3. The Arrival
It was cold.
Of all the things about Altea Keith should have expected, the temperature was the most obvious and yet Keith was taken by surprise as he felt his skin pimple the closer they got to the Crystal Castle. For over a day they had traveled in a carriage not well suited for snow led by a team of dracolisks. The dracolisks grew slow with the cold that came when they reached the Altean boundary not able to warm themselves up with internal flames like fire breathing dragons nor made for the cold like Blues and Whites. They were replaced with large curly haired one horned creatures with colorful scales and thin hooved legs their Altean navigators called kirins. Keith pulled the only jacket he owned tighter around him and stared out his window as the strange new creatures as Prince Commander Shiro slept on the opposite side of him in the carriage.
Dragons would have been faster. Keith would have even agreed to try a Builder's travel design if there weren't so many trees in the way if it meant they got to Altea faster. He could feel Red's annoyance as she flapped in circles high in the sky as not to arrive at the castle earlier than her rider. Shiro had said Black had gone ahead and taken up a clearing for herself to sleep until they passed her. That was before Shiro had fallen asleep himself. Keith was happy if the prince could get some sleep, he hardly allowed himself rest as the commander. Keith couldn't rest, though. It was cold and he felt the same anxiety he had when he had been chosen to become a soldier for the Ko-gane people. He wasn't someone born into royalty and manners. He had run barefoot and free for most of his childhood. He had stolen without knowing what stealing was and taught how to survive. That was all Keith knew. Being a soldier didn't require much grace. He had to fight and yell when it was time to yell and stay quiet when it was time to be quiet and as a knight he could even bypass that. All he had to do was stand by Shiro's side and protect him. It was a big job, but not a hard one.
Keith knew nothing about Altea. Only the royals had been taught any manners or history about their rivals. They had hated each other until the Galras showed up and became a threat.
How different were they?
Keith knew Alteans took pride in their looks, that had been obvious at the meeting. Being so cold, Keith supposed there was time to think about clothing choices even if the Blue rider had complained about their fancy wear. In Ko-gane, the people wore enough for decency and to keep the sun from burning their skin. The nights were cool, but the days, especially out in the desert towns where Keith was raised, were scorching hot. As a child, he ran around with a sack made from two potato bags that went down to his feet and a bandana wrapped around his face to keep away the sun and the sand. As a soldier, their training uniforms had also covered most of their bodies and there were indoor arenas. And then there were riding hides that kept anything from getting to your skin.
With a sigh that came out in a puff of cold breath, Keith turned to the empty space beside him in the carriage. One single large bag leaned against the opposite window with all of his belongings that didn't have to do with his dragon. Keith had little free time following Shiro around all day. When he wasn't, he was flying with Red or on duty elsewhere in the castle. He hadn't accumulated much, but it was still more than half what Keith had arrived to the Amber Castle with.
Keith went back to staring out his window. He could see the evening moon high up in the sky and a few stars that indicated afternoon was approaching, but they weren't as bright in the cold. Did they have telescopes in Altea? Keith had assumed so. If he couldn't fly, Keith liked to look up at the stars. The Masters had liked him enough to let Keith have free reign of their observatory on the odd night.
The carriage jostled and Keith tried to peek out of his window as he heard the kirins making hideous noises. The dead trees had cleared out and they were now sliding along a lake of thick ice. At least most of it was ice. There was a bridge on the other side of the lake, an ice bridge,and Keith could see Blues and their serpentine largeness dancing through slushy water around the columns as large whites rolled around in the snow on the banks digging up clumps of the white ice with webbed claws. Keith had not seen many Whites though they had the odd Blue rider in Ko-gane, Prince Sven being one. Keith thought they were beautiful, scales reflecting light like ice crystals.
Like the very walls of the Crystal Castle.
The Crystal Castle was derived of five towers. Keith could only guess that the outer four towers stood for each faction of the Altean government while the main tower could be considered the home tower for the royal family which only consisted of Princess Allura at the moment. One of the Galra's recent surprise attacks had really done a number on the Altean royal family. It was one of the attacks that made both master kingdoms realize who their real enemies were.
Could they really ally though? Keith knew about the bad blood, he had it on his hands and woke up sweating from the nightmares, but the fighting had become pointless long ago.
"Are we there?" asked a groggy voice from inside the carriage.
Keith turned his head and looked at the Prince Commander as he woke up. "We're just now getting to the bridge, but I can see the castle now."
Shiro nodded and stretched. "If it was just us two, we could have taken the dragons and been here in less than half a day."
Keith agreed on that and smirked. "Are you very eager to meet your betrothed then?"
Shiro chuckled and turned his body so he could look out of his window. "I am curious about her."
Keith pulled his jacket further around himself. "I think we're all curious."
Behind their main carriage a few miles away was the rest of the court Shiro had brought with him. Their carriage was surrounded with the soldiers and a loyal line of knights from Ko-gane riding the kirins their dracolisks had been switched with carrying all their luggage. The new strange animals didn't seem as nervous as dracolisks would have been travelling up the ice bridge with all the low roaring of the Blues and Whites in the slushy waters. This close, Keith could see a few riders on the dragons. The Blue riders had skin tight suits and followed their Blues into the cold waters.
Keith shivered.
"You're going to have a hard time with the cold, Keith," Shiro said.
Keith rubbed his hands together and straightened up in his seat. "I've dealt with worse than the cold. Besides, I think it's going to be the people that give me a hard time."
Shiro got up from his seat and moved next to Keith, a hand coming up to grasp Keith's shoulder. "You'll do fine. You survived Ko-gane's soldier training regime, you can survive this. Just keep an open mind. Just be more willing to listen than they are."
