Shiro let a small smile grace his face as the rest of the Paladins cheered in victory. The Gladiator was defeated. The Voltron formation broke apart and everyone raced back to the castle. Dinner would surely taste extra delicious tonight.

The warriors stored their lions in their hangars and headed to the main room of the castle where Princess Allura and Coran were awaiting their return. Shiro, however, was still in the head of his lion, looking down at the sleeping woman on the floor. Carefully, he slipped his hands underneath her knees and shoulders, picked her up bridal style, and held her limp form close to his chest. He could hear her soft breathing, indicating that she was still in slumber despite the disarray of the battle that took place earlier.

With her in such close proximity, he noticed something that he hadn't caught in the chaos of their first meeting. There, in the center of her forehead, was a crescent moon turned towards the sky. The marking shined a bit as it reflected the light inside of his battle lion. Perhaps this was a mark of a Lunarian, the race that she had claimed to be. Shiro hoped that Princess Allura or Coran had some idea of where she was from.

Back at the castle where everyone else had gathered, Princess Allura asked for Shiro's whereabouts after she had realized that Voltron's leader was missing. "That's odd," Hunk replied, "I saw him getting into the hangar with the rest of us."

At that moment, Shiro entered from the corridor with Serenity in his arms. "I'm here," the Black Paladin announced, walking to where the group was huddled together. Everyone except Pidge looked at Shiro and the blonde girl with a shocked expression etched on their faces. Before he could explain himself, a chorus of voices chimed in and a barrage of question hit him.

"Who's that?"

"Where did you find her?"

"Woah, she's a beaut!"

"What-"

Princess Allura raised her right hand, indicating that it was time to be quiet, giving Shiro a chance to speak. The warrior nodded in thanks and began the retelling of the story of how he found her.

"She said that her name was a Serenity, a Lunarian who was captured by the Galran empire after I came onto the ship. I don't know how long she was held captive."

"A Lunarian?" the Altean princess said, scrunching her eyebrows together and analyzing the crescent moon on Serenity's forehead. "That's rather vague. Which moon could she have come from?"

"Before we get further into this discussion, is it alright if we put her in the healing pod for now?" Shiro asked, gesturing to the still unconscious girl in his arms.

"Oh, of course. What was I thinking?" Princess Allura said apologetically. Turning to Coran, she asked, "Coran, may you help Shiro get her to the cryogenic healing pods?"

"Of course, my Princess," Coran said as he put his hand up to a salute.

It was in these situations that they handed the reins to Coran and trusted that he would have everything in order. Shiro thought he should hand over Serenity to the Princess's attendant, but a large part of him wanted to be in her presence.

"If it's alright, I can take her to the infirmary with you," Shiro said, hoping to sound like a good samaritan with no hidden intentions. "Alright then. If you would head over this way," Coran chirped with no suspicion underlying his tone. Tired from the battle, the rest of the crew split off as well. Princess Allura headed off to the control center to search for races of Lunarians with a crescent moon on their forehead.

Pidge accompanied the Altean and ran a quick check of the prisoner logs for "Lunarian" as the search for her brother ran in the background.

"That's odd," Pidge remarked while looking at the data.

"What is it, Pidge?" Allura inquired.

"There seem to be records of only one Lunarian on board. One by the name of Shura. But then again, the prisoner logs I had obtained from the Galra ship were incomplete." the Green Paladin answered, now worried that the search for her brother and father will once again hit a dead end.

Now at the cryogenics lab, Coran hit a few keys and a tube rose from the floor. The head warrior placed the sleeping blonde girl with great care inside the cylindrical healing pod. After the case had closed, Shiro thanked Coran for his assistance and made way back to his room. Coran, who had stayed back to check the frozen patient's vital signs, noticed something very peculiar. According to the scan, her body was healing itself at a much faster rate than any species he had ever encountered. He racked his brain for any known Lunarian races that had a specialty in healing magic. This vast universe still had many surprises in store, especially after some ten millennia.

Evening arrived without any incidents other than a small fight that had broken out between Keith and Lance after the team had failed another trust exercise. Shiro tried to break up the fight from escalating any further when Coran announced through the speakers that dinner was ready. Dinner was even more rambunctious than usual with the taste of victory in their heads. After Lance had bragged about his bravery on the battlefield in an attempt to flirt with the Princess Allura, the Altean female stated with an unimpressed tone that the Gladiator was not Zarkon's ace up his sleeve and that there were still many obstacles ahead of them. Although the princess had not meant for it, the mood had died down after that. The conversation eventually lulled and everyone cleaned up their plates and returned to their rooms.

