familiar
chapter twenty-nine
Lance drummed his fingers, grumbling under his breath in frustration. If he could, he would've been pacing back and forth or rocking on his heels, but that wasn't an option.
"There's no way in," he groaned.
Pidge flapped a hand in his direction. "Not with that attitude."
Lance glared across the room. "Do you have a plan?"
Pidge only sighed in response, which meant no.
"We can't be discouraged," Coran said, clasping his hands together. "Every place has its weakness."
"Yeah, maybe. But this guy is really on top of security."
"If only there was a way in," Shiro said, "a way to stay unseen."
"It's not like we can put cloaking on all our Lions," Keith piped up. "I mean, that would take way too long. And it wouldn't last, either. They'll see us coming, and we'll be tracked from every direction."
Hunk groaned. "You could've just said it's dangerous and left it at that. Don't need to be reminded of our odds, Keith."
"I'm being realistic," Keith shot back, crossing his arms.
"Nothing like a good old in-team fight to prepare us for battle," Pidge grumbled, and Lance privately agreed. They were getting nowhere.
"With so many ships—and bases, probably—we won't be able to make it there without someone alerting Zarkon, right?"
Coran shook his head. "Unfortunately."
"Ugh," Lance muttered. "This sucks."
"Seconded."
"Third-ed."
"Is fourthed a thing? It's a thing now."
"Wait a tick," Coran said, eyes lighting up. "Lance, could I have a word?"
"Uh-oh," Lance said under his breath, but he nodded. "Sure."
They didn't go very far, drifting to the corner so they were just out of hearing distance from the others.
"Am I in trouble?"
Coran gave him a funny look, as if the thought shouldn't have crossed his mind.
"Of course not. But you… you were quite young when you became a paladin, yes? Probably about number five's age?"
Lance frowned. "I don't know what you're getting at, but yeah."
"But you were a student here before then."
Lance ran his tongue over his teeth, thinking.
"And?"
Coran clasped his hands together. "You studied with the Druids, didn't you?"
Lance hesitated.
"I… when I was young—before I traveled with my mother to Altea—a Druid came to stay with us for a short while. And she saw something in me and asked to bring me to Altea, to study."
"You can manipulate quintessence."
Lance tapped his fingers together. "Not really," he admitted. "I went to Altea, but I couldn't stay, so my learning was… uh, non-linear. And after I became a paladin, I gave up my studies as a Druid."
Coran hummed.
"I don't think that'll be a problem."
"For what?"
Coran walked back towards the group, and Lance followed quizzically.
He gestured to the map, using his finger to point out the heart of Zarkon's base.
"If we can open a wormhole," Coran said, "then we won't have any problems at all."
"Coran…"
"Have you two come up with something?" Shiro asked, interrupting. Lance sent Coran a pleading look.
"I believe so," Coran said. "If you'll look, there is a way to get there without being detected—if we jump straight to Zarkon's base, they won't track us."
"Everyone, eyes front," Shiro called. "We have a plan. Coran's just told me we can jump here unseen and undetected."
Coran settled a hand on Lance's shoulder.
"But that doesn't make sense," Pidge said. "We need Allura to open a wormhole, don't we?"
Lance shrank back.
"Not so," Coran responded. "That's where Lance comes in."
"Lance?"
"Coran," Lance murmured, but the hand on his shoulder tightened. "I'm not sure…"
Coran turned slightly so they could face each other. "You can do it, Lance. Your ability to channel quintessence will work for this, I'm sure."
"I don't know if I can do it."
"Wait, so you're saying Lance will open the wormhole? Er, no offense."
"None taken."
Shiro frowned, glancing between Coran and Lance. "Are you sure…? If Lance doesn't want to—"
"Of course I want to!" Lance snapped. "I… sorry. But we have to save Allura. I just don't know if I can do it. And what if the Castle doesn't respond to me?"
"In theory, it should be able to work," Coran said. "I can update the systems to allow you permission to activate a wormhole. Your job is to power it, and the Castle should do the rest."
"Please," Coran added softly.
Lance met Coran's eyes. "I can try."
He drummed his fingers nervously on the controls. It didn't feel right, standing where Allura should be.
"You ready?" Shiro asked.
He and Coran were standing together from where they'd been updating the Castle systems—since Lance wasn't a royal, he wouldn't have been allowed to make a wormhole.
