Hey Guys! I hope everyone had an awesome Christmas! Sorry for the rather large delay, but here's another chapter!

Keith, Hunk, Pidge and Lotor are forced apart. Keith and Hunk are lost in the frozen wasteland and Pidge and Lotor enter the mass of caves that they were led to, in hope that Rarg is inside.

"Holy Nebular, it's freezing!" Hunk shivered violently, clutching himself tightly as his teeth chattered excessively against the howling winds of the snowing planet they had landed on.

"That's a no on internal heating," Keith smirked humorously at the Yellow Paladin as he answered Lotor's previous question. The Red Paladin surveyed the vast horizon, what little he could actually see. The planet was virtually a raging snowstorm continuously changing in shape and power. When they had approached they could barely make out an outline of the planets shape, the blurs of the icy daggers were quick to bury beneath the relentless winds as the storm swiftly morphed the planet into a larger mass of strong gales. Keith glanced behind to see the Red and Green lions standing solidly against the harsh winds not daring to budge as the half Galra stared their way. "Alright, let's go, Pidge?"

"That way," Pidge spoke out after checking the gadget in her hand, pointing to the centre of the storm. The whipping of the winds and the cold snapping sounds it made sent a shiver down their spines before Keith stepped forward with Lotor mere inches behind.

They barely made it half a mile when the storm got worse, the intensity causing them to lose balance more than once. Pidge plastered herself to Hunk's side attempting to hide from the storm using her friend's large form. Keith found himself doing the same with Lotor, the Galra was at least a foot or two taller than himself and seemed unaffected. A burst of strong wind had Pidge flying off her feet with a yelp, Keith flung his arm towards her and caught her wrist. The two battled to stay together as the wind increased its power, Hunk fighting the gale to reach them. Lotor came to their aid, grasping the girl's waist and setting her down, his body acting as a shield while his white locks whipped against his face. Keith gasped as another surge of wind smashed into him and he flew from the ground colliding right into the Yellow Paladin who yelped from the sudden force and Pidge's yell of their names fell short against the gales as they flew from sight leaving the Prince clenching his teeth staring down at the despaired Green Paladin.

"Hunk?" Keith shook the unconscious boy's shoulder, flinching away as the dark-skinned Paladin groaned as he woke. "Are you alright?"

"Are we still on this freezing planet?" Hunk glanced from left to right before pouting up at Keith.

"Yup." Keith smiled as Hunk huffed, shifting the snow from his legs as he stood.

"Just peachy."

"Your locator still in one piece?" Keith asked hopefully, deflating a little as Hunk's brow rose in sudden realisation. Hunk frantically patting himself down before searching the area around him, flinging the freshly laid snow in all directions. Keith's face fell when Hunk pulled something from the snow turning to face him, his hands open to show the locator Pidge gave him, broken.

"I'm gonna say no." Hunk clenched his teeth.

"Aw Hunk." Keith sighed heavily, wringing his hands before biting his lip in thought. "Alright, we can figure this out. Can you fix it?"

"I can try," Hunk shrugged, giving the device a brief glance over. "Doesn't look too busted."

"Okay, I'll go check what's ahead." Keith walked away glancing over his shoulder to see Hunk sit beneath the top level of soft snow and begin to tinker.

"Are you alright?" Lotor asked the small girl as they reached the edge of the storm, letting Pidge find her own feet.

"Fine, thanks." Pidge nodded before quickly pressing a button on her device, swiftly turning to the direction the two pulsing lights were pointing. "Hunk and Keith are that way."

Lotor was quick to grasp the girl by her arm halting her movements instantly. "And which way is the druid?"

Pidge pointed behind her and sighed heavily in annoyance.

"I understand your friends are important but Rarg could be dying." Lotor released his hold. "I am sure they'll be fine."

"Sometimes I wonder if you really are all that evil."

"Rarg is Galra, Galra come first." Lotor sneered hoping to send a message to the Green Paladin only for it to bring a smile to the girls face.

"Keith is Galra." Pidge pointed out before turning around and heading in the direction of the possible near death druid.

"Yes, but he is not dying." Lotor swiftly caught up.

"He could be."

"You fleshlings are frustrating," Lotor snapped affectionately, clenching his hands into light fists.

