Chapter 9

OLKARION – CASTLE OF LIONS

Krolia hadn't known what to expect when Keith mentioned a castle, but the building settled in with the Olkarion cityscape still took her by surprise. It was unlike anything she'd seen before, with sleek high spires and lit with light blue. It looked out-of-place, like someone had picked it up from someplace else and deposited it within the city.

She glanced at her son, who looked tense as he carefully guided them towards the castle. Below them, the Olkari stopped to point and stare in fear, but they must have been warned about the Galra craft beforehand, because no one tried to strike them down from the sky.

They flew down to the castle and easily glided into the hangar, parking off to one side. A small group of people were waiting for them when they disembarked, and Krolia was relieved to see Kolivan among them.

Keith walked towards them, but rather than go report to their leader, he headed straight for a young human woman with brown hair. He pulled her into his arms and Krolia watched as his shoulders relaxed, his tension draining away.

"Welcome back, Krolia."

Her gaze snapped to Kolivan and she inclined her head. She tried her best to pay attention to him, but something kept drawing her back to her son.

There was something... off. She couldn't say for sure what it was, but she could feel it.

"I am glad you came," Kolivan said. "I worried that not even Keithir would be enough."

"It almost wasn't. Kolivan, why am I here?" she asked.

"We have a situation here which requires my attention, and I have had difficulties managing both that and my duties as leader. I should have called you in months ago, but felt your position under Ranveig too important. Now, however, things have changed," Kolivan told her.

Krolia frowned. "What of Antok? Surely he'd be a better..."

Kolivan glanced away.

Oh.

Krolia's stomach churned at the revelation. "Kolivan, I'm sorry. Of course I'll help you, in whatever way you need, but what's so important that you feel you need to divide your attention?"

"Currently, this castle is playing host to two visitors from another reality. We have been working to return them and bring back the two who were sent to their reality. It is a complicated matter, but one of great importance to our cause. Of the missing pair, one is a paladin of Voltron, and the other is a member of the Blade of Marmora."

Krolia looked around, wondering who it was that came from another world. Her eyes fell on Keith once more.

Keith, who kept casting her guilty looks and then immediately averting his gaze.

Keith, who she was starting to realize looked older than he should.

Keith, who had point-blank refused to travel through the Quantum Abyss, no matter how important it was to her mission.

Krolia swallowed. "You called him 'Keithir'."

"That is how he introduced himself after the swap happened," Kolivan said.

He wasn't her Keith.

There was a sting of mild betrayal there. Why hadn't he told her the truth from the start. (Because she never would have believed him.) Didn't he trust her? (He was afraid of how she would react.) Why hadn't he corrected her when she called him "Keith"? (She would have had so many questions from such a simple correction.)

Keithir glanced her way again and she straightened her spine, making a split-second decision on what to do. He watched her approach with no small amount of trepidation, and flinched when she reached for him.

Krolia abruptly pulled him into a hug, giving him no room to pull away. He stiffened up until he realized what was happening and then wrapped his arms around her, hugging her back tightly.

What universe he came from didn't matter, he was still her son.

Keithir pulled away after a few long ticks and turned slightly to his left, gesturing his friend forward. "Mom, this is my wife, Katie."

There was so much to take in – other realities, a wife, the purple color starting to bloom across his cheeks – but Krolia let it all slide over her. She'd stop and ask questions later, but right then she was going to enjoy getting to know her family.

"So is your face supposed to do th- OW!"

Krolia listened, bemused, as the two younger humans began to quietly bicker, while everyone else sighed and did their best to ignore them. It was easy, as Keithir shifted form completely, the purple spreading across his face in the form of short fur. He grimaced as his ears elongated and transitioned to the top of his head, sprouting longer fur than on the rest of his body.

When his transformation was finished, there was only one thing Krolia could think of to say: "You look like your grandfather."

"Really?" he asked, sounding surprisingly pleased.

