lion was airborne. Coran reassured the rest of the team that he was convinced that the stranger piloting the fifth lion was indeed Keith. Trusting the castle diplomat, they welcomed the newcomer and quickly formed Voltron. The mighty robot had no trouble making short work of the robeast it faced. Once the remaining enemy ships retreated from Arus' airspace, the team returned to the castle and gathered in the control room.
"Keith?" Allura began hesitantly, "is it really you?" She studied his face, looking for anything familiar and finding nothing to reassure herself with.
"Yes, Princess. And before you ask, I don't know what happened or how I ended up looking like this. The last thing I remember was Lotor keeping me tied to a chair and torturing me for information. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in a cell and looked like this."
Lance stood to one side with his arms crossed as he observed the stranger's stance and mannerisms. "You've certainly been acting more like Keith than Keith has since we rescued him."
"I don't understand. What do you mean, Lance?"
"I mean that two days after Keith disappeared, we rescued him from a dungeon cell on planet Doom and brought him back to Arus. Ever since then, he's been acting strangely; admiring Lotor and seeming to forget our protocols and drills. You on the other hand, knew all our maneuvers and fought like Keith out there."
"Could Lotor somehow have swapped Keith's personality with the personality of whoever this body belongs to?" Pidge asked.
"It's the only thing that makes any sense," Coran pointed out. "But how do we undo it?"
"That's the ultimate question, now isn't it?" Lance pondered.
***/\\\***
A figure slowly made its way through the night-darkened castle corridors. There was no hesitation in the person's path, the steps taken with the confidence of one who has walked this route many times before. Approaching the seldom used cells, the man stepped into the light and faced the guards. They didn't try to stop his advance, though they did eye him warily.
The man sighed. "Yes, I'm Keith. No, I don't know what's going on. I was hoping to talk to the prisoner and see if he could provide some answers."
The sentries nodded and allowed the newcomer to approach the cell door. They watched curiously as he peered through the bars, studying the form stretched out on the narrow bunk.
He stood there, his thoughts unreadable as he quietly observed the sleeping captain. Just as he seemed about to turn and leave, the prisoner opened his eyes and propped himself up on his elbows. "Were you planning to stand there all night admiring the view?"
"Who are you?"
"Keith, captain of the Voltron Force. Don't you recognize me?" he drawled.
The visitor narrowed his eyes and grunted. "I recognize the face and body, seeing that they're mine, but you aren't Keith."
The captain snorted softly and regarded the other man evenly. "So you say, but I doubt many would believe you."
"That's where you're wrong. Plenty of people, the ones that count, believe me and that's what matters. I can and have proven who I am to those who know me."
"And you think I can't?"
The smaller man let out a heavy breath and shook his head slowly. "That's not important right now. Honestly, I'm not even sure it matters who you are. What I really want to know is how this is all even possible and how to reverse it."
"What makes you think I know what you're talking about?"
"Because something tells me that you know a lot more than you're willing to admit." He met the other's eyes and chewed his lower lip for a moment before turning and walking back toward the darkness, the prisoner's soft chuckles following him down the hallway.
***/\\\***
Allura stared at the stranger who wore Keith's clothes and sat in his chair at the breakfast table, before forcing herself to look away. She nibbled at a pear, studying it as she chewed thoughtfully.
"Princess?"
"Yes? …Keith…," she responded hesitantly, his name sticking like a lump in her throat.
"Are you alright? The pear can't be that interesting."
"I'm fine," she began, not meeting his gaze. She ran a fingernail along the fruit's skin before raising her eyes again. "I'm sorry. I'm just having trouble with it being you, but not you. You sound wrong. You look wrong. But somehow, you're still you. I think…"
He nodded, suddenly finding his own breakfast fascinating. "I understand. I'm still having trouble with it too." He toyed with his place setting for a moment, his eyes unfocused. "I went to see him last night."
"Who?"
"The prisoner. I had to see for myself. I couldn't believe that it was possible for him to look so much like me… I mean like I used to look. It was like looking in a mirror, except that I didn't look like me anymore and he did." He sighed, his shoulders slumped. "I'm not explaining it well, but I think you know what I mean."
She nodded, then reached out and placed her hand over his, squeezing lightly. He covered her hand with his free one, his thumb stroking her skin gently, and attempted a small smile. Allura's lips lifted in response as she took comfort in the familiar gesture. Her eyes closed and for just a moment, she could almost pretend that everything was normal. But when she opened them again, the illusion was shattered.