"Of course, Your Highness."
Shiro smiled and moved back to his seat.
Once on the bridge, it didn't take long to make it to the castle gates. There was no fanfare at the gates, but a small procession of Altean servants did meet them to unpack their carriage and wait for the court Shiro had brought with him following a few hours behind. There were a few soldiers that had come travelling beside their carriage while the rest were leading the court. They surrounded Keith and their Prince Commander as they exited the carriage, servants carrying their bags.
"We welcome you," said one of the servants before indicating to an Altean guard standing at the gate. The soldier reached for a thin rope beside him and pulled. Keith barely heard it, but from high up on the gate, a bell chimed and a few moments later, the great doors of the Altean castle gate opened.
The servants led them into the courtyard. Keith tried not to let the cold get to him as he surveyed the front court. Snow, everything was covered in snow. There were some trees and small ponds that servants were skating on while preening the bushes around them. Most of the plants looked alien to Keith, but there were bushes and vines of beautiful large petal blossoms that thrived even in the cold weather. Keith liked them. They were pretty and blooming, growing, as much as they could even in such an environment. They stood out, giving a familiarity to this new place that would be Keith's home for however long he was here. They made a pretty reflection as well in the glass like material of the Crystal Castle.
They walked straight to the main entrance of the actual building itself. The guards immediately opened the doors and they were led down rounded halls. Keith looked on curiously at the architecture of the Altean castle. The ceilings, the doorways, the columns, everything was much more pointed than in curvy and rounded Ko-gane. And yet, their sigil was similar to Ko-gane's own - a blue lion with a golden V-shape above it. So familiar and yet strange.
Keith walked closer to Shiro.
"This is it," one of the servants said as they reached a pair of large ornamental doors of glass with etched designs. "Our Princess Allura is awaiting you inside with Regent Advisor Coran and their court. If I may offer advice, please do not look at anyone but her majesty or the regent when talking even if they were not the one that asked you a question."
Shiro nodded his head. "Thank you, we will take the advise. Are you ready to go in, Lord Keith?"
Keith furrowed his brow. "If you are, Your Highness."
The doors opened and Keith followed Shiro into the main hall.
It was ridiculous looking. The ceiling of the main hall was massively tall, more than needed until you saw the way the thrones and court seats were placed. There were chairs on the wall above cylindrical columns, smooth and shiny. The princess sat on the throne in the middle while Coran sat to her left and one seat over. To her right, but slightly lower was Lance.
It was the Blue rider that noticed them first. "It's the Ko prince and lord Mullet."
Keith frowned. Why did Lance have to target him in front of the Altean court? This was not a private affair and Keith bit his tongue to keep from retorting.
"Lord Lance, this is important business, please refrain from flirting," the princess said. Her voice was pretty, Keith thought, as was she, skin darker than Lance's, but hair falling in long curls as white as snow.
"I never get to do anything at these things," the Blue rider complained.
"You get to sit there and look pretty," the princess shot back.
"So you admit you think I'm pretty?" Lance asked and fluttered his eyes at the princess.
Princess Allura rolled her eyes and looked away. Keith chanced a glance at the rest of the court seated in large boxes above the elevation the princess was at, but they were all as still faced as they had been in the Olkari Gazebo except for their eyes. Twitching, studying, waiting.
Shiro cleared his throat and bowed. "Heir Princess Allura, I am Third Prince Shiro, previously Commander Prince Shiro, of the Ko-gane Kingdom, Black rider and Level 3 specialist in fire mastery."
"Only Level 3?" Princess Allura commented. A third level mastery was average when it came to talents in fire mastery. Keith was a Level 2, but he rarely had time to study in magic these days. However, he had stook managed to overtake Shiro. "Well, we won't worry on that, you're here to be our Commander Consort after all."
"Yes, Your Majesty, that would seem to be the case," Shiro said and smiled.
The princess blushed and fidgeted in her seat. "Yes, that has all already been agreed upon. And that who stands beside you, let him greet."
Keith straightened up and then bowed low to the princess. "I greet you Princess Allura, may your beautiful elegance reign when you rise to Queen more than it does now."
The princess laughed. Keith hadn't meant to make her laugh, but no one had told him how to properly address the next ruler of Altea correctly. The stood back up. "I am Lord Keith, Red rider of Ko-gane and Commander Protector Right Hand of the 3rd Prince, Level 2 fire mastery."
"What an impressive young man," Advisor Coran piped up and scooted closer to the edge of his chair as if to get a closer look at Keith. "Weird hair, but impressive all the same."
One glance at Lance told Keith Coran had cracked the Blue rider up. He had a hand over his mouth, a hand covered by a hide glove with only the three middle fingers covered, with long eyelashes locked together making the corners of his eyes crinkle. Keith could see them even from his place feet below Lance's elevated throne.
"Well, I believe the court is pleased with our Commander Betrothed. Since you are both riders, I expect your dragons will be arriving soon," Coran said. "We have heard the Prince Commander's Black his quite large and we have made accommodations for her. We also had the thought to keep Lord Keith's Red with her as to lessen the agitation of the move if that would please you."
"My Red is as loyal to Black as I am to Prince Commander Shiro. There will be no problems with them staying together," Keith agreed.
"Alright then. For now we should get you two and your court settled. Tomorrow we will get the dragons settled more comfortably in our Dragon Lair, let them meet the others and then we'll let the Prince Commander begin his duties. We will have the engagement party at the end of the week once the Ko have become more comfortable with the Altean way of life."
