**Author's note: I do not own Voltron: Legendary Defender!
As the next few days dragged by, the boys busied themselves with training as Voltron and the Alteans continued to repair the Castle, leaving Mari alone with nothing to do. She was anxious to try her hand at the Gladiator again, but with her injury still healing, Coran highly advised against it. He had suggested that she just sit back and relax, take it easy until the castle-ship was back to one hundred percent again, before she began her own training. And although Mari knew he meant well, she couldn't help but feel irked by his insistence.
"What the heck am I supposed to do now?" she muttered to herself one morning as she shuffled down one of the many hallways. She had already explored the majority of the Castle, enough to get herself familiarized with its many rooms and features. The observation deck—a vast room with a large floor-to-ceiling window—had caught her interest especially. Peering outside, Mari had been able to see miles and miles of the beautiful Arusian landscape and sparkling ocean below them. She could only imagine what it was like to gaze out the glass when the Castle was in space, gliding past millions of twinkling stars and other foreign celestial bodies, and she couldn't wait for the day when Coran and Allura finally launched the castle-ship, when their real space adventures would begin. But until then, everyone was grounded, and there was only one place left that Mari hadn't explored yet.
Donned in her suit with her weapon hanging on her hip and her helmet in hand, Mari stood in front of one of the many entrances of the Castle of Lions. She had never been outside for more than a few minutes, and she'd always been with someone else. Venturing out into an alien planet all alone was dangerous, yes, but she promised herself that she wouldn't stray off the castle grounds, being extra careful as she moved around. Besides, if something did happen to go wrong, Coran and Allura would know where to look for her—she had told them she was going outside for a bit to look around. Plus, her helmet communicator was linked to the bridge, and the Castle's exterior sensors and cameras would be able to pick up on any possibly dangerous creatures that were nearby.
Taking a deep breath, Mari pressed her hand to the panel on the wall and the massive doors creaked open, letting sunlight pour into the dimly lit hall. A warm and comforting breeze greeted her as she stepped out into the sunshine and she smiled slightly to herself. Arus was a beautiful planet with a clean and breathable atmosphere, blue skies, healthy greenery, dazzling blue waters, and plenty of mountains. It reminded her very much of Earth, except it was more spacious and quieter, much more peaceful. She wondered how many more planets like Arus and Earth existed in the universe.
Off to the right of the entrance, a flat rock with strange markings carved into it caught her eye. Curious, she moved closer and pulled away the encroaching shrubbery that had begun to cover the stone, revealing a depiction of what looked like a humanoid figure with a lion head. Etched near the bottom of the rock were three smaller figures that appeared to be praying to the lion-like entity.
Huh… Mari hummed, stepping back to take in the whole image. I'm assuming the lion person is Voltron, and those ram-people are…native Arusians?
She couldn't know for sure; they had yet to see an Arusian, if they even existed at all. For all she knew, Arus was completely uninhabited.
Out of the corner of her eye, there was a sudden flash of movement and she whipped her head up just in time to see a small life form dive for cover behind a nearby boulder. Mari blinked in surprise and her hand instinctively curled around her staff, ready to activate it at any moment. Her eyes glued to where the creature was hidden, she waited for it to show itself once more. Several tension-filled seconds later, a strange yet cute being with ram-like horns peeked out over the rock to get a better look at her, and when it realized that she was staring back, it gasped quietly before quickly ducking back behind the stone.
Her heartbeat increasing slightly—whether from excitement or fear she didn't know—Mari cautiously inched closer to where the alien was hidden. "Um…Hi there," she said hesitantly and the creature yelped, prompting her to continue, "I know you're there, you don't have to hide. I won't hurt you."
As long as you don't hurt me, she silently added to herself.
After a moment of hesitation, the alien jumped out from its hiding spot, wielding what looked like a sword. It was surprisingly small in height, being no taller than her waist, and its eyes were alert yet curious.