There was something else she was missing. Something she didn't really want to think about, but her mind drifted in that direction against her will. He knew nothing about their family history and there were only a few reasons for that to happen.

Even in another reality, she had missed out on being with her son. She would never be able to change that, but she could start trying to make up for it. Whatever he wanted to know, she would tell him, and in the process get to know him and his tiny wife. (And then later, she would get the chance to do it all over again, once they got Keith back.)

.

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ALTEA – CASTLE OF LIONS

There was a Galra who Pidge didn't recognize waiting in the hall when she went to leave. She froze in the doorway, taking in the Blade uniform and the lack of mask. He seemed friendly enough, despite his lack of smile, but that didn't stop Pidge's brain from jumping to wild conclusions as to why he was there.

She thought Kolivan was the only one of the Blade who knew they were there. How had he found them? Was he supposed to know? And if he was, why hadn't Kolivan told them? Just who was he?

"Umm..."

"Apologies, I didn't mean to startle you," he said. "I was hoping... Is Keithir – sorry, is Keith here?"

"Pidge, what's going on?"

She jumped, startled by Keith's voice as he exited the bathroom. He walked over to join her with a frown on his face and stared up at the Galra with confusion.

"You're... Thace?" Keith said, struggling to recall his name.

Pidge could dimly recognize the name. She was pretty sure that was the name of one of Kolivan's spies on Zarkon's command ship; the one who they lost communication with, resulting in Keith volunteering to infiltrate to infect the ship with a virus.

"I am," Thace confirmed. "I was hoping you'd join me on the training deck this morning. Of course, you're more than welcome to join us, Pidge."

It was tempting. She didn't want to be out of shape by the time they got back to their reality, and it would be nice to fight alongside Keith again, but the call of her stomach was louder. "I might join you later," she told him.

Keith was already pulling his Blade uniform out of one of the drawers, preparing to put it on.

They'd decided the anonymity of the uniforms was perfect for the times they needed to travel beyond the paladin wing of the Castle, but Kolivan recommended they only do so in the company of Shiro, Allura, or a trusted member of the Blade, like himself or Regris. (Pidge supposed Thace counted too.) She'd have to find someone to take her once she was done in the kitchen.

Pidge left them there, heading off on her own when she saw how comfortable Keith was with going along with Thace. She wasn't sure if it was the familiar name or if Kolivan had specifically mentioned him as someone trustworthy, but she knew he would be okay. Aside from Shiro, who was basically Superman, Keith was the strongest person she knew. If he ran into any trouble, he'd be able to get himself out of it.

The kitchen looked empty when she arrived, but the smell of peanut butter lingered in the air and the plate of perfect cookies sitting on the counter told her she'd just missed Hunk. At least, she assumed it was Hunk. For all she knew, Lance had taken up baking as a way to impress his husband. (She didn't think she'd ever get over the fact that they were married. It was weird, but natural at the same time. Or at least it wasn't impossible to see how they'd be good together.)

Pidge figured it wouldn't hurt if she had one or two cookies. She went to reach for one, but a tiny, purple hand beat her to it, feeling around on the counter before landing on the plate and then carefully withdrawing back down the other side.

She had a pretty good idea who the cookie thief was.

"Yorak?"

A tick passed, and the hand reappeared with the cookie and placed it back on the plate. Pidge stifled her laughter.

"You know, I don't think Hunk would mind if we share one," she suggested, picking up the same cookie and splitting it evenly.

Yorak peeked around the corner, his big ears twitching in curiosity. He brightened when she held it out to him and happily walked over to accept it. "Thank you!"

Pidge kept an eye on him as she began to nibble on her half, pleased by the taste of peanut butter on her tongue. He reminded her a lot of Matt: polite, but not without a streak of mischief. She doubted he was supposed to be unsupervised in the kitchen and could only guess that he'd once again sneaked away from whoever was watching him.