"I keep trying to remember what happened between Lotor torturing me and waking up in a cell looking like this, but there's nothing," he said quietly, shaking his head and pulling his hands from hers. "When I couldn't sleep last night, I wandered down to see if maybe he could shed some light on what was going on. I couldn't even get him to tell me who he was. He just kept insisting that he was me…"
"We'll get to the bottom of this, Keith," she assured him, his name no longer causing her hesitation, "I promise. And, even if we don't find a way to reverse whatever happened, nothing else will change." She reached over and stroked his cheek, her eyes searching his.
Without thinking, he reached up and pulled her hand from his face, bringing it to his lips and pressing a small kiss onto her soft skin. "Thank you," he started, "I… know…" he finished lamely, obviously changing his mind about what he planned to say mid-thought.
"I care about you, Keith. And when you care about someone, you don't let superficial things get in the way."
"Thank you, Princess," he answered quietly before excusing himself and leaving the room.
***/\\\***
Allura knelt in front of her father's sarcophagus and clasped her hands in prayer. "Father, I need your guidance."
"My daughter…" the ghostly apparition of the former king appeared above the ornate casket and looked down upon the princess. "What is it that bothers you so?"
"Well, it all started weeks ago. Keith disappeared after a patrol and we had to rescue him from Lotor's dungeon on planet Doom. He's been acting strangely since we brought him back, even going as far as defending Lotor. When he turned on the rest of the Voltron Force, he was relieved of duty and placed in custody. Later, Lotor attacked and one of their soldiers came to the castle claiming to be Keith. He didn't look like Keith, but he knew things that only Keith would know. Now I don't know who to believe is really Keith; the man we have in a cell or the stranger who defected from the enemy's forces. But most importantly, I don't know what to do about the situation."
"My daughter, the answer lies with you. Search your heart and follow your instincts to know which man is truly the captain. Haggar's magic may be powerful, but nothing holds more power than love."
"I understand, Father, I need to trust myself to know which man is Keith. But how do I fix things and restore him?"
"There is a flower that grows wild on the cliffsides of Altaire. Find the flower, mix it with the juice of the berries found near the Green Lion's lair, the sand that hides the Yellow Lion from sight, and water from the Blue Lion's lake. Heat it in the lava where the Red Lion dwells. While it still bubbles, place it beneath the Black Lion's pedestal and have the men breathe of its vapors."
"Thank you, Father," she said with a smile as she rose to her feet with a renewed sense of hope.
***/\\\***
Two days later, the Voltron Force stood beneath the Black Lion monument. A bubbling pot sat on the ground, a pale grey mist rising above its lip. A few steps away, eyeing it warily, were the two men who each claimed to be Voltron's captain. They both wore Keith's red flight suit and his favorite white boots. After a minute or so, the man who bore the face of the Voltron leader turned to Allura.
"Princess, is this really necessary?" He took a step closer to her, reached up to stroke her cheek. "You know who I am and I know how you feel about me," he murmured, his voice dropping as he brought his face near hers. "Forget this silliness and let me take you somewhere private where we can discuss your concerns," he finished, their breath mingling hotly.
She swallowed hard, her eyes studying his lips longingly. "I… I don't know, Keith," she whispered with a frown, her breath coming in harsh gasps. "We should finish the spell first and then we can talk," she finished and took a step back, shaking her head. Allura shifted her gaze to the other man, the one who acted like Keith, even if he didn't look like him. When she saw the pain in his eyes, the clenched fists at his sides, and the tension in his stance, her resolve strengthened. "Keith … and Keith…," she began, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, "let's do this before the potion cools."
As the stranger strode toward the bubbling vessel, laser fire splashed into the waters of the castle moat. Everyone dove for cover, both Keiths racing for the princess. Allura felt herself pulled from the drawbridge and looked to Keith's familiar profile beside her. But he wasn't bringing her toward the castle, he was dragging her towards the forest, away from her friends.
"Where, where are we going?" she panted out between gulps of air. "Why are we going away from the safety of the castle?"
"We're going to my ship and I'm taking you back to planet Doom."
"Doom?" she gasped. "I don't understand."
"Don't be coy, my dearest princess," he snarled, pulling her against him. "I think you know who I am. Now, give in to your desires and kiss me already. Once we arrive on planet Doom, I will break the spell and resume my proper form."