"Hi," she greeted again, trying to smile friendly. "I guessing you're a local Arusian?"
The little alien simply stared at her and it dawned on Mari that it might not even understand English. Allura and Coran had briefly mentioned that it was a universal language, but there were instances in which more alienated groups were unfamiliar with the tongue.
However, it seemed that wasn't the case with Arus as the Arusian announced warily, "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors! Who are you?"
"I'm Mariko," she introduced. "But I usually just go by Mari."
"Mari…ko," Klaizap repeated unsurely. "A strange name indeed."
"You're one to talk, Klaizap," she said and he frowned in confusion. Crouching down to be at eye level with him, Mari sighed and smiled slightly. "Anyhow, I guess it's nice to meet you, Klaizap."
She held out a hand to him and he simply stared at it suspiciously. "O-Oh. It's a handshake. You, uh…shake it," she explained, feeling stupid for not having taken into consideration that the Arusians probably didn't have the same greetings as Earthlings.
"Shake?" Klaizap repeated and Mari nodded before the little warrior took her outstretched hand. His hand was small, soft, and smooth, and as they shook, a delighted smile broke out onto his face. But before their conversation could go any further, Keith suddenly stomped out of the Castle. He marched towards the pair, abruptly grabbing Mari by the wrist and roughly pulling her to her feet before wedging himself protectively between her and the alien.
"Keith, what the heck?!" she shrilled, and a scowl crossed Klaizap's face as he raised his weapon towards the Red Paladin.
"What are you thinking? He could be dangerous!" Keith snapped at her angrily. Then turning to Klaizap he summoned his bayard and ordered, "Drop your weapon!"
"Nobody takes Klaizap's weapon!" the little warrior growled back.
"He's not dangerous!" Mari bristled, shoving Keith out of her way so she could kneel down next to the Arusian once more.
"You don't know that."
"I think the fact that I'm not dead now is proof enough that he isn't." She rolled her eyes before turning to Klaizap apologetically, "Sorry about my friend here. He's just being a hotheaded idiot, as usual."
Keith stiffened and he stashed his bayard as he gave her an annoyed glare. Mari simply smirked in response just as Allura, Coran, Lance, and Hunk emerged from the Castle and hurried towards the group.
"The Castle alerted us about an approaching life form. Is everything all right?" the princess inquired.
"Mhm, everything's fine," Mari nodded. Then addressing her new acquaintance, she introduced everyone. "Klaizap, this is Lance, Hunk, Coran, and Princess Allura. The moody guy who wanted to hurt you earlier is Keith."
Klaizap looked at them one by one before introducing himself in the same way he had with Mari. "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors!" he said. "Our village is over Gazrell Hill. I came seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers, when I met Mari-ko."
"Followers?" Coran inquired.
"Lion Goddess?" Hunk asked.
"The one the ancients spoke of," Klaizap nodded, gesturing to the nearby carving that Mari had discovered earlier.
So Voltron is a Lion Goddess to them? she mused. "Why do you think she's angry with you?"
"Destruction is everywhere, Mari-ko!" Klaizap exclaimed. "In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens and a giant has danced in the sky!"
"I think he's talking about Voltron," Hunk whispered loudly to the group.
"Yeah. We got that," Lance said, giving him an unamused look.
"You have not angered the Lion Goddess," Allura smiled reassuringly to Klaizap.
"How can you be certain?" he asked.
"Because I am Allura," she stated regally. "And this is my castle."
That's not really an answer…Mari thought dryly to herself, but it seemed to be enough to quell the Arusian warrior's worries.
He gasped and got down on his hands and knees, bowing to the princess as he breathed in awe, "Lion Goddess!"
"Please, bravest warrior," Allura continued. "Take us to your village so that we may meet our neighbors."
"What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?" Keith frowned in dismay.
"Part of the paladin's mission is to spread peace and diplomacy," the princess explained. "Arus has been our host for ten thousand years. These people deserve our thanks."