"You have the location?"
"Locked," Coran answered. "It's not too far, since the first jump is a test."
"Okay. Initiating test jump."
Lance focused on the feeling of ice in his veins, the thread of power he knew rested there. Cold swept through his body, pins and needles down his arms and into his hands. The crystals fitted in the controls began to glow.
"It's working," someone breathed.
Lance concentrated harder, and the light flared brighter. He thought his hands might be pulsing with energy, the world spiraling in and out of focus.
The jump was over before he realized. Lance stumbled back a few steps when there was no longer energy pouring between him in the Castle.
Keith pressed a gloved hand to his back.
"Okay?"
"Yeah," Lance panted. "Just takes some getting used to, I think. The Castle is… huge."
"You did well, Lance."
He straightened. "Uh, thanks."
Shiro was eyeing him worriedly. "Can you handle another jump, Lance? You look tired."
"We can't have a paladin down during battle," Hunk added.
Lance waved them away.
"I think I can manage," he said.
"Wait a minute," Keith said. "You opened a wormhole before, didn't you? That was how we got to Arus."
"Yeah!"
"Blue helped," Lance replied. "It was a team effort."
"Oh, dude, can we open wormholes, too?"
Coran approached him. "I think you should rest for a moment. Not too long, but just enough to regain all that energy. And we need to finish our plan."
Shiro was nodding. "Coran, you and I will work on logistics—what happens after the jump. The rest of you, prepare yourselves. And keep your comms on."
Lance nodded. He'd left his helmet in his seat, but he grabbed it and popped it over his head to be sure.
He probably had enough time to talk to Blue, but as he jogged down the hall, he found himself going in the opposite direction of the hangar. Lance passed the dining hall and training deck before he slowed, pushing the door to Am'lei's old room open.
There was no time to spare. Lance knelt at the small desk, tugging open the drawer where he'd put his necklace.
The shell was right where he'd left it; now, Lance looped the chain over his head and tucked the shell under his armor, where it rested on his heart.
"For you," he murmured, thinking of his family.
His next stop was to Allura's chambers.
She'd taken one of the rooms meant for royal guests, where extended family or ambassadors like his mother would have slept, instead of her former rooms in the Castle. Lance wasn't sure why—he hadn't asked—but they were closer to the paladins' rooms. He wondered if she'd ever felt as alone as he had.
The mice had followed him on his journey, and now they gathered at his feet. He scooped them up.
"I know I shouldn't be here," he said, pushing the doors in, "but it's not for long. I'm just looking for something—can you help?"
Plachu squeaked in answer, and they scampered down his arm and onto a small side table.
Lance allowed himself a glance around the room, taking in the simple furnishings. She didn't have much more than the rest of them, though the walls glowed in a way that his didn't.
He didn't dare touch anything, instead playing with his hands and rocking back and forth on his heels.
A small paw tugged on his finger, and Lance turned his attention back to the mice. Platt was carrying what he'd been looking for.
It was a small ribbon Lance hadn't ever seen Allura wear before. He guessed it was a decorative thing to braid into her hair, probably less than a foot in length and a dusty pink that was just the right color.
"Thanks," he said, casting a glance around the room, then whispering, "Sorry for breaking in, Allura."
Though she wasn't around to hear it—the thought made his lips turn down—it felt good to say. Friends or not, Lance wasn't sure he was allowed in her room, not like how he could simply barrel into Hunk's.
The mice hitched a ride as Lance left, shutting the door quietly behind him.
"How's it going?" he asked, turning his volume up. The comms crackled, but Shiro's voice became clear.
"Almost ready," he replied. "Coran wants to check the Castle defenses a last time before we go in, just in case. We need to be prepared for every scenario."
"Right," Lance said.
"And the Lions?" came Hunk's voice.
"We'll be flying out," Shiro said. Lance headed to the hangar as Shiro outlined the plan for their mission: they'd wormhole right to Zarkon's base and hide the Castle behind a gas planet, the thick gas hiding any view or signal. They'd be able to scan for Allura's signature and get a lock on her location.
The next part was where Lance got skeptical. They'd planned to get in and out as quickly as possible, retrieving Allura with the help of Voltron and then leaving the system. With her safe, they'd be able to wormhole their way out.
