"We're being hailed!" Coran warned.

"Open a frequency," ordered Shiro, watching Coran enter the command into his monitor. "We are the paladins of Voltron, sent here by Ulaz."

For a tense moment it was quiet. Then, "Four may enter. Come unarmed."

"Unarmed?" Allura demanded as the communications link with the base ended. "This doesn't feel right."

"We didn't come all this way just to give up now," Shiro said, turning to look at the others. "Pidge, Keith, and Allura will go with me in the red lion, since it can withstand the heat from that sun. Hunk and Lance, you two stay on guard here with Coran."

"We'll hold down the fort," Hunk agreed.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Allura asked as Keith slowly forced himself to his feet. He gave her a quick nod before his head could object.

"They just sent us a route to the base, but we'll have to be quick about it. It's only open for another varga then it closes for two quintants," Coran said.

"They're gonna close it for two years?" asked Lance incredulously.

"Two days," Pidge corrected.

"Oh."

"Be careful!" Coran warned. "Once the route closes we won't be able to help you if something goes wrong."

"This is cozy," Keith grumbled as Shiro, Allura and Pidge crowded around him while they flew towards the base. His head was hurting worse than before but he refused to mention that, not when he was so close to finally getting some answers about his mom.

"Are we sure this is the right place?" Pidge asked after they landed. Keith shrugged as a doorway in the side of the asteroid opened before them and two masked guards stepped out.

"Looks like it," said Shiro.

They were led into the base, passing numerous closed doors and branching hallways. It had seemed much smaller from the outside. Finally they entered what appeared to be a large gathering hall where more guards stood at attention. Keith noticed they all wore the same mask and armor, including the leader standing at the top of the steps in front of them.

"I am Kolivan, leader of the Blade of Marmora."

"My name's Shiro, and this is Princess Allura of Altea, my brother Keith, and Pidge. We're paladins of Voltron."

"I know who you are," Kolivan said. "Ulaz should not have divulged this base's location to you. He had a tendency to ignore orders and always followed his impulses. That's what got him killed."

"He gave his life to save us!" Allura argued. "He brought us here, and Voltron is ready to assist you in your fight against Zarkon. Are we welcome here or not?"

"You were told to come unarmed," Kolivan said as one of the guards standing behind Keith grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, slamming him down onto the ground and unsheathing his dagger.

"Keith!"

"He has one of our blades. Who did you steal this from?" the guard demanded, pressing down harder on Keith's arm.

"I didn't steal it! My father gave it to me," Keith replied.

"Liar!"

Keith fought to stay calm as the weight on his arm and back increased. "He said it belonged to my mother."

"We can't trust them," the guard declared.

"Please, I just want answers," Keith begged, straining to look up at Kolivan.

"Our organization is built on secrecy and trust. If your father claims the blade belonged to your mother then she should give you the answers you seek," Kolivan replied.

"She left when I was a baby!" Keith shouted, growling in frustration. He would never in a million years share such personal information with his teammates, let alone complete strangers, but he had to explain. And quickly.

"We came here to form an alliance but obviously we're not welcome. Let him go and we'll leave," Shiro said.

The guard released Keith and he slowly rose to his feet, holding his bruised arm. He glared at Kolivan. "I'm not leaving without my knife."

Kolivan shook his head. "The blade is not yours to keep. You haven't earned it."

He could feel Shiro, Allura and Pidge staring at him but he didn't care. "Somehow it ended up on planet Earth, along with my mom. Tell me how."

"Your brother is right, you should go," Kolivan said, turning to leave.

"Who was she? I have to know!"

Kolivan stopped, slowly turning to look back at Keith. "You seek knowledge? There is only one way to attain knowledge here."

"I'll do it!"

"Should you survive the trials, you may keep the blade and its secrets will be revealed," Kolivan explained.

"Survive? Keith, this is crazy! If they're not going to help us we should get out of here," Shiro said, grabbing Keith's shoulder.

"I can't leave. I have to do this," Keith said, looking from Shiro to Pidge and Allura. He hoped they would understand.

"The trials result in only one of two things : knowledge or death."

"I guess I really wasn't supposed to go through that door," Keith mumbled, holding his left arm stable as his shoulder throbbed. After exiting the chute he'd expected to be faced with more fighters but thankfully the hallway was empty.

Crouching low, he pulled his arms in tight against his body as he fought to calm his breathing. Panicking wouldn't help him, and if he stopped the trials he might never know who his mother really was.

"Hey," Shiro said, causing Keith to jerk to his feet. Shiro, Lance, Pidge and Hunk were there, all smiling at him.

