Keith met Lotor sooner than he would have liked.

Haggar was on the far side of the room, tinkering with potions and bottles of her own design, murmuring to herself in a language Keith wasn't familiar with when the door slid open again. Keith snapped his gaze to it immediately, tensing, wondering if it was Laynek back again to choke the ever-living daylights out of him, but he was horribly wrong.

Instead, the figure that entered the room was tall, with magnificent white hair that tumbled down his back, a single strand hanging perfectly between his eyes. His skin was flawless, ears too pointed to be Galran, and moved with a grace of perfectly calculated movements.

Keith hated him.

Haggar turned to face the incomer and a sly smirk spread across her face at the sight of him.

"Ah, Prince Lotor," she said. "How kind of you to finally join us."

Keith struggled, ripping his still-sore wrists upwards. His bones cried in protest, creaking and groaning, and he was sure if he continued to try and pull this any longer he was going to break both of his wrists, which would put a serious damper on his escape plans.

Lotor's eyes, yellow in the same way that Haggar's were, but also a beautiful violet that observed Keith, restrained and struggling on the table.

"Haggar," he spoke and Keith felt the hatred he felt beneath his skin bubble just a little bit more because really, an accent?! How more pretentious could this guy get? "Is this our guest?"

"Yes," Haggar was addressing Lotor with all the respect of a Galra general. If this were Zarkon, Keith was sure her voice would be lowered reverently. Clearly, Haggar herself was not happy with this power swap.

He could use that to his advantage. Somehow.

"And what have you gotten from him?" Lotor asked. His tone was casual. Almost as if he were asking the state of the weather.

"Nothing so far," Haggar strode back to Keith. A single finger trailed it's way up his face, leaving a burning feeling in its wake. Keith snapped his teeth at her finger, glaring up at the witch and then turning it back to Lotor. "The Red Paladin has spirit. I must subdue that before we can get what we really want from him."

Lotor hummed, looking Keith up and down. "He does not look Galra."

Keith's blood ran cold. So Lotor knew too. Had the druids that examined him put up his half-breed status up for all to see? Was there some bulletin board in the middle of whatever ship he was on with an announcement?

How fucking humiliating.

"No," Haggar agreed. "And yet it is true. Galra blood runs through this one's veins, though his outward appearance remains human. It is curious. Perhaps we will find answers during the interrogation."

"No," said Lotor. "I would like to make a message. To Team Voltron." Keith's eyes widened in shock. He lifted his gaze to Lotor's astonishment swimming in them. Lotor's lips curled upwards, amused at his actions, but he did not say anything.

Haggar turned. "And why is that?"

"I would...like to bargain with them," Lotor leaned over and took Keith by the chin. The touch was anything but gentle, and Keith struggled to pull his head away with the small amount of movement he had been allowed. "Their Paladin...for Voltron." He smirked, looking up.

Keith's heart skipped a beat. No. No. He was not worth that. He was a screw-up kid from the deserts of Texas. He was not worth that.

The team would never agree to those terms. They would understand, they would find a new Red Paladin. They would have to. There was no way Keith was worth giving up the universe's only hope. He was not worth that.

Lotor must have read the panic in his eyes, the true fear because he laughed and a single thumb reached out to brush against Keith's cheekbone.

"Fear not, Red Paladin," he whispered. "You'll find another way to save the universe, I am certain." Keith glared at him in response. Lotor turned to Haggar. "Set up a transmission. I'd like to show the Paladins what will happen to one of their own, should they refuse to agree to our terms."

Keith felt panic flare in his heart as Lotor turned to leave, the door hissing shut behind him. Haggar appeared in his vision, her long fingers splaying over his forehead.

"We must prepare you," she crooned. "I'd hate for your fellow paladins to think you will return unscathed while in our care." The sentence made Keith's heart skip a terrible beat, and he tried to regain his courage.

Suddenly, the chilling cold on the table was the least of his worries.

Haggar tilted his head back. His jaw opened unwillingly and she poured one of her concoctions down his throat. He gagged on the taste of rotten egg, but she clamped his mouth shut, forcing him to swallow to rid himself of the taste. As soon as he did, he wished he hadn't. Fire raced up his veins and a scream wrenched itself from his throat.

His entire body felt like it was turning to ash, melting into a pile of gore, blisters popping and reforming under his skin, in his bloodstream, in an endless painful cycle. He writhed on the table, his whole body's nerves, organs, everything melting into a pile of blood and gore.

It was over as quickly as it came. Keith said there, gasping and gargling on his own screams, as the residual effects of the potion began to fade. After a moment, Keith began to realize the pain was gone. His arms didn't feel like lead, and burns did not coat his skin. He looked at Haggar, astonished when he realized that everything he felt must have been in his head. He had imagined the pain. Something in the potion had hardwired his brain to bypass 'suspicious liquid' and dive headfirst into 'soul-searing agony.'