"Yes, that sounds pleasing. That will give time for one of my own family members to be witness at the party," Shiro said and then turned his eyes to Princess Allura and bowed. "Your Highness, we are truly grateful for you agreement in the treaty. Let us continue in such friendly manner."
The princess bowed her head as well. "I second that, my lord."
Keith bowed as well making sure to be lower than Shiro. When he came back up only after the prince did, he felt eyes on him. Well, all of the court's eyes were on him, but this stare felt like cold arrows pricking his skin, a sensation he knew well from fighting the Alteans in aerial battle. Lance was glaring at him, not angry, but calculating. There was an unsure shape to his lips. When he noticed Keith was looking back, he turned his calculations to the court. Keith didn't dare look at them, but from the expression on Lance's face, Keith thought the Right Hand did not have a good opinion of the court.
Keith took a deep breath as he followed Shiro out of the main throne room. Shiro was too optimistic about this whole treaty. It was Keith's job to distrust.
The room Keith was given was far more than he thought he deserved. Shiro had been given a half of a whole floor for his own personal use with not only a bedroom and a study, but his own library and multiple sitting rooms and Keith could only imagine what the prince's bathroom looked like when he looked at his own. The Amber Castle was large, but focused more on space for learning and storing. A whole section of the castle was dedicated to housing the soldiers in crowded rooms with bunkbeds, but they were rooms with cozy fireplaces. And those in the actual court and court servants each had their own cozy room. Keith's room had been one of the larger unused studies in the hall that had been Shiro's wing, but before that he had lived with the other knights in stacked comfortable ten by ten rooms. Keith thought the room he had been given in Altea on the opposite side of Shiro's half of the floor was overkill. Everything was decorated in whites and blues with a few bits of very light pastels contrary to the very dark and rich colors that decorated the dark walls of Ko-gane. The bathroom had had a tub built into the floor and other bits of fancy gear to wash up with that Keith felt stupid for not knowing how to use. He had a study and a library to the side of the main sitting room, each had their own fireplace though Keith found it strange to see a naturally made fire. And there was another room for Keith's clothing. But, the bedroom was the most strange to Keith. It was blocked off from the main sitting room by a wall of glass that didn't reach either end of the room. Behind it was the bed, large enough for a whole family to squeeze on and tucked into a hovering oval bed frame. At least it seemed to hover at first. Ornamental glass legs held it up, almost invisible in the wrong light. And the whole back wall was covered by large panes of glass. Keith had never seen so much glass even though it was abundant to come by with their deserts in Ko-gane. The glass panes stopped just a few feet from the floor ending where cushioned window seats were placed all along the wall.
Slipping into bed that night, Keith found it hard to sleep. The stars outside the window were all wrong, the room much colder than Keith was use to even in desert nights. And then there was Red, agitation heightened by an overprotected and just as agitated Black bothering her. Eventually, Keith pulled the curtains down and turned off all fires in his chambers. He curled up under as many blankets as he could find and warmed himself with his own heat, reaching out to Red for hers as well. She seemed to calm down being touched by their bond and Keith eventually let exhaustion have its way with him.
Waking up his first morning in Altea wasn't a slow peaceful process with servants knocking lightly at his door, food already prepared for him like he thought Shiro's would be, but, no, Keith was sure Shiro had woken up the same way if he hadn't already been awake. No, Keith woke up with a sudden painful tug at his mind. Red was angry. Keith dressed and hurried out of his room to Shiro's half of the floor.
Servants were already walking about Shiro's chambers and he followed them to where the prince was seated by a magical fire reading documents with a tray of small tidbit sized foods half eaten, black riding hides already on. He looked up, black eyes meeting Keith's, and smiled. It wasn't as bright as Keith was used to seeing Shiro's smile. Black must have kept Shiro up as well and there was a bit of panic when he glanced at the servants. They were as blank faced as the court, eyes darting everywhere, but when any of them looked at the two Ko citizens, they smiled.
"Good morning, Lord Keith. Did Red wake you?" Shiro asked standing from his seat.
"Yes, have you been up long, Your Highness?"
"Well, you know how I can't go back to sleep once I've woken," Shiro said. "But, I would never leave without my protector. Shall we head to the Lair?"
Keith nodded. "I believe they're suppose to be taking Red to her hold today."
"Oh, yes, that would be for the best if you two went," one of the servants said. "Usually, the lair handlers move the dragons around and take care of them, but it would appear Ko-gane's bonded dragons are not used to being touched by others."
Keith glanced over at Shiro. Now he understood why their dragons were so distressed.
"In Ko-gane, it is each Knights' and riders' responsibility to take care of their own dragons. We believe it builds trust," Shiro said.
"There is a carriage waiting to drive you to the Lair in the courtyard. Lord Lance is waiting at the staircase to show you the way," the servant said. "Or, at least he should be in the next few minutes. We did send a few girls to wake him up."
The servant was blushing at the last words and Keith felt sick. He didn't want to be around that Blue rider so soon.
"Where are his rooms, perhaps I could wake him up. We are both Right Hands after all," Keith said. He didn't want to wait around and perhaps he could show he wasn't someone to be idled with in the mornings.
A few servants giggled as they cleaned up. The servant that had been talking just shook her head. "Do not worry yourself. It won't be long now. If you went, we might have to wait on both of you."
It was thirty minutes before the Blue rider showed up looking freshly washed and smug. Keith glared at him all the way to the gates, but kept his comments to himself as he knew Shiro would disapprove of any hostility. He could not afford to be hostile to the Alteans. He had barely gotten away with his hot-head around the other Ko boys. That didn't stop the Altean rider from making remarks, most directed at Keith and his hair.
