So it's once again been a month since my last update and I'm so so sorry for that! I'm going to try to get back on a more consistent schedule for writing this so that I stop putting off finishing chapters.
Chapter 10
Keithir felt like a coward, being forced to hide away in his quarters under constant guard by his fellow members of the Blade of Marmora. He knew his safety was important, but he hadn't been able to see Katie since she woke up and just hearing that she was doing well wasn't good enough. His nightmares wouldn't end until he could see her with his own two eyes.
He tried explaining how he felt to Kolivan, but the Blade leader only reminded him to have patience while they continued to search for clues about the sniper. Even with the vast amount of resources at their disposal, they hadn't found anything. It was like the shooter was a specter, able to easily slip out of their grasp.
"I should be out there helping," Keithir tried complaining to Ulaz.
"You can help us by not running off and doing something reckless," Ulaz said in response. "I understand you don't feel comfortable being locked away like this, but it is our best option with the Blade spread so thin. Once Thace returns, we will reconsider."
It was so hypocritical to hear that from Ulaz, who'd acted against orders a number of times in the past, that Keithir refused to speak to him for the rest of the day.
After two days of being stuck in his rooms, pestering Kolivan for information whenever he stopped by to check in, Thace returned from his mission, exhausted but successful. He raised an eyebrow when he stepped inside to find Keithir laying facing the back of the couch and Regris standing guard at the door.
"Keithir, what are you doing?" Thace asked with a sigh.
"Regris won't let me leave."
Thace looked to the young member of the Blade, who shrugged and said: "Kolivan's orders are to keep him in here until the castle is safe, so that's what I'm doing."
"I see," Thace said, his gaze shifting back to the prince. "Regris, would you mind going to find Kolivan and let him know hat I have returned? I tried to reach him, but he may have his comms off. I will stay with Keithir."
Regris hesitated a moment and then nodded, leaving them alone in the room.
Thace waited to make sure Regris was out of earshot and then turned his full attention to Keithir. "Come. We don't have long before he returns."
Keithir rolled over to stare at Thace with wide eyes. "You're letting me leave? What about Kolivan's orders?"
"I will be going with you and you will disguise yourself. That should be sufficient protection," Thace responded. "Your uniform will provide the best cover for you, and if you shift to your other form, I doubt anyone would be able to tell who you are."
Keithir's fluffy ears perked up as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, his pessimistic attitude melting away at the prospect of getting out of that room at long last. "Do you mean it?"
"Would I jest about something like this?"
"I'll be right back," Keithir promised. A smile spread across his face as he got up and headed into his room. He slowly shifted as he walked, willing his form to take a more human shape and by the time he started to pull on his Blade uniform, the ringing in his rounded ears had mostly stopped. The dark fabric slid on smoothly and the lightweight armor settled comfortably in place, but Keith took a look in the mirror anyway, to make sure there was nothing that would give him away. Without the mask, it was possible someone could figure out who he was (as Shiro had proven), but once it was on...
Keith watched with satisfaction as it obscured his face perfectly. Even Kolivan would struggle to tell who he was. Whatever lackey Lotor hired wouldn't stand a chance at recognizing him, even if they knew what to look for.
He stepped out of his room and, after getting approval from Thace, set out for the medical wing to visit Katie.
Pidge had no end of visitors. If Lance and Hunk weren't there to keep her company, she had Allura or Shiro instead. Ulaz frequently popped in to check on her progress and make sure she wasn't putting too much stress on her arm by using her laptop. Coran had dropped in once or twice to regale her with tales of his misadventures with Alfor. Even Queen Alanna found time in her busy schedule to sit at her bedside and talk to her about all of the things happening around the castle.
But there was one person she hadn't seen. One person she wanted to see, more than she wanted to admit.
Aside from the first day she woke up, Pidge hadn't seen or heard from Keithir. Shiro and Ulaz had both explained that he was under constant guard until they finished their investigation, but did that really mean he had to stay away? Surely his guards could handle a simple trip down to the medical wing! And besides that, he'd been left on his own for the first few days and nothing bad had happened.
The temptation to get up and make the trip herself was getting stronger every day.
She needed to see for herself that he was okay. While she didn't remember anyone mention him being hurt, it could have easily slipped someone's notice.
