A/N: this is very loosely based off the prompt "my country's going through some issues so i'm here in hiding and you're a civilian who lives in the same apartment complex as me" which I actually got at the same time as my previous multichaptered fic so. this has been a long time coming. enjoy!


"You can't just send me away!"

"Keith, honey, please. You—"

"No! I am the Galran prince! How can I still be the prince if I'm on another planet? This is my home!" Keith stood up, clenched his hands into fists and glared at his mother.

She sighed, sat down on Keith's bed, and patted the spot beside her. "Sit." After a moment of silence Keith relented and sat down. "Do you think I want you to go? I know it's hard to comprehend, but it's also for your safety. Hey, don't scoff at me. When General Zarkon first told me of this I was furious too, and I told him this was the safest place for any Galra to be. But you know how it is, he's in charge, and whatever he says goes. It might not be so bad, I hear you can learn how to fly at the Galaxy Garrison, isn't that what you've always wanted to do?"

Keith nodded, but kept his head down. When his mum pulled him into a hug, he buried his head into her shoulder.

"How long will I be gone?"

"I don't know sweetie, but it won't be forever. Cheer up, okay? We still have some time to go."


The next day, Zarkon made a public announcement. It was done in front of a massive crowd, as well as broadcast across the whole of the Galra Empire so Keith had to be dressed suitably. His royal attire was reserved for formal events, so he only got to wear it a few times every year. It was a very impressive outfit, briefly based off the armour of the highest ranking officers in their army. The biggest difference was in the colours, he had mostly brilliant dark purples and deep maroons to represent his status. While the chest emblem for some officers and soldiers glowed a purple colour, and while some didn't glow at all, his had a bright yellow candescence. His royal cape was also a maroon colour, but with a navy blue underlining. Keith did enjoy wearing the outfit, even though it usually meant he had to attend long and boring events.

Keith sat with his mother and watched Zarkon tell the crowd in front of them how "Crown Prince Keithen will be sent to Earth for his safety, so that he can return after the war to a new era of peace and prosperity, and oversee our empire without any interruptions". Keith felt incredibly unamused and probably would've shown that fact were it not for his mother glaring at him every few doboshes. When the speech was over, a ceremony was held where Keith had to endure countless members of the Galra Empire approaching him and wishing him a safe trip, while also assuring him they will continue to dedicate their lives to the empire while he was gone. Keith shook every single one of their hands and thanked them for their devotion in response, no matter whether he actually meant it or not. By the end of the whole thing, he just wanted to go back to his room and stay there until the day he had to leave.


Fortunately, it quietened down within the next few days. Business resumed as usual and Keith spent most of his days either training, practising the universal language used on Earth, or reading up on Earthly customs. He had also visited the druids to receive his supply of Quintessence.

Quintessence was basically the reason as to why the war started, and it was so important that even as royalty Keith could not gain access to it. Needless to say, he was quite excited to have some in his possession.

"Now, Your Highness, this isn't something to be fooled around with, do you understand?"

Keith nodded, saw that the druids were waiting for a verbal response and grunted out a "yes I understand". He then held out his arm so he could be shown how to use it.

"Apply a few drops onto a section of your body, and then rub it in with a circular motion. When there is no visible yellow left, you should start to feel your body surge with an unfamiliar energy. It may feel intrusive at first, but you'll become accustomed to it. Then, and I trust that you've been practising, you need to shapeshift into a human. You should find it a lot easier than usual, Quintessence amplifies your abilities. Try it now."

Because a druid had applied Quintessence while explaining how it worked, Keith could already feel a tingling sensation course through his body. He then took a deep breath in and imagined the arm of a human, how different their skin colour was and how they had furless arms. He tried focusing the energy into that section of his arm and watched as it slowly transformed into something resembling the image in his mind.

The druids nodded and commended him. Still amazed, Keith kept his eyes on his now-human arm and asked why he's taking what he thought was so little Quintessence with him. After all, no one knew how long he would be gone.

"Quintessence goes a long way, Your Highness; so long as you do not actively try to shift back into your natural form and maintain a basic focus on holding your shift, one application can last up to a few days. Be sure to only apply the bare minimum required though, because while you do not need to use a lot at once, you still do have a limited supply. Rest assured, however, that we will find a way to provide you with more should you run out."

Keith headed back to his room with his bag of Quintessence and decided to keep his human arm for now. The sight was unusual for him, even though he had seen countless images of humans while honing his skill. It was different seeing something on a picture or through a video and seeing it on yourself. He wondered what he would look like fully as a human, and whether he would fit in without any trouble.


The night before Keith left he decided to go to the observatory deck and look at the stars. Strangely, he hadn't really gone anywhere since he learnt he would be going to Earth. It felt like desertion, so he had barely even left the castle. The deck was different though, it was open to all inhabitants of the castle, but Keith found that no one went there as much as he did and it became his special place. He first stumbled upon it as a child, playing hide-and-seek with one of the servants. He was trying to find the servant and ran into the room which had massive glass panes all around and an entire view of the city. He never found the servant that round, but he decided discovering this room was worth losing all the hide-and-seek games in the world. On the left he could see the castle gardens, as well as many of the residential buildings that had purple-red lights at night. Facing forward he had the widest outlook of the city, and from the highest point. As a child, he enjoyed standing there and pretending he was emperor, looking down and watching over his empire and people. The right side was his favourite, there was no infrastructure and it had the clearest view of the night sky. Even as the years went by, when buildings changed and the whole city became more military-like the right side remained untouched, and the view was as clear as ever.

