Hopeless, Helpless, and Darkness
There was nothing but stillness and silence beneath the dark cave walls. Cordelia was the first to maneuver her body to the exit.
"We best be going," Cordelia said as she took a step forward.
"Going where?" the girl asked.
Cordelia turned her head to peer back into the girl's wheat colored eyes before scanning her attire. She was wearing a long cotton green dress that reached down to her ankles, with long puffy sleeves. A cape was clasped over her neck by a silver pin with the imprint of a six-point star with a leaf in the center. Her hair was hidden by the hood, a few red strays stuck to her forehead due to sweat. There was no doubt in Cordelia's mind that this girl was a servant, but not just any servant. One to the high nobles such as herself.
"Somewhere safe," Cordelia stated.
The girl nodded and followed Cordelia. She even walked like a servant girl. She stood to the left of Cordelia, but just right behind. Her hands were clasped in front of her in a professional and polite manner. She spoke nothing, asked no more questions. Cordelia knew that she would not talk unless she spoke herself or allowed her to talk. The girl was good. She would most likely be rewarded highly for her mannerism from where she was from. It was likely she was a personal servant to a noble or the head maidservant to the rest of the household. Either way, Cordelia had little time to worry about the girl's status. What she needed were answers, but she would not dare ask them here, not while the caves have ears.
Cordelia tried maneuvering her way through the tunnels, but every path looked the same. She had paid little attention to the direction she was headed as she merely followed her senses to the evil that pulled her forward. There was a sudden jolt from the Balmera and they both hugged the wall to keep steady.
"The Balmera grows weaker," Cordelia said.
The girl nodded her head. Cordelia looked at her once more over and her eyes caught sight of that broach around her neck.
"What is the extent of your powers?" Cordelia ordered.
The girl looked taken back, but answered, nonetheless.
"I can shapeshift like any other Celestial," She said, "But other than that I have little to no power."
"Can you communicate with the Balmera?" Cordelia asked.
Unfortunately, luck was not on their side as the girl nodded her head left to right. Cordelia's shoulders sagged as she tried to recall which directions she took. Another shake of the Balmera created cracks just above them. In one swift movement, Cordelia grabbed hold of the girl's arm and they sprint down the tunnels. The ceiling began collapsing behind them which made it feel as if they were racing an under-ground avalanche.
"Faster!" Cordelia yelled as the falling wreckage was closing in on them.
They would have been buried in a matter of seconds if it weren't for the girl's fast reflexes. Cordelia saw a blinding light in the corner of her eye. When the light died down, she was holding a scaly arm of a green beast, but not just any beast, a dragon. She swung onto the back of the beast and it soared down the tunnel. She was a small dragon, only about 10 feet longer than Cordelia who was running at about 5'6". Her miniature size allowed her the advantage to fly swiftly through the tunnels and around tight bends without crashing into the walls.
Cordelia was wowed by the girl's speed and agility. It should not have come to any surprise to her though. The girl was specially trained for highly emergent situations such as these. Part of her skill set was escape and protect by all means necessary. This came to show that this celestial was no maid servant, but a nanny whose job was to train in mannerism, care, and protect those that are young, much like one of her teachers that she left behind at the Garrison.
A tight turn left, and they were headed straight towards a dead end. Cordelia's mind began to race on their next move, but the dragon she was riding on was one step ahead of her. She flew up and twisted her body, pointing them back towards the rubble. Cordelia held her breath and shut her eyes as they flew into the debris and up. She was not sure how long they were flying upwards. The sound of shattering earth deafened her thoughts and the heavy dust scratched at her skin. Before long, they popped out of the Balmera and Cordelia heaved in the sweet taste of air. Behind her, the Balmera groaned in pain at the destruction it had just undergone.
They landed steadily beneath an overhanging rock. She dismounted the earthy green dragon who was panting deeply from the insane ride. She was not a scary looking dragon like those that fight on the battlefield. She had a beak like snout that resembled the color of wood in a forest. Her bottom side was an entanglement of branches which covered her belly, neck, and the backside of her legs. The top in which Cordelia had only seen through the entire ride was covered in these beautiful evergreen scales. It clung over her body like a cloak down to her tail and wrapped around her head and eyes like she was wearing a helmet. Her wings were a shade light, almost like a mossy color, that she had folded tightly against her body. Nanny's only used their wings for protection or escape, hence the tight fold to make it seem like they had none.
The girl transformed out of her dragon state where she collapsed to her knees. Her hood had slipped from her head, revealing a flammable ball of red curls. Small baby hairs clung to the sweat coating her forehead. Cordelia looked up from the girl to witness the chaos that had ensued in the air. The paladins were in their lions flying around a giant Galran monster shooting lasers from its arms. It was clear they were struggling as one of the lions was hit and tumbled through the air. Just below sat the castle, but Cordelia could only see the top half of it. It was glowing brightly which could only be assumed that Allura was planning to harness that power to heal the Balmera.
"She cannot do it alone," The girl said behind her.
Cordelia spun around to find the girl back on her feet. I guess it was true that nannies can rebound their energy levels after just a few seconds of rest.
"What?" Cordelia asked.
"The Altean that you are with," She said, "She might not be able to heal this Balmera on her own. Like you, she is young. You need to help her."
"How did…" Cordelia was about to ask but was interrupted.
"I can smell her," She stated simply, "Her scent is all over you."