It sounded a bit too good to be true, Lance thought. The size of Zarkon's fleet combined with his military prowess, Haggar's presence, and Zarkon himself meant they'd have a fight in their hands.
And once Voltron was within Zarkon's grasp, he wouldn't be willing to let it go. Lance had admired his will and determination once, but now it was another obstacle in the way of their success.
Blue purred when he saw her, pressing a hand to her jaw.
"This is it," he told her. She made a sound in agreement.
"I'm glad," Lance said, "to have you. No matter… no matter what happens when we go out there."
Blue rumbled.
My paladin, she said. It is time.
Lance peered up at his Lion, remembering the words. She'd said it that first night when it had all begun, waking him up the same way she had just over a year ago.
He rested a hand over where his necklace was hidden under his armor.
Heart, Blue said.
"Will you stand with me?"
She purred into his mind. Always.
Lance ran his fingers over cool metal and then stepped back, nodding.
He was about to leave when Blue moved. Something passed through their bond, less of a thought and more like a rolling wave of emotion.
Lance tugged his helmet off, holding it in his hands. He could see his reflection in the glass visor—the features he'd given himself, the person he'd become. Human.
We can't keep running, Keith had told him.
I'm not, Lance had said back, though he hadn't quite stopped yet.
There is little to fear, heart, Blue said. You have only ever been yourself.
His necklace was ice-cold against his skin. What would Mama think of her son now? Lance thought he could see a piece of her in his face, just barely there and staring back at him.
Blue began to purr again. Lance let himself sink into her waves before he closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, Lance saw his face again, the one he remembered. The most notable change were the blue crescents hanging under his eyes like war paint. The marking on the left was strangely flat, but Lance didn't dwell on the sight for too long.
He turned his head sideways, examining the point his ear tapered to and then lifting his chin so he could see the shadowed slits just below his jaw.
Blue sent him a tidal wave of pride and joy, and Lance wrapped them around himself like a cape. He let himself linger on his appearance for just another moment.
Then Lance ran his fingers over Blue's snout.
I will help you, she promised.
"I'll see you on the other side," he murmured, turning and heading towards the main deck. He popped his helmet back on.
"You guys ready over there?"
"Yeah," Shiro said. "Everyone, head to your Lions. We'll take flight when we get there, and Lance will join us."
"Sounds like a plan."
"Got it," Lance said.
"Are you good to go, Lance?"
"Yeah," he said, thinking of Blue.
"Let's do this."
Lance paused outside the main deck, pulling out the ribbon the mice had gotten for him. He rubbed it between his fingers and murmured a quick prayer—to the stars, to the gods, to anyone who was out there and who would listen—before he looped it around his right wrist and tied it.
"Hey, Coran," Lance said, taking his place at the controls. His voice had come out all wrong, not casual like he'd intended but shaky and… well, scared. Though he tried to stifle his emotions, the nerves crept up his spine like cold air.
Lance ran his fingers over his bayard and tried to ground himself. He wondered if its shape would change if he tried to use it.
Coran saw right through him.
"It'll be alright," Coran said. "I have faith in you and in Allura."
Lance smiled wanly. "Don't forget yourself."
But Coran wasn't listening. He cocked his head, a strange expression crossing his face. He moved closer to Lance, peering up at him from the bottom of the steps.
Lance remembered suddenly what Coran must have been seeing, even with the helmet on. He closed the distance between them, and the two of them considered each other.
"We only have each other left," Lance said softly.
He thought he caught tears in Coran's eyes.
"Oh, my boy," Coran said, surging forward and putting his arms around Lance. They stood there, the last of the Alteans, the remains and ruins of what had once been so full of light.
A grief that spanned millennia wrapped its fingers around their throats; Lance found it hard to breathe and choked as darkness swept over him.
Coran pulled back, clasping his forearm.
"They are all watching over us," he said, and Lance turned his gaze to the stars. They'd always believed that was where the dead went, back to the very stars they'd been born from.
"We'll join them one day," Lance murmured.
Coran rested his thumb over Lance's wrist, and he wondered if he could feel his heartbeat there.
"Not today."
They stood in a grim, determined silence. Coran glanced down at their hands and blinked at the ribbon around Lance's wrist.
Lance held it up.