"Lotor!" she growled pushing herself away from him.
"Indeed, Allura, your prince has come. Now, for that kiss…"
"Never!" she shouted, slapping him in the face.
He refused to release his grip on her, instead pulling her struggling form tighter against his.
"Let. Her. Go!" a calm voice commanded.
"Keith!" Allura breathed, taking advantage of Lotor's distraction to break his hold on her. She ran toward the newcomer and ducked behind him.
"She's not going with you, Lotor. And you're going to come with us and help us reverse this spell."
Lotor laughed, a short, sharp, bark that sounded out of place issuing from Keith's vocal cords. "I'll do no such thing. And don't even think about trying to kill me. If this body dies, so does its true owner. Is that how you want to reverse the spell?"
Keith growled, his eyes glued to the man in front of him. "You won't win, Lotor. Evil will never win…"
"Don't be naïve, my dear capt-," Lotor began, but he was cut off when Lance and Hunk sprinted out from the cover of the trees and tackled him.
"Careful, don't hurt him. I don't want Keith to be injured when we get him back into his own body," Allura cautioned.
Within moments, Lance and Hunk had subdued their adversary and the group began the trek back to the castle.
Green Lion lounged before the drawbridge when they arrived. Pidge leapt from his perch and joined them as they drew near. "Lotor must be slipping. There weren't that many ships and he wasn't as mouthy as usual."
"You saw Lotor?" Allura asked "but, I thought you were Lotor?" she asked, turning to face the man in Keith's body.
Lance frowned. "I don't understand. How can he be Lotor? We've seen Lotor a number of times since we rescued Keith."
"And Keith isn't in Lotor's body," Hunk pointed out.
"So, whose body is this?" Keith asked, pointing to the unfamiliar form he currently inhabited.
"Do you really think I'd give you access to my body?" Lotor snarled, glaring at Keith.
"So, if Lotor is in Keith's body and Keith is in someone else's body, probably a slave's since he wouldn't want Keith to have the body of a soldier, that means someone else is in Lotor's body. But he wouldn't put a slave in his body for the same reasons he wouldn't want Keith to have it. So who else would Lotor trust to have control of his body?" Pidge wondered aloud.
"It doesn't matter," Keith answered him. "We need to reverse the spell. We can sort out who's who after."
"Right!" Allura agreed. "Hopefully the potion's still hot enough to work."
They ran to the base of the Black Lion's pedestal, where the brew had been hastily abandoned, dragging their prisoner along with them. The pot sat unmoved, cooling slowly in the gentle breezes of the mild afternoon.
Keith approached the small vessel and dropped to his knees. Lance, firmly holding Lotor's bound hands, shoved the other before him and forced him to kneel beside Keith. Closing his eyes, the captain leaned forward and breathed deeply of the cloudy mist. When Lotor failed to follow suit, Lance pushed his shoulders until the prince's posture mirrored Keith's. Lance held him there, forcing him to inhale the steam as well.
For a few minutes, the two men breathed the foggy vapors while the others held their breath anxiously. Just when they thought that the potion must have cooled too much to remain effective, Keith swooned and fell to his side on the cement walkway. Seconds later, Lotor collapsed beside him and Black Lion's roar echoed through the countryside.
Allura raced to Keith, pulling his head into her lap and stroking the unfamiliar hair. "Keith? Are you alright?"
Lance squatted beside Lotor, eyeing him warily.
Allura watched as Keith's eyes fluttered and finally opened. She met his gaze expectantly. "Keith?" she asked softly.
"Lance!" Keith said, looking up at his second in relief, "Boy am I glad to see you."
"Keith? Is that really you?" Lance asked cautiously.
"Wh-who are you?" asked the man reclining against Allura.
"I'm Princess Allura of the planet Arus. You're safe here. Can you tell me who you are?"
"My name is Tothal. I was a prisoner on planet Doom. One night I fell asleep in my cell and the next morning when I awoke, I was still in a cell, but I bore Lotor's face and body. Now I am here, wherever here is. What happened to me?"
Keith, now back in his own familiar form, rose to his feet and exchanged glances with the rest of his team. "You were in Lotor's body?"
"Yes, but I was still a prisoner, unable to leave my cell. I was brought food and drink, but was never allowed to see who delivered it."
"But we saw Lotor. He taunted us multiple times. How is that possible if Tothal was in his body and locked in a cell?" Lance asked.
Pidge's eyes grew wide. "What if he has a clone?"