Cordelia suddenly felt very self-conscious and almost went to sniff her armpits to see if she in fact smelled bad or something. She was snapped back to reality when the girl walked briskly past her. She was beginning to get confident and it was intimidating Cordelia a bit. Suddenly that shy little girl she rescued from the caves no longer existed. She pointed up upwards at the sky. At first, Cordelia saw nothing, but when she focused then a small glimmer of a star could be seen through the Balmera atmosphere.
"Use the powers you wield to transmit that star into quintessence," She explained.
Cordelia was frozen in place. She knew what the girl was explaining to her. She had seen her mother and other nobles perform such an act, but it required a lot of power, focus, and training, something Cordelia lacked in all areas.
"I-I can't," She said.
"What do you mean you can't?" She asked in a bit of a snappy voice, "You're a noble. I watched you defeat an arachnid on your own. They are on the top tiers of hunters in our books. I thought nobles were trained from birth to defend, kill, and heal."
Before Cordelia could answer, one of the blasts from the Galran monster hit the rock that they were hidden beneath. Cordelia tackled the girl and they rolled out from the falling debris. She lifted them both to their feet and they ran down the Balmera surface. With each chaotic blast into the surface, the Balmera groaned in pain. The lasers subsided for a moment which had Cordelia stopping to investigate the battle. Voltron had been formed and landed between the castle and the monster. A giant blaster formed on Voltron's shoulder which shot out a bright laser towards the monster, who had formed its own purple laser. The Balmera shook by the impact when the two blasts met head to head. Allura was beneath the castle, retrieving quintessence from the castle crystal with Balmerians surrounding her on their knees.
A memory from the past flashed through her mind, the day her current guardians took her away from her mother. She held that same feeling in the pit of her stomach as she watched the raging battle beneath, helpless to do anything more but watch. Another sudden jolt had Cordelia almost lose her balance, but it was different this time. She felt it through her veins, the power that spread out through the planet. The Balmera moaned in bliss at the power that healed its wounds. The scratches along Cordelia's body closed, leaving a light scar on the surface of her skin. Cordelia lifted her hand in front of her face as she could feel the tingling of quintessence in her fingertips. This warmth made her feel so alive and happy, almost like she was home. Then it was gone and she was left staring at her tan hand with a sad emptiness resonating in her soul.
She looked up when a loud crash sounded in the distance. The monster lay in the dirt as Voltron stood victoriously by the castle. Allura had fainted from the act of power she had just undertook, but Cordelia could see that she would recovery quickly. One final shake and she Galran monster was back on its legs. Its weapons were aimed and ready to fire. Cordelia was officially done feeling so helpless. Her friends were in danger and she stood on the sidelines while they fought heroically. She was not sure what she did, but she remembered screaming. A bloodcurdling screamed that would surely cause her voice to go hoarse. The quintessence, that was previously released, pumped through her veins and shot to the very heart of the Balmera. A light encased her body, blinding her from all outside sources. She could hear the Balmera answering her pleas within her mind, explaining, that as a thanks to Voltron, it would finish the beast before any more harm could be done. One final thank you and blackness, once more, shrouded her world. Within this dark world, Cordelia dreamed of the good times.
She stood at the peak of a mountain, looking out to witness that the wind had color, no not color, dragons. Dragons of all different colors, red, blue, brown, purple, green, yellow, white. Some were the same color but different shading, different patterns and scales. They flew around her as if to create a cyclone and she was the eye. Within this orderly chaos, there was one dragon she could not peel her eyes from. A beautiful sea green beast with two long horns that reached halfway down the back of its neck and two small, stub like, horns that sprouted from its forehead. A long fin wrapped around the top of its head like a crown behind the horns. Along those sea green scales were frenzied swirls of white that encased its body like foam drifting on the ocean surface. Its belly was a deep sandy brown like the bottom of the ocean floor. Between its sharp claws were webs to help with swimming and walking swiftly down the beach. Its tail was shaped like a mermaid with tiny thorns along the base.
It parted from the rest of the dragons and flew right in front of Cordelia. Its wings beat swiftly through the air as if it were trying to create its own hurricane around her body. She looked for the salty ocean smell off the dragon disappointment ensued when there was nothing. She did not dare turn her eyes away from the bright blue ones that stared into her soul. She remembered wanted those eyes, cursing her father for having deep indigo eyes. The dragon drew closer to the point where they were mere centimeters apart. Cordelia shut her eyes softly and leaned in to place her forehead upon the snout of the beast. She stroked the scales but felt no warmth from them.
"This really is a dream," She whispered.
She looked back up at the beast and her heart ached. The tears flowed silently down her cheeks as she held the dragon tighter, wishing she could feel the warmth of its body.
"Mother," She whispered once more.
It purred in response. Cordelia wanted nothing more but to stay like this, but deep down she knew this was nothing more than a figment of her imagination. This dragon looked like her mother, but what she craved most was the warmth of her body and the smell of the salty ocean off her scales. She withdrew her arms and looked once more into those eyes.
"I will find you," Cordelia said, placing a hand on her snout, "And I will never stop fighting until I do."
The dragon looked displeased, but Cordelia did not take notice. It was not until further in the future that she noted the look and understood it. The dream was sucked down like a black hole had appeared beneath her and destroyed the goodness. Cordelia dried away her tears and looked ahead into the darkness.
"Wake up," She spoke to herself sternly.