Was his hair really so bad? Perhaps he should let it all grow, but then his bangs would be smoothed back when he tied it up. He thought to come up with a few phrases to throw back at Lord Lance when they were alone together, but really Keith didn't know what an appearance flaw would be. Lance was lanky muscle with tan skin and striking blue eyes. Keith didn't think freckles and calloused fingers were a flaw and he knew next to nothing about haircuts obviously.
Well, Lance was obnoxious, Keith had that in his arsenal.
Luckily, the Blue rider did not ride with them. He had a kirin of his own that he rode close to the carriage. The carriage was probably just set up for the two Ko men's comfort as they weren't use to riding with cold in their face.
The Altean Dragon Lair was behind the Crystal Castle, far behind it. There was a canyon that led into a sheer drop with hot springs. Built over the hot springs was a cabin like structure of glass and crystal metal. Upon reaching it, they were led inside. There were grand areas for sitting and Keith saw a few Alteans walking about in sleepwear.
"Is this where the knights sleep?" Keith asked. He could understand why Lance and himself did not sleep here with their positions, but other knights should be close to their dragons, he thought.
"No, this is the Dragon Lair. The servants who take care of the dragons sleep here. All knights sleep in the castle. Sometimes they spend the night here," Lance explained.
"Is everything so far apart like this?" Shiro asked. "In Ko-gane, everything is very close. It's about forming bonds."
"Oh, we do bond training. The princess is more about all that then King Consort Alfor was," Lance said. "He was also about separation. He thought it would keep each sect safer if they were apart. If you haven't noticed, a lot of our architecture is new. We actually have close bonds with the Builders."
That explained why Lance was so chummy with the Green and Gold rider back at the Olkari Gazebo, but Keith didn't like this seperation thing. Red was his family and he had very little of that.
"When can we see our dragons?" Keith asked.
Lance chuckled. "Follow me."
They were led to a ledge that overlooked the hot springs far below. Lance stepped right up to the edge, spread his arms out, and fell. Instinctively, Keith ran towards the edge and reached out, but stopped as a gush of cold air flapped at him and then a large blue serpentine dragon rose into the air. Its tail had fins at the end and little fins, flowing and glittering with water, lined its cobalt blue body. Wings just as wide as it was long jutted part way down its body with webbed claws at the second joint with smaller wings closer to its tail near small legs. Its face was triangular and held few horns, but it's oilslick eyes stared at Keith with steady observation.
"Like my dragon?"
Keith looked up to see the Blue rider holding onto the harness on the mighty beast grinning down at them.
"What, dragon got your tongue Lord Mullet? Come on, that's one of our most basic trust bond practices. Where you seriously worried about me?"
Keith took a few steps back from the ledge and crossed his arms, looking away. "No, but it would be bad if I didn't at least try and save Her Majesty's Right Hand from his crazy antics."
Lance's Blue twirled its body in circles as it batted the air to keep afloat causing Lance to go upside, never once losing his grip as if he was use to it. He must have been to have a grin that was just as annoying upside down as it was right side up.
"Do you guys want to try it? I'll signal the servants to unlock your dragons," Lance said.
"That's not a good idea," Keith said.
"Why, chicken your dragon isn't as trustworthy as mine?"
Keith did trust falls all the time with Red. It was half how he fought. He wasn't afraid of jumping off a ledge. He would even do it backwards.
"It's a bad idea because of Black," Shiro said. "If Black was use to this place, certainly, but she is use to being the dominant dragon and is just going to go to the first largest dragon she sees if you let her out and I'm not close to her."
"Red will just come straight for me," Keith said. He could already feel her calling him to hurry up and let her out.
"Ah, then how about we wait until Prince Shiro here gets his dragon?"
"Lord Keith?" Shiro warned.
"Trust falls aren't new to me. Black will protect you. I want to fly," Keith said.
"Alright," Shiro agreed. "Where are our dragons?"
Lance pointed towards a large hole in the canyon. "A rider servant will fly you down. Usually you just climb the ropes or jump. We don't often lock up our dragons. We did last night in order to get your guys' into the Black's hold and then locked them in and let the others out."
"Alright, give me a few minutes to get over there," Shiro said and placed his hand on Keith's shoulder before leaning in and whispering in Keith's ear. "You play nice with Lord Lance. He's the best guide you have here."
Keith frowned. If this was how he was expected to act, Keith didn't think it would be hard to surpass Lance.
Lance did a few tricks in the air while they waited for Shiro to meet with his dragon. A Green rider had Shiro with her and lowered them to a large opening in the canyon cliff. When Shiro was close to the fence at the opening, Lance raised a hand to signal the guards watching over the new dragons to let them free and get out of the way.
"Prepare yourself Mullet Lord," Lance said and dropped his hand.
Shiro stayed on the Green as one of the two guards pulled open the fencing. They both jumped from the narrow space they had been guarding on, but chords broke their fall paired with little steam powered boosters. Keith had heard of the technology before, the Builders had given them prototypes, but only few ever ventured into the mountains and the Dragon Lair in Ko-Gane was just on the other side of the main city, nowhere as far as this lair was from the Crystal Castle. Keith didn't even know where the Altean cities where. They had only passed one village on their way here.
As soon as the fence was gone, there was a blur of red. Keith walked up to the ledge and closed his eyes, spreading his arms. He could hear Shiro trying to reign in his Black, but Red was free. She was free! Keith could feel her joy as she looped through the sky of the new lair.
Here, I'm here.
Keith let himself fall.
A freefall was an adrenaline rush like no other. Before Red, Keith often played with fire, but once he learned how much mastery he had over fire, it was no longer enjoyable, but Keith couldn't control gravity, he couldn't control the air around him, he couldn't even control Red, but he trusted her. Farther and farther he went and then he opened his eyes and saw her.