"For the fallen," he said, "and for Allura."
Coran lifted his hand to his heart and nodded once.
"We can't waste any more time," Coran said, voice rough, and he stepped away.
"You're right," Lance replied, taking his place. "Hey, uh… are you all in your hangars?"
"Yes."
Blue?
He didn't need to say another word. His Lion's presence curled around him, and she pressed at the barrier between their minds. Lance glanced at Coran before he let the barrier fall, accepting Blue's help.
They were old—ancient—and immense, vast as space itself. They had been crafted from a piece of the heavens, and at their center was pure quintessence, rising and falling like the intake of air or the ocean's waves.
The quintessence ached to leave, so they let it burst free, pouring into the Castle's systems.
A distant triumph sang in their minds when the sky opened before them, the wormhole electric blue and rippling.
"Steady," Coran said. "That's right."
Then they were through, and Lance stumbled back into his own body. It felt like waking up, awareness returning to his mind slowly as the sound of his own breathing filled his ears.
"Well done, Lance."
"Nice!"
"We're flying out. Lance, get to Blue—while he does that, Coran, scan for Allura and see if you can get a lock on her location."
"Right on," Coran said.
Lance sprinted to the hangar, barreling into the cockpit and then leaning forward. The dashboard lit up around him, and Lance gunned Blue up and out of the hangar to join the others.
"Good to see you, Lance," Pidge said, appearing in the corner of the screen.
"Thanks," he said.
"We are the defenders of the universe," Shiro reminded them, "and we will not fail. Team, form Voltron!"
This time was the easiest it had ever been.
Blue slid into place, and Lance reached for the others, their minds clicking together like puzzle pieces. No, closer than that, like the threads of a tapestry weaving together, the different colors twining together in harmony.
He found the steady and strong thread that was Hunk's, then Pidge's, quick and sharp. After her was Keith, a spark of flame, and Shiro, encompassing and sure.
This band of misfits that he'd found himself in, these strangers—they had all become so familiar.
"Thank you," Lance whispered.
"I've got your location," Coran reported. "Go as planned."
"Remember the plan."
They flew forwards, and Lance kept his eye out as they passed ship after ship after ship. He'd never seen so many before, and it made the back of his neck tingle.
Pidge yelped in alarm. Voltron didn't falter, but uneasiness rippled through all of them.
"What is that?"
In the distance, Lance saw the air shift, like the very fabric of the universe was closing around them. It was hard to discern, but Lance knew they'd flown into a trap.
It didn't matter. They were in. They'd complete their mission, and then they'd figure out a way to leave.
"Oh, shit," someone said.
"They're going to fire! Watch out!"
The fleet of fighter pods sent streaming arcs of laserfire at them, and Shiro yelled as they wove in between the fighter pods. He directed them to one of the main ships.
"Keith, Pidge," Shiro ordered. "Form sword."
Lance thought he heard the echo of a growl, the sound of fire crackling in his ears.
The two arms blazed with light, Voltron's sword sparking as it was unsheathed and thrust into the ship before them. They flew along the side, fire burning where they cut, and Lance let a smile form on his lips when it exploded.
Voltron quickly tore through another, ramming into it with their force. The ships groaned, metal screeching as they were slammed into each other, the music of war.
The fight wasn't over.
Lance cried out as a beam passed by them, close enough that he and Blue might've been hit.
"We've got trouble!"
"Dive!"
They plummeted, and two ships that had been gunning for them crashed into each other. The explosion rang in Lance's ears, but they were already moving out of the way of another blast.
"Form shoulder cannon!"
Hunk grunted. There was a clicking sound as his bayard fit into its slot, and though Lance couldn't see it, he knew the shoulder cannon was forming.
"Come on…"
Ribbons of light burst forth, separating and taking out a row of ships with just one blow.
Pidge's mind sparked against theirs.
"Good eye, Pidge," Shiro said as they flitted through a narrow gap between a few ships and twisted to avoid being hit. Hunk's cannon dissolved, and Keith's sword took its place, gleaming as they approached.
Before them, Zarkon's ship loomed threateningly, the symbol of his empire.
"There it is," Shiro said, voice hushed. "Zarkon's ship."
Lance ran his tongue over his teeth and hissed under his breath.