Pidge sighed heavily as she scrolled through the database on Galra traditions the Queen had given her access to. Under any other circumstance, she would have found the wealth of new information fascinating, but she could barely focus on the words, her distracted brain busy coming up with a variety of ways to break out of her tiny room.
How much damage would it really do? Sure, she would have to remember not to use her left arm, but her legs were perfectly fine and that was all she really needed.
Shiro would be furious, of course. (Well, as much as Shiro got furious. The man had the patience of a saint.) If she was being honest, none of her friends would be pleased with her walkabout. She was guaranteed a lecture from someone if she left her room.
Pidge glanced at the time as she turned off the tablet she'd been reading from and set it aside. As she pushed back the blankets and slung her legs over the aside of the bed, the door opened and she bit back a groan of disappointment. She waited, fully prepared to face a round of admonishment from whoever was there to check on her, but nothing came.
She looked up with a frown, but her question froze on her tongue when she saw a member of the Blade nervously standing in front of the closed door. "Who...?"
The mask faded away to reveal a familiar face: Keith.
He raised an eyebrow as he took in her position. "I thought you were supposed to be resting."
"You try doing nothing but lay in bed for three days straight and see how you feel," Pidge responded, making no move to gt back under the blankets. She was committed to her plan and it didn't look like Keith was going to stop her, so she might as well press on.
She used her good arm to balance herself as she stood on wobbly legs.
Keith muttered something she couldn't quite catch as he quickly walked forward to help her stand and keep upright. "I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do this."
Pidge rolled her eyes. "Everyone acts like I'm going to die if I try and do anything on my own. I'm not some weak little girl, and believe it or not, I know what my limits are!"
"No one thinks you're weak. I know I don't," Keith told her, his voice surprisingly soft. "You took a bullet meant for m- my prince. And then you kept protecting him. Everyone's worried because they've never had to wait around for an injury like this to heal. Maybe they're being overly cautious, but they mean well."
Pidge thought "overly cautious" was an understatement, but he had a good point. It was one she had to keep reminding herself so she wouldn't start yelling at her friends.
She relaxed against him, surprisingly comfortable with how close he was to her. His warmth was a welcome change to the cool air of her sterilized room.
"Sorry for yelling," she apologized.
"It's okay. Do you want to walk around for a few minutes?" Keith asked.
"Yeah," Pidge said, carefully pulling away from him. She made sure not to strain her left arm or let the bandages pull too tightly as she took a few shaking steps around to the front of her bed.
Keith stayed where he was, but watched with sharp eyes to make sure she wouldn't fall.
She took a few more steps until the pins-and-needles feeling in her legs finally went away. It felt incredible to be up and moving around on her own, even if it mean pacing around the bed and feeling foolish in front of a guest she hadn't expected to see.
"I didn't know you're a member of the Blade of Marmora," Pidge blurted out, unable to handle the silence for too long.
"Oh, uh, yeah. I'm around the prince all the time, so they thought it would be a good idea if I was trained," Keith explained, sounding unsure. "No one would expect a servant boy to be capable of fighting."
"That's a really good idea," Pidge said. She stopped at the other side of the bed, staring at the wall as she worried her lower lip in thought. "How... how is the prince doing? I haven't seen him."
Had she turned around at that moment, she would have seen Keith drop his gaze to the floor, sorrow clearly visible on his face.
"Prince Keithir is fine. He... he sent me to see you until the lockdown is lifted. It's not safe for him to walk the halls alone and Kolivan is worried that a single guard won't be enough. Everyone's stretched too thin to give him added protection, so he's been stuck in his room too. He hates every minute of it, of course."
"Oh..." Pidge turned and resumed stretching her legs. It was oddly comforting to know she wasn't the only miserable one. "I'm glad he sent you, Keith."
"Well, I can't imagine Regris would be good company for you. He likes to tease too much and doesn't know when to quit. Sometimes I think about throwing things at him," Keith said in a wistful tone.
Pidge smiled at that. "He's one of the prince's guards?"
Keith nodded. "He's just a few years older than us, which means everyone thinks he's the best choice to stay with the prince. I think it's just because no one has the patience to work with him right now."