Reds were the smallest dragons, but Keith's red was larger than most being a mixed breed. Her jaws grabbed onto his pant leg, teeth sharp and almost tearing into his skin, but not enough to really hurt with Keith's riding hides in the way. She shook her head back and forth as if playing with Keith like a toy until Keith could get a good grab on one of her horns. Red wasn't harnessed properly, but he only harnessed her close to battle. He settled himself along her back and held tight to the tufts of fur like scales at the corners of her round face. They flew in the icy sky until Keith brought her to land on the deck he had jumped off from.
"Sure took her a while," Lance said. He had gotten off his dragon and had gear in a pile at his side.
"I like falling," Keith said and dismounted.
"I'll remember that when you piss me off," Lance said and handed over a few red harnesses and a saddle.
"Don't you have laying saddles?" Keith asked.
"Are you going swimming? Aren't Reds the most fiery of fire dragons?" Lance asked, one brow raised and head leaning close to Keith.
"Swimming? No, it's for aerodynamics. Reds are small even if my Red is large. If I lay against her back and use a chest harness, we go faster," Keith said. "She's very fast."
Lance laughed. "I'm sure she's quite a bit faster, but my Blue here is the fastest in Altea."
Keith tilted his head to the side. "Really, I was fastest in Ko-gane last time there was a race. As the protector of Commander Prince Shiro, I have to be able to outrun his Black."
The Blue rider frowned. "I can outrun Allura's dragonette's...the princess doesn't have a dragon."
"Oh," was all Keith said and started to shift through the gear Lance had brought. He heard a sudden roar and looked up to see Shiro riding his Black high above the Lair. Many of the large Blues flapped their wings agitated below. Keith hoped they wouldn't fight. Black would tear them all to pieces.
"Let's race."
"Huh?" Keith turned to see Lance soothing the head of his Blue between his hands. It was a large Blue. Since the princess did not have a dragon of her own, it was possible that Lance's Blue was the Alpha of this heard though usually females commanded the most power.
Lance turned back to Keith. "I said, let's race. Since you are to live in Altea now, you're no longer number one. Let's see who the real number one rider of Altea is."
"Alright," Keith agreed and picked up a coat of reddish brown fur. "What's this?"
"It's for you, it's cold. Put it on and meet me in the air," Lance said and jumped onto his Blue launching into the air.
The coat was indeed warm and about as long as the single jacket he owned, a fit he quite liked. He adjusted it before testing Red's reigns. "Get ready girl."
The Red hunched down, tail wagging slowly and black inky eyes shimmering as she concentrated on the Blue in the sky.
"Go!"
The Red launched straight up, flapping wings only when she touched a current near the Blue. She let out a noise, friendly, but not encouraging next to the other unfamiliar dragon. Keith supposed he had never been very close to Lance on the battlefield if Red was willing to be friendly. It would make sense as Lance appeared to be an archer and Keith preferred close up battle and as the princess did not seem to take part in the actual battles often, Lance might have been held back on a few as well.
Lance's glance roamed both Keith and his dragon. "You're actually kind of small, aren't you. Fit your dragon pretty well."
Keith frowned. "We're a good fit, makes us faster."
"Right," Lance said and changed his grip on his dragon's bridle, leaning down. "On go we'll race to that pole in the distance, it's the next closest town. Go around it then head back here. First person to jump from their dragon onto the deck wins."
"Agreed," Keith said and maneuvered himself to be in more of a laying position.
"Ready," Lance began, eyes squinting shut and Keith could feel something in his demeanor change.
"3...2...1"
Red's excitement grew. Keith could feel it and it blended with his own.
"Go!"
Lance's Blue curled itself up then sprung itself forward. It moved in a slithering motion, tail paddling the air. Underwater, it was probably much faster than its impressive speed now. With how large its body was, each spring propelled it forward, but it was large, very large. Had Keith been able to get a take off from the ground, he would have been far ahead of Lance by now. Reds were very feline in body. They could pounce and it wasn't just all in their legs. Red had a good stream and Keith stayed low, but kept a good line of sight. They kept up with the halfway point of the Blue's body, hiding against the air resistance behind its wing.
"IS THAT AS FAST AS YOU CAN GO!" Lance yelled back.
Keith barely caught it with all the wind in his ears, but he grinned to himself.
Each time the Blue sprang itself forward, Keith realized it slowed down just a bit to uncoil. If Lance wasn't so cocky, perhaps he would have better used those springs. If this was an endurance race, Lance would definitely lose, but so would Keith. Red could go fast, but not for a long period of time. It was when they reached the pole that Keith knew he had won.
The little city below was quaint and only partly made out of the crystal metal most of the Altean royal holds were like the castle and the Lair. There were people bustling about in coats and shaking fists at the knights as they raced, fluffy dragonettes zooming up to hiss at them playfully. Keith only had a few seconds to take it all in, though. It gave him a jolt of home sickness and so he concentrated on the pole. As soon as they reached it, Red shot out from behind the Blue's wing and flapped her wings with such strength they managed to be at the Blue's head. Around the pole they went. Then, they were a whole spring ahead of the blue as it was still pulling it's long body around the pole. It was that length that slowed it down and Keith found himself in jumping range of the patio. Before Lance had a chance to catch up, Keith jumped. The landing was a bit hard, but he had taken worse landing surprise attacks from the air in the middle of a fight. Lance and his Blue swooped in not a second later.
"I told you I was fast," Keith said turning initially with a smile, but it dropped when he saw Lance stomping over to him.