"Let's take it out," Keith snarled. "Right here, right now. We can—"
There was a jolt, and then Lance's mind filled with static. Their connection—Voltron—flickered, and Lance cried out.
Through the comms, he heard the others react, but it was Shiro's pained yell that made Lance throw himself forward, willing both him and Blue to move.
"What—going on?"
Static, both inside his mind and through the comms. There was a distant, terrible sound, and Lance realized it was Blue herself, keening.
"Blue!" he yelled. "Blue!"
But she remained still, not responding to his pleas or his frantic scrabbling at the controls.
"—happening?"
"No!"
"Someone answer—"
"Shiro, please!" That was Keith's voice, dripping with panic like it was poison and clear as day to Lance's ears. "Shiro, we can't hold this any longer."
Frustrated, angry tears welled in Lance's eyes.
"Liyet," he whispered to Blue. "Liyet…"
Please.
There was a grating sound, like metal scraping together but higher in pitch. Lance's connection to Blue seemed to falter, her mind growing more distant, and he chased after the bond, refusing to let her go.
He was shaking as he reached for the controls, throat dry.
And then pain splintered through the bond—in between him and Blue and the others, a feeling like lightning encompassing his mind. Lance screamed, but then the agony seemed to melt away, the worst of it over.
When the white that had taken over his vision faded, Lance saw the other Lions floating aimlessly around him, their large forms strangely limp.
"What... what just happened?"
It was a relief to hear Hunk's voice. Lance almost cried, but he swallowed.
"Something tore us apart," Pidge said, her voice low. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her displayed on Blue's screen, her teeth gritted in either anger or pain.
"Shiro!"
"We need to move," Lance said. "Blue, come on, baby."
Blue's mind sparked like he was striking it with flint, and Lance pushed at their bond again.
"Come on!" he yelled, and Blue snapped up at his cry, her presence filling the air around him. She twisted, her tail flicking as she growled deep in her throat, the sound echoing in Lance's ears.
Then she roared, tearing forwards in anger. Lance gripped the controls as they raced for a nearby ship and then pulled them parallel so she could sink her claws through metal.
"They knew we were coming!"
More ships followed the first, appearing from the large ring that circled around Zarkon's base.
"Let's go!"
He saw Green's laser beam cut through a ship as fighter pods chased after her. Yellow tore into another.
The temperature in the cockpit dropped, and Lance hissed as he and Blue froze over a series of pods. Red took care of two with a blast, and Yellow rammed into the third.
"There's no end to these guys! We can't take them out alone."
"It's a good thing you're not, then."
Lance barked out a relieved laugh Coran came to the rescue, the Castle's lasers taking care of the fleet that had amassed before them.
"Coran!"
"Thank God you're here."
"Take that," Coran yelled, voice triumphant. Underneath his tone lurked grief and a deep-set anger that reminded Lance of the moment they'd shared before the battle. "I've waited ten thousand years for this."
Explosions rang out around them.
With the fleet being taken care of, the team was free to race back towards where they'd left Shiro. He hadn't joined their fight, and when they flew back, Lance saw why.
The Black Lion was caught mid-air, glowing a strange purple. He didn't seem to be moving.
Over the comms, Shiro groaned.
"Shiro! You okay?"
A painful silence hung in the air, and then: "I don't know. Something's wrong—my Lion isn't responding to me."
Brother, Blue cried, but Black did not answer her, either.
And then Shiro was screaming in pain, the sound harsh over the comms. Horror filled Lance's stomach, and he pushed forward before finding himself caught in the path of incoming fighter pods.
Blue grabbed the wing of one in her mouth, tossing it towards the other. They exploded in orange fire, and Lance and Blue drew closer still to Zarkon's ship.
It is him, Blue growled. The traitor.
Lance shivered.
"Shiro's in trouble," Keith yelled. "I'm going in."
"Keith," he cried, though he knew there was nothing he could do to stop him. He and Am'lei were similar in that.
A few things happened at once.
Red flew forwards, careening towards Black. Black's eyes flickered before the bright yellow light dulled, and her jaw opened. A small, distant shape flew out—Shiro cried out as he was ejected.
"Uh, what do we do now? Our plan is really going as, well, as planned!"
Lance tracked Shiro as he landed on Zarkon's ship.
"You guys get the princess," Shiro ordered. He sounded fine, like whatever pain he'd had subsided. "I'll get the Black Lion."
