A/N: This is MUCH longer than I anticipated and does not have nearly enough fluff! I've gotta amp that up later.
Disclaimer: I do not own VLD.
Chapter 2: Two of Two
It turned out that the Galfore system was full of bustling planets that were full of rich resources. They had worm-holed to the new system soon after Lance and Keith had debriefed the team on their findings. Both of them had carefully omitted any mention of the fortune teller on Drax Five and seemed more than eager to simply focus on the task at hand. When Allura pulled up her star charts and scanned the system, they realized that there was a thin smattering of purple that indicated Galra-possessed planets.
"It's good that the Kalafin could bring us here," said Allura as they floated idly through the edges of the Galfore system. "We'll have the chance to liberate some of the planets while on our search for the Kalafin. Despite our tip mentioning that the planet has three moons, most of the planets in this system has three moons if not more. We'll be working to rid as much of the system as possible from the Galra's influence while we're here." She glanced over at Shiro. "I trust that won't be a problem?"
"Of course not, Princess Allura," said Shiro loyally. "We're ready to start when you are."
"Excellent." Allura pulled up the image of a nearby a circular planet, one that had two thick white rings around it. "We'll likely be aiming at liberating this one first."
"Wouldn't it be easier to go straight to whatever planet has the Arfaxal River?" asked Keith.
"I don't think so. We don't know which of these planets even has a river by that name. In fact, I we don't know much about this system at all, do we?" asked Pidge suddenly from her own control chair. She turned to face Allura in her seat. "It doesn't seem like there's much in the castle's database."
"You are correct, Pidge," said Allura, her hands spinning the planets' projection so that it returned to its original view. "Regrettably, there is not much known about the Galfore system. I have never personally been here before, and according to the castle files, neither has my father. Kalafin was a gift the Cortonians gave to my father upon his first diplomatic meeting with them over ten thousand years ago. In giving them Kalafin once we reunite with them, we indicate that we are initiating the union, and are open and honest in our wish for an alliance. However, we've never had to find Kalafin on our own, which is where the source of our struggle arises." Allura gestured to the array of planets and stars on the hologram before her. The planets stretched out as far as they could see on the display in a range of green and orange "The area we're in now is mostly unfamiliar to us. The map of this system was likely bought back before even my father was king," she said with a sigh, "and since then, I'm sure that a lot has changed."
"It'll be alright," said Coran cheerfully. "We can always use this as an opportunity to explore. After all, your father was a bit of a wanderer before he became king. He would have encouraged you to learn what you could about these foreign areas."
Allura smiled softly at her advisor. "I appreciate the support, Coran. The best case scenario would be that, upon liberating these planets and interacting with the locals, we will be able to gain more insight into which planet has the Kalafin." She looked at each of the paladins firmly. "When we begin to help these nearby planets and free them from the enslavement of the Galra, we should be able to ask them about the Kalafin's whereabouts. There aren't too many planets enslaved by the Galra in this sector, although I feel like that has less to do with Zarkon and more to do with the commanders in charge of this sector. Be ready to fight, but don't assume to know what's happening with these planets. We'll have to be in deep discussion with the populations once we land."
"That sounds like a plan," said Shiro, nodding before turning back to the rest of the group. "Team, I want you to suit up. I'll meet you all when you're in your lions. We'll be leaving to liberate the nearest planet on Allura's mark, so be ready."
The paladins gave a sound a confirmation and headed off towards their respective hanger doors as Allura busied herself with the huge map.
"Keith." The red paladin turned to look at Lance who just gave him a thumbs up before stepping through the hanger doors. Keith followed suit into his own hanger, half confused by Lance's gesture but somehow understanding the intent as well: a "good luck" and a "good job" mingling together. The hanger doors shut, and the elevator took him down to where his lion was waiting, Red's energy already calling him to her as he prepared to leave the castle behind.
The flower he'd picked for Lance still sat safely hidden away in Keith's room. Giving it to Lance now seemed wrought with a meaning that Keith wasn't ready for, so he'd settled for hiding the flower, something that reminded him of Earth in its scent. Nobody needed to know the flower's purpose, and nobody (save the old, fortune telling grandmother from Drax 5) even knew that he had it. It was his secret, one that he felt he was going to take to his grave. He'd just wait for the flower to whither on its own. It'd be a shame, he'd told himself, to just throw away a perfectly good flower.
When Keith joined his fellow paladins in the vastness of space, he could see hints of the Galra fleet surrounding the new planet. They orbited the planet in lazy circles, but Keith was already tense and ready to fight. It wouldn't take long for them to be noticed.
"Now that you're all assembled, we shall begin," said Allura, her face flickering over the Red Lion's dashboard. "Paladins, we will be starting with the closest planet. Our star charts don't indicate any name for this particular planet, but we must rid this planet of the Galra's influence regardless and do our best to liberate the natives. We don't know how long the Galra have been here, nor their impact on the population, so I want you all to tread lightly, and engage the Galra in battle when you feel the time is right."
"Yes, Princess, we understand. Right, team?"
There was a unified yes and they moved forward together. "We're taking a closer look, everyone," warned Shiro. "I want you all to keep in mind what Allura said."
"Maybe we won't need to get a closer look," warned Hunk suddenly. "Looks like they're coming right for us!"
Keith watched at the Galra ships changed course and headed for their position. He knew that this would happen, but he wasn't about to say anything. They had a bigger problem in the shape of several armed fighter jets coming their way. "Paladins," said Shiro, "take down as many as you can."
"Roger that," said Keith, flying through space and letting his blasters go after a handful of Galra cruisers that were tailing Pidge.
"You know," Lance was saying, his voice filling up their comms as they fought, "I know that this is normally how all our battles go down," he shot at a few cruisers, knicking three in the wings and making one explode, "but I've always wondered why we don't just start with Voltron right out the gate."
"I mean, maybe we shouldn't have to use Voltron for every battle," suggested Hunk. "Like, I love you guys, but I like bonding with just me and my Lion, you know? I could do without all the fighting, but a little one-on-one with Yellow isn't so bad."
"Yeah, I guess," Lance said, sounding disappointed with the reply.
Keith tried out the idea in his mind and didn't find it completely unreasonable. Would it be foolish to voice his opinion? Maybe. Did he have the urge to do it anyway? "It would be faster," he said tentatively.
The response was instantaneous.
"Yes, Keith! I knew I could count on you!" cheered Lance. He punctuated the call with a whoop of laughter as the Blue Lion swooped across to decimate a line of cruisers with an ice beam. Keith couldn't help but grin at his friend's enthusiasm and joined his fellow paladins in fighting the Galra as separate lions. It was only when the Galra's larger battleship careened towards them that Shiro ordered them to form Voltron. From there, the battle ended swiftly. It was clear that the Galra hadn't expected them in the Galfore system at all. After wiping out the space-bound vessels, Voltron dropped to the planet's surface and destroyed the signal tower that controlled the droids.