The Blue rider grabbed Keith's shoulder and wagged a finger at him. "You cheated!"
Keith instinctively slapped the finger out of his face. "How did I cheat?"
"You stayed behind my dragon's wings so you didn't have as much resistance."
"That's tact, not cheating. Maybe you should learn some!" Keith yelled and tugged his shoulder away from Lance's hold. They were racing, racing was suppose to be fun. They needed to get along for the sake of Princess Allura and Shiro. He didn't want to yell at the other knight, but he didn't want to be called a cheater or dishonorable in anyway and this guy was just so annoying.
"Now you listen here," Lance said leaning back and crossing his arms. "I am Lord Lance, Blue Rider, Level 1 ice mastery, and Right Hand to the Heir Princess Allura of Altea and I will not be outshined by a cheater. Blues are the fastest. Their underwater speeds outshine any fire breather. If you weren't cheating, my coiling technique would have left you in the dust. It was the best use in such a short race. There's no way I could lose to a mullet headed Ko and his oversized Red"
Keith shook his head angrily and dug his fingernails into his hands, fists at his sides. It wouldn't do for him to get too worked up, he had just gotten here. He needed to prove himself. "Underwaters speeds don't count in the air. A Red can out speed even a Black just like a sparrow can escape an eagle. I know my dragon. I know what will make her win. I don't need statistics to tell me I'll win, I'll make her win."
"That's cheating!" Lance argued.
"That's tact! I'm good at instinctual tactical planning. I'm a commander's Right Hand! Give me some credit here."
"I'll give you some credit when you fix that stupid hair of yours," Lance grumbled.
"Oh for…" Keith cut himself off. He took a deep breath, turned, and mounted his Red before shooting off into the sky to where Shiro was doing laps with his Black. He settled Red near where Shiro was sitting on his dragon's crown.
"I told you to get along with Lord Lance," Shiro said not even looking at Keith as the tried to stay peaceful for Black's sake.
"You heard all of that?" Keith asked.
"You both decided to race, that's all anyone was paying attention to other than Black here."
"He's insufferable, Shiro. He doesn't understand simple tactics. I use the same tactic all the time with you. And I'm sure he knew I was right so then he resorted to making fun of my hair. He always makes fun of my hair!"
Shiro chuckled. "Maybe he likes it."
Keith sighed. "I think he hates me."
Once the dragons were settled in the Lair, Shiro's Black's dominance inserted, and they had been given a tour of the Crystal Castle, they were allowed to begin training. It was the second morning, but this time, Keith woke up feeling no more refreshed, but at least he was calm. He could blow off steam while training and after all the glaring Lance had done during the dinner he had attended with Shiro in the private royal dining hall, he had a lot of steam to blow off. He had chosen to ignore the stares, but there was only so much Keith could take. That was half the reason he had become so good back in Ko-gane, if anyone had given him a problem, he had a place to blow off steam that was close and safe with good mentors eager to mold him for the good of the kingdom and not shifty crooks in the city slums close to where Keith's camp had been.
With training clothes on, Keith followed Shiro to one of the other four towers of the Crystal castle where a landing pad was held. There were very private training areas in the castle, but only for the court and those that served them. The South tower was the tower that housed the training areas and the landing pad where both of their dragons were perched waiting for them. Black bowed her head for the Prince Commander and Shiro climbed on. Keith easily climbed onto his own dragon and they followed a pair of White riders to an enclosed area of graying stone with ice and snow weathering most of it. This was more what Keith had expected the Altean Castle to look like. There was a charm to the history an old building had and Keith found himself smiling as they flew in.
Below them, men and women who had previously been fighting with swords and shields and lances made of softened wood in a mock battle parted. They landed with a thump and a wave of silence fell across the the training field as all heads turned to the Ko newcomers. Black lowered her head and Shiro slid off. Keith held himself up taller and kept a firm hold on his dragon just encase he needed to order her to pounce on anyone who violently rejected Shiro as their new commander.
"I am Prince Shiro of the Ko-gane kingdom," Shiro introduced standing tall with both hands behind his back, a habit formed when trying to hide his fake arm that the generals and even the soldiers had adopted through the years as a sign of authority. "You may have heard the rumours that the Altean Heir Princess Allura had been betrothed to a Ko prince as part of the treaty between our two kingdoms. Though that is true, I want you all to know me first as your new Commander and judge me from there. You may hold anger for the friends and comrades and family that have died because our kingdoms had differences, because of my commands, but I want no deaths for the Altean people now. Now, we ride against the Galra Empire that swallows our sun on the west every night. Let them not swallow us as well. Do you accept me?"
There was a silence that stretched on for too long. Keith tightened his hold on his dragon and studied the Altean soldiers' faces. They had that same look, the blank quizzical staring. Keith was reminded of hunters stalking their prey. They had once preyed upon each other on the battlefield, Keith wouldn't expect such reactions to go away so quickly, but this was different. He looked away from the soldiers when there was the sound of another dragon's wings. They landed on the wall of the training grounds and Keith turned his head just in time to see Lance slide down his dragon's tail as if it was some toy. The moment he landed on the ground, he grinned at the crowd.
"Oh, what a greeting! Well, let's break this silence then," Lance said and reach behind him to unhook a gray wood shortbow; shaped like an exaggerated m, flattened out, and balanced by small bits of metal and drilled holes along the bow. "I'll accept him."
Slowly, the other soldiers began to raise their weapons in the air as well and those without raised their fists. Shiro was smiling, a warm twinkle in his dark eyes. It warmed Keith as well.
"Let us get to practice then. Generals, please show me the ropes of the Altean training regime."