After taking a shower and dressing in his evening clothes, which consisted of a black tank top and grey boxers, Shiro lay there on his bed with his head propped up on his forearms. He started reflecting on today's events, thinking about the weight of his decisions. He still felt guilty taking Pidge away from the ship when she was trying to find out her brother and father's whereabouts but knew that if he had stalled, none of them would be here right now. His thoughts drifted to the person that he had the fortune to rescue. Was it luck or fate that had led him to find the Lunarian beneath the rubble of the wrecked battleship?

With memories of the feel of Serenity's warmth beneath his fingers, Shiro fell asleep.

Serenity could feel herself being slowly tugged out of her subconsciousness. She, however, had no desire to be brought back to reality. She much preferred to stay in darkness. Her mind and body had grown accustomed to sleeping as she had been in hibernation. But a thought made her reconsider her reluctance. She finally met the Champion after so long. The rescued prisoner never thought she would see the light of day ever again, much less the Champion, now known as the Black Paladin.

The blonde girl knew she couldn't let this "Shiro" out of her grasp again. She would have to take revenge on him tonight. The murderer.

The cryogenic pod scanned the frozen patient to assess her condition. Assessing that all injuries had healed, it whirred and beeped and set the release mechanisms in motion. The Lunarian, whose consciousness began to stir, could feel her skin temperature slowly rise. Her blue pallor transitioned into the soft, warm cream of her typical complexion. Her eyelids gently opened to reveal sapphire eyes which burned in their thirst for revenge.

Gripping the sides of the cryo pod to steady herself, the long haired girl carefully lifted a leg out of the pod and placed her barefoot softly on the floor. The feel of the cold floor sent a jarring jolt up her body and Serenity shuddered. The chilling metallic feel of her surroundings sent her mind back to the lifeless steel prison that she occupied for who knows how long. Fear wracked her body and her lungs began to constrict and expand at an alarming rate before a voice inside her head told her to calm herself. She had to think about the here and now. It wasn't a dream that she had been saved from that godforsaken prison and made it out of the Galran empire's grasp alive.

The sun was sinking beneath the horizon and the atmosphere quickly lost the warmth it had collected from the sun's rays. The increasingly chilly air wrapped around Serenity's skin like a second layer. She supposed that she should have brought a shawl because tonight was cold even by Lunarian's standards. But she had to find a hiding place, lest her head would explode. It was the evening of her eighteenth birthday, the day begrudgingly marked as her Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

If she were born as an ordinary girl, she would have probably enjoyed the preparations for an event that was dedicated to her and only her. But no, she was no ordinary girl. Serenity had been born as the first daughter of Queen Selenity, sole leader and protector of the Moon Kingdom. The Lunarian girl was the spitting image of her mother. She had heard this statement so many times from friends and other Lunarians that it felt like she was listening to a broken record. Both mother and daughter had crystalline blue eyes and pale alabaster skin. They wore their hair in two tight buns on the sides of their heads with long ponytails trailing behind them. The only difference between the two was that while Serenity's hair shined golden like rays of the sun, Queen Selenity's was a soft white like the color of their pearly moon. The blonde Lunarian was also a head shorter than her mother and her figure was not as curvacious. The teen had not yet reached the end of her adolescent stage and was awkward in places where her mother was not. Indeed, it seemed like the only proof of the pair's mother-daughter relation were their looks.

Queen Selenity held a constant air of command and gracefulness that went hand in hand. Her every move and gesture were infused with a calculated elegance that could not simply be learned, no matter how much Serenity's instructor insisted. During the council meetings, her mother could quiet a room with a mere gesture as no one dared to impede Queen Selenity speaking her mind as that was as bad as insulting the silver queen to her face. The Queen was never just a figurehead in the government. Her words of wisdom was a beacon of security in times of chaos, causing those who listened to her words to come to their senses. She was the epitome of elegance, wisdom, and beauty. How could the blonde princess live up to her mother's image? Although her beauty would be able to capture an entire room's attention, her nervous and shy nature would quickly make anyone's interest disapparate. The long-haired princess never could impose any words of wisdom upon her subjects because whenever she was put in front of a crowd, all words would melt into a giant puddle in her brain.