With Allura and Coran riding in the Yellow Lion with Hunk, Mari in the Red Lion with Keith, and Lance driving solo in the Blue Lion, the group headed towards Klaizap's village.
"Just so you know, I could've handled myself if Klaizap was dangerous," Mari narrowed her eyes at Keith as he focused on piloting.
"Just like how you handled yourself against the Gladiator the other day? Yeah. Sure," he scoffed and she grimaced, her grip on the back of his seat tightening.
"You don't know what I was going through," she muttered, her voice barely audible, and Keith cast her a mild look of confusion.
"What was that?"
"I said you're a real jerk," Mari frowned at him, and his face immediately scrunched up in anger.
"You didn't have to ride with me, you know!"
"And ride with Lance instead? Yeah, I don't think so."
Keith huffed in annoyance but said nothing in response, leaving her to silently glare holes into the back of his head.
The Arusians were a friendly race of aliens, very cheerfully and open to the paladins, Allura, Coran, and Mari. Klaizap insisted upon showing "Mari-ko" to his other warrior pals, proudly introducing her before proceeding to tell them how she had taught him her handshake.
"You sure are popular with these little guys, aren't you?" Lance noted as more Arusians swarmed around her, eager to meet Klaizap's new friend.
"That's because I don't try to kill any of them when we first meet," Mari said, shooting Keith a pointed look as she noted how several of the small aliens were staring up at him fearfully.
"Would you just let that go already?" he rolled his eyes and she scowled at him.
"Oh Lion Goddess!" the chief of the village piped up as he approached Allura and the others. "I, King of the Arusians, formally beg for your forgiveness! Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings."
The king clapped and an Arusian hurried to the front of the crowd. "Commence Dance of Apology! Hurrah!" he ordered her, and as the musicians started to play their instruments, she began to dance.
"Please, there's no need for this," Allura began and the king quickly stopped the dancing Arusian.
"Moontow, halt!" he exclaimed and she froze in place, balancing precariously on one foot. "The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire. We must throw ourselves in!"
Several feet away an Arusian immediately threw a torch onto a prepared stack of logs and flames quickly engulfed the whole structure.
"No!" Allura quickly intervened just as one of the villagers was on the verge of being thrown into the fire. "No sacrifices!"
"So…We may proceed with the dance?" the king brightened.
"That's a better alternative," the princess agreed and Moontow proceeded with her dance. When she had finished, the Arusians all bowed to Allura respectfully.
"Oh my," she said, unsure of how to react to the attention. "Please! Please rise. Thank you for that, but I am not a great being worthy of your worship. I accidentally put you all in danger. It is I who should be apologizing to you."
The Arusians lifted their heads off the ground and stared at her in confusion before she continued, "I am Princess Allura and these are the Voltron paladins. Although we originally came from different worlds…and have very, very, very different traditions, we wish to live alongside you as friends."
"But the mighty robotic angel…" the king said, hurrying to his feet. "Has it not come to destroy us because of our immoral ways?"
"Voltron? No. In fact that mighty robot is here to protect you," Allura clarified. Then addressing the masses she added, "Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!"
The Arusians cheered and proceeded to socialize with their new friends. Several climbed over Lance and Hunk like they were jungle-gyms, but the two boys didn't seem to mind. And many others were eager to learn Mari-ko's handshake.
A few feet away, Mari watched as Keith hurriedly tried to escape the friendly atmosphere and she smiled to herself deviously. Leaning down to the nearest Arusian, she whispered to it, "See Keith over there? He's been awfully grouchy today and could really use a hug."
The Arusian nodded eagerly in understanding and sprinted over to Keith, jumping up and latching onto him. Mari chuckled as his face contorted in surprise and confusion and the nearby Arusians smiled happily.
"Uh…" the Red Paladin muttered uncomfortably. "I don't usually hug strangers, but, uh…Man, you are cuddly."
