Chapter 11: Keith

Keith fell asleep to Pidge's repeated clicking on her laptop as she shuffled through the personnel files one at a time. The lack of sleep from the night before was finally catching up with him. He laid down on the floor and closed his eyes.

Keith woke to someone pushing on his head. "This is my bed. Go to your own room, if you're going to fall asleep."

Keith realized his head was laying on a mattress and he was sitting in a chair. He looked up and saw a young Altean girl. She had black hair and pink marking under her brown eyes. She seemed very pale with no color in her cheeks and instinctually Keith placed his palm to her forehead.

"I feel much better, you don't have to worry so much."

Keith removed his hand, "What am I doing?" He scanned the room. It wasn't the dark storage room, he knew, he had fallen asleep in. The room looked the same as his own bedroom in the Castle of Lions, but that didn't mean much. There were countless cellblocks that were used by the hundreds of Alreans that lived in the castle in the past.

"The doctor says all I need is rest and my energy should return."

Keith sighed, "I don't even know who you are."

"Don't blame Sorrel, it wasn't his fault. I knew I shouldn't have gone so far."

"You aren't even listening to me."

The girl tried to sit up but then fell back on her pillow. Keith realized he had his hand over her stomach, helping ease her back down.

"Are you mad?" Tears started to form in the Altean's eyes.

Keith brushed a strand of hair out of the girls face. "I don't know what to tell you."

"I heard the nurse say it's most likely caused from an energy flux, rather than excursion."

"Why does that matter?" Keith asked more himself, knowing the girl wouldn't answer.

"She thinks from my test file and my decline in health, I will be removed from the Voltron Project." Her tears started to roll down her pale cheek, "I don't want to lose you."

Keith grabbed the girl's hand and touched his forehead to hers. Keith closed his eyes and searched for the right words. He heard a growl in his head and said, "I won't let that happen."

"Do you promise?"

"I will always protect you. I swear, nothing will keep us apart."

Keith let go of the girls' hand and she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, big brother."

Keith was caught off guard but could feel his lion close. He wrapped his arms around her and held the girl tight. Keith didn't want to let go but felt helpless to do anything. He could feel himself holding back and realized it wasn't his feeling, but his lion's worry he was hiding. This time Keith already knew the response before the words even came to him, "I love you too, Waverly." Keith felt his own tear slide down his cheek.

"Paladins, I need you on the Bridge!" Allura's voice woke Keith up from the floor of the storage room. He felt the tear on his face and wiped it away before Pidge noticed.

"I have gone through, 1,237 files and didn't recognize any of the photos. We should go before Allura gets mad. I need a break from looking at this screen anyway." Pidge closed her laptop and set it on the floor.

Keith got up without a word, his mind still on the Altean girl. Keith didn't have siblings, but through the Red Lion, Keith needed to protect this girl. The words he said to the girl, weren't just words, Keith meant them in his heart. Keith could feel the Red Lion close. He thought he would be shut out forever, but now he felt more connected than ever before.

"Are you alright, Keith?" Pidge asked.

"Never better."

The two Paladins left the room and made their way back to the Bridge. "Pidge, have you found anything else about you brother and father?"

"No, we know Matt was taken by a rebel group, but as for locating them. I've had no luck."

"We will find him, Pidge and I will do all that I can to help you. I'm sorry about before when we first started and you wanted to leave to go find them. I thought it was a stupid choice, but that's because I didn't know what it's like to need to protect someone. I have been on my own for so long, I forgot what that feels like."

"What's with the change of heart?"

"I care about my teammates, even Lance, though I will deny it if you say anything."

"Understandable."

"But I also had another dream, which I'm realizing is one of the Red Lion's memories. Pidge, I think he had a sister, who was in danger, and he would do all he could to protect her, just like you would do the same for Matt. I want to do the same for all of you and be there when you need me."

"Thank you, Keith I know you always have my back. The reason I didn't leave was because I realized you all are just as important as them. We are a family, so you don't have to worry about being alone again." Pidge smiled at Keith and he returned it with a rare smile of his own.

They had made it to the Bridge and the doors opened to hear Lance bickering with Hunk and Allura was at her command post, ignoring both of them.

"Why is it so hard to believe. Seeing isn't always believing, Hunk."

"Well, I'm sorry I need proof, Lance."

"They are real I'm telling you and they want to kill me!" Lance yelled.

"What are you going on about?" Keith asked, stepping onto the Bridge. Keith looked at Allura, but she didn't acknowledge he was there. She was still not speaking to him since he had told the group he was part Galra.

"I wasn't talking to you, Keith."

"Fine, forget I asked."

"He keeps saying the castle is haunted and there are ghosts of Alteans roaming about."

"Hunk!"

"What he asked and you telling me isn't helping so why not them. Like I said earlier they were seeing things too."

Pidge and Keith looked at each other, but then Pidge said, "Nope."

Hunk stuttered, "B-b-but you said Keith was talking to himself and the Green Lion didn't have a head."

"I was trying to let out some steam. I wasn't talking to anyone on the training deck."

"And I fell asleep and just had a crazy dream."

"Crazy dream, hear that Lance," Hunk started to shake Lance. "Dreams are reasonable. You said you fell asleep, it had to be a dream."

"But I wasn't sleeping in the kitchen!"

"What is going on in here?" Shiro asked as he entered the Bridge with Coran.

Lance and Hunk turned towards Shiro and yelled, "Nothing!"

Shiro looked towards Pidge and Keith, who just shrugged.

"Well, Princess, we're all here. What is it you needed?"

Allura finally turned around and looked passed Keith towards Shiro. "I was hoping to run another full weapons diagnostic and thought it would be a good exercise for you all to train in your lions."

"You want us to willingly go out there and have you shoot at us again." Hunk said.

"Yeah because the first time wasn't good enough," Lance said.

"Well, I think it's a great idea. Team suit up and meet outside. If we are going to take on Zarkon we need to be as ready as possible." Shiro said.

Lance ran yelling, "Fine anything to get away from this cursed castle."

Hunk sulked off after him, "I hate being shot at."

Keith and Pidge headed to their elevator shaft without argument. Shiro grabbed Keith's arm as he passed. "Are you sure you're up for this?" Shiro asked, looking over at Allura. He had noticed the unspoken tension between them, but Keith didn't want to argue with Shiro, especially not in front of the others. He and Pidge had found documented proof of Therron, but Keith still didn't know much about him. He wouldn't until the file was translated, until then he was willing to wait.

"Focus on yourself, Shiro. I'll do the same." Keith didn't mean to sound harsh, but Shiro would only press him further for details if he didn't. Just as planned, Shiro released his arm and let Keith pass.

Keith makes his way down to the Red Lion's hangar and sees the protective shield is still active.

Keith jumped out of his Speeder and walked up to the force field.

Keith touched the barrier and placed his forehead to it. "I'm sorry about Waverly. I don't know what you want from me, but we will figure it out together. Don't shut me out. Let me in."

Keith felt the shield dissolve under his palms. Keith smiled and walked into the Red Lions open jaw.

Kestle:

As always, I hope you enjoyed chapter 11 :)

Thank you for the comments they mean a lot.

I have mapped out the next chapters and can say there will be 16 more chapters until the season 3 release on Netflix.

After I might take a break to see what is added and shape my story around that, but after the story will most likely diverge completely so I hope you look forward to that.

Thanks for reading!