As they approached, Keith could spot large towers that no doubt made up a castle of some kind. Upon drawing closer to the structure, Keith could spot some lingering Galra sentries around the base of each tower. Shiro seemed to notice the same thing and instructed that they all head to the planet's castle after landing their lions on the outskirts of the structure. Keith was quickly out on the field with his fellow paladins and rolled his eyes when he saw Lance blow a kiss at the Blue Lion upon their departure.
The interior of the castle was far emptier than the paladins anticipated. The huge white walls were bare as if there hadn't been anyone living there in some time. Keith headed the group with Shiro, his red bayard activated and prepared to dice any enemy.
"This is creepy," said Hunk, his own bayard drawn and ready to fire, although Keith was half-sure Hunk was willing to shoot at the next thing that moved. "Is anyone else getting flashbacks to our ghost ship days?"
"It was technically only a single day, but yeah," agreed Pidge. "I'm definitely feeling it too. What are our plans, Shiro?"
"We'll scope out what we can. We saw Galra activity congregating outside the castle," said Shiro as he led them all up to the wide blue staircase of the castle. "Although they're inside, there's no telling where the rest of the might be. We'll have to stay alert, and try to keep an eye out for any locals that might be able to tell us what is going on."
Pidge looked up from the screen displayed above her arm. "They should be around," said Pidge. "When Hunk and I were doing our scans, we could definitely see that there was life on the planet. It's insane that we can't see any other that now." The screen disintegrated as Pidge lowered her arm. "It's as if they all disappeared."
"Or maybe it's more than that they're here but we can't see them. That's possible," said Hunk.
"Wouldn't people you can't see be hard to enslave?" said Lance. "I mean, if you were Galra, wouldn't you want to see the people you want to control?"
"I mean, that's a good point," said Hunk. "Keith? Thoughts?"
Keith wrinkled his nose at the suggestion.
"Oh, no thoughts, Keith?" challenged Lance. Keith shot Hunk and Lance a glare, which they returned with a shrug and a smirk, respectively. "I think that we should be focused on liberating the planet. We don't know where the people are, and we might never figure it out if we don't focus on the problem at hand."
"Right, of course," said Lance, nodding his head as if he had agreed with Keith from the start. "Excellent point."
Keith rolled his eyes again but found himself smiling at the playful tone in Lance's voice. "Thanks."
"You are most welcome."
"Boys," warned Shiro, "we're approaching what I can only imagine is the throne room. Be ready."
"They might be trying to do what they did with the Olkari," suggested Pidge. "Maybe they have their king hostage as well."
"That would be unfortunate," Shiro hummed, "but we can't rule it out. Stay on guard."
"Got it," they all responded, continuing to creep forward. Keith's eyes were careful as they progressed down the hall to the supposed throne room.
"I'm surprised that there aren't any guards here," said Lance quietly. "It's really suspicious."
"It could be an ambush?" suggested Pidge as they passed a large portrait hanging on the wall. "Maybe they knew we'd come in and are trying to surprise attack."
"Perhaps it is," said another voice, this one new and high-pitched and definitely not Pidge. Keith swivelled, blade already in motion, but stopped just shy of the speaker's throat. His eyes met the scared amber ones of an alien whose hand clutched tightly at Pidge's arm.
"Who are you?" asked Pidge, staring down at the alien just as worriedly as they were staring at Keith.
"I am Polaire," they whimpered, "and you are all Paladins of Voltron."
"You've heard of us," said Keith cautiously. He felt a touch on his shoulder and removed his blade obediently. Pidge gently pulled the alien's hand away.
"What happened here?" she asked. "What can you tell us?"
"My father told me that the Galra came ten deca-phoebs ago. They were not here as long as they were on other planets," Polaire said, "but they took the life of the planet and tried to steal the Whistle Pond."
"The what?" asked Lance.
"The Whistle Pond is the princess' greatest treasure," explained Polaire, "and has helped guide her family in ruling over all of Catola for a long time."
"Is that this planet's name? Catola?"
Polaire nodded and Pidge put a hand to her helmet. "Princess, do you have any information on a planet named Catola?"
"I will check," came Allura voice.
Keith brought his attention back on the smaller alien. "And you? What do you know about this pond thing? Why does the Galra want it?"
"The quintessence," said Polaire urgently, "is what keeps all things alive. We thought they would come for our quintessence, but the Princess' greatest treasure is the Whistle Pond, and they want that instead." Polaire looked at each of the paladins with desperation in their eyes. "It is said that the waters are loyal only to the princess, and it is impossible to swim in. Should you come across it, you must not take off your helmets, for if you fall in then you will drown."
"So it's dangerous?" asked Lance, brows furrowed with curiosity.
"Not at all," said Polaire. "The princess only uses it to play a music that draws all things together."
"Do you know what this pond looks like, by chance? Just in case we have to avoid it," put in Lance.
Polaire shook their head and tugged at Pidge's arm. "No one but the Princess has seen the Whistle Pond, even if we all hear its music. And it is the princess you must save. She is the one in danger. If the Galra have holed themselves up in the throne room, then they will surely be using the Princess' family to force her to reveal the pond."
"We will do our best to ensure that she and her family and safe," said Shiro clearly. Keith glanced over at their leader's calm countenance and grinned. Leave it to Shiro to comfort a foreign native of the planet. "It's very brave of you to tell us this. Thank you."
"I'm sorry that I can't help more," said Polaire, eyes glazing over as if growing tearful. "I had always hoped that Voltron would save us, and now, here you are."
"We'll do our best," affirmed Shiro. "You should find a safe place to hide while we work, okay? You were hiding really well before."
"Us Catolians have a knack for fitting into small spaces and have good hearing. For us younglings, we can hear any approaching Galra and hide between pillars to avoid the Galra soldiers." Polaire flushed with nervous pride. "If it's helpful, we've seen a big energy source in the palace catacombs that might be of some interest to you."
"What kind of energy source?" asked Pidge.
"Any chance it's big, metal, and very purple?" put in Lance.
Polaire nodded more shyly at Lance and inched a little closer to him. "Exactly like that."
Keith glanced at his fellow paladin with a bemused expression. Lance smirked back at him, but there was something to it that didn't seem so pleasant. "At least they stick to their MO."
"Thank you, Polaire," said Shiro. "Do you remember exactly where the catacombs are?" They nodded again. "Perfect. I want Hunk, Pidge and Lance to go with you to shut down the power source. It's likely controlling the rest of the droids in this area, and maybe even the rest of the planet. Keith and I will start heading towards the throne room to look for the princess."
"Got it." The three paladins followed Polaire down a new hallway with their bayards drawn in case of an attack. Keith watched them go and caught Lance looking back at them with the strangest expression on his face. Keith raised an eyebrow back, and Lance frowned before disappearing around the corner. He was surprised that Lance hadn't put up a fight about not going to see the princess. Perhaps the run-in with the fortune teller had Lance thinking differently. Keith had always been sure that Lance was interested in women exclusively, what with his casanova demeanour and shameless flirting. Being selected as Lance's soulmate sounded about as far from Lance's preferred partner as possible.
