Lance climbed into Red, feeling the familiar sensation of Lion. He had spent a few hours bonding and flying with Red, so he knew the controls well. It was just that Red was so agile, and responded with the slightest touch, whereas Blue took a good push to do flips and rolls. It felt really different. But a good different at the same time. Flying a different Lion reminded Lance of the time Lance had gotten new shoes for his birthday, to replace his worn sneakers. The new shoes were so fancy and stiff, but after he broke them in, it was like he had been wearing them forever.

Keith followed him. Allura had sent the red lion, as the king of Kty'hipta knew the red lion the most. King Alfor had done many missions to the jungle planet, so Allura was certain they would recognize it. If not... He tried not to think about it. Lance plopped down into the seat, sliding his hands onto the bar controls. The airlock beeped, warning them they had only a few seconds to prepare and get ready before it hurled them out into space.

The final countdown ensued, and Red zoomed out of the port. Lance looked back at the castle, which was getting smaller as they sped away. He turned his attention to the route path, which displayed a line out into space; telling him where he needed to fly. Once he was comfortable, he turned to Keith, who was fiddling with a latch on the ceiling.

"So. Keith, what's the plan? Do we just fly in there and say, WE ARE PALADINS! GIVE US GOLD!" Lance boomed.

Keith shook his head. "No. Allura says we need to talk with King Kthya and arrange to find a paladin for it. Remember, it can only be flown by a Kty'hiptan?"

Lance grinned sheepishly. "Right."

Red began a gentle descent towards the planet. Up close, Lance could see a lush jungle, with trees as tall as mountains. Some trees even pierced past the thick clouds that covered Kty'hipta. As Red got even closer, he could see a small runway/landing zone, cut right out of the tree. Thanks to Red's agility, the tricky landing was no big deal.

Keith and Lance stepped out of Red, into the humid air. Lance looked around in awe. The trees had homes carved out of them! Some huts hung from the trees, others just floated. One, which seemed to be the castle, was the tree itself.

"Wow, Keith. This place is amazing!"

Keith agreed. "It reminds me of the Olkari when we went to their forest."

A small helper drone approached the awestruck paladins.

"Greetings, visitors." The drone spoke in a robotic voice. "Do you have an ID card? If you do, please press 1. Press 2 for more options."

A keypad slid out of the drone's belly. Keith pressed 2.

"There is 1 appointment scheduled for King Kthya. Are you in correspondence for this meeting? Press 1 for yes, 2 for no."

Lance glanced at Keith.

"That's us, I guess." Lance pressed 1.

"Please follow me." The drone rotated with a grinding noise and slid down the runway.

The paladins followed, looking this way and that at the view. They were pretty high up, and down below, Lance could see a small village, where children played in front of what appeared to be a market. Their laughter carried even up to the treetops. Looking up, Lance could see floating homes, which appeared to be suspended in the clouds. Pidge would have loved to see this, he thought.

A rustling sound above him broke his thoughts. Lance looked up, curious. A small pink squirrel-like creature was busy making a nest for itself.

"Keith, look!" Lance pointed up at the pink mammal.

Keith raised his head. "What is that?"

"Roseticuss mamaliga," The drone responded, in a bored voice. "Press 1 for more information."

Lance and Keith laughed. Drones could be so silly.

After wandering through the trees for a few minutes, the paladins reached an enormous, shiny tree. It reached up, past the clouds. The tree seemed to go on forever.

"This must be the castle," Keith noted. "How can a tree grow that big?"

The drone vanished, leaving them in front of 2 majestic doors with intricate carvings. The carvings seemed to depict the story of this civilization. Lance could see small saplings, seeds, and people working to plant them. He shifted his gaze lower. The carvings told a tale of how they had to flee their homeland and come here, where they planted trees and lived in them.

"Hey, Keith! Did you see the carvings?"

"No," Keith sighed. "I was trying to figure out how to open the doors. There is no handle. I only see a handprint right here."

Keith placed his hand at about eye level, showing Lance the toddler-sized handprint on the door.