Pidge paused to look at him, surprised by how easily he offered up information on a member of a secret organization, but the small grin on his face told her everything she needed to know. She sat down on the edge of the bed, not ready to lay back down, and gestured to the empty chair nearby.
"Lance and Hunk are two years older than I am. They both drove me crazy back before we left Earth. Lance was always going on about hitting the town and flirting with girls and every time I turned around, Hunk was trying to take apart some of my equipment to see how it worked!"
Keith gladly sat down and listened to her talk.
"Things have been better since we got here, but sometimes I catch Hunk eyeballing one of my inventions."
"One time, Regris and I had a training mission together. Simple recon stuff, but he had me convinced that we had to be careful where we set up camp because there was a massive, flesh-eating plant that would creep along the ground and eat unsuspecting campers in the middle of the night," Keith told her. "I nearly stabbed him in the eye when he grabbed my ankle in the middle of the night."
Pidge laughed, leaning forward to launch into a series of tales about Lance's attempts to get Shiro to "lighten up" and "have fun".
Was it childish to throw up her arms and scream "freedom!" the moment Ulaz cleared her to leave? Probably, but Pidge did it anyway.
Or she tried to, but it wasn't as effective with her left arm bound in a sling, preventing her from moving it too much.
Lance grinned at her attempt and playfully nudged her with his elbow. "So, what are your plans with your newfound freedom?"
Pidge didn't have to think about it. "First, a shower. And then I need to go down and show Greenie that I'm okay. After that..." she dragged it out, watching her friend's reaction from the corners of her eyes. "I may have some new, experimental firecrackers to test out. They shoot blue sparks."
Lance pumped a fist in the air in excitement. "You are my favorite tiny genius!"
"Slav will be devastated to hear that," Pidge teased, laughing at the disgusted look on Lance's face. "Wanna grab Hunk and meet me in the lab in an hour?"
"Fine. But only if you swear you'll never try and tell Slav that I like him," Lance said, unable to keep a straight face for long. "Do you think there's any reality where that guy isn't super annoying?"
"No, I think Slav's the one universal constant," Pidge responded.
They met each other's eyes and laughed, knowing full well how silly their conversation was. After that, they split up, Pidge to go get washed up and Lance to track down his boyfriend.
It was a great relief to be able to walk around without worrying about someone fussing over her. A shower felt even better, as she scrubbed away everything that had built up over the past few days and washed the greasiness from her hair.
Dressed in clean clothes and feeling better than ever, Pidge made her way to the hangar, where Greenie lowered her head to get a better look at her injured paladin.
"Hey, girl," Pidge greeted, her voice low. She reached out and happily patted the cool metal of her Lion's lower jaw, unable to reach any higher than that. "I'm okay. It might be a while before we can fly again though."
Greenie purred and then pulled away, settling back into her usual sitting position.
Pidge took a little extra time to make sure Rover 2.0 was where she left him and that Hunk hadn't tried to tinker with him while she was away. Then she collected the firecrackers she'd been experimenting with for fun and set off for the safety of the labs, which were better equipped to handle the sort of "testing" she had in mind.
Hunk and Lance were waiting for her there, both of them looking excited.
"Good thing Shiro doesn't know how easy it is to get you two to show up at the promise of blowing things up," she teased them.
"Training simulations are boring, even if there are explosions involved," Lance retorted. "So where are they? In that box? Can I see?" He held out his hands and wiggled his fingers, as though that would entice her to hand it over.
Pidge kept the box firmly tucked under her right arm. "Oh no. I remember what happened the last time we did this. I think Hunk and I will handle setting them off this time."
"One eyebrow was not an attractive look for you," Hunk said when Lance turned to him for support. "Sorry, but I'm with Pidge on this one."
Lance dramatically swooned, placing the back of his hand against his forehead. "I've been betrayed by my own boyfriend!"
"A boyfriend who loves you and cares very much about keeping you safe," Hunk said.
Pidge let the two of them fuss as she walked away and began setting up for the first test. It was the smallest in her box of goodies and the wrapping around it was neon green with blue dots. She thought it would be the perfect way to start things off.
"What's this one do?" Lance asked, bouncing back from his disappointment.