A few older men walked over to Shiro. Keith thought they didn't look quite rugged enough to be generals, but the best had been defeated along with King Consort Alfor years ago in the one and last large attack the Alteans had cast on the Galra when they had infiltrated the westernmost front of the Altean's land. Now the land was Galra territory and Altea was left with what Keith only knew as a smart and beautiful princess.
Keith slid off of Red and followed some paces behind Shiro as they walked the field all the while ignoring the eyes of Lance over in the archery corner. When Keith did finally turned to glare at the Blue rider, he found the other knight was no longer staring. He was crouched with young soldiers showing them how to hold their bows and adjusting their stance. Keith had never had much talent with long range weapons which left him wanting as a knight, but he had learned to overcome that with his magic, and throwing daggers like the one he kept at his waist at a medium distance proved sufficient. Shiro and the generals ended up settling at the main arena where young soldiers were being tested with swords and shields, Keith's favorite weapon of choice and he would have enjoyed watching had there not been the sound of laughter so bright it disturbed Keith.
It was Lance.
Again with the children. It appeared he had given up teaching them archery and had instead lifted one of the female soldiers-to-be onto his soldiers. She had a rubber tipped arrow pulled on her small bow pointed down at a few boys who were running around with their stick swords trying to get at her. Lance swayed his body to and fro growling. Like a dragon. And she was his rider.
Keith lifted a hand to his mouth and turned away, lips curled up. Well, at least the insufferable knight was well liked by children.
"Aye, Lord Mullet, what are you just standing around for?"
Keith turned back surprised at being addressed. Lance had let the girl down and was jogging towards him. The sudden close proximity to the other Knight after what had happened the day before at the Lair had Keith stiffening up. He straightened his shoulders and crossed his arms paying no heed the the glance Shiro threw his way as he talked to the generals.
"I'm doing my job," Keith said.
"So am I, doesn't mean you have to be Prince Shiro's shadow. Princess Allura has no plans on even going outside today so I've got free reign to train, how about you? I know your prince wasn't with you when you came to the meetings. He's literally surrounded by fighters that are sworn to protect him," Lance said and waved his arms at the hundreds of young soldiers, most too young to be actual soldiers, surrounding them.
Keith shifted his feet. "Your point is?"
Lance rolled his eyes and moved to the fence of the main arena grabbing two wooden adult sized swords from a stand and threw one to Keith. Keith caught it and looked at the other knight with wide eyes.
"Let's duke it out," Lance said.
"Is this about yesterday?"
"This is about all the days. I didn't become the Princess's Right Hand had just because I have a pretty face and a big dragon."
Keith weighed the sword in his hand and raised a brow. "Are you sure you want to challenge me to a sword fight? Wouldn't you rather challenge me to archery?"
Lance scoffed. "You think I'm stupid? That'd be an easy win. I can tell with how the muscles in your arms and shoulders are shaped that you have little talent with a bow which is odd for a knight. I want an actual challenge."
Lance was right, but Keith still reddened knowing Lance had been able to tell Keith was no archer just by looking at him.
"If I'm not an archer, what do you think I fight with on dragon back?" Keith asked.
Lance tilted his head and looked Keith over. "You have a dagger on the back of your belt, probably a few more in that strange jacket of yours. You use throwing daggers."
"That is my range weapon, but I also have fire magic so it's not my go to weapon of choice," Keith said. He finally found a comfortable grip on the Altean styled wood sword and swung it a few times. It was heavier than he was use to, but he always liked to warm up using a heavier sword. "My speciality is sword and shield combat, particularly the sword part."
The ice master looked at Keith blankly for a moment before a slow grin spread across his face and he narrowed his eyes. "All the better for a sweeter defeat."
Keith grinned himself. "Are tactics allowed this time?"
"What's a sword battle without them?"
"Then I agree to your little game, Lord Lance," Keith said. This was probably stupid, but Lance was right about him shadowing Shiro. In Ko-gane, everyone already knew Keith and those who did not were told. He was nobody here. He would get no respect unless he showed everyone he was worth his place at their Consort Commander to be's side. If that meant he had to keep beating the princess' right hand, so be it. Lance could just go throw another tantrum if he wished.
Lance left to clear off space on one of the smaller fenced off arenas before beckoning Keith over. Shiro tried to excuse himself from the generals, but Keith held out a hand to assure him he would be fine. Just a little friendly competition.
"Get ready to dance, Fluffy, and don't let your hair get in your eyes," Lance said.
Maybe not so friendly.
Keith moved to the opposite side of the arena and took up his place. "Don't call me fluffy."
"Oh, did I hit a nerve there? Let's go with first to three hits."
"That's fine with me, but don't go calling me a cheater again when I win. I warned you," Keith said.
Lance slowly got into his stance, it was familiar from having seen it so often on the battlefield, but Keith thought it looked proper for once. Then he saw Lance's eyes. The shocking blue looked colder than he'd seen it before. Blank, almost dead, but there was still thought behind them.
"When the kids clap," Lance said, his voice lower, more like a true growl and less like the playful noises he had made with the children.
There was clapping and Keith was caught off guard as Lance lunged at him. He got a hit on Keith's arm and a child on Keith's end called out one and held up a finger. Keith retreated to a different corner of the arena and rubbed his arm with his free hand before compiling himself. Lance turned around and lunged again. He kept his sword low and close to his body. He had long arms and Keith calculated that Lance used that extra length to fool his opponent into thinking they had more time than they did to dodge. Keith dodged early, but he got away and set up in yet another corner of the arena.
"What are you, a scaredy lion? Do you keep your tail up your ass? You don't have any other place for it with those tight pants," Lance said, grinning again.