Then again, who was Keith to know about Lance's preferences? It wasn't exactly something they talked about often, if at all. Keith wasn't sure that was even a conversation he even wanted to have with Lance, who dealt exclusively in banter and denial when it came to Keith. On the other hand, Keith's first conversation about his… preferences with Shiro had gone much better than he anticipated. Keith hadn't been interested in denying what he thought he felt at the time. Lance hadn't been averse to the idea at all when the fortune teller had mentioned it, but what that meant, Keith couldn't tell.
With a breath and the subtle shifting of his bayard, Keith turned to face Shiro, banishing any thoughts of Lance from his head. "So, what about this princess?" asked Keith as Shiro finished listened in to something Allura was saying.
"Thank you, princess," murmured Shiro. "I'll tell the others."
"So?"
Shiro looked at Keith with a cry grin. "There's good news and bad news."
"Perfect." Keith's frown made Shiro chuckle. "Gimme the bad news first."
"Well, the guards of this planet have disappeared. Allura and Coran saw them dip out when we first arrived. They were headed for a planet nearby, so they're likely telling the neighbouring planets in this star system about us. We'll have to save the prince as soon as possible and try to return to the castle before they rally their forces and attack."
"Got it." The pair of them continued down the hall, checking each corner. The coast was suspiciously clear, but both Keith and Shiro knew not to let their guards down.
The throne room turned out to be the most obviously labelled room in the palace. Besides having the most ornate door, there was huge, floating orb that spun leisurely. It was also evidently the throne room because it was completely surrounded by robotic Galra soldiers. The droids were struggling intensely to get into the room, which seemed to be tightly sealed from the inside.
"What do you want to bet that the princess is in there?" asked Keith with a smirk.
Shiro's arm hummed with energy as he smiled back. "Let's go and find out."
"You know, for a place full of dead people, there are plenty of plants that are very… alive," said Lance, marvelling at the purple vines that curled around the thin pillars of the Catolian catacombs. There were small bubbles of light that bloomed from each vine, opening into wide daffodil-like flowers as Lance passed them. He glanced behind himself to see that the flowers they had already passed closing up and allowing the tunnels behind them to be swallowed in darkness again.
"We have always nurtured the plants here," Polaire was saying as they walked. "They feed on energy, be it heat, light, even matter, but they cannot go to their food sources. We care for the plants, bring them food, and, in return, they give us light in the darkness."
"Is the whole planet like this?" asked Hunk, He ducked down cautiously to avoid an overhanging bulb that had just bloomed and haloed him in the light. "It's very Balmera-esque."
"Yeah. You don't happen to have any rock people around, do you? Or maybe magic crystals?" Lance chimed in.
Polaire giggled. "We don't have any magic besides that of the princess' Whistle Pond. The music it plays is so enchanting that, if the princess desires, it can soothe anyone who hears it."
"That explains all the Galra tech around the city," said Pidge thoughtfully. "Having actual Galra soldiers could put them at risk of falling under the influence of the Pond's music. They must be using the droids to avoid being influenced."
"Not that it's a bad thing, but besides singing water and motion-sensor flowers, I feel like this planet is actually low on the weird magic stuff," commented Lance. "I don't know about you guys, but singing water is exactly what I imagine when Polaire says 'Whistle Pond'."
"We don't know what to expect from this treasure of this princess," said Pidge, "but if it keeps the big bad Galra away, then I guess I can get on board with it maybe being singing water."
"It kind of sounds like those sirens you hear about in the old pirate books on Earth, only there's no siren to sing the song. It's just water," pointed out Hunk. "Also, I know you're both digging this atmosphere and the whole Whistle Pond thing, but would someone mind telling me if we're getting any closer to that Galra power source? The sooner we take that thing out, the sooner we can leave these creepy tunnels."
"It's just up ahead," said Polaire, crouching to crawl under a thick curtain of foliage.
Pidge followed after them with Lance and Hunk bringing up the rear.
"You would think," said Pidge, "that the energy source would be better protected."
"The Galra generals always patrolled here," said Polaire, their eyes practically glowing in the dark, "but ever since Voltron entered our planet's scope, they disappeared."
"That can't be good," said Hunk. "They're probably rallying their forces to get at that Pond before we can get to it."
"I don't doubt it," agreed Pidge.
Lance heard the power source before he saw it, but it looked more warped that he thought that it would. The huge glowing metal contraption had twisted and tilted dangerously, the plant vines curling around the edges of the power source. The power source itself grumbled and spluttered as it continued to radiate whatever Galran energy was controlling the droids.
"What happened to it?" asked Lance.
"It looks to be running out of power," said Pidge curiously, her glasses turning purple as they drew closer to it.
"It does seem to be pretty weak," said Hunk. "Destroying it should be a piece of cake, right?"
"Should be," said Pidge. The machine spluttered loudly in agreement.
"Alright then," Lance raised his bayard, "where do I shoot?"
"We should stand back before doing any shooting," warned Pidge. "The Galran power source is already unstable from the looks of it. We'll just need a small nick before the whole thing blows."
"Sounds dangerous," said Hunk. He wrung his hands nervously. "Does it have to explode? Why can't there be a nice 'OFF' button or something?"
"No dice, buddy. I don't think we'll be able to swing that." Lance looked down at Pidge. "How far away do we have to be to not get affected by the blast?"
"A ways back," said Pidge, her frown visible through her helmet. She pulled them away from the power source, back around the layer of hanging vines and towards the entrance from where they came. "Hopefully the plants will be able to survive it, or at least grow back."
Lance lowered his bayard fractionally, brows furrowed in thought. "Couldn't the plants just eat the explosion? Like, it's all energy in the end, and that's what they eat, right? Couldn't they just, I don't know, absorb it?"
Hunk and Pidge blinked at one another in awe.
"How," began Hunk, "did I not think of that at all?"
"Lance, that's a good theory," said Pidge, pausing in her steps, "and I mean an actual good, plausible theory."
"Thanks, guys," said Lance proudly before coming to a stop right next to Pidge, "but are we far enough back just in case old Lancey Lance's theory is wrong?"
"It's hard to tell how much power is going to explode out of that thing, but considering our distance and the fact that the machine already looks weakened? Yeah, we should be good back here," said Pidge. "These pillars look pretty stable too so they should be able to save us from being buried due to the blast itself."
"And if they don't?" asked Hunk. "I don't want to be too toasty, you know? I'm already overheating because I'm so nervous."
"Don't worry about it," assured Pidge. "As long as Lance hits that small junction at the top of the energy source, we'll have exactly 30 seconds to book it." She turned to Polaire. "Can you run quickly?"
"I can be fast, Green Paladin," assured Polaire. "I will run from as many explosions as need be if we can indeed save my planet."
"And there's no one left here, right?" asked Hunk. "All the kids who usually hide here are gone now?"
Polaire frowned and held up a hand. "One moment." Their pointed ears perked up, straining for sound for a few moments before they looked up the paladins with a grin. "They have left. They know that the catacombs are off limits now that you're here."