As before, she had no idea what to do. At least Yorak wasn't crying and seemed content to quietly munch on his treat, but that would only last so long.

Pidge chided herself for such thoughts. If she could handle facing down the likes of Sendak and his underlings, she could handle a simple conversation with a child. She just needed to calm down and think of a simple subject and go from there.

"Peanut butter cookies are my favorite," she remarked.

Yorak paused to properly chew and swallow. "Mom likes them too. They're good, but chocolate chip are better, especially the way nana makes them."

Pidge found herself starting to relax. "It's hard to beat a classic."

Yorak looked pleased with the acknowledgment, but said nothing else, choosing to watch her with his head tilted to the side instead.

Any other time, Pidge would have appreciated the quiet. Social interaction wasn't her strong suit and it usually worked for the better for her if she let someone else take the lead. (Which was what was so nice about being friends with Hunk and Lance, who could do so as naturally as breathing.) With Yorak, it felt awkward. Like he was waiting for her to take charge.

Time for a new topic.

"Yorak?"

Pidge visibly deflated in relief. She was saved!

Yorak quickly stuffed the rest of his cookie into his mouth as an Altean woman with graying hair and dark robes swept into the room, an exasperated but fond expression on her face. She paused at the sight of Pidge before walking over and scooping Yorak up into her arms.

He squealed in delight and buried his face into the crook of her neck.

"You've had your grandfather very worried about you," she gently scolded. "I know it isn't fun being cooped up all day, but you must be patient with us for a little while longer. And you will apologize for running off."

"Yes, grandmother."

Pidge looked at the woman with renewed interest. If she was Yorak's grandmother, then that made her Keithir's mother. The thought threw Pidge off momentarily before she came to the logical conclusion that she was his step-mother. Perhaps she was the reason for Keithir's status as "Prince" though she wasn't sure how, since Allura and her parents were the ruling family of Altea.

There was a massive chunk to the puzzle of that reality that Pidge hadn't been given, and it was going to drive her crazy if she couldn't find out what was being hidden from them. Would it really hurt to tell them more about the lives of their other selves, especially for Keith? What if there was some clue to getting them home that was hidden in the secrets being kept?

Pidge had plenty of time to do some digging and find out, considering her role in repairing the machine so far was reduced to daily updates from Allura and brief discussions of theories to pass on to Slav and his team. With Yorak's grandmother, she had her first opportunity to find out a few things.

She finished off her cookie and cleared her throat to get the woman's attention. "Uh, hi?"

The Altean turned to face her with a soft smile. "Hello, Pidge. Thank you for watching after him. I hope he wasn't much trouble for you."

"Oh no, he's great," Pidge quickly assured her. "I only got her a few minutes ago." She paused, feeling a rush of uncertainty. The woman probably wanted to get Yorak back to where he was supposed to be. She should let her go.

"Sorry, but who are you?" Pidge blurted out, unable to stay quiet in the end.

The woman didn't look at all offended. "I am Honerva."

It took Pidge a few seconds to recall where she'd heard the name before. It was only once, when Allura and Coran explained the origins of the Lions and the events leading to the destruction of Altea and Daibazaal.

Honerva was the wife of Zarkon.

Pidge backed up as a very real fear began to build in her gut. She fought to remind herself that they were at peace with the Galra and the there was no reason for Zarkon or anyone associated with him to attack her and Keith.

They were safe.

"Pidge, I am sorry. I should not have... Allura mentioned you have great reason to worry and urged myself and my husband to keep our distance," Honerva said, keeping her voice gentle and low. "I should have listened, but I will admit that my curiosity got the better of me."

Pidge swallowed her fear. "You and Zarkon, you're Yorak's grandparents? But Keith's dad – I mean, I've met Keithir's dad, so how...?"

Honerva adjusted her hold on Yorak. "It is a bit of a long story, but I have time if you'd like to hear it."

"I wanna hear," Yorak said.