"Nothing special. It's like the standard ones Coran gave us, but it sends up dark blue sparks instead of the bluish-white. This is the first one I made," Pidge explained, setting it down in an appropriate area. She fumbled to light it with only one arm and then backed away and activated the barrier around it.
As she hoped, the Altean equivalent of gunpowder caught quickly, producing a loud bang! And a shower of blue sparks which shot into the air before raining down and fizzling out.
Hunk and Lance ooh'd and aah'd appropriately.
Pidge grinned and playfully bowed. "Thank you! Thank you! Now, how about something with a little more razzle dazzle?"
"Now that's what I'm here for!" Lance said encouragingly.
And so went their afternoon, with the pyrotechnics getting bigger and brighter until Pidge had used up everything she brought with her. She made careful note of which ones were a success and which needed a bit of tweaking, but for the most part they all worked as expected.
The three took time to clean up their mess and then they were off to the kitchens for a late lunch.
"So, a little birdie tells me you're interested in shopping for clothes during our next trip to Space Mall," Lance said.
"Does this 'little birdie' like cooking and the color yellow, by chance?" Pidge asked in response.
"Possibly," Lance acknowledged. "I ran it by Allura to see what she could do to clear us to leave the planet, but that's not happening anytime soon. She proposed an alternative."
Pidge wasn't sure she was going to like where their conversation was going. "Which is...?"
"Well, since you're going to be working with the royal tailors for your wedding gown, why not give it a try now with some simpler styles?" Lance suggested. He easily read the disgruntled expression on her face and pressed on. "You don't have to think about your gown yet. It's just to see who you feel most comfortable working with – who understands what you want."
It was a good idea. It would take her a while to get used to the idea of someone designing clothing meant just for her. The whole thing felt like too much. "I guess..." she grumbled, knowing Lance was waiting for a reply.
"Shiro says they're officially lifting the lockdown tomorrow and opening the main port back up. Security is staying on high alert, but Allura should be able to easily get us clearance. Me and Hunk were thinking we could go down there and look at fabric and stuff once trading opens back up and see if there's anything we like."
"Just for new clothes, right?" Pidge asked sounding worried. The mention of her wedding had dredged up all of her worries about designing her own gown, which she was far from ready to do.
"Right. And I want to look too. My robes have seen better days. I'm thinking something silky. Something that feels really nice against my skin." Lance watched Hunk closely as he kept talking, clearly fishing for some kind of reaction. "I'm thinking about trying a different color this time, since I already have so much in blue. Maybe a nice gold or... yellow?"
A reddish hue blanketed Hunk's cheeks, spreading to the tips of his ears, and Lance grinned in triumph.
Pidge wisely stayed out of it.
At Coran's advice, they didn't leave the castle on the first day the lockdown was lifted, which was more than okay with Pidge. It gave her a little more time to catch up on projects and spend time with the Green Lion. It also gave Allura enough time to talk a reluctant Shiro into joining them on their day out.
On the third day of the port being re-opened, the four paladins and Allura left the castle with a handful of guards tagging along for their protection. With one of their number still recovering from an injury and the princess (albeit fully capable of handling herself in a fight) among them, no one dared to argue with King Alfor's one demand.
Pidge had other worries on her mind than whether or not it made them look incapable of defending the universe (Shiro's fear) or if it meant they had to stay huddled together as a group (Hunk's fear). There was something that had been bothering her since the day Ulaz released her from bed-rest, and while it'd been easy to brush aside at first, it was no longer something she could ignore.
Prince Keithir.
Keith had been to visit her a number of times, entertaining her with stories and listening to her own. Each time he would express the prince's sorrow at being kept away from her, but shouldn't that be over? Kolivan himself had declared the castle safe enough for everyday work to continue, though new security measures were in place and more guards standing watch than Pidge could ever recall. That meant Keithir's confinement had to be over.
She hadn't seen him once.
Pidge sighed, barely paying attention to what Lance was trying to tell her. All of her thoughts were on her future husband and what could possibly be running through his mind to make him avoid her for so long. (Because that was what he was doing. She was sure of it.)