"So, I guess we knock?" Lance offered, as a reference to the old times.

"Go ahead."

Lance raised his fist and was ready to pound on the doors when they opened. A small, barefoot girl stood at the entrance, dressed in a simple tunic and sash. She appeared to be a servant.

"Please come," She said politely. "The King is expecting you."

Lance and Keith exchanged a look but followed the small girl.

After climbing up many stairs, and wandering through twisting hallways, they reached what appeared to be the throne room.

A throne that was carved out of a rainbow-coloured wood, with similar story-carvings sat at the end of the hall, and upon it, a kind-looking, dark skinned man sat. A simple crown of leaves perched on his head, which was bald. He looked tired.

"That must be King Kytha," Lance whispered.

Keith walked over to the King and kneeled. Lance followed close behind.

"King Kytha," Lance spoke. "We are here on behalf of Princess Allura of Altea. You understand that we are here to take the Gold Lion?"

Kytha spoke; a warm sound that rumbled through the hall. "Please. You honor me with your politeness. You may stand."

Keith and Lance stood.

"As soon as we received your message," Kytha explained, "we brought out the lion and began testing our most skilled pilots with them. Unfortunately, none of our pilots were even able to turn the Lion on!"

Lance objected. "But, sir, it's not a matter of skill! It's about the connection you feel with the Lion. The lion chooses you, not the other way around."

Kytha's eyes widened. "Oh dear. So you're saying I must get all the citizens to try the lion?"

"That's correct," Keith confirmed.

Kytha placed his hands on the throne, which began to glow. He spoke.

"Citizens of my planet. Two paladins have arrived here today. As you know, we have brought our lion out to be flown. However, this man here," He pointed towards Lance.

"My name is Lance..."

"Lance says that anyone can fly the Lion; the Lion chooses you. If you could meet in the field tree, you may be chosen."

The King removed his hand from the throne.

"Did you use the tree to communicate?" Keith questioned.

"Of course! We Kty'hiptans all can do this."

Lance said, "It's like with the Balmera, Keith!"

"What's that?" Kytha looked confused.

"Oh, another planet does the same as you," Lance explained, touching the throne. "They communicate using the planet. Or in your case, the trees."

The King smiled, which seemed to make the whole room glow.

"Come, paladins. We have many things to do."

Kytha led Keith and Lance through the treetops, over bridges, and sometimes right through tunneled-out trees. They never touched the ground.

Lance contacted Allura and updated her with the situation.

"Hi, Allura. Things are going great. Kytha has his subjects testing the lion, so they can find a paladin."

"Great job, Lance!" Pidge grinned.

"Oh, hey Pidge."

Keith stuck his head near Lance's hologram communication. He could see Hunk on the other end.

"What's Hunk doing? And where's Allura?" Keith asked.

"Oh, they're helping Coran prepare the room for the new paladin." There was a pause. "Coran says to ask the paladin if they prefer cookies or scones!" Pidge explained.

"Uhh... Sounds great! We'll be back with one awesome golden lion and one cool paladin soon!" Lance turned off the hologram.

The trio reached an overhang, which was right above the main village.

Kytha stepped to the side. Pulling aside a screen of vines, Lance could see the village down below. It was beautiful.

It also had Kty'hiptans jumping into a sinkhole.

"WHAT ARE THEY DOING?" Lance shrieked.

Kytha responded calmly. "Oh, they are just bringing out the Lion."

Lance was confused. "By jumping into a hole?"

"That's where the Lion is kept!" As if on cue, the Lion was dragged out of the cave, hauled by many ropes and workers. They pulled it into the grassy field by the village. It gleamed in the sun like a piece of glass. The Gold Lion also had a pair of silver wings.

"Did you modify it?" Keith inquired.

"No," King Kytha replied. "It came like that."

"I've never seen a lion with wings like that," Lance pondered. "Only Black's, and those are temporary powers."

"Sorry to interrupt," Kytha apologized, which was weird because he wasn't interrupting. "But my people are telling me they are ready to try the Lion."