Whether it was the sincerity in Honerva's voice or Yorak's eagerness to hear the story, Pidge sat down to listen to what Honerva had to say. Maybe none of it would matter in the long run, but the more she knew, the better prepared she'd be for any more "surprises" thrown her way.

"Nearly thirty deca-phoebs ago, the Blade of Marmora was investigating a rebel unit who desired to gather the Lions and use them to build an army capable of taking down the combined forces of Daibazaal and Altea..."

.

.

Pidge's talk with Honerva left her with a great amount to think about. She'd thought it was strange how many similarities their two realities shared, so to finally hear some differences put her at ease, and it also made her think that maybe it was because of those similarities that they were able to pas between them. Those parallels formed a bridge; fixed points that were the same, or very nearly the same, and any differences were there to balance things out. The key to going home had to be there somewhere.

She'd mentioned as much to Honerva, who promised to look into it more, but it was something Slav had brought up a number of times and thus far they hadn't had much luck with it.

Pidge had so many more questions and theories and ideas as she settled cross-legged on her bed to wait for Keith's return.

Like, how were they able to pass through without any protective equipment? Was it because of Slav's machine or was it residual protection from the Lions? Would they still be protected when it was time to go back? What would happen if someone who wasn't alive in the other reality got sent through? Would it even be possible? And if it was possible, would they be able to get them back?

She was sure she'd have the answers if Allura would let her in on the meetings, but the last time she asked, the princess recited security issues that Pidge was finally starting to understand the reasoning behind.

She'd assumed it was to keep people from panicking over two missing paladins, but it was more than that.

Keithir was the crown prince of Daibazaal, and as his wife, Katie was the princess.

Pidge closed her eyes and fell back on the bed with a soft "oof". Her thoughts bounced around as she took a moment to relax and breathe.

She may not be allowed to sit in on meetings, but that didn't mean she was without options of her own. Slav and his team could handle the machine and any equations and algorithms needed, and she would work on building a bridge.

The Lions were the strongest similarity – the strongest connection they had between the two realities. They hadn't had any luck in getting Green and Red to respond, but maybe they were going at it the wrong way.

She had one more idea to try, and they'd need Shiro's help to do it.

.

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OLKARION – CASTLE OF LIONS

Keithir found himself in the Black Lion's hangar early the next morning, staring up at the massive Lion while waiting for Shiro to arrive. He wasn't sure what to expect from her. There was every chance that they'd get the same response as they did from Red and Green – silence.

"Work with me, girl," he murmured as they doors slid open behind him and Shiro walked in, clad in his armor. Keithir raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry. It's a habit," Shiro explained with an amused grin. "Ready to try this?"

"Absolutely," Keithir replied.

As Shiro walked up, the Black Lion lowered her head and opened her mouth, letting them both inside. Shiro let Keithir sit down in the pilot's seat, choosing to stand behind him with a hand on his shoulder. Neither of them spoke as they closed their eyes and cleared their minds, both opening themselves up to the Black Lion.

Keithir's breathing evened out after a few doboshes and a strange, floating sensation washed over him.

And then he felt it.

A pinprick of surprise that wasn't his own. It fueled his determination and he chased after it, following it deeper and deeper into the dark haze until he stumbled through a curtain into an empty plane lit by a colorful nebula.

He glanced at his hands, taking note of the faint glow around them, and nearly fell to his knees in relief. "We did it! Shiro, we did it!" Keithir turned, expecting to see the other man standing with him in the Astral Plane, but there was no one else. "Shiro?" he called out, looking around in confusion.

In the distance, the air distorted and Keithir braced himself for trouble.

A shadowy figured formed and the air smoothed back out as it moved forward. The closer it got, the more Keithir could make out distinct features, until he could say with absolute certainty that it was Shiro standing in front of him.

Except something was wrong.

Shiro stared at him, his brows furrowed in confusion. "Keith, is that you?"