Chapter five! Thankfully this one came together a lot easier than the previous chapter! I did have to like, triple check to make sure I didn't call Keith Keith when I should have called him Yorak though. It's going to trip me up one of these days, I just know it. But anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see y'all next update!

under the pale moonlight

chapter five

under the skies of departure

The cool darkness of the deep forest did little to assuage the pain of his burns. Sendak growled, ripping off what remained of his human skin, useless now that it had been largely burned away by the abhorrent magic of the Seer-Witch's son. He had not seen him, but there was no human capable of performing magic that powerful, and he was the only Galra he knew of that could bear fire, much less wield it in the form of a summon.

Fire was the bane of all Galra, for it had been the element King Alfor had once wielded. When he had cursed them to be confined to the forest, he had taken both fire and sunlight away from them, forcing them to live out their lives in darkness.

"You failed."

Sendak's head jerked up, whirling around. In the near pitch black of the forest, Haggar's shadow servant had nearly tripled inside, twisting around the trunk of a great tree to stare down at him. Though it didn't quite have eyes, Sendak could sense disapproval in its stare.

He sensed it was not the shadow he was speaking with.

"High priestess." Sendak said, bowing his head and kneeling in salute. His body was still racked with pain, but he pushed it aside. "My apologies. I did not expect-"

"Silence." Haggar snapped, the shadow now speaking with her voice as opposed to its own. "I am in no mood to hear excuses. Because of your failure, the humans now know of our presence."

Sendak bowed his head further, narrowing his eyes. "What can I do to make up for it?"

"We will strike the village again tonight." Haggar stated. "You will lead the charge."

Sendak frowned. "But the fires-"

"The fires will not be a problem." Haggar told him. "I have taken steps to ensure that my shadows will be well prepared for any countermeasures that the humans may take."

"The Seer-Witch is there." Sendak said. "Along with her son."

"Mere obstacles." Haggar said. "The Seer-Witch's magic is diluted by her own borrowed blood. She stands no chance against me."

"And her son?" Sendak asked.

"If her son is who I think he is, then we must deal with him sooner, rather than later." Haggar said. "He must be eliminated before he can gather the other paladins."

Sendak lifted his head, staring at the shadow in surprise. "The halfbreed is a paladin?"

"Alfor's successor, no less." Haggar scoffed. "How ironic. He may have power over fire, but my blood curse still effects him."

Sendak narrowed his eyes. If the Seer-Witch's son, whose use name he recalled was Yorak, was truly a paladin, then Haggar was correct. He did need to be eliminated, and quickly. Already, there was another paladin close to him- the same one who had the audacity to succeed his Emperor as the black paladin. It was what made the Champion the perfect sacrifice, doubling the power their emperor had over the wind and sky all without even needing to set foot inside the temple of the black lion.

Fittingly enough, it was the one furthest out of their reach, hidden away on the distant northern mountain range. Alfor was nothing if not annoyingly clever.

The paladins must be stopped, at all costs. Once they were slaughtered, any hope humanity had of fighting back against them would be lost, their prophecy broken. King Alfor's daughter would sleep eternally in her castle, unaware that her time had long since passed.

"I will see to it that he is slain." Sendak vowed. "You have my word."

"Good." Haggar said. "I will send you new armor soon. It will protect you from both the human's bonfires and the red paladin's magic."

"Vrepit sa." Sendak bowed his head.

When he looked back up again, the shadow was gone. Staggering to his feet, he turned to glower in the direction of the human village. He had no doubt that they were making preparations of their own, but they wouldn't be enough- he would ensure that they felt the full force of his fury at having backed him into such an unfavorable position, when he was one who had once been honored as Emperor Zarkon's right hand.

He would kill the red paladin himself if necessary, and drag the Champion back into the forest to complete the ritual.

Victory would be theirs.

"I'm a paladin."

The masked stranger's declaration was at first met with silence, which the person himself seemed largely indifferent too. He grabbed a chair, pulling it away from the table and sat backwards in it, positioning it in a location from which he could watch them all- save for Miss Lia, who apparently, he knew.

"A paladin," someone finally said, and to Lance's surprise, he realized it was him, "-like, from the prophecy?"

The stranger- the paladin- arched a brow. "You don't believe me."

"I didn't say that." Lance said. "It sure as heck would explain that flashy magic spell of yours. I didn't even think humans could use magic like that."

The paladin just snorted. "They can up north."

Shiro lifted his head, blinking slightly in surprise. "You're from the North?"

"Yorak is my son." Miss Lia explained, taking a step forward to stand behind the paladin's- Yorak's- chair. "His father was a member of the Northern Tribes."

"Wait, your name's Yorak?" Lance asked, arching a brow.

Yorak frowned, glowering at him. "Something wrong with that?"