"I've gotten Allura's exact location," Coran reported. "I've already sent it to all of you. But um, if you could all hurry up, that'd be great. I'll just be here. Alone. Holding off an entire fleet. Oh, goodness."
"My jetpack's damaged. I'm going through the ship."
"Shiro, please be careful."
Shiro huffed out a laugh in answer but said nothing else, disappearing after he'd cut a hole through the ship.
After he was gone, Keith said, "You guys go get the princess without me."
"Keith, what are you doing?"
"Don't be stupid, Keith. You can't just leave us—we gotta stick together!"
"I'm doing whatever I can."
The Red Lion dove and flew out of sight, hidden by Zarkon's ship. Lance groaned. He didn't want Keith to go off by himself, but—
Lance looked at the ribbon around his wrist. He had to save Allura first; Keith could hold out until then. Though he was reckless, he was smart, too.
Red reappeared, and Lance bit on his lip as Keith sent Red hurtling into Black, knocking him out of where he'd been caught.
"Lance, go left!"
He veered left, leaving the fighter pod shooting at nothing.
"Allura's in this part of the ship!"
"How do we get in?"
The blinking dot was stationary, meaning Allura was probably locked up in a cell somewhere. Lance gritted his teeth.
"Maybe I can hack in," Pidge started.
Hunk made a dismissive noise. "We don't have time."
"Have a better idea, then?"
"Actually, I do."
Hunk didn't explain. He just went for it, drifting back before he smashed into the section of Zarkon's ship where they were holding Allura.
"Lance, ten o'clock."
He glanced over and found a squad of fighter pods racing towards them.
"Should've seen that coming," Lance grumbled as he and Blue readied themselves. "It's kind of hard not to notice when a giant Lion head crashes through your wall."
"Hunk, did you get the princess yet?"
"Uh, yeah."
"Good!" Lance yelled, taking out another pod. "Then let's go!"
"We can't." That was Allura's voice, distant through Hunk's helmet. "We have to help Shiro."
Lance swore.
Coran's voice echoed through the comms right after. "Keith, get out of there!"
Lance ground his teeth together and swore again. He could distantly hear the sound of Shiro's voice, lost and pained, but Keith was in danger, too.
Blue made the choice for him, joining Yellow. The wall crumbled under her weight, and she opened her mouth to let him go.
"Keith—"
The witch, Blue said. Shiro will need your help more.
Lance took off on a run, using his tech to check where Hunk was going and following after.
In the distance, he saw two figures and yelled when he recognized them.
"Lance!" Allura cried.
He gripped her arm, peering into her face. "You're alright?"
"Fine," she said, mouth in a line. "Shiro needs our help more."
"Up ahead," Hunk said, and Lance skidded to a stop when he saw a dark mass of figures, each one cloaked. It was an illusion; in the center, he saw a flash of purple light—Shiro's arm.
"Which one's the real one?"
"Allura," Lance said, extending his hand. They linked hands, and power coursed through the both of them. The illusion vanished as they tore through it, leaving Haggar alone in front of Shiro.
Then Hunk was there, firing.
Shiro stumbled back, and Lance let go of Allura's hand and rushed to his side.
"Shiro," he said lowly.
"I'm fine," Shiro said, but he took the hand Lance offered.
When he turned, Haggar was already gone.
Keith, Lance suddenly remembered, and he left Shiro, Hunk, and Allura behind, straining himself as he ran to Blue. They launched off towards the other side of the ship.
"Coran, where's Keith?"
Coran opened the comms to Blue. His face was worried and anxious.
"He'll need your help," Coran said. "Hurry, Lance. He cut off comms, but I think he's fighting Zarkon."
"Keith…," Lance muttered under his breath, Blue moving before he had to direct her. "Dammit, Keith."
"Come on," he snarled, "come on, come on."
Zarkon was facing off the Red Lion. Even from a distance, Lance could see the sharp angles of his armor and his cruelly-cut face.
Red was crouched on the ship, but Lance could tell she'd taken a beating. Through the glass of the cockpit, he could see lights flaring—the alarms.
"Keith?"
Blue managed to patch through to Red.
"Keith, answer me," Lance said.
It took a moment, but then Lance could hear Keith's ragged breathing.