"You can do this!"

"We're all here for you!"

"Don't quit now!"

"His suit has the programming to create a virtual mindscape, reflecting the wearer's strongest desire or fear. And at this moment, your brother desperately wants to see you," Kolivan explained to Shiro, as he, Pidge, and Allura stood in front of a large monitor watching Keith talk to their holographic doppelgangers.

"You're messing with his head!" Pidge objected, glaring at Kolivan. "How is that a fair fight?"

More fighters filled Keith's hallway while the team's holograms vanished. Keith looked stricken for a moment as he realized he was alone before he lifted his knife and prepared to fight.

"We've seen enough, you need to stop this," Shiro demanded.

Kolivan looked at him, his expression unreadable through his mask. "Knowledge or death."

Keith began fighting the latest wave of fighters, pushing his body well past its limit. It was obvious he was exhausted and injured, his left arm hanging useless at his side and blood coating the right side of his face from a deep cut on his forehead. But he would not stop. He couldn't. He HAD to know who his mother was, even if it killed him.

Everything slowed down to the swinging of his blade and staying upright. Nothing else mattered.

Slash.

Stab.

Duck.

Slash.

Dive.

Kick.

Block.

Each thrust made his arm burn and his chest ache, but Keith refused to stop.

Suddenly the base shook and dust fell from the ceiling.

"What was that?" Pidge asked, glancing around fearfully.

A guard raced into the room. "The red lion is attacking our base!"

Kolivan whirled on them. "Call off your beast!"

"The red lion has a link with Keith, it knows when he's in danger. It's coming for him!" Allura explained, gesturing at the monitor where they watched as Keith slowly grew weaker.

"He won't stop, no matter what. And if something happens to him, his lion will destroy your entire base," Shiro added.

Kolivan and Shiro watched each other in silence before Kolivan looked at the guard still standing in the door.

"End the trials."

Shiro, Allura and Pidge didn't wait for Kolivan's permission before racing from the observation deck.

Keith staggered, his eyesight going black around the edges. Something was wrong. All of the fighters had stopped and were standing around him, their heavy breathing the only sound in the room.

"Keith!" Shiro called. Keith turned, surprised to see Shiro, Allura, and Pidge running towards him. He couldn't tell if they were real or imaginary but as his knees hit the floor he hoped someone really was coming for him.

"It's okay, we've got you," Shiro said as he and Allura pulled Keith to his feet. Shiro wrapped his arm around Keith's side to avoid his injured shoulder while the Princess pulled his other arm around her neck and Pidge held their bayard out and ready.

"Red is attacking the base, can you make her stop?" Pidge asked, looking at him.

Keith nodded. So that was what she was doing. She had been progressively growing more and more agitated over the course of his fight, but he had tried ignoring her as the trial continued. Maybe that had been a mistake.

"Red? Hey girl, I'm okay. Just a little banged up. You can stop trying to kill everyone now," he said telepathically, hoping she would listen.

"We need to get out of here," Shiro said as they hurried from the room. Keith wanted to ask where they were going and if this was part of the trial but his thoughts kept slipping away before he could speak. He tried to stay awake as they followed numerous hallways back to the main entrance, where Kolivan and two guards stood waiting for them.

"He doesn't look happy," Pidge said as they approached.

"Your beast has stopped their attack. The trial may commence, if you wish."

"We're leaving," Shiro said, tightening his grip around Keith's waist.

"Wait..." Keith argued, trying to weakly pull away from Shiro and Allura to no avail.

"Without finishing the trial, you will not be granted knowledge about your mother," Kolivan said, looking directly at Keith. "We can not answer your questions."

"Keith, this knowledge isn't worth your life," Shiro said softly. "We'll find it another way."

"My mom," Keith murmured. He was so close, he couldn't give up. Kolivan nodded once at Shiro and then they were walking outside.

"It's okay," Allura said as they climbed the ramp into red and he was gently lowered onto the floor with his back against the console. Shiro took over piloting, and as they lifted off Pidge knelt beside him. Keith leaned his head back and closed his burning eyes, unable to face their pity.

If anyone noticed the hot tears streaking down his cheeks, no one said anything.

Even though he knew it was futile nearly dying for information about a mom he had never met and didn't even know, he wanted nothing more than to return to the Blade and seek the knowledge he so desperately craved.

In the background Allura and Shiro were talking quietly. Coran's voice soon joined the noise bouncing around inside the cockpit, but Keith couldn't focus on any of them. All he could handle was the shattered heart thumping wildly in his chest.

He'd failed.