"That's amazing. Nice work," said Lance, patting Polaire's shoulder and earning himself a blush.
"Thank you, Blue Paladin. Catolian hearing is one of the best on this side of the system, or so I have always been told."
Lance took aim, his bayard shifting and changing in his hands so that his regular blaster was carefully level with his shoulder. "I just got to get the upper bit? I can't exactly see through the vines."
"You have good intuition," said Pidge. "I know you can hit it."
"Aw, thanks Pidge." He took a steadying breath.
"Ready?" asked Pidge, more quietly this time.
Lance took one more breath and fired.
Keith didn't expect to find the princess' pond so unguarded. He and Shiro had made short work of the Galra droids outside of the throne room, and had slipped into the grandiose room expecting… well, not expecting the body of a woman floating on the surface of the water. The throne room was large, with huge pillars, and walls covered in thin, purple vines. There was a huge chair by the wall parallel to the entrance, and in the middle of the room sat a perfectly circular pond. When Keith had noticed there was someone floating on the water's surface, he'd averted his eyes, embarrassed, while Shiro chose to scan the room for any other Galra soldiers.
"It looks like there's nobody else in here. No Galra or Catolian soldiers," said Shiro slowly.
Keith risked a look at the alien, the princess, who looked very much like Polaire in their long white hair, only this woman had light pink skin instead of the light purple of Polaire's. She was wearing a thin yellow robe, her chest rising slowly before dropping down as her breath hitched. It was then that Keith realized that she hadn't reacted to their entrance at all.
"Is she asleep?" asked Keith, inching closer to the pool. The water matched the same glowing orb that they saw outside the throne room, but there was nothing else fantastical about it. His ears could barely pick up the sound of her breathing, but there was something else in the air, a sound he couldn't quite place.
"We might need to evacuate her. Who knows when the Galra may strike again," said Shiro. "Although, when it comes to how we got in here, I'm completely at a loss. It was too easy. The droids struggled so much, but we entered without a problem."
Keith stood at the edge of the pond, his bayard retracted. The alien looked like she was in pain, and though she frowned, shifting slighting in the throes of what Keith assumed was a nightmare, the water underneath her remained still.
"Do you really think this is the Whistle Pond?" asked Keith. "It doesn't look like some magical treasure. Although…" Keith paused, eyes entranced by the look of something in the pool of water. It glittered like a jewel sitting at the bottom of the pond. Keith learned over the water's edge, trying to get a better look at it. "That's weird."
"Keith?" called Shiro from the other side of the room. Keith frowned at the water, the jewel at the bottom a brilliant red. How had he missed it? The colour of it was so vibrant, he should have been able to see it immediately. Keith tried to look closer, the sound he'd been hearing becoming a breathy hum. It was kind of melodic, something that beat in his chest and filled his head thickly.
"Keith?"
Did Shiro not realize that the gem was at the base of the pool? Keith would have to fetch it out and show him. The humming got louder the closer he got to the pond's surface. It rippled when his hair fell forward. All he had to do was-
A huge quake rippled through the castle, shaking everything it touched. Keith pulled away from the water, the soothing hum completely silenced. The thin green windows of the throne room shattered, spreading glassy shards around the throne room. Shiro was at his side in an instant, pulling Keith away from the water with a worried expression.
Keith thought he could hear some fearful screams just outside the window, but could barely consider them over the rushing blood to his head. He felt like he had just been woken harshly from a peaceful dream, and as he regained his bearings, he felt the warmth of his leader next to him.
"Shiro?"
"Keith, are you okay?" asked Shiro worriedly.
"What was that?" Keith said instead, knowing that the quake wasn't was Shiro had been asking about.
"Some kind of explosion." Shiro turned away a bit and put a hand to his helmet. "Pidge, where are you?" He paused with a frown fixed on his lips. "There must be a frequency issue," he said out loud to Keith, handing him the red helmet that Keith couldn't remember taking off. "You doing okay?"
"I'll be fine," promised Keith. Shiro fixed him with a look, a warning to be careful, as Keith put on his own helmet.
"Pidge," Shiro tried again, "respond."
"-plosion wasn't bad. It just- up. The flowers –"
Shiro's serious expression grew more worried. "You're cutting out. Meet us in the throne room. Throne room."
"Throne- it. Lance shot- big – kind of hurt."
"Hurt?" Keith felt sickness well up in his gut. He was angry at his inability to help his friends, frustrated at the idea that Lance was potentially injured. They were who knows where, and he was in the throne room trying to figure out why he'd been completely ready to swim in some alien space water.
"Come back as quick as you can," said Shiro, although it was clear that he wasn't expecting an answer. He muted the comms and turned to face Keith completely.
Keith felt tempted to buckle under the weight of Shiro's stare. He felt like he was back at the Garrison, having to confess that he had punched out some kid to Shiro, having to explain his actions for something he already knew Shiro would be disappointed in. "What?"
"What happened back there?" asked Shiro. "I've never seen you completely checked out on a mission like that before. You looked like you were about to jump in."
"I don't know. I just had the urge to go down there. I swear, there was something at the bottom of the pond."
"Something at the bottom, huh?" He seemed to contemplate that before nodding to himself. "We'll figure this out when we're all back together. You still seem a little out of it."
Keith nodded slowly, still trying to clear his head of the dreamlike state he had been in. "Do you think Lance…"
"I think that they're all fine," said Shiro confidently. "I sent my smartest soldiers with Polaire, after all. They can take of themselves."
"Smartest soldiers, and Lance," added Keith playfully.
"And Lance," Shiro agreed with a chuckle.
They stood together in silence for a bit before Keith let out an outraged sound. "Hey, wait a minute-"
Shiro laughed a little more this time. "What?"
"I'm smart too," he grumbled.
"I didn't say you weren't, Keith," said Shiro warmly, but the tension between had dissipated effectively, just as Shiro had no doubt intended.
Keith let his eyes drift back to the alien on that water, his curiosity prickling. "That woman," said Keith suddenly, "do you think she'll be okay?"
"What do you mean?"
"Earlier, when I was by the pond, it looked like she was in pain."
"Did she?" Keith met Shiro's perplexed expression. "She seemed fine to mean. She didn't even wake up after that earthquake."
"That's weird, right?"
Keith took a step to investigate, but Shiro immediately pulled him back. "Oh no, we're not doing that."
"But-"
"Keith, the rest of the team should be here before we investigate further. Polaire may know more about the pond to help figure out what's happening right now. Don't be so hasty."
Keith felt like his scowl was practically fixed to his face. Lance had said as much multiple times they were in space, but it had never felt truer than at this moment. "Fine," he said, sounding petulant to his own ears.
"Good," Shiro spoke to Allura over the comms who, as luck would have it, saw a huge surge of energy streak up and out of the planet, shooting down the escaped Galra craft. Shiro relayed the information to Keith who just nodded, impressed.
"Lucky shot," said Keith appraisingly.