She didn't notice when Hunk and Shiro extracted themselves from the group to go check out food vendors set up down the way, nor did she hear Allura's delighted squeal when she spotted her favorite silk in the exact shade she'd been looking for. She only started paying attention when Lance took her right hand and gently squeezed.
"Still with me?" he asked.
Pidge nodded. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I was just thinking about a few things."
"It's okay. Come on and take a look over here. I think it's kind of like cotton. Soft, a little stretchy. Might make a cute dress to replace the other one," Lance said.
Pidge felt a stab of guilt at the reminder. The dress he'd picked out for her had been ruined when she took the bullet meant for Keithir. "Lance-"
"No apologizing," Lance interrupted. "That wasn't your fault, but if you really want to make it up to me, I get to pick out fabric and design one of your dresses."
"I didn't know you were so into fashion," Pidge said.
Lance shrugged. "Mom was always into it, so I guess that rubbed off on me. It was always a bonus that it was a good way to impress the ladies." He paused, a strange expression flitting across his face. "Uh, maybe don't tell Hunk I said that."
Pidge squeezed his hand. "Hey, we all know you now use all of your skills to seduce Hunk. It doesn't matter what you did before."
Lance was unusually quiet for a moment. And then he slowly breathed out, trying to let go of whatever was bothering him. "Yeah, you're right."
"Which is why, before we leave, I'm going to help you find the perfect shade of yellow for your new pajama's. We'll make sure Hunk won't be able to take his eyes off of you," Pidge said confidently.
"Robes," Lance automatically corrected, a small smile appearing on his face.
"Pajama's," Pidge teased in a sing-song voice, resulting in a tiny scuffle as she had to defend her hair from being vigorously ruffled in revenge.
Pidge marched down to Keithir's quarters later that day, determined to get to the bottom of why he'd been avoiding her while sending his servant in his place. (Not that she had anything against Keith. He was quickly becoming a dear friend to her and she enjoyed spending time getting to know him better.)
She wasn't sure where her burst of bravery had come from, but she wasn't going to let it go to waste.
Pidge came to a stop at his door, where a masked Galra with a prehensile tail stood watch. He stared at her for a moment, or she thought he did, the mask made it difficult to tell. Then he nodded and moved aside, letting her step forward to knock.
"He's been sulking all week," the guard informed her.
She didn't have time to ask what he meant by that, as the door slid open to reveal a second Galra, one who did not wear a mask. Yellow eyes regarded her warmly and there was a smile on his face as he welcomed her inside.
"I am Thace," he introduced. "It's nice to meet you, Lady Katherine."
"Call me Pidge," she requested out of habit, her face coloring faintly. "Or, um, Katie, if you'd prefer."
Thace chuckled. "Keithir is through there," he told her, gesturing to a door to the right.
"Thank you," Pidge said. She could feel her bravery ebbing away as she approached the room. There was no turning back.
She reached out and knocked, the sound impossibly loud to her ears. And then she waited, seconds stretching out until they felt more like minutes.
The door opened and Keithir stared down at her with wide eyes, his mouth parted in surprise. "Katie?"
"You... you didn't come see me," Pidge said. Her words came out less accusing than she thought they would, her anger flickering out at the sight of him.
He looked tired, but unharmed.
"I know. Kolivan wants me here for a while longer, just to be sure it's safe," Keithir said apologetically. "I sent Keith to find you this morning, but one of the guards said you were out of the castle for the day."
He wasn't avoiding her. It was just another stupid misunderstanding, which had almost led to her yelling at him.
Pidge wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or cry.
"Katie, I'm really sorry," Keithir apologized again. "I wanted to... I just..."
"I'm glad you're okay," Pidge blurted out, beating down a number of emotions threatening to bubble to the surface. She could already feel the painful sting of tears and the burn in her throat that made it hard to breathe.
The worst part was, she didn't know why she wanted to cry. There was no rational reason her mind could come up with that made sense. All she knew was he was safe and alive after she came so close to losing him and that was enough.
A hot tear slid down her cheek.
Looking back, she would never be sure which of them made the first move. When she came to her senses, he had her carefully wrapped in his arms, letting her soak his shirt with her tears. The top of her head barely came up to his chin and she could feel his breath rustling her hair as he whispered: "Thank you for saving me, Katie."