The instant they landed Keith shoved himself to his feet and staggered down the ramp. A desperate need to hide away from the others drove him forward even when his body rebelled. But before he could go much further someone grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He tried shaking them off but nearly blacked out as the movement pulled at his shoulder which began pulsing with renewed vigor.

"Hey, it's me."

Shiro had both hands raised in front of him in a sign of peace, causing Keith's resolve to waver. He opened his mouth to say he was fine but Shiro'd already wrapped an arm around his waist and was guiding him towards the infirmary.

He wanted to lock himself away in his room until everyone forgot how pathetic he was. But his brother wouldn't allow it and soon enough he was being deposited back onto one of the beds against the far wall while Pidge and Allura argued nearby.

"The pods still aren't functional, so we might have to use some good 'ol fashioned Earth style first aid to patch you up," Shiro explained after Allura shouted something about humans and their barbarism.

Hunk and Lance approached with a box of what appeared to be never before used medical supplies. "This is all the castle has," Hunk said, setting the box down on the chair beside Keith.

"We'll have to make do with that then," Shiro said, rifling through it. He looked at Keith. "We don't have any anesthesia so you'll feel every bit of this, but your head definitely needs stitches and your shoulder might too."

"Just do it," Keith huffed resignedly. Using his one good arm he scooted himself further back onto the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him. Lance and Hunk helped cut off the ruined fight suit that Kolivan had given him while Shiro pulled out a roll of gauze and a needle and thread.

"Allura, do you have anything we could use for disinfectant?" Shiro asked, glancing over at the princess.

"I think we might have something like that, one tic," Coran said before hurrying over to the other side of the room.

"Oh man," Hunk groaned, looking green. Keith turned his head to try and see how badly his shoulder was damaged but he couldn't at that angle.

"That's...bad," Lance whistled. Keith glared at him.

"Are you sure this is necessary?" Allura asked as she and Pidge joined them. "This seems so counterproductive."

"Without a pod he's at risk of infection or blood loss. Stitching the wounds closed will help the healing process. It's what we do on Earth since we don't have any magic," Pidge explained. Allura opened her mouth, looking like she wanted to object, but then she saw his shoulder and her mouth snapped shut.

"Alright Keith, just try to stay as still as possible," Shiro instructed as Coran handed him a bottle of supposed disinfectant which he liberally poured onto his hands then the needle and thread before splashing more onto Keith's shoulder. Hunk and Lance stepped forward to hold down his legs while Coran took hold of his uninjured shoulder and Pidge stood at the ready with the supplies. Allura stepped forward, tightly gripping Keith's elbow and forearm so as to give Shiro as much working space as possible.

"This is gonna hurt," Shiro warned. Keith nodded once, mouth gone dry. He almost wished for something to bite down on when the needle slid into the inflamed skin of his shoulder. He groaned, his active nerve endings sparking.

"Keep breathing," Allura said, rubbing his arm with her thumb. Keith tried to do as he was told but the pain was worsening and he could feel himself teetering on the edge of unconsciousness as Shriro threaded the needle through his skin yet again. He hissed, closing his eyes as he waited for the pain to subside.

A third stitch and Keith's head was tipping back against the wall, his breathing ragged. A fourth stitch and he could feel hot and cold waves lapping over his body. A fifth stitch and the ringing in his ears was deafening, drowning out the sound of his friends around him.

"Almost done," Shiro said, his voice coming from a great distance. Keith wanted to say he was fine but the sixth and final stitch sent him careening into darkness and he knew no more.

A tall woman with short black hair stood in front of Keith, her back to him.

"You gave up on me."

"Mom?" Keith asked, walking towards her. He reached out to touch her, but before he could she was several feet away.

"You didn't even try. You just gave up. Maybe you don't want to find me after all."

"Wait, no!" Keith shouted as she vanished.

"Mom!"

Keith jerked awake, the dream still haunting him. He looked around the dimly lit med bay, the chair beside his bed empty. The lights were muted and the castle was quiet, which meant everyone was asleep. But he knew there was no chance he'd be getting any more rest after that.

Absentmindedly he scratched at his forehead, surprised to feel a bandage peeking out from under his hair. Then he remembered, and gingerly reached for his shoulder. It was bulky and wrapped in an extensive amount of bandages, but it didn't hurt as much as he expected which he supposed was a good sign.

Lying there staring at the ceiling seemed like a recipe for disaster. He didn't do well when he was bored. So Keith slipped on his boots before quietly padding down the hall towards the training deck. The castle was running on auxiliary power while everyone slept, which Keith was thankful for. He knew what they would say if they caught him. But whenever he was feeling bored training was the only thing that would help him put everything into perspective.