Tonight it was still empty as usual, and Keith was appreciative for the solitude. This time, unlike many previous times, he made sure to take in every view, and with as much detail as he could. He wanted to have a clear image of his home in mind while he was gone. As he stood over the city, he reminisced what it was like just ten years ago, how the empire had seemed then. Right then and there, he vowed to make sure it would return to that state when he ruled.

Moving to the right side, Keith was suddenly overcome with a wave of emotions. Over the past week or so he hadn't properly given his situation any thought, choosing to bury it under work and training. Now that he was alone and looking at the vast sky all those feelings seemed to bubble over. He felt anger towards Zarkon for sending him away from his home, sadness for being forced to leave the only place he's ever known, and just… defeated. He did not want to leave his home, or his people, and especially not his mum. It felt like abandonment and the last thing he wanted was to feel as if he had not properly fulfilled his role.

Wiping away a few stray tears, Keith told himself that there was nothing he could do besides make the best out of his circumstances. He would go to Earth, do whatever he had to do there, then come back home and start taking back the empire. He also decided to commit as many stars and constellations as he could see into memory, because even though the planets may be different some of the stars were bound to be the same. He would still be under the same sky no matter how far away he was.


The day Keith left for Earth was an uneventful one, much to Keith's relief. He packed in the morning, including the bag of Quintessence and some human clothes the druids supplied, then went about his day as he usually would. Only towards night were things different from usual. After dinner with his mother, they walked to the hangars together, where they found General Zarkon and a few druids waiting.

"Prince Keithen, the coordinates for your pod have been set for Earth, and you should expect to arrive at the Galaxy Garrison within a few varga. When you do, the pod will automatically set a course to return here. I wish you the very best for your journey and stay. Please excuse myself for the abruptness but I must take leave as there is urgent business to attend to." General Zarkon bowed, and swiftly walked off with the druids following. Keith was quite surprised he showed up to send him off, but was not amazed that he left as soon as he could. Once they were out of eyeshot, Keith turned to his mum.

"So, I—"

"Don't be too upset when you're on Earth okay? Try to make some friends, or at least be friendly, I don't want you to be alone the whole time. Make sure you take care of yourself too, exercise, and the food may taste weird but please remember to eat, I cannot stand the thought of not knowing whether you are being healthy or not." Keith's mother suddenly could not stop talking and Keith was unsure whether to stay silent or cut her off.

"Mum! I'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay. One last thing. Two last things. Can you show me what you look like as a human? We can check that you'll be able to shapeshift back as well." It was an odd request and Keith wanted to ask questions but it was his mother, and it was also the last time he was going to see her for who knows how long so he agreed wordlessly.

Keith took out a vial of Quintessence, applied a few drops to exposed areas—his head, neck, hands—and rubbed it in. This time he was thrown off balance as it took effect. His vision blurred, and it felt like he was being pricked by needles. Still, he forced himself to focus and shift. It took a little longer than he remembered, possibly due to the larger scale, but he still did it. When he was done, he lifted his head and saw that his mum was close to tears.

Immediately he surged forward and pulled her into a hug. "I'll be okay. Please don't cry, and don't worry about me, I'll be back as soon as I can. Do you remember that sheet I gave you during dinner? It's of a bunch of stars and constellations I found, so that way if you're missing me you can go to the observatory deck and watch them. I'll be doing it on Earth too, so, really, it won't be so bad."

They pulled apart and Keith's mum ruffled his hair. "No, I'm fine, it was just that… You look good like this, honey. And the stars idea is brilliant too, I'll be sure to do that. Now let's see you transform back, shall we?"

Last time Keith had just let the Quintessence wear off, so he didn't know what it'd be like to shift back before it could happen, nor how much effort it would take. He decided to drop his focus first, and saw that immediately a portion of him returned to Galra form. When he then pictured his appearance, all his natural features came back. It barely took any time, and was a lot easier than transforming into a human. Keith's mum watched him, looking proud.

"Here is the last thing I need to give to you, and then it'll be time to leave." She pulled out something from inside her robe and handed it over to Keith. He took it and saw that it was completely wrapped up, but had the shape of a dagger. He then recognised it as his mother's personal blade.

"Why are you giving this to me? It's yours."

"It wouldn't be fair if I had a way to remember my son and he had no way to remember me, would it?" She smiled and hugged him once more.

This time, they pulled apart because they heard footsteps approaching. It was odd, since Keith's pod was the only one scheduled to leave the hangar, and no others were supposed to be entering. They both immediately turned their heads to the direction where the sound was coming from and saw two suited creatures being escorted, as well as another being dragged along the floor.

The warmth shown to Keith by his mother was suddenly replaced with a cold demeanour. When she turned back to Keith, however, her eyes softened.

"I better go check this out. Stay safe, okay? I love you always, and I'll see you soon." With that, and with a kiss on the forehead, Keith's mother strode off, in a way only an Empress could. A part of Keith was glad he would be getting away from royal affairs and being part of a war, but he knew that was a selfish notion, and felt guilty for thinking it.

Keith made sure his bags were all set and loaded before climbing into the pod and turning it on. He felt the same exhilarating rush he always did when a pod blasted off but it didn't last long. The fact he was not going to be home for a long time sunk in, and he felt overcome with dread. He turned his head around as far as he could to watch his planet grow smaller and smaller, before setting his sights forward on what was to come.


A/N: next chapter will most probably be up around the same time next week, unless something comes up (which is unlikely)