Author's Notes:

Thank you for all the reviews, favs, and follows.

Thank you Paulina Ann for betareading

Thank you Chris for editing.

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Voltron"

Dressed in their finery, the Alteans—who had sworn allegiance to Leonidas—were stunned to see their new king sprawled face down on the platform beside his dead son.

Confused, they whispered amongst themselves. What was happening to their beloved Altea? Who was now the reigning monarch? And what had happened to the alliance that rallied behind Leo, effectively overthrowing the royal house of Altea?

An air of discontent rose like wildfire amongst the crowds when a trio of opulently dressed individuals stepped on to the raised platform. Leo's mistress, Raggahlia, who had crowned herself Queen of Altea, followed by her daughter and her betrothed.

Lacey's hand curled in the crook of Lord Erik's arm; the couple's expression unfazed, regal even. They were accompanied not by Altean soldiers, but by the new queen's personal guardsmen with blue skin and yellow eyes.

The panicked crowds slowly backed away from the makeshift platform only to be surrounded by more of the large and powerfully-built blue-skinned guardsmen. Where had these large brutes come from? And where were the rest of the ladies-in-waiting and baron lords that usually accompanied Leo?

Without warning, Raggahlia raised her staff, topped with a silver orb. It glowed with white and purple fissures of light, stretching and snaking towards the frightened Alteans.

The crowd quieted, mesmerised by the glowing orb.

"As the new queen of Altea, my first edict is the public execution of the Black Lion warrior, Keith Kogane. He is to be beheaded and quartered, a most heinous death reserved for traitors to the crown. His remains shall be mounted on a pike as a warning to all those who would dare oppose my rule," Raggahlia commanded.

Two large guardsmen removed Keith from the pillory and dragged him towards a massive stone block in the middle of the platform.

Forced down to his knees in front of the block, Keith grunted, resisting with the last of his strength, but there was little he could do against the massive guardsmen. As his head pressed down on the stone block, his eyes roamed the crowd. The sea of blank faces stared glassy-eyed back at him.

Suddenly, he glimpsed several men in heavy hooded cloaks, one of whom nodded at him. Keith recognised him straightaway.

It was Lord George Garrett, his eyes avoiding the sickly brilliance emanating from the orb. His presence meant that his twin brother and the Sande kingdom's knight corps were somewhere amongst the crowd.

Keith heard heavy bootfalls.

An executioner stepped up beside him, his massive fists gripping a large axe, its sharp edge glinting in the sun. Keith braced himself. In one swift movement the executioner raised his axe above his head, but then a loud hiss sliced through the air.

The executioner stumbled, an arrow embedded in the centre of his chest. The axe fell from his grasp, narrowly missing Keith, and his lifeless body collapsed in a heap.

Another arrow flew, piercing Raggahlia's silver orb, shattering it into tiny shards of glass.

The crowd exploded in chaos.

The hooded Sande knights stealthily thrust their broadswords into the unsuspecting blue-skinned guardsmen that surrounded the crowd, slaying them where they stood. The knights quickly led the Altean crowd away from the platform, dispersing them in different directions, guiding them to safety.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with the deafening sound of roaring lions and powerful engines.

Lacey clung to Erik while a stunned Raggahlia stared skyward in disbelief.

A giant metal creature with lion heads for feet, hands and head, descended into the middle of the now-deserted square.

In a flash, Keith was engulfed in a crackling, electric energy. As he was lifted up, Keith saw his bruises disappear and his wounds instantly heal. As he rose into the air, a giant face stared back at him. He knew straight away he was looking at Black Lion.

:: Welcome back, lion warrior, :: Five voices spoke in unison.

When the electrical energy dissipated, Keith was seated in Black Lion's cockpit and four circular screens lit up from both sides of his chair.

Four lion warriors greeted him all at the same time, their expressions and voices elated.

"You're a sight for sore eyes." Hunk guffawed while Pidge gave him a crisp salute.

"Keith," Allura whispered between tears and sobs, her hand on her lips.

In an unconscious gesture, Keith reached out and touched the screen. "Alllura," he said, his voice hoarse, thick with emotion. "Are you well, love?" His heart was about to explode, seeing his wife alive and whole.

"I am." Allura's brilliant blue eyes shimmered.

Keith swallowed hard. What he'd give to hold her in his arms right now. He nodded to the rest of the warriors, including Jefferey and Lisa who were in Red Lion's cockpit.