"I would call it a coincidence," said Shiro, "but Allura thinks there was a little more to it."
"More?"
"I mean, potentially more." He glanced over at the pool of water behind them. "If this is the princess we're looking for, then we'll have to be extra careful. This place should be the most fortified room on the planet, but it was easy to get into."
"It was definitely suspicious. Very trap-like."
Shiro raised an eyebrow. "I see that someone has been spending too much time with Lance and Hunk."
"Impossible," said Keith, though he couldn't help the rush of pride he felt at Shiro acknowledging what he could only hope was a friendship between Keith and the other paladins.
"It's not a bad thing, and I don't think I say this enough to any of you, but I am proud of you," said Shiro, seeming to know what Keith needed to hear before Keith did. "You always found making friends difficult when you were at the Garrison. I'm glad you're really bonding with the other paladins."
Keith thought back to their time at the alien market and, not for the first time, considered telling Shiro everything that had transpired. Their friends hadn't been suspicious when they said that the Kalafin's presumed location was simply hearsay, the result of some rumours they had managed to score. It was embarrassing to think about telling the rest of the team something that, despite Keith's vehement denial of its validity, an alien mystic had foretold the Kalafin's location in the same breath that she had ascertained Lance and Keith's destined future together.
Just considering the possibility of being in love with Lance, of Lance being in love with him, felt so dangerously close to a long lost hope from Arus that Keith shut down every opportunity to discuss it. It seemed like such a silly impossibility that Keith didn't want to give it any thought, didn't want to entertain it.
Shiro wouldn't laugh at him for the confession either, not kind, dedicated Shiro. He'd probably reassure Keith that it wasn't real, that the fortune teller's prophecy wasn't helpful, but that they had done their best to get information anyway, that he and Lance had done what they could. He'd grip Keith's shoulder and assure him that it was all a misunderstanding.
Or maybe that was just what Keith foolishly imagined because the real Shiro was an optimist through and through. The real Shiro would support Keith, would probably encourage him to be honest with his feelings instead of shut them down. He'd make Keith feel. He could just imagine Shiro's voice telling him in that same smooth tone he always used, saying "Keith, why does this scare you? If you and Lance really are meant to be together, then the two of you can work it out. You don't have to hide it from us." The real Shiro always knew what to say to soothe Keith, to give him courage again.
Keith swallowed, the urge to tell Shiro stronger than ever, but he kept himself in check. He and Lance had agreed not to talk about it. They'd made a promise to not tell anyone about the circumstances of their intel. Even if Keith truly wanted to tell Shiro, there was a part of him, that same, traitorously hopeful part, which wanted to keep this between him and Lance. It was a quiet secret between them, and to tell someone would be to betray Lance's trust. It felt wrong to tell Shiro, but it felt wrong not to tell him.
Keith didn't know how he was supposed to feel about that.
The comms crackled to life again, and Keith heard his friends, their voices melting the tension in his shoulders with Hunk's gentle voice, Pidge's pointed quips, and Lance.
Just. Lance.
He let out the breath he didn't know he was holding.
"I mean, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work," Lance was saying. "Let's just meet them there."
"That's assuming that the throne room is still standing, though," said Hunk. "Who knows what kind of structural integrity this place has?"
"It has to be fine," said Pidge. "We could hear Shiro, or at least bits and pieces of Shiro. We know they're alive."
"I mean, we don't know if Keith's alive, or if he's even with Shiro," said Lance, sounding perfectly unharmed and more worried than anything. "I mean, I guess we kinda do because it's not like Red is busting in here. Unless she has and we don't know it."
"She hasn't done anything," said Keith finally, smiling a little at their individual exclamations of surprise.
"Oh?" said Pidge, her voice light and playful. "I think we just heard a full sentence there, boys."
"Is everyone okay?" asked Shiro. He looked just as relieved as Keith felt.
"Everyone is fine. Lance just shot the power core and casually triggered an explosion."
"All in a day's work," said Lance, and Keith rolled his eyes.
"We're all good, right, Polaire?" asked Hunk.
"Yes." Polaire's voice drifted through the comms. "And the princess? Did you find her?"
"We think so, yes," said Shiro. Keith glanced over at the alien resting on the water again. "She's, um, asleep."
"Asleep?" Pidge said. "What kind of princess sleeps through an earthquake?"
"This kind, apparently." He rolled his shoulders, happy to find the tension dissipating the longer they all spoke together. "Are you almost here? There's a bit of a puzzle we've got to solve before we check on the natives of this planets."
"Oh, a puzzle?" said Hunk. "Puzzles sound nice and not creepy at all."
"Puzzles sound confusing and complicated, actually," said Lance, "but what did you find?"
"There's water here that the princess is sleeping on?" Shiro looked at Keith, who just shrugged. It wasn't like Keith could explain it better. "And after we spent some time close to it, Keith seemed ready to jump into the water. Without his helmet."
"Keith, buddy," said Lance with a weak laugh, "if you wanted to go for a dip, you could always join me in the wacky Altean pool."
He was trying to lighten the mood, trying to keep the atmosphere from growing too thick with the knowledge that Keith seemed ready to drown in this precious treasure of the princess. Keith appreciated it.
"It was weird. One moment I was checking to see if the princess was okay," said Keith, "and the next, I felt this urge to just get into the water. I thought I saw something in the pool."
"Did you actually feel weird besides the urge to get in?" asked Pidge.
"I was actually really at ease?" Keith felt Shiro's eyes on him like a brand. "And there was this… humming. It was-" he cut off, picking up some other sound in his peripheral. The other line remained quiet with him for a moment. He could hear a low, melodic line drifting through the throne room, similar to what it had been before the quake. "It's back now, actually. It's got to be coming from somewhere." Keith eyed the area around him, looking for the source.
"Keith," said Lance suddenly, "don't move."
"But-"
Keith could hear some shuffling over the comms. "Whoa, Lance," yelped Pidge, "why are we running?"
"Oh man, here we go," huffed Hunk. "He is seriously gunning it. This is, like, his track and field run."
"Lance, what are you talking about?" said Keith, his attention solely focused on why his fellow paladin seemed so insistent.
"Keith, I am so damn serious about this," shouted Lance. "You need to stay where you are, away from the water. And for the love of god, don't take off your helmet again."
"That's not-" he began to protest before Lance cut him off.
"Actually, yeah. That's exactly what you were going to do." Keith's frown deepened, unsure how he felt about Lance seeming to know that he'd been considering approaching the pond again? "You just need to stay put."
"Lance, I don't know what you're talking about, but if I want to check it out, then I will. Keith huffed. "It's not a big deal. I'm not going to jump in or anything. I'll be careful."
"You're not gonna have much of a choice," said Lance. "Just don't. Shiro, watch him." Lance's breath was coming out in hard puffs, and Keith realized that Hunk hadn't been kidding. Lance was really running towards the throne room.
"Lance, you can't just tell me what to do," said Keith, feeling irritable. He wanted to check the water out. He was just looking.