"Lance."
Zarkon eyed Blue, and Lance had the chilling feeling that Zarkon was looking straight at him, though it wasn't possible.
"Blue," Lance said.
She rumbled, opening her mouth. Lance raced out, raising his shield before he let his bayard materialize in his hand. He had his defenses up just in time to catch Zarkon's blow, a chain slamming into Lance's shield.
He yelled, the force of it pushing him back.
"Lance!"
There was a buzzing sound. A moment later, a beam arced towards Zarkon. Light burst around him, bright enough that Lance had to shield his eyes.
When he dropped his arm, Zarkon was still standing, having used his bayard as a shield. Lance growled and advanced.
Zarkon chuckled. "Your friend fights like a Galra soldier. But he cannot stand against me."
"I don't know," Lance said. "I think he did pretty well."
"And who are you, Blue Paladin?"
"Lance!"
He heard Keith before he saw him out of the corner of his eye. Lance snarled—he'd left Red to come join him.
Zarkon let his bayard form into a sword that Lance knew well.
"Lance," he said, tasting his name.
Lance's heart turned to ice, but his chest felt like it was on fire. He could still feel Zarkon's blade cutting into his skin, remembered how much it had hurt as Zarkon had stood over him.
"Lance," Zarkon said again, his lip curling.
And before that, the claws raking across the soft flesh of his throat—and before that, Zarkon's hand outstretched, offering him a different route to take.
"Keith," Lance said, voice trembling. "Go back to Red."
"I'm not leaving you," Keith spat.
"Keith."
Lance stepped forward so he could act as a shield, blocking Keith from Zarkon.
"You seem familiar." Zarkon cocked his head.
Lance released his bayard, and the weapon that formed in his hand felt different than the one he'd been carrying. Keith hissed sharply.
Zarkon gave a low, delighted laugh. "So it is you."
Lance's lips thinned into a firm line. He kept himself between Keith and Zarkon.
"Keith," Lance bit out. "Go now."
Zarkon brought his sword forward, and Lance met his blow, metal clanging. He couldn't take his eyes off Zarkon, but he heard Keith scrambling backwards, leaving.
"Zarkon."
"So you live," Zarkon said, "just as I suspected. Haggar was certain you would not survive, but I know you."
"No," Lance said. "You don't."
Zarkon lashed out, catching Lance by surprise. He yelled as he was thrown onto his back, rolling to the side in time to miss the sword point that drove into metal.
"You are my brother," Zarkon said. "Even with your paladins, they will never know you as I do."
Lance's chest heaved. He rubbed at his burning eyes and threw himself forward, hooking his trident around Zarkon's sword and shoving him back.
"You," Lance hissed, "are not my brother. And you are not my family, and you will never have Voltron."
Tears made his vision blur, but Lance's body moved on its own, parrying Zarkon's every move.
"Keith, Lance, do you copy?"
"Shiro—"
Lance shut his comms off, leaving him only with the sound of his own harsh breathing in his ears.
He blocked Zarkon's sword, catching it on his trident's staff. Lance dug his heels in, groaning when the sword's weight was too much for him.
"You're stronger than this," Zarkon said. "Why are you holding back?"
Lance was shaking—from pain, from grief, from exhaustion—but he tightened his grip on his trident. Faster than he could process, Zarkon shifted his bayard, chain wrapping around the prongs and pulling Lance closer.
He dropped to the ground, trident twisting free of the chain, and darted forward.
They clashed and pulled apart, circling.
Again and again, Zarkon pushing Lance to what they both knew was his limit, every muscle in his body straining to keep up.
Lance panted. There was blood trickling down the back of his knee where Zarkon had managed to cut him, and he could feel blood gathering where there was a mark on his face.
Zarkon hadn't gone unscathed, his left pauldron destroyed where Lance had torn through it with his trident and his shoulder dark with blood.
"You're still holding back," Zarkon said, voice soft. He lowered his sword, but Lance hefted his trident higher. A trick.
"Shut up," Lance said, but he found himself unable to move even as Zarkon stepped closer.
"Why?"
Lance shuddered. He took a step back and stumbled over his own feet.
Why?
Zarkon was stronger than him, but he'd managed to hold his own. If Lance kept fighting, he knew he wouldn't make it back.
Why?