"What...was that?" Keith said through gritted teeth.

"Preparation," said Haggar. "A potion to test your mental defenses. It seems you have quite the knack for understanding when such things are only in your head, even if you may not realize it."

"What?!" Keith demanded. Haggar's smile was answer enough as she dropped the potion on the table next to her with a metallic tinkle.

"We will get all you know, Red Paladin," Haggar said, promises in every syllable. "And then, you will be nothing."

Keith didn't reply. His tongue felt like it had swelled in his mouth. The taste of blood was strong. He must have bitten down on his tongue. His dry throat felt like it was on fire, the screaming doing nothing to help it.

Haggar smirked, jerking Keith's chin roughly so his own amethyst met with her cold yellow gaze. She observed him, like prey, nothing more than a test subject.

The door hissed open for what felt like the millionth time. Keith felt a familiar surge of hope that it was someone here to rescue him. But he heard the light footsteps, saw a flurry of white hair in front of him, and realized it was only Lotor. His posture was held tall, regal. He was the spitting image of royalty and the way he held himself reminded Keith of Zarkon if bit more relaxed. Both were powerful. Both not to be trifled with.

Behind him was Laynek, smirking over at Keith with cruelty in his gaze. His hands curled and uncurled at his sides and he moved to stand next to Keith's head. A threatening omen of what was to come. Possibly if Keith tried to escape again.

God, Keith was so fucked.

"Come, Red Paladin," said Haggar, releasing his chin. There was a click and she was hauling Keith to his feet. His bonds were still tugged together by magnetism, but he was at least standing now. "We have an audience now, don't we? We do not want to...disappoint them." Keith swallowed, trying to moisten his dry throat and glanced at the camera now rising to meet them. It clicked on with a red light, indicating it was rolling. Keith's eyes widened in shock. Could they see him? His team?

He had to talk to them. Get some sort of message out to them. He opened his mouth to speak, but Lotor got there first. He spread his arms, accented voice light and conversational.

"Greetings, Paladins," said Lotor. "I am Crown Prince Lotor, heir to Emperor Zarkon. As it must be all too apparent to you now, but your Red Paladin is in my care." He glanced at Keith, one perfectly sculpted eyebrow quirking up at the vicious glare that Keith sent him. "Regardless, I do not think you want him here for long. That is why I am prepared to make a trade."

"Guys," Keith's voice was working before he could stop it. "Guys, don't listen to him, please I'm not worth this-" The next noise he made was a strangled yelp as Laynek's fist crashed into the side of his head. Keith's head snapped back, and stars burst to life in Keith's vision. His head swam, but Keith forced himself to stay focused.

He had a mission to do. One of the utmost importance. He couldn't falter now. He had to let them know that he was not worth staking the entire fate of the universe on. He was not, he was not.

"Guys," Keith croaked again. "Guys, Allura, Coran, Shiro-Shiro please." He was begging now, his voice borderline desperate. He knew Shiro was torn to pieces about what had happened to him, and he didn't doubt that he looked awful. But whatever Shiro was prone to do in his grief-induced state (Keith himself had nearly fallen apart when Shiro went missing, hardly in the castle for long, favoring to go search for their missing leader at any given opportunity instead) he could not risk the fate of the universe for a single Paladin, especially when they could just find a new one.

He was replaceable. Voltron was not.

Laynek's fist came again. This time, it landed in his stomach and Keith stumbled backward into the table. He moved instinctually, wanting to grip the table, but his hands bound in front of him disoriented him. He crashed to the ground gracelessly, cuffed hands catching him in his fall. His aching wrists screamed at the impact, bones creaking horribly. He let out a strangled gasp of pain and Lotor glanced back at him with a sneer. Keith, realizing he had been forced to his knees, returned Lotor's gaze with a glare of his own. Laynek grabbed the back of Keith's head, yanking it back, pulling and tugging on his hair until his head was tilted upward to look directly into the camera.

He tried to communicate with his eyes. Conveying all the desperation he felt with sight alone, silently begging, pleading for his team not to do this. He was not worth this. He was a troublemaker, a foster kid. The fate of the universe was not worth his life.

"As I was saying," Lotor said, voice mocking. Keith turned his gaze from the camera back to the Galran prince. Laynek noticed the motion and his grip tightened around Keith's hair. Keith winced, clamping his lips shut against the whimper that followed. "I am preparing to make a deal. The life of your Red Paladin…" He gestured dramatically to Keith, kneeling uncomfortably on the floor, hands and feet bound by metallic cuffs. "For Voltron."

Keith looked into the camera lens, wishing he could shake his head desperately. Allura he knew was capable of piloting Blue. Lance was able-bodied enough to pilot Red. They had replacements already.