"Is your self-control that bad?" jeered Lance suddenly. "Can't even sit still for a minute?"
"You're being childish," said Keith, his desire to fight back, to compete, muffled by his annoyance. "I'm hanging up."
"Wait, Keith!"
Keith muted Lance's protest and sighed. The heavy feeling returned to his head like a wave, and Keith took off his helmet hoping to relieve it. The humming in the air was still there, but just barely.
"Keith, what is going on?" Shiro said, drawing Keith's attention briefly.
"Just Lance being Lance," grumbled Keith, as he put his helmet down on the polished throne room floor. "I mean, seriously, what does it matter if I wanted to head back to the water?"
Shiro looked at him curiously. "Why would you want to head back? I thought we agreed to wait."
"I mean, I was just thinking about it. I am feeling pretty hot," said Keith, gazing at the water and admiring its clarity, "but I wasn't going to-"
"Keith," Keith looked back at Shiro, whose face had grown deadly serious. "Look where you're standing."
He glanced down a little and realized that he had already taken a few steps towards the pond. When had he done that? Keith looked back at Shiro whose brows were knitted. When Keith tried for another step, Shiro's hand shot out and closed on his arm. "Don't," warned Shiro. Without a second thought, Keith ripped himself out of Shiro's grip and made a run for the water. His head felt heavier than it had all day, and his thoughts swirled in an emotional frenzy. Why were they all so against him going in? It wouldn't hurt him. If anything, it would soothe the burning heat at the center of his chest. Maybe it would clear his head too.
"He's running," Keith could hear Shiro say, his friend sounding even farther than he thought. Keith risked a glance behind him to see that Shiro was actually fast approaching.
"Keith, stop," called Shiro urgently, but Keith continued to barrel forward. He had to get to the water. He was almost there.
"Keith, stop," another voice said. The pressure in Keith's mind lifted immediately, the burn cooling to a low, tolerable simmer. The sharp change left Keith reeling, and he paused, ceasing his running and meeting Lance's eyes at the threshold of the throne room.
When had Lance arrived?
"Lance?"
"Don't 'Lance' me." Lance stormed over, unlatching his helmet and giving Keith an angry once over. Lance looked absolutely exhausted, brown hair sticking to his face with sweat, but his eyes still blazed with blue intensity. "Where is your helmet? You were explicitly instructed not to take it off."
"I-" Keith raised a hand to his face because, yup, his helmet was completely off. He barely remembered doing that. Again. Why was this happening? "Oh."
"Oh? That's all you gotta say?" Lance forced his helmet over Keith's head, and all at once, the humming became muted. Everything became muted. Lance was saying something to Shiro, who simply nodded and put his hands on Keith's arms again, this time locking them in place.
"There he is. Thank god." Keith watched as Hunk and Pidge stumbled in, Polaire nestled safely on Hunk's back. "Shiro, do you have him?"
"He's good," said Shiro, his voice crystal clear in Keith's helmet, just like Hunk's had been.
"Who is good? I can barely move, and why can't I hear anything except you guys?" grumbled Keith.
"That's the point, dude," said Hunk, walking up to them and eyeing the pond nervously. "This water is kind of trying to kill you."
"But why?" said Keith. His eyes tracked Lance heading across the room and grabbing Keith's helmet from where it had fallen. He turned the helmet over in his hand, running a thumb over the glassy face shield before putting it over his head. "It didn't feel malicious."
"Well, it isn't supposed to feel malicious," said Pidge flatly. "How else is it going to convince you to drown yourself?"
"What?" Keith hissed, eyes snapped back to Pidge and Hunk as they approached him.
"Yeah, Lance figured it out," said Hunk, crouching down so Polaire could clamber down from his back. "Basically the Whistle Pond plays music to calm you down, right? Well, that same music is designed to control you if the monarch is ever in danger, so much so that it does it automatically. It probably saw you guys as a threat and was trying to get rid of you, like the Galra soldiers.
"When you mentioned hearing a humming, Lance had a feeling the pond was trying to relax you so it could basically kill you and he-" Hunk paused strangely before continuing, "and, I mean, all of us were really worried about you, so we rushed back."
"It's a good thing too," said Lance, the sound of his voice resonating clearly in Keith's helmet, "'cause you were about to do a nose dive into that water."
"The real question is how Keith stopped being influenced," said Pidge, eyes curious. "What snapped you out of it?"
"I'm not really sure," said Keith slowly. "Whenever you guys were talking, I could focus a little more, so maybe it was that? What I want to know was why I was affected."
"Maybe it was your Galra genes," said Hunk. "It's possible that you were the most affected because it thought you were Galra and hostile. Besides, from what we know, the Galra have a heightened sense of hearing. Maybe you were picking up sounds that we couldn't even hear."
"Maybe… You didn't feel that urge, did you, Shiro?"
They all looked at their leader expectantly, and Shiro shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you guys. I could definitely hear something, but it didn't really draw my attention."
"That's weird," said Pidge, "and inconsistent with all of our theories. But Lance," Lance perked up at being addressed, "you're still reigning supreme on your 'the water wants to kill Keith' theory, so kudos."
Lance beamed at her happily as Shiro spoke up.
"And the rest of you? Why weren't any of you affected?" asked Shiro. "Could you just not hear it?"
"Nah. Pidge and I filtered our comms so that only our direct voices are transmitted to each other. We actually can't hear anything happening outside of our helmets, which is kind of a huge balancing issued, but Polaire has been guiding us through a walkie-talkie we made on the fly that has our helmet's special frequency. It's pretty great."
"Very clever. Nice work, team," praised Shiro. "Now, to help the princess."
They all turned towards the pond and tensed, surprised at the second figure cradling the princess in her arms. Where the princess' skin was a rich pink, this new alien's skin was mostly a pale white, their gown a mix of yellows and pinks as well. Something was said, their purple lips moving rapidly but Keith heard nothing but the soft breathing of his teammates. Polaire clambered off Hunk's back, limbs trembling as they bowed to the new arrival. The paladins shared a look of confusion and carefully followed Polaire's lead.
As he bowed, Keith could spot a crown sitting on the new figure's head, and he swallowed hard to himself. Meeting monarchy on new planets was always a bit of a hit or miss. Keith had always found himself a little wary of them, as the smallest gesture could make or break Allura's fledgling alliances which would be needed to take down the Galra once and for all.
"Paladins," came Polaire's voice, mouth pressed a bit too close to the makeshift walkie-talkie. "You are free to remove your helmets. This is the Princess of Catolia: Princess Iva of Sutol.
Keith took his helmet off carefully, purposefully, while his friends did the same, and the princess smiled delicately.
"I apologize, paladins," she said, her voice light and airy, "and I thank you for coming to our rescue."
"You're the princess?" said Lance, sounded a bit dumbfounded. Keith looked over, expecting him to be gearing up for a pick-up line, but found only confusion on Lance's face.
"Yes," she said, glancing down at the fair-skinned alien in her arms. "I did not recognize you as the paladins of Voltron, and neither did the Whistle Pond, which set to immediately trying to enchant you when you got close by it."