Lance swallowed.
Maybe he hadn't let go. Maybe he still wanted the things he could never have—Zarkon, his brother, his leader. Maybe a part of him had erased the scars that stretched across his skin, had forgotten home and so latched onto the only person who was left of it.
Home was the Castle, now, the arching hallways and blue lights, its lonely rooms they were still filling with laughter. Empty ballrooms with waltzing ghosts, the last snippet of a melody bittersweet and almost gone. His friends: their love, their kindness, their strength, their light.
Maybe Lance just… didn't want to go home.
Zarkon's gaze was heavy, a burden he didn't want to carry.
Lance couldn't bring himself to move fast enough. Zarkon's sword bit into his side, and Lance sobbed as pain blossomed along his ribs. He managed to reform his shield but staggered back when the impact hit.
Lance's knee gave out then, and he fell, gasping in pain.
"Will you kill me?" he asked, pushing himself backwards.
Zarkon's sword disappeared.
"We both do not want for a war," Zarkon said instead of answering. Rage tore at Lance's insides, seeking a way out.
"You took away everything I had," Lance snarled. "When Am'lei died, so did I. When Elolith passed, when Uadsty was killed, when my sister, my family—"
He couldn't continue.
"My offer still stands, even ten thousand years later," Zarkon said. "You could join me."
"You," Lance heaved, pushing himself up and gripped his trident. He lunged forward, catching Zarkon off guard. The prongs cleaved through Zarkon's armor, raking across his chest.
Zarkon roared, forcing the trident back so Lance was, too.
He caught a glimpse of the Black Lion landing. Shiro had done it; Lance let a smile cross his face.
Blue roared, and Lance lurched to his feet unsteadily. His bayard flickered, and he focused on it, willing it into his rifle.
There was a heavy thud as his Lion landed above him, covering his body with her own.
Heart.
Lance's armor glowed in Blue's shadow. He let his bayard retract with no clear shot at Zarkon and found himself looking at the thin pink ribbon he'd tied around his wrist.
For the fallen.
"Blue," he said as she put space between him and Zarkon before spinning around sharply to scoop him into her mouth.
The battle wasn't done, and neither was the war, but Lance slumped in his seat wearily. Blue hummed.
"I have to keep going," he whispered, "for them."
For yourself, Blue said gently. Lance pressed a hand against his side but didn't cry like he thought he would have.
"I promise."
"Lance! Lance!"
The call was echoed by the other paladins, and despite himself, Lance smiled.
"I'm here."
"Let's get out."
Allura's face appeared on the screen, and Lance sighed at the sight of her back in the Castle.
"Allura…?"
Her face was pinched. "I can't…"
"Allura, we need to leave! If we stay here any longer, we're doomed."
Coran appeared. "The Galra barrier—it's jamming our ability to create a wormhole."
Lines and lines of ships flew into sight, and Lance readied himself to fight, though he wasn't sure if he could.
The Lions fled towards the barrier with nowhere else to go, and Blue whined as they were cornered by the remaining fleet, still strong.
Then the barrier flickered and went down.
"Impossible," Lance murmured.
"What happened? Coran?"
"Does it matter? Wormhole!"
Blue flew closer to the Castle as a gaping wormhole opened before them.
There was a crackling sound, like buzzing electricity, and Lance watched in horror as the wormhole deepened in color. Blue was torn away from the Castle, the Lions split apart by the energy that rushed around them.
Lance yelled, trying to push back, but there was nothing he could do.
"Blue," he begged.
Paladin, she said, wrapping protectively around him.
"The integrity of the wormhole has been compromised! It's breaking down!"
"Guys!"
Pidge was screaming as Green was tugged past Blue, disappearing into the folds of the wormhole.
"We won't have any control over where we're going!"
Lance.
Blue shuddered. Lance reached for her, but she slipped through his grasp and seemed to fade away, going silent.
"Liyet," he pleaded. "Blue…"
Lance closed his eyes as the two of them were suddenly jerked to the side, forcefully wrenched from the wormhole.
"Blue," he whispered, tugging at the controls, but Blue shut down, every light flickering out and the engines sputtering as they failed.
Lance did the only thing he could, closing his eyes against the darkness and clinging to the hollow bond-thread stretched thin between him and Blue.
Then they fell together into nothingness.