Keith was not worth Voltron.

He was not worth the one hope the universe had been allowed in ten thousand years. He was not.

"I await your response," said Lotor. "Send one within the next two quintants or...you can say farewell to your Red Paladin." He waved his hand dismissively and Laynek shoved Keith's face forwards, smashing his nose into the ground.

He let out a loud cry of pain, not expecting the following kick into his ribs. He slumped over sideways, assuming a familiar protective curl he had adopted far too much in his youth. Laynek's next blow was against Keith's cheek. Adding a bruise to his face to the list of things that currently hurt like hell, Keith shut his eyes tightly.

"As you can see," Lotor sneered. "I am quite serious. And, if you do get him back, we have no guarantees of whether the Paladin you lost is the same one that you will gain."

He waved his hand. The red light on the camera switched off and Lotor leaned down to look at Keith with a smirk that split his handsome face, making him look akin to a monster. Keith glared at him through the pain making his head swim.

"And now," Lotor's voice was low. "Let the fun really begin."


Shiro could hardly breathe.

Coran pulled up the transmission. They stood silently, taking in the scene before them. They appeared to be in some sort of laboratory, the walls just as purple and blank as Shiro remembered. Standing in front of a medical table was an unfamiliar Galra with unblemished skin and white hair that fell down to his waist in perfect streams.

Next to him was Haggar, her head bowed as it always was, a slight hunch in her shoulders. A little way beyond that was a Galran, large and imposing, with muscles enough to rival even the sturdiest Balmeran. And next to him…

"Keith…" Pidge breathed.

Keith looked no worse for wear, aside from a bruise blossoming on his forehead and horrifying finger-shaped bruises on his neck. Shiro's stomach did uncomfortable somersaults.

"C-Can he hear us?" Hunk asked. "Can he see us? C-Can we talk to him?"

"I'm afraid not," Coran said. "This is a one-way transmission. We can see and hear them, but it is quite the opposite for them."

"Keith…" Shiro found himself whispering. Keith looked so scared, so frail. It reminded Shiro frighteningly of the little boy he had met all those years ago.

"Greetings, Paladin," the well-dressed Galra spoke. "I am Crown Prince Lotor, heir to Emperor Zarkon."

"Heir?" Allura repeated. "Zarkon...Zarkon has a son?!" Shiro swallowed. Zarkon had a son who, from the looks of things, had no issues harming or killing the Paladins of Voltron.

Keith… Shiro's gaze flickered to him again. Keith was staring at the screen, something desperate blooming in that amethyst gaze. Did it have something to do with what Lotor was going to say next?

"As it must be all too apparent to you now, but your Red Paladin is in my care." Lotor continued. Keith sent him a glare fierce enough to kill. "Regardless, I do not think you want him here for long. That is why I am prepared to make a trade."

"A trade," Lance repeated next to Shiro. His arms were tightly crossed, blue eyes narrowed in distrust. "I don't like it."

"Me neither," Pidge agreed.

"We have to hear him out," Allura said. "If there is a chance to get Keith back, we must take it."

"Guys," a broken voice. Slightly strained and hoarse but definitely Keith. Shiro's gaze snapped back to the transmission. The desperate look he had seen Keith make was different now. More scared. More determined. "Guys, don't listen to him, please I'm not worth this-" He let out a choked gasp of pain as the large Galran standing next to him lashed out. A fist landed squarely in Keith's jaw and his head lurched sideways.

"Keith!" Shiro shouted, unable to stop himself. All though he knew Keith couldn't hear him, the sight of his little fucking brother standing with his head snapped to one side, eyes screwed shut from pain was heart-wrenching.

I should have never left him with the Galra, Shiro thought, a cold fist squeezing his heart.

"Guys," Keith croaked again. "Guys, Allura, Coran, Shiro-" The Black Paladin's breath hitched at the mention of his name. "Shiro please." He was looking directly at the camera and Shiro caught his gaze, all though Keith couldn't see it. Whatever proposition Lotor was about to make, Keith was clearly against it. Gaze shifted to their leader as Shiro's hands curled into fists, his prosthetic arm creaking with the motion.

The Galran's fist descended again. Shiro actually took one step forward, hand reaching out as if he could pull Keith away. Instead, the red paladin's knees buckled as a fist sank into his stomach. He stumbled backward, hands moving to grip onto something. His balance thrown off, Keith crashed gracelessly to the floor.

Allura gasped, her hands flying to cover her mouth. Tears were swimming in her kaleidoscope eyes again. Next to Lance, Pidge unconsciously drew closer to him, Hunk moving to stand like a protective ward over them all. Coran remained impassive, shaking hands gripping the sides of the controls with far more force than what was necessary.