"Pardon me," said Pidge, "but if you're the princess, then who was sleeping on the water this whole time?"
Princess Iva's expression softened. "This is Lilalim," she said, hands tightening around the pale white shoulders of her companion. "She is my fiancée. The Galra have known about our betrothal from the moment it happened, and when I refused to co-operate on their recent excavation attempt on my planet, they poisoned Lilalim." She did something that Keith could only assume was swallowing. "They forced me to choose whether to enslave my people or gain the cure."
"You did what you had to do," said Shiro, "but it's going to be okay."
She smiled weakly at them. "I was hiding with my family when you came. We had already planned a revolution of our own, but then you appeared, and the droids ceased working. By all accounts, you have freed us from Zarkon's tyranny."
"Your fiancée is poisoned though. Is there anything we can do to help?" asked Lance.
"A healing pod!" said Pidge excitedly. "That might be able to help."
"I thank you for your generosity, but I would rather keep her here." Princess Iva looked back at her fiancée. "The Whistle Pond has slowly been removing the poison, and its power reflects that of the planet. I am under the suspicion that the same poison from Lilalim has poisoned the Pond as well, its waters tainted by Galra energy that makes it more irritable. I've done my best to soothe it but purifying it will likely take a long time."
"Princess Allura may be able to help with that," said Shiro. "She has a better grasp of quintessence than any of us."
"Of course," said Princess Iva. "It would be an honour to meet with her. You have already saved my planet. Anything more would make me the happiest creature. I feel like I have so many questions."
"So do we," said Shiro, "but we can discuss them when Allura is present."
The princess smiled, nodded, and relaxed her shoulders. "Then welcome to my planet, paladins," she said, eyeing each of them with purpose. "I hope you enjoy your stay."
Once Allura had landed the castleship on Catolian soil, she and Coran were whisked into a diplomacy meeting with Princess Iva and her advisor. It left the other paladins with time to explore the planet, meet the locals, and relax away from the battle. Despite the insistence that they should be relaxing, Shiro had ensured that the locals had enough support in rebuilding their houses or clearing away lingering Galra tech in some of the towns. Each town reminded Lance of a small palace, and the houses seemed connected to one another with long green roofs. The quake that had followed the explosion of energy had been so focused and channelled that there hadn't been any dramatic repairs that needed to be made in the City. The mass of depowered Galra droids, on the other hand, had to be collected and destroyed, and the paladins spent most of their energy doing that.
Lance, Hunk and Pidge had been stationed in an area away from the others, so he hadn't gotten the chance to talk to Keith about what had happened by the Whistle Pond. Lance's pure unadulterated fear of that something would happen to his teammates was at an all-time high, even though Allura had assured them that she had dispelled the poison from the Pond.
"It was nearly uncontrollable," she had said when she debriefed them that day at whatever the Catolian equivalent of breakfast was. "The Pond's own consciousness took on Princess Iva's desire to protect Princess Lilalim and took it quite to the extreme. It's been soothed now though, and I've been able to help draw what's left of the poison with an extra nudge of quintessence."
"So she'll be okay?" Lance had asked.
"She will live." Allura's smile had seemed filled with genuine relief. "It will take time for strength to return to her, but she will heal. The Whistle Pond is merely keeping her safe now."
Now that Lance thought about it, besides mealtimes, he hadn't seen Keith the entire day. Even when Lance was sure he caught glimpses of him, he seemed to disappear as soon as he appeared in the first place. Lance tried his best to disregard the niggling feeling that Keith was avoiding him for some reason or another, and it mostly worked. Pidge and Hunk kept him busy running errands and playing with Polaire. Keith had never actively avoided him before, but Lance was careful to convince himself that he had more important things to worry about.
Shiro and Allura were discussing the next course of action with the Catolian princess, and as the evening came to a close, Lance knew that they would be moving out when the second sun rose again. They still hadn't found the Kalafin, and their meeting with the Cortonians was fast approaching. Lance hoped they'd be able to find the instrument as soon as possible and then move on. The longer they stayed here, the more of this system remained unchecked.
It was on this night that Lance found himself passing the throne room, a room he had only ever been in once, and he was filled with the urge to look inside. Lance hesitated outside the door for a little, shifting his weight nervously before screwing up his courage and peeking inside. Lilalim still slept on the glassy pond before the throne, and the moonlight glowed vibrantly, casting the room in a rich purple. Lance was half afraid that his instinctual urge to peek was actually due to the Whistle Pond. Now, though, glancing in and wandering past the doors, he was surprised to find Keith there; Keith, also known as the last person Lance was expecting to be in the throne room, his face twisted into a look of absolute frustration.
"Again," he said gruffly.
"Of course, Red Paladin," said Princess Iva from her seat on the floor by the pond. She closed her eyes, and not a moment sooner, Keith began walking toward the Whistle Pond. His steps, initially hesitant, grew quickly more decided.
Lance watched Keith until he broke into a sprint towards the pond. The princess' eyes were still closed, and Lance felt worry take root in his soul again. Why was Keith here? Was he trying to get the princess to siren him into the water? What was Keith even thinking just running towards the water like that, he-
Lance called Keith's name so unexpectedly that he almost thought someone else had called Keith's name. But it had been his own voice, and as soon as the name left his lips, Keith jerked to a stop, his head whipping to the door with wide eyes.
"Lance?" Keith gaped at him. "What are you doing here?"
Lance lowered the hand he didn't even realize he'd had out and held it to his chest. His body was just all for betraying how he felt today. "What am I doing here? What about you?"
"I was training."
"Training for what?"
"I asked you first," said Keith stubbornly. "What are you doing here?"
"I was just taking a walk," defended Lance. "Princess Iva did say we were allowed to explore as we please." Lance looked up at the princess for support, and she giggled softly to herself as she rose to her feet, her pink gown awash with moonlight.
"Of course, Blue Paladin. You all have free reign to explore as you see fit. It is just one of the symbols of trust and closeness that we value here on Catolia."
"So… what are you guys up to?" asked Lance.
"It is just as the Red Paladin said: we were training in the hopes of solving a peculiar mystery," she gave them both a smile, "but I am almost sure that I've just solved it."
"You have?" asked Keith eagerly.
"If it is as I see it, yes. And quite spectacularly too." She turned towards the Whistle Pond and gazed into its waters. Keith followed her example wordless, walking to her side before glancing back at Lance.
"You coming?"
Lance's heart leapt in his chest, and he joined them by the water. "What was the big mystery?"
He could see his reflection in the water and watched as Princess Iva's reflection smiled fondly at her.