"I've been told." Pidge shrugged pursing her lips in amusement. "Now come on Keith mentioned briefly that if we got split up Rarg was first priority."

Lotor gaped speechlessly at the girl, truly frustrating.

Keith sat against the rock arms resting loosely on his knees as he absentmindedly smoothed over his dagger, watching the Yellow Paladin work. He had been back and forth twice now waiting for Hunk to exclaim and rush to his feet spinning around to find his friend and announce he had fixed the device. But unfortunately, it was taking longer than they had first anticipated and Keith was growing restless. The Red Paladin furrowed his brow when Hunk's fingers slipped and the boy shivered violently. Keith rose and approached his friend quickly placing a hand over Hunk's own gaining the paladins attention.

"We don't need it." Keith lied. "We should find some shelter."

"Sorry, Keith." Hunk deflated as he stood, sighing in self-disappointment. "If I had the right tools and-"

"-Hunk." Keith interrupted. "It's fine."

Hunk let a small graceful smile appear in thanks before standing straight bringing back his usual cheerful self.

"Alright, where to?"

Keith bit his cheek as he was drawn to his left, something was pulling him there, he had strolled that way both times he had explored and he caught himself before he had gone any further wanting to keep Hunk in his sights. Keith wasn't sure what was drawing him there and he wasn't about to explain it to Hunk who was watching him with expected enthusiasm.

"We'll head that way," Keith answered ensuring the dark-skinned male was by his side before he began his trek. "We'll keep trying to contact Pidge."

"I hope she's okay."

"It's Pidge," Keith smirked at his companion cheekily. "If anything you should be worrying about Lotor."

"I have a question," Lotor spoke up finding the girls extreme concentration on her contraption exceedingly boring. "How much do you know of the Galra race?"

"Only from what Allura and Coran have said," Pidge glanced ahead. "The Blade of Marmora were a bit cryptic and from all the occupied planets I would say I know a fair bit."

"So you know that my father was corrupted?"

Pidge heard the question but she could hear the underlying question beneath, the slight hope that the Prince was desperate to hide.

"You think Rarg can save him?"

Lotor remained silent, it had always been a deflating hope that Zarkon could return to the caring wise King and father he had been. The dark Quintessence that had consumed the Galra made it hard for Lotor himself along with Nara to accept that Zarkon was really gone. The Emperor still called himself Zarkon still called himself King but his wife was no longer Honerva the Altean scientist but Haggar the druid. His children he treasured were but soldiers at his disposal and his festering hate and anger was slowly driving the Galra insane.

After overhearing of the possibility of Nara's return Lotor had immediately ordered his generals in search of the druid who knew every secret, every piece of information that would destroy or keep a race alive. Rarg was a powerful druid, a man who kept Haggar sane for too long. He was Haggar's protégé, Nara's secret keeper and his own dear friend. He would never admit that Rarg held any of his affections but he couldn't deny that the druid was indeed an ally.

If he could find Rarg and restore Nara perhaps Zarkon could be saved. Lotor knew it may very well be impossible and it showed a weakness that Lotor had buried down long ago, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

A piercing beep entered the atmosphere and Lotor was shaken from his thoughts as Pidge began to jog towards a mass of eccentric pillars of ice. He quickly joined her and came to a halt as they found themselves before a large cavern, the hollow entrance leading to a black mass of never ending tunnels.

"Rarg is in there?"

"Keith's armour is." Pidge glanced behind her, furrowing her brow as the brewing storm was getting closer. "Let's go."

"Do you think I am lying?" Lotor tilted his head to the side, the small girl's attitude changing within moments had the Galra Prince raising a sceptic brow.

"I just don't get that if you sent your generals after him, why haven't they found him yet?" Pidge let her Bayard light the way as she entered the cave. "If he is here, we found him pretty quickly, so what's going on?"

"In all honesty, I do not know." Lotor furrowed his brow examining the walls, gently grazing his fingers across the freezing surface. "It's as if they never made it here."

"What do you think happened to them?" Pidge turned to him at the softness of the Galra's voice.

"Death or betrayal," Lotor pursed his lips, his eyes slit with venom and his teeth barred in viciousness. "It seems loyalty is nothing but a game."