"Thank you!" the alien replied, his deep voice startling Keith, and Mari and the other Arusians laughed out loud at his stunned expression.
While Allura and Coran began discussing a formal alliance with the Arusian king, Klaizap had given Mari and the paladins a personal tour of the area, committed to showing them every little detail of their settlement. It was about an hour before their little excursion ended, and as soon as Klaizap ran off to converse with his fellow warrior friends, Mari sat tiredly beneath one of the nearby trees. She watched as several young Arusians scurried past, giddily shaking hands with one another and giggling.
Who knew a simple handshake could cause such excitement? she thought to herself with a smile.
"What are you so happy about?" Keith asked, and her smile instantly disappeared as he came to lean on the tree next to her.
"Nothing," she replied lightly. Then, glancing up at him, she smirked and said, "So, how was your first hug of the year? I heard it was extra cuddly."
"You told him to do that, didn't you?" he frowned at her sourly.
"No clue what you're talking about," she shrugged innocently and he rolled his eyes but smiled slightly nonetheless.
"Shiro?" Allura suddenly perked up, her expression concerned as she strained to listen to an incoming transmission.
"What's going on?" Keith asked her, but before Allura could answer, the ground beneath them began to shake. Looking up in the sky, a large fireball was plummeting in the direction of the Castle.
"That's not good," Mari grumbled and she quickly scrambled to her feet.
"We've got to get back to the lions," Keith said grimly and she nodded in agreement.
"Everyone get inside and stay down!" Allura directed the panicked Arusians as they began to flee for shelter.
"I'm on it!" Hunk exclaimed, fleeing with them and the princess gave him a confused look as he sprinted past her.
"Not you!" Keith huffed, grabbing the frightened Yellow Paladin and dragging him back towards the lions.
"Allura, Coran, and I will stay here to help the Arusians," Mari said as she saw the other paladins off. "Go help my brother and Pidge and see what's going on."
"Don't have to tell us twice," Lance said, turning to board his lion.
"Don't die out there!" she called after them before turning to head back to the village.
Once the battle was over, Allura, Coran, and Mari were picked up and brought back to the castle. Apparently, what had crashed into Arus was a robotic beast—a Robeast—sent by Zarkon to find and attack the paladins. During the battle, it was discovered that Voltron could not only form a shield, but a sword as well, and both items were used to defeat the creature.
Shiro also relayed his apparent time spent as a gladiator while he was Zarkon's prisoner. As a form of entertainment for the empire, he and many other innocent captives had been forced to fight many opponents, with Shiro earning himself the name 'Champion' due to his successes in battle. He had also saved Matt Holt's (Pidge's brother) life in that Shiro had purposely injured Matt to spare him the torture of fighting in the arena.
When doesn't he achieve greatness? Mari sighed to herself, walking down the Castle halls as the others sent off the prisoners that Pidge and Shiro had previously saved from Sendak's ship. He's a hero back home and he's a hero up here. And I'm still just…
Useless, troublesome, insignificant. A flurry of negative words came to mind, much to her dismay, and she shook her head angrily. I have to stop thinking this way, darn it!
Her steps faltered as she approached to the training deck doors and she came to a stop in front of them. The room would be empty and she'd finally be able to train without anyone watching—she could redeem herself against the Gladiator. Coran had told her not to, but she couldn't stand doing nothing anymore. Besides, what he didn't know wouldn't hurt him.
Steeling herself, she entered the training deck and stood in the middle of the floor. She put on her helmet and held her staff at the ready, taking several deep breaths to calm her nervously beating heart.
You're not useless or troublesome…That's all in the past. You don't need Takashi or anyone fretting over you. You can handle yourself now. You are strong and capable, and you can beat this dumb robot!
A new surge of energy and determination coursing through her veins, Mari glared up at the ceiling and called out, "Start training level one!"
I can do this, I can do this, she repeated the mantra over and over again as the Gladiator fell from the ceiling. I can do this!
And she did.