The Coming-of-Age Ceremony made Serenity's nerves twist tighter into a knot. It was another reminder that time was forcing her into a position that she could not fulfill. According to the custom of Lunarian royalty, one was not titled Crown Prince or Princess until their eighteenth birthday. Once tonight was over, she would be known as Princess Serenity of the Moon Kingdom and the next Queen of the Lunarians. The Queen-to-be did not feel like she was any step closer to be the wise and graceful royal that her mother was. She had addressed her fears to her mother a week before her birthday, but her mother had smiled in a knowing way and reassured her that these qualities came with time, practice, and patience. The young princess inwardly sighed.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed her shoulder and Serenity gave a startling screech. She immediately quieted after she recognized the angry face of the intruder. It was Shura, her personal bodyguard, and attendant. Shura was an imposing woman equipped with a harsh glare. Her stature was tall, even taller than the Queen, which added to her overwhelming presence. Shura's complexion was a dark copper tone which complemented her clear violet eyes quite beautifully. She had thick, unruly white hair that she kept in a ponytail with a thick hair band. Although she did her best to keep stray strands from sticking out of her head, the hair would defiantly pop out in times of exasperation, e.g. whenever she was dealing with her defiant charge.

Currently, her eyebrows were scrunched up in a familiar, exasperated look, one which Serenity had seen ever since she could remember. Shura had been handpicked by Queen Selenity to be the princess's protector and guardian since she was an infant. The newly appointed bodyguard had graduated top of her class in the military academy at the age of fifteen. While visiting the academy to assess the future of the Moon Kingdom's armed forces, the Queen witnessed Shura making her way through a drill practice with ease. Needless to say, she was impressed with the adolescent's fighting prowess and collected composure that never wavered. The expectant mother had approached the student with the request to protect her future daughter. Shura had bowed to the point that her upper body was parallel with the floor and affirmed in a reverent tone that it would be the greatest honor she had ever been bestowed.

Now, eighteen years later, Serenity wonders if Shura still considered it an honor to be what others disdainfully deemed the royal babysitter. She knows that she was not the easiest princess to handle. She regularly skipped out on educational lessons, constantly messed up her etiquette sessions, and rarely if ever, woke up on time. It was not her fault, she would stubbornly declare. She never asked to be born a princess. No, her true dream was to explore the universe, from galaxy to galaxy. But alas, this was a dream for perhaps, a version of her in another universe. Her duty in this universe was to ascend the throne and protect the Silver Imperium Crystal, a powerful heirloom, which the Lunarians have spent a millennium safeguarding from the wrong hands.

The Silver Imperium Crystal was rumored to be one of the most powerful objects in the universe. It was capable of providing near limitless power to its wielder. Serenity herself had never even seen this oh-so-glorious crystal. Her mother said that when the time was right, the crystal would present itself to her. With her coronation encroaching upon her, Serena was worried if it was ever going to pop into existence. She was worried that the appearance of the crystal was a hidden test for her coronation, even though Shura had denied her speculations.

The moon princess had always had such a wild imagination. You would think being a princess would entail grander happenings, but you would be wrong. There were not that many Lunarians to begin with. Because of the small population, the people of the moon did not build much outside of their capital. On the outskirts of their city was nothing but a cold, ashen landscape.

In days long past, Serenity reminisced about her life on another satellite moon. One that was orbiting a specific planet called Earth. Earth looked so beautiful in her memories. A large cerulean orb dashed with strokes of green. She had read about the various animals and flora residing on Earth and wished she could have visited before the Lunarians abandoned their station there.

According to its records, some fifteen years ago, the leaders had heard whispers that the Galra were encroaching on the Lunarians' tail. Queen Selenity and her council knew that it would be disastrous to allow the crystal to fall into enemy hands, especially those as bloodstained as the Galra. They also knew that finding them would also mean finding Earth, a planet so vibrant and alive, and siphoning its resources til it was dry. The Lunarians could not allow such a thing to happen to its neighbor, despite the fact that the inhabitants of the blue planet had no idea of the Lunarians' existence. This was due to an invisible force field set around the Lunarians' home that blocked the palace from Earth's radar. The Lunarians believed it better to not have their presence known to their neighbors to prevent news of the Silver Imperium Crystal's power from leaking. So the Lunarians made the difficult, but necessary decision to leave their home to protect the greater good.

But she learned on that fateful day of her coronation that one cannot run forever. Hours before the ceremony, the appearance of the Galra battleship grew in the horizon. The Lunarians were horrified. There were absolutely no warning signs of the invasion. Because of the Lunarians' small size and roles as keepers of peace, they had no battle fleet that could counter that of the Galra's.

Serenity barreled through the halls, throwing away any kind of social convention to the wind. When she burst through the coronation hall, her mother and Shura were wrapped in a tense discussion.

"She's not ready," her mother said dismally, "you have to take her in the escape pod and flee. I'm sorry but there's no other option. Our first and foremost priority is to protect the Silver Imperium Crystal."

"But what about you, Mother?!" the princess cried out.