"The Whistle Pond, for many quintents, protected the royal Sutol family and ensured harmony. Our responsibility was not to misuse the persuasive power of the Whistle Pond. Over time, the Whistle Pond grew stronger, almost sentient." Her eyes met his across the water. "You both should know that the music is enchanted and can persuade the listener into obeying the one that controls the Pond. In this case, me." She smiled sadly at her fiancée's unconscious body. "When this happened to my Lily, I left the Pond with one order: to protect her from the Galra. The Pond recognized me as Master and set out to fulfill my wish. The water and I have the same kind of love for Lilalim. But when you, Red Paladin, and the Black Paladin entered the throne room, the Pond was unsure if you were friend or foe. Unsure that you were not Galra aligned, the Pond set to lull you when you got too close to Lily and was prepared to do whatever it needed to protect her."
"And then the earthquake," said Lance. "It disrupted the song, right?"
"It did. The Whistle Pond is connected to all living things on the planet and felt the destruction of the Galran power core from the flowers. Its focus shifted from protected Lily to destroying the fleeing Galra ship."
"How does that work with me, then?"
The princess looked up properly, Lance and Keith doing the same, and she caught their eyes. "There are many different songs the Pond can play. The first one you heard was aimed to enchant you, particularly the Galra within. It was designed to lure Galra closer to the water's edge, but, as I understand it, you are not full Galra, so there was still some resistance in you. Without the quake and with the right distraction, you may have been able to pull away from the song.
"The second song, however, is markedly different. It was aimed specifically at you after it failed to ensnare you as a Galra. Instead, the song played is what we call vaati, or the soul song. It is the most powerful song the Pond can play and it is nearly unbreakable."
"But I broke it," said Keith. "I stopped before getting into the water."
"This is true," said Princess Iva, "and not at the same time. It is difficult to describe."
"Take as much time as you need," said Lance. "We really want to know."
She nodded slowly at the encouragement. "Very well. As I said, the vaati calls at the soul and is almost impossible to stop. I felt it singing to you, and I tried to stop it, but the Pond desired to protect Lilalim. I ran here knowing that I have stronger control the closer I am." She smiled at them both. "However, by the time I was in range, you had already been stopped by your companions."
"So they distracted me from it?" posited Keith, but the princess shook her head.
"More than that," said the princess sweetly. "I believe that the call was interrupted and superseded by another call: the call of the Blue Paladin."
"I snapped Keith out of the soul song?" Lance gaped, feeling foolish
Keith met Lance's eyes for a moment before turning away again. It almost felt like he should have already known that it was his doing that had freed Keith. And in a way, he did know it. They both did. The fortune teller back on Drax Five had told them as much.
"Your voice broke the song of the Whistle Pond. Just hearing you speak must have muted the music for the Red Paladin, and he was no longer being controlled. I've only ever seen such a power exhibited once before. It's absolutely stunning to watch." Her smile fell a little. "I apologize, Red Paladin, as it seems that your training is in vain. This is not something you yourself can gain immunity from. It is the Blue Paladin's call, the call of your soul's partner, which stops the song."
"I see." Keith's tone said it all. He was annoyed, and there was a particular type of anger there that Lance had rarely heard. Lance felt something in him twist at that. Man, Keith really didn't like the idea of being destined to one another. Neither did Lance, but still.
Not like Lance was expecting anything different, though.
"Is there any chance," Lance began, swallowing through the tightness of his throat, "that you might be mistaken?"
Lance felt Keith's eyes on him and refused to look back. Why would he? He was just saying what Keith had no doubt been thinking. I mean, the idea that they were soulmates was crazy. Besides, who said Keith was the only one who could be upset about being called soulmates? Lance wouldn't have been a bad soulmate. He was great!
"You do not think you are soul partners?" she asked, genuinely confused by the question.
"I just-" Lance ran a rough hand through his hair. "We just want to know if there is another explanation for what happened?"
Princess Iva stared hard at Lance as if she could discern the reason behind his question just by looking at him. He felt uncomfortable under her eyes, which practically glowed now that night had fallen on her city. She switched her gaze to Keith and examined him as well before sighing. "The timing," she said. "It is possible that I was in range sooner than I thought and managed to stop the song."
"That's plausible," Lance said slowly, "right, Keith?"
"Yeah. Sounds a lot more likely."
Princess Iva's cheeks turned as pink as Princess Lilalim's skin. "I'm sorry if I sounded presumptuous."
"Not to worry," laughed Lance awkwardly. He shared a look with Keith and found that his companion's expression was more flat than usual. "Keith and I aren't really… like that, with each other."
"We don't think it's possible, is what we mean," said Keith brusquely. Lance felt his heart squeeze again and did his best to push it away. "Thank you for clearing it up, though."
She nodded slowly, her brows furrowed as she looked them, seeing something between them that didn't exist. "Is there anything else I can do for you?"
"Maybe?" said Lance, trying to switch gears. "Do you know anything about an instrument called Kalafin?"
"Kalafin?" Princess Iva's eyes widened at that. "You're looking for Kalafin?"
"For a peace treaty with another planet, yeah," said Keith. "You wouldn't happen to know where we could find it, would you, Princess?"
"Kalafin," she said again, testing out the word curiously. "It is something I know very little about. As for its location…" she suddenly lit up, her mouth growing wide with a smile. "Oh! I think I know what to do!"
"Princess, you don't have to-" said Lance, but Princess Iva was already gathering up the pointed pink layers of her gown and hurrying away.
"Not to worry. There is something that I think could be beneficial, especially since you all will be off-world at first light. I know someone who knows a fair bit about the Kalafin, and they will certainly be able to shed some light on questions about soul partners too. Oh, it is the perfect solution to both your problems." She moved quickly to the door. "I must speak with your Princess Allura. Good night, Paladins."
She disappeared behind the door, and Lance was left with a growing sense of dread, one that was echoed in Keith's expression.
"Guess that's two for two in people who think we're meant for each other," said Lance lightly, "and only a day apart too."
"There was a better explanation for it this time," said Keith. "One that was actually believable."
"Ouch, Keith," said Lance, feeling his words more acutely than he let on. "Why must you deny our destined romance?"
"It was a coincidence." Keith sounded firm and convinced of this. "Just a coincidence."
Lance shoved his hands into his pockets. "I honestly thought she would test her theory and try to play the whole soul song thing."
"You thought she'd put it to the test?"
"I mean, yeah? Wouldn't you want to test it out just to see if it was true?"
Keith gave him a very particular look, one that Lance could not even hope to interpret. "No," he said finally, "would you?"
"I guess not," said Lance, pulling his eyes away from Keith and staring at his reflection in the water. After all, what would he do if they confirmed that he and Keith really were soulmates, destined to be with one another? What would their friends say? What would they even do? No matter how much Lance considered, he knew that in this reality, Keith would never really look in his direction. Besides, he had his own life to live. Just because someone said Keith would be the one for him, didn't mean that nobody else was.
Keith had to be right. It had to be a coincidence. Lance would forget about this instance, tuck it away in the back of his mind with other questionable moments, and move on.
Starting now.
A/N: I got too into the plot and kind of forgot to write in some softer moments between them. But I'm building up to it! Can't have them believing in the fortune right away! Also, would this have been better in shorter segments or do you like the long chapters? Let me know when you can! Thanks for reading!