"There are children around," Keith said shifting his sword handle in his hand and studied the way Lance switched holds in reaction.
"They're pre-teens. They've heard worse from the generals. They've been told worse. Let me have fun since this battle seems too easy."
It wasn't easy, Keith just wasn't use to it. He wasn't running on adrenaline or following Shiro's orders. It was just Lance and that left Keith time to think. He needed to stop thinking and act. He had already gathered enough information.
Lance lunged a third time, sword held closer to his chest. Keith saw and dodged this time slipping under the sword and onto his knees. He kicked out. Lance only got one foot away from Keith, but still managed to get knocked down. Keith was quick to get back to his feet sliding his sword once along Lance's side. He twirled and slid behind Lance grabbing his head and pressed his sword to Lance's throat. The boy on Lance's side counted two before he could even count one and they all started booing Keith.
That was fine. It was all fine.
"That was a dirty trick," Lance groaned.
"You said I could use tactics," Keith said and moved away just as Lance used his strength to turn and wave his sword at Keith's ghost behind him.
Lance got onto his feet and twirled his sword as he stalked towards Keith. Keith held his arms out and paced around the fence keeping watch on his opponent. Lance didn't lunge this time, he fainted and caught Keith as he was dodging hitting his sword out of Keith's hand. Keith ran, Lance following. He just needed one more hit. His sword had landed more in the middle of the arena, it would be easy enough to retrieve, but that also gave Lance room to get him when he reached for his sword. Unless he could get Lance in front of him. Keith kept the Blue rider right behind him then dropped to the ground so Lance didn't have time to stop and stumbled over him, legs spread out as not to stomp on Keith. He turned with a surprised look on his face that twisted into one of pain as Keith brought his sword up as quickly as possible. It wasn't until Lance collapsed that Keith understood what he had done.
The Blue rider was rolling around in the dirt cupping his crotch. Keith carefully approached him.
"I um...I didn't mean to do that. I was going to stab you in the back or the stomach depending on how fast you turned," Keith said.
Lance grumbled words.
"Do...you need ice?" Keith asked. He honestly felt bad. On the battlefield anything went, but this was practice. It was bad sportsmanship to stab an opponent in the genitalia.
"Ice? He asks if I need Ice!" Lance held up a hand hardened with ice before putting it back on his crotch.
Right.
Keith took a deep breath and looked around. Lance' boy had three fingers held up with wide eyes while some of the girls were giggling. Shiro didn't seem pleased, but the generals were laughing so it didn't seem as if Keith had done something terribly wrong.
After a few more moments, Lance stood on wobbly legs. "That last hit doesn't count."
"Okay," Keith agreed. "I'm sorry I hit you there."
"Really? No, I think you like cheating. You have no honor. You're a Hibridullum."
"Hibri...Is that Voltean?" Keith asked. Just like with the stories of how the two masters originally began to fight, their language also stemmed from the same old one. Voltean known as Volganean to Keith was a language he knew little of. However, Keith knew when he was being insulted.
The children around them were quiet. Everything seemed too quiet.
"It means you're honorless. You have no family. And if you have no family and no honor than you're not human. You're a monster!" Lance said speaking up, his voice steady even if his legs still weren't.
"I'm...not a monster," Keith said slowly. He had family. His father was in the extreme south adventuring, had been ever since Keith became a soldier-in-training. And he had honor or else he wouldn't be Shiro's Right Hand.
"Monster! Monster!" the children began chanting.
No, he wasn't a monster. He was fine. He was Ko. He was fine.
"Monster! Monster!" Lance's voice rang out above the children's. He was leading them on.
The teasing about his hair had been fine.
The inappropriate occasional comments were confusing, but refreshing. They were fine.
But this, this was not fine and Keith was not fine.
Keith's fists balled up. His nails dug deeper into his gloved hands than they needed, points still sharp no matter how much Keith filed them. They drew blood and that blood ignited into fire. He lunged at Lance with flaming fists.
Immediately, Lance held his arms in front of him covered in a thick layer of ice. The ice melted, but it also caused Keith's fire to die down. It didn't stop Keith from throwing punches at Lance's face toppling them over and onto the ground. Lance reached up and tried grabbing at Keith's hair tugging it this way and that, blocking his face with his long arms as much as he could. Keith was too angry to really pay attention. Lance's hands were annoying.
"Fight, fight, fight!" the children chanted around them.
Eventually, Keith felt strong arms pulling him away from Lance, some of his hair pulling out frozen in Lance's hands he had freezed over again. A general helped Lance up, a look more of bored annoyance than anger on their face. No, they were probably use to Lance acting like this.
Keith had been stupid. He turned his head to look at Shiro already knowing he'd be crushed by the disappointment in the prince's face, instead he saw fear.
"Wh-what?" Keith asked.
"You were hissing and...your ears are out, Keith," Shiro said, voice so soft and concerned behind the look of fear, fear for Keith.
Keith felt it, too. Fear. He looked around at the Alteans all looking at Keith now that he was properly displayed and not hunched over the Blue rider's body. They must have seen them, large purplish black ears poking out of Keith's head. They twitched and lowered as Keith bowed his head. The Ko people knew before they had recruited him. They didn't care if he hid his ears, but Keith did anyways.
"His ears," one of the generals said and pointed at Keith. "Those are Galra ears."
Keith looked up slowly, looked over at Lance still holding the long parts of Keith's hair that use to cover up Keith's ears in his frozen hands.
"I'm...not a monster," Keith said weakly.
Lance's blue eyes were the only eyes not filled with fear. They looked heartbroken.