Five voices of the lion spirits spoke to them in unison. :: Lion warriors, we are now complete. We need to end her deadly reign. Now. ::

In a brilliant flash of light, Voltron formed a blazing energy sword, lightning coursing through the blade. The giant robot looked down at the platform in the square, locking on to the trio and their remaining guardsmen.

With a mighty swing, Voltron aimed the giant sword at the platform, enveloping Raggahlia and her retinue in a sphere of crackling energy which solidified into ice.

Just as swiftly, Voltron plunged the sword into the frozen sphere and it exploded, shattering into a thousand pieces.

Raggahlia, Lacey, and Erik's short, evil reign ended with a weak, purplish sizzling vapour that dissipated into nothingness.

xoxoxoxo

The clouds skated beneath them as Voltron flew.

"Will there be no rebuilding?" Jefferey asked from Red Lion's cockpit.

"Just abandon the city?" Lisa sat in an extra seat that had emerged behind Jefferey's.

"My brothers are handling the relocation as we speak. And everyone is welcome to relocate to Sande," Hunk replied.

"Alteans are mostly from other kingdoms and lands. They gather in Altea as representatives because it is the seat of power," Keith answered.

:: Lion warriors, we are flying post-haste. We are unable to sustain this any longer than a few more minutes. We must reach our new dens in order to heal, :: Black Lion commanded.

:: We are due for a prolonged hibernation and this time, we are unsure when we will emerge from our sleep, :: Blue Lion added.

The giant robot descended in front of a brown stone castle that had a large lake, or was it a moat? The lion warriors weren't sure.

Decoupling back into five lions, the robot mechas landed in the wide space between the castle and the moat.

The moment Black Lion hit the ground, Keith jumped out and bolted towards Blue Lion and Allura.

Allura flung herself into Keith's arms.

Holding her in a tight embrace, Keith whirled her around, ecstatic, before kissing her with all abandon. He didn't care if their fellow warriors were staring at them. He needed to hold her and taste her, making sure she was real. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, that he missed her, that he was beyond glad she was alive and well, and that he loved her with all his heart.

When he lifted his head, he cupped her face and wiped her tears with the pads of his thumb. "I thought I'd lost you. They said you died in the explosion." Keith gazed at his wife, his fingers brushing against her short inky black hair.

"I thought I'd lost you, too. When I couldn't reach you, I feared the worst," Allura whispered. Then, she laughed softly when Keith arched a brow at her hair.

"I'm assuming your disguise also kept you safe." He kissed her salty tears and embraced her, inhaling her comforting scent. He grinned when his palm came away with black dye stains.

"I was so worried I would lose our baby, but Blue arrived just in time." Allura hiccuped, pressing her forehead on Keith's stubbly chin. While in Keith's solid arms, Allura turned her head and looked at Blue lion's mecha. "Blue, come out, please. I need to give you a hug too." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

:: We cannot, my warrior, :: Blue boomed from the lion mecha.

"What do you mean you cannot?" Allura's brow furrowed, perplexed. She broke from Keith's arms and walked towards her lion mecha.

:: They destroyed the crystal chamber. Our powers are vastly diminished, :: Blue replied.

:: We also need to put some protection over the castle for the royal family's safety. :: Green Lion added. He sat on his haunches beside his mother.

:: We all had to make concessions, sacrifices... This was ours, :: Blue said.

"Will we ever see you again?" Allura brushed her hand against her mecha's paw.

:: No, not in this lifetime. But most assuredly, in your future selves, when you are all reborn, we will meet once again. :: Blue lowered her face, closer to Allura.

Keith approached Jefferey and Lisa. "Thank you to both of you. I cannot thank you enough for protecting and taking care of Allura. Lance would have been proud of you, piloting his mecha."

Hunk and Pidge gathered towards Keith and the Du Cains.

Keith clasped Hunk's hand, thanking him and his kingdom for their help.

Allura was about to join them when a woman, mayhap of similar age to Cate and Cybil walked through the castle's raised portcullis.

As she reached Allura, the woman smiled; freckles dotting her flushed cheeks and her blonde curls bobbing at the side of her face. She looked like the sunnier version of Allura's nanny.

"Greetings," Allura began, "Our lion mechas directed us to this castle. I was told by Princess Cybil to look for Gin."

"Greetings to all of you, I am she. I have been appointed chatelaine by their Majesties Queen Cate and King Kenneth. The staff and I have been waiting for this day." Gin made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "Welcome to the Castle of Lions."

(TO BE CONTINUED - final chapter - Epilogue)