The Galran marched forwards. Shiro watched him grab Keith roughly by his hair (Don't touch him. Shiro thought viciously) and drag him to his knees. His head was tilted painfully upwards, eyes locked with the camera. He was trying to say something, something he wasn't able to communicate with words.

"As I was saying," Lotor said, turning back to the camera. His voice was laced with traces of amusement. "I am preparing to make a deal. The life of your Red Paladin…" He gestured dramatically to Keith, kneeling with his head tilted backward and gaze directly on the camera. "For Voltron."

Allura's breath hitched. Shiro's eyes jumped to her. He knew what she was thinking. There was no way in hell they could give the Galra Voltron. Not in a million years. But Keith was their bargaining chip. A way to get the team to do what they wanted.

They had a damn good bargaining chip.

Keith was trying to say something again. Unable to speak without getting beaten, he was trying to communicate with gaze alone. Shiro recalled Keith's desperate words before he had been kicked to his knees. He wasn't worth it?

It all made sense now. Keith didn't think he was worth saving, or at the very least his life was not worth the universe's only hope. But Shiro had made a promise to Keith, a promise to be there, to protect him, and he was determined to fulfill it, especially in the Red Paladin's greatest time of need.

Shiro would get Keith back or die trying.

"I await your response," said Lotor. "Send one within the next two quintants or...you can say farewell to your Red Paladin." He waved his hand and the Galra with his claws in Keith's hair shoved him forwards. Keith let out a loud cry of pain as his nose smashed into the floor.

"Keith!" Shiro's cry was joined by the others. They took a collective step forward, but Coran remained impassive and silent at the console. His finger hovered over the 'end transmission' button, clearly unable to take any more.

The Galran kicked Keith hard in the ribs. Keith yelled again, a terrible cry of agony that echoed in Shiro's head. He slumped over sideways, assuming a protective curl, pulling his cuffed hands in close to his chest. Keith's eyes slid shut, head bouncing as he received a punch to the jaw.

Lotor made a 'hmm' noise, clearly satisfied with his Galra lackey's work. "As you can see, I am quite serious. And, if you do get him back, we have no guarantees of whether the Paladin you lost is the same one that you will gain."

Lotor waved his hand. There was a crackling noise (Shiro fixed his gaze one more time upon Keith) and the transmission cut out. The image of Keith, curled up in a protective ball to keep himself safe, remained imprinted on the Paladins' minds.

"Was that live?" Pidge whispered. Her face was now partially pressed into Lance's side, Hunk's arms encircling them both. Shiro glanced at Coran for the answer, who had his head bowed over the console. His shoulders were shaking.

"Coran?" Allura pressed lightly. Her eyes were still full of horrified tears at what they had just witnessed.

"Yes," Coran said finally. His voice was quiet, dull. Most unlike the usual exuberant man that he was normally. "It was."

"Mierda," Lance swore. Shiro's Spanish wasn't all that good, but he knew that most of the words that followed as the Blue Paladin's grip around Pidge tightened to the point where it looked a bit painful.

Hunk winced. "Easy, Lance. Calm down."

"No, I'm not going to calm down!" Lance's grip tightened around Pidge's little shoulders. "He's got the audacity to take our friend, our brother, and then use him like a bargaining chip. Keith for Voltron! We can't make that trade! We can't!"

"But we have to," Shiro knew how desperate he sounded. "We can't leave Keith in the hands of the Galra-"

"But we can't give them Voltron either," Lance said. "Look, Shiro, I want Keith back as much as you do, but this is the universe's only hope we're talking about here."

"There has to be some way to get around Lotor," Pidge whispered. "Some way to get Keith back and keep the Lions."

"We cannot underestimate him," Allura warned, dabbing at her wet eyes with her sleeves. "If Lotor is clever enough to get even Haggar under his thumb, then he is not to be trifled with."

"What do we do then?" Hunk's voice was quiet.

"Oh Dios mío," Lance said again.

"We have to figure something out," Shiro said. "In the meantime, send a transmission to Lotor. We're agreeing to his terms."

Allura turned to him, eyes wide. "Surely you are not thinking of handing him Voltron, are you?"

"Of course not," Shiro said. "Coran, how long will it take for you to set up a transmission?"

"Only a few ticks," Coran said. None of his usual mirth was in his voice. Only an old soul suffering from pain that shouldn't be his own. "What is your aim here?"

Shiro's hands curled into fists. "We're not giving the Galra Voltron. But we can't let them keep Keith either."

"Yeah," Hunk nodded in agreement.

"All right team," Shiro said. Determination flared in his gut. There were going to save Keith, no matter what it took. He wouldn't be in the Galrans' hands for longer than he had to be. "Let's meet back here in fifteen minutes. We have a teammate to save."