Of course, with his shoulder non functional he would still have to take it easy.

"Begin training sequence," he said, braced and ready with his sword. The gladiator dropped from the ceiling, rising into a fighting stance with a sword pointed at Keith.

"Let's do this."

"Maybe that wasn't a good idea," Keith mumbled to himself as he slowly walked down the hall away from the training deck. The gladiator hadn't gone easy on him and after only a few minutes his head was throbbing and every cut and ache was becoming more pronounced. He was almost ashamed to end the training sequence so early but with only one arm it wasn't long before he was too tired to continue.

He just needed to make it to his room before any of the others woke up and realized what he was doing. But halfway there he was starting to feel woozy as the castle walls seemed to fluctuate around him. Knowing his body well enough to feel when he was pushing his limits, he leaned against the wall and waited for the bout to pass.

Of course his legs took that opportunity to fail him, leaving him sitting in a heap on the floor. Keith didn't mind though. He had the brilliant idea of laying down and wondered why no one else ever tried it. The floor was cold on his hot skin.

"Keith?"

Snapping his eyes open, he was surprised to see Allura kneeling beside him, surveying him with concern.

"What are you doing out here?"

"I needed to take a walk," Keith lied, slowly pushing himself upright.

Allura gave him an appraising look. "Really?"

"I…" Keith began, trying to come up with another lie, but his head hurt too much to think straight. "I was training."

"Training?!" the Princess exploded. "You should be resting!"

"I'm fine," Keith argued. "I don't need a babysitter."

"That's why you're on the floor," Allura snapped, rocking back on her heels. She turned to her mice friends. "Please go get Shiro."

"It's not that big of a deal," Keith grumbled, watching the mice scamper down the hall. Allura rolled her eyes as she sat on the floor facing him. He blinked heavily at her, unsure how to read the expression on her face.

"I didn't know about your mother," she said, starting a topic of conversation he never expected.

Keith shrugged, hissing when the movement tore at his shoulder. "Not much to tell. She left me and my dad when I was a baby, supposedly to keep us safe. When Shiro told me the glyph on her knife matched Ulaz's coordinates I knew she was somehow connected."

Allura hummed, staring down at her hands in her lap. "I don't hold you responsible for Zarkon's actions. You know that, right?"

Everything around them faded away. The Castle, the lions, his injuries; nothing else mattered at that moment.

"I don't blame you, Keith. You have to believe that."

Keith nodded, a tightness building in his chest as he fought down the emotions that threatened to break free. He knew he wasn't responsible for the actions of the Galra, yet he couldn't silence the guilt eating away at him. As if sensing his thoughts Allura gave him a watery smile as her gemstone eyes filled with tears.

The hallway was suddenly stifling as Keith was hit with a swooping sensation.

"Princess?"

"Yes?" Allura asked, hastily wiping away her tears.

"I, um...I think I'm gonna pass out."

Allura was there, her hand on the back of his neck to gently guide him down onto the floor. He felt the reverberation of footsteps before Shiro, Hunk, and Lance were crowding around them.

"What's wrong?" Shiro asked as he crouched beside Allura.

Keith blinked up at his brother, and it was at that moment his body screamed it'd had enough and he promptly passed out.

Jumbled voices echoed around him, but Keith floated. Nothing was real anymore.

"...the quiznak was he thinking?!"

"It's Keith, of course he was training."

"How long will this take?"

"He's got a concussion, broken ribs and his shoulder's a mess. Even with my modifications it'll take a day or two."

Before Keith could gain his bearings, someone's hands were under his back and knees and he was being lifted into the air. He instantly panicked, bucking and thrashing. There was a grunt as whoever was carrying him stumbled and his eyes slammed open right as he was roughly deposited inside a pod. The glass door slid shut with a hiss and the pod began filling rapidly.

No no nonononono!

Keith slammed his hand against the glass, his panic rising along with the mysterious goo. The blurry figures watching him grew closer and closer...

"Keith!"

Shiro was in front of him, his hand on the glass exactly opposite Keith's. "I'm here. You're alright, just breathe. Let the pod do its work. It's okay."

Slowly Shiro's words managed to calm his racing heart and Keith took a steadying breath, tasting the tangy aerosolized anesthesia.

"I'll be right here," Shiro vowed, demonstrating an exaggerated breath. Keith emulated him, filling his lungs with even more medicine as the goo reached his waist. He figured the other blurry figures standing behind Shiro were the rest of the team.

Keith felt his eyes growing heavier, and though he tried to keep them open, he lost the fight and soon slipped into a deep sleep.