"No, no, nothing's wrong with that!" Lance quickly said. Geez, talk about making it obvious that they were related. That glare was exactly the same as his mother's, right down to the weird purple color of their eyes.

Purple. He frowned slightly at that, recalling the color of the fur that had been hidden under Commander Lin- Sendak's skin. He shivered a little at the thought. Talk about grotesque. But what else would you expect from blood magic?

"I knew it." Pidge said, almost giddy. "I knew the prophecy was real."

Yorak frowned, eying him strangely. "You realize this means the Galra are going to break free, right? That's part of the prophecy too."

"Well, yeah," Pidge said, "-but the paladins will stop it, right? You and the other four?"

Yorak's frown deepened, glancing over towards Miss Lia. "You haven't told them?"

Miss Lia merely shrugged. "The chance didn't come up before Sendak and his forces arrived."

"Wait, tell us what?" Hunk asked. "Am I missing something here? Because it sounds like I'm missing something here."

Yorak heaved a sigh, crossing his arms in front of his chest. For the first time, Lance noticed that he almost looked like he had claws- or at least, his armor did. He still couldn't place what it was made out of- all he knew was that it didn't look comfortable. Maybe it was fancy paladin equipment or something? But somehow he'd pictured the paladins to look, well... different, he guessed. More heroic. Black just made him think of the bad guys.

Then again, maybe Yorak was just like that. He definitely gave off a an aloof, mysterious vibe that his ugly hairstyle only marginally managed to ruin.

"I don't have the gift as strong as my mother does, but I can sometimes see the future." Yorak began. "Years ago I had a vision of myself standing in front of a red lion. That's how I found out I was a paladin."

"A lion?" Shiro asked.

"That's what the weapons are." Yorak said. "Sort of. It's complicated."

"Name one thing about this situation that isn't complicated." Lance said, rolling his eyes. "I mean, we just dealt with a bloodthirsty Galra wearing a dead person's skin so they could pose as him. That's both super complicated and super gross."

Yorak flinched, his gaze darting downwards. "Right. Gross."

Miss Lia heaved a sigh, before looking out across those gathered. "Five years ago, Yorak had another glimpse into the future, but this time it featured all five paladins. I came here because I knew I would find two of them here, and that the other two would soon follow."

"Wait," Lance said slowly, "-that sounds a lot like you're talking about-"

"-us." Hunk finished, exchanging a glance with Lance. "You're talking about us, aren't you?"

Miss Lia nodded. "Yes. Lance, Hunk, Pidge, Shiro... you four are the chosen paladins."

Silence hung over the room, that was only broke by Nadia's low whistle. "Wow. Griffin's going to lose it when he finds out I was around for the birth of the legendary warriors and he wasn't."

"Wait, okay, hold on." Hunk said, standing up. "Look, Shiro I can understand, but me? There's no way I could be a paladin. I don't even like fighting!"

"Yeah, and how can Pidge be a paladin?" Lance asked. "I mean, he's like two feet tall."

Pidge shot him a glare, before he looked up towards Miss Lia. "Are you sure? I only came here to look for the king's expedition. I didn't come here to be a paladin."

"I'm sure." Yorak said. "That's why the Galra want Shiro. They plan on using him as a sacrifice in order to weaken the bonds that seal away their Emperor."

Lance paled, and for that matter, so did Shiro. "I think... I think I remember something about that. There was some kind of witch..."

He trailed off, digging his right hand into his white forelock. "I'm sorry. I can't remember anything else."

"Haggar." Miss Lia supplied. "She's a witch in the service of the Emperor. We have reason to believe that while he sleeps, she's been the one holding the Galra together."

"So she's the one responsible for kidnapping m- kidnapping the king's expedition?" Pidge asked.

"We have every reason to think so." Miss Lia said.

Pidge narrowed his eyes, like he'd just locked a goal into place in his head. Whatever his deal with the king's expedition was, Lance was guessing it was pretty personal. Who knew? Maybe he was dating the princess or something, since he looked way too young to be dating the prince. He hadn't heard anything about the princess being engaged, but eh- it wasn't like much court gossip made it's way all the way out here.

He was about to lament life being boring here again, before he quickly realized that the past two days had been anything but boring. And honestly? He was starting to prefer boring. Dealing with the Galra was one thing, but being told that he was some kind of chosen savior, destined to save the world from darkness? That was on a whole different scale.

Although... if he helped save the world, then every household in the kingdom would know the name Lance McClain. Not only did that make him think about how handsomely the queen would reward him for his valiant efforts, but it also made him think about all the ladies he might have chasing after him. His days of being a backwater bachelor would finally be over.

Huh. Maybe this whole paladin thing wasn't so bad.

"Do you know what happened to them?" Pidge asked. "You have visions, you must have-"

Miss Lia merely shook her head. "No. I haven't seen them yet. Only Shiro."