"A clone?" Allura asked.
"It's the only thing that makes sense. Lotor never acted odd when we saw him, but Tothal said that he was in Lotor's body. That means that there had to be two Lotors; one to be seen and one to keep Tothal's personality imprisoned," Pidge thought out loud as he paced near the others.
"But wouldn't someone have noticed that there were two Lotors or that one was in a cell?" Hunk questioned.
"Not if they kept the clone somewhere away from the other prisoners. Knowing Lotor he probably has a private area of the dungeon for special prisoners that no one knows about," Lance snarled.
Keith nodded in agreement. "When I escaped I never encountered another occupied cell. Just one empty hallway after another. For a while I thought I'd just ended up trapped in a bigger cage."
"Well, none of that matters now," Allura said moving to stand in front of Keith. "What matters is that we have Keith back." She moved closer and let her gaze run over his face, come to rest on his eyes. "The real Keith, not someone else in Keith's body." She smiled at him shyly before pushing up onto her toes to plant a feather-light kiss on his cheek. "Welcome home," she whispered softly before backing out of his personal space.
***/\\\***
Lotor growled and tossed the wine filled goblet across the room. "How dare they interfere! A few more minutes and Allura would have kissed me and there wouldn't have been anything they could do to break the spell."
In a few purposeful strides, he stood before a doorway cleverly concealed in one wall of his personal chambers. Seconds later his footsteps echoed from the stone passageway as he stomped along the corridor. He didn't stop until he had reached the furthest cell. The door hung open, evidence of tampering evident in its scarred interior. The prince screamed as he slammed the door closed, watching angrily as it hit the frame and rebounded back with a loud clang. He continued to vent his frustrations on the empty cell, stopping only when his voice grew hoarse and his knuckles bled.
He pivoted on his heel, intending to retrace his steps and return to his quarters, when he remembered the second prisoner he held in his private jail. It only took him a few strides to reach the other cell, this one hidden in a dark alcove that only those who knew of its existence would easily find.
"You!" he shouted. "This is all your fault!"
"Mine? How is this my fault," came the reply in Lotor's own voice. "I wasn't the one on Arus."
"No! You were the one here. You were the one who allowed the Voltron captain to escape. You were the one who botched the attack and allowed them to break the spell!" Lotor finished as he yanked the cell door open and tugged his doppelganger into the rough stone hallway. "And you will be the one to pay the price for your failure!" Lotor shouted, drawing his sword and dispatching the clone before it had time to react. "Allura may have eluded me this time, but she will be mine!"
***/\\\***
"So, what are you going to do now that you're free, Tothal?" Hunk asked as they sat in the lounge.
"If I can find passage, I'd like to return home to Yarilia."
"We can arrange transportation for you," Allura offered.
"Thank you, Princess, that is very kind of you."
"How long were you a captive on Doom?" Keith asked. "I couldn't help but notice your physical condition," he commented quietly.
"Too long. I'm afraid I lost track of the days. I can only hope that I still have a family to return to," Tothal whispered.
"You're always welcome to stay here on Arus," Allura reassured him. "Even after you find your family, you will all be welcome."
Tothal shook his head slowly and lowered his gaze to the floor. "I don't know how to thank you. Not only did you rescue me, but what you are offering… I could never hope to repay you for such kindness…"
"In a way, we're in your debt," she replied. "It was your body that helped bring Keith back to us." She turned to face the commander seated beside her and grasped his hand, squeezing it tightly. "For a while, I was beginning to think we'd lost him for good."
Keith squeezed back, smiled at her tenderly. "Allura, don't ever doubt that I will do everything in my power to come back to Arus… to come back to you…" He turned in his seat to face her more fully. "I love you, Allura," he breathed, leaning closer. With his free hand, he tucked a golden curl behind her ear just before his mouth met hers.
"I love you, too, Keith," she murmured against his lips as the kiss ended to the sound of catcalls.
Allura giggled, her cheeks growing pink. "You know, in a way, Lotor kind of got what he wanted after all," she tittered.
Five pairs of eyes turned to face the princess questioningly. She met the brown, blue, hazel, and obsidian gazes in turn before continuing with a smirk. "Well, he was trying really hard to get me to kiss him when he was passing himself off as Keith. But while I am very attracted to the outer package, what Lotor didn't realize is that I'm more attracted to the man inside the body," Allura finished huskily as she leaned in to meet Keith for another kiss.