"If this crystal is as powerful as we say it is, can't it protect us? I'm tired of our people living in fear of our enemies, always fleeing instead of fighting. What good is a jewel if all it does it shine! Why is the stone so precious to you?"

Queen Selenity turned to her and gave her smile strained with unshed tears.

"My golden child," the queen said wistfully, "you are the most precious thing to me. I know you would have been the kindest and wisest queen to our people. But now your duty is to ensure that our legacy must live on. Someday, when the time is right, the Silver Imperium Crystal will give you the power to protect those you love."

"I don't understand. Why can't I use the crystal now? You and all the people on this moon are who I love-" Serenity pleaded, but she was cut off by a sharp pressure to her collarbone. Shura had covertly slipped behind her without her knowing. Before the royal Lunarian's body could drop to the floor, Shura quickly took her in her arms.

Queen Selenity nodded affirmatively. "It's time for you to go. Thank you for all you've done for us. We will always be indebted to you," the queen said.

"No, your majesty. It is I who will always be indebted to you," Shura bowed to the queen for the last time.

With Serenity in her arms, Shura made haste to the hidden escape pod under the throne.

The ship was equipped with a force field that would hide them from the Galra and rations that would hopefully last for a month.

Queen Selenity stepped outside to the front of the palace. She held her jeweled encrusted scepter up and willed a shield to form around the city. The Lunarian knew that sending a last minute large ship with her people en tow would mean certain destruction. There was no way the ship could avoid the Galra battle ship; the Lunarians' technology was not built for speed but rather defense. She ordered her people to flee in as many pods as possible. She would stay here to protect those who could not leave the satellite moon. Most of her citizens should have departed by now though. The only ones who were left were those who chose to stay and defend the kingdom with her.

In the distance, she could see a fleet of Galra ships splitting off from the main warship. Her confidence in the secured evacuation of her people wavered.

No, even though she was staring at death in the horizon, she could not give up. She could not lose hope. She was Selenity, proud Queen and protector of the Lunarians.

Although Shura had done her best make it pass the Galra, what awaited her and the unconscious Serenity was a battle fleet orbiting the entire moon. Because their planetoid was so small, the Galra were able to circle the entire satellite with battle ships and activated a detection field able to entrap any ship, whether disguised or not.

Not one Lunarian had escaped.

Shura woke in a cramped, dark prison with a handful of alien races she could not recognize offhand. She jolted up and scanned the room for the princess. Her heart raced as her eyes scanned each face. She shifted to rise up but she felt the familiar feel of satin underneath her hand.

Her heart swelled with affection and relief. Serenity was safe and sound right next to her.

Before she could reach out and wake the princess up from her forced slumber, a Galra officer opened the prison doors. Harsh lights suddenly came on and momentarily blinded the cell's residents.

"Alright. Get up. Time to assign duties," the soldier said noncommittally. Not caring who he was sending where.

The prisoners slowly shuffled out of the room as shackles were put upon them to ensure no chance of freedom. Their assignments were picked by assessment of their build. The less built ones were sent to custodial and cooking duties. Those who seem like they could handle heavy lifting were sent to ship's mechanical room. As one-by-one their captured-enemies-turned-slaves shuffled out of the room, only two prisoners were left in the cell. A burly woman with a still unconscious girl on the floor.

"Oi. Hurry up you two. Wake up the Sleeping Beauty already. I don't have all day," the officer remarked impatiently. He had to hurry to an upcoming commanders' meeting.

The warrior-esque woman rose to her full height, which was taller than himself, the officer disdainfully thought.

"What would it take to ensure the protection of this girl?" Shura asked with no hesitation in her voice.

The Galra mulled over the offer for a moment. Typically, he wouldn't have given a second thought to such a proposal but the days at the Galra ship were starting to blend together. An idea popped into his head. Deck workers, custodians, food servers and the like were always replaceable. But fighters. Fighters were not. There was an underground fighting ring on the ship lead by some Galra underlings that the commanding officers ignored.

The officer smirked. "I'll tell you what. For as long you're able-or alive-to brawl in this ship's fighting ring, I'll make sure no one knows about this girl's existence on this ship. Now I can't just let her go," he chuckled maliciously, "we need something to keep you going."

The Galran male continued, "she'll be fed three times a day in a cell separated from the other prisoners. Since I'm feeling particularly generous, I'll even let you visit her."

Shura acquiesced with a silent nod.

"Alright. I'll show you where to take her," the Galran soldier directed. Shura kneeled down to the floor in reverence of the figure before her. She did it. She ensured her liege's protection for as long as she was alive.