Pidge visibly deflated, to the point where he almost felt a little sorry for the guy.

He missed the way Nadia looked towards Pidge with a slight frown on her face, or the way Hunk followed her gaze. Instead, he looked towards Shiro, who was taking in a long, somewhat shaky breath, trying to steady himself.

"So we're paladins." He finally said. "What does that mean, exactly?"

"A lot of things." Yorak said. "But we don't have time to discuss them right now. The Galra are going to come back, and I don't know if just the bonfire is going to be enough to hold them back this time. Is there any way we could evacuate the village by sundown?"

"Wha- evacuate the village right now?" Lance asked.

"It's not safe here." Yorak said. "Even if we get through tonight, when the Galra break the seal, the first place they'll attack is this village. The only choice is to leave."

"Yeah, but... leave our home?" Hunk asked.

"It's either that or death." Yorak said bluntly.

"He's right." Shiro said. "We need to evacuate not just this village, but every village between here and the Lion's Mountains. And we need to do it fast."

Nadia frowned. "I thought you said they needed the Captain to break the seal."

"They need him to break the seal on their Emperor." Yorak said, shaking his head. "One way or another, the seal on the forest is going to break, and when that happens, the Galra are going to overrun this entire area. There won't be any safe places left."

"Can't we stop it?" Pidge asked. "Reseal the seal or something?"

"No." Miss Lia said frankly. "King Alfor was the only one powerful enough to cast a spell that elaborate, but even his magic has begun to wane over time."

"But even if we do get everyone across the mountains in time, won't they just be able to cross through the pass themselves?" Nadia asked. "I have a hard time picturing the Galra being afraid of a little snow."

"That's where the five of you come in." Miss Lia said. "You will ascend to the highest peak of the Lion's Mountains, and wake the moon maiden."

Lance perked up at that. He'd almost managed to forget about the moon maiden, but now he couldn't stop thinking about her. In the legends she was always described as an ethereal beauty, which definitely made her sound like the kind of person that he wanted to meet.

"Wait," Hunk said, "-climb the mountains? You know, the mountains that people can only get across using the one path? Those mountains?"

"Yorak will be with you." Miss Lia said. "He has scaled the mountains many times."

"The only reason they're so hard to navigate in the first place is because of magic." Yorak said. "It keeps everyone but the chosen paladins from finding the Lion's Castle."

"Wha- there's a castle up there?" Lance asked. "How am I just now finding out about this?"

"Like I said, it wasn't something that King Alfor wanted people to find." Yorak said with a frown, a knot forming between his eyes. "That's why it was hidden."

"I do remember seeing something about a castle in my research..." Pidge mumbled, mostly to himself. "So, what? If we get to this Castle, can we renew the barrier or something?"

"No, but we can create a new one." Miss Lia said. "Though it will be far less powerful."

"But strong enough to prevent the Galra from invading the kingdom proper?" Nadia asked.

"For a time." Miss Lia said. "Hopefully long enough to awaken all five lions."

"Right." Nadia said, getting to her feet. "Well, that's all I need to hear. I can have a messenger hawk sent out to the perimeter scouts. They can start coordinating evacuation efforts."

She paused, a slight frown on her lips. "Unless you think there's secret Galra among our ranks too?"

"Do you think there are?" Miss Lia asked.

Nadia seemed to consider it, before shaking her head. "If there are, we'll root them out soon enough. We don't exactly have the time for a witch hunt."

With that, Nadia left. Out of the corner of his eye, Lance noticed the way Yorak twitched up his hood as she opened the door, like he was trying to protect himself from the sudden burst of sunlight that filtered into the otherwise dark room. Frowning, he narrowed his eyes, unable to help but find that just a little suspicious.

He certainly was pale enough to look like he'd never been in the sun before. His skin was so pale, in fact, that it almost looked white, giving him an almost deathly pallor.

He caught Lance looking, and hurriedly pulled his hood back down, his eyes darting off in another direction, towards Shiro. Lance squinted at him, taking a second for his eyes to readjust to the darkness. He looked human enough, but then again, so had Sendak. And he had reacted pretty weirdly to his earlier statement about the skin-wearers...

But no. He was pretty sure Miss Lia would know if her own son had been replaced by a Galra. Maybe that was just what Northerners looked like. It wasn't like he'd ever met one before or anything. According to Veronica, the few that did stray out of their snowbound lands didn't stray far past the border.

Shiro caught Yorak's gaze, giving him a faint smile. "Yorak, right? I guess I should thank you for your help back there."

Yorak blinked. "Back-?"

"With Sendak." Shiro clarified. "We might not have been able to chase him off as quickly if it hadn't been for you."

"Oh." Yorak frowned, almost looking disappointed. "Right. I probably should have killed him though."

"Wait, hold on," Hunk butted in, "-does this whole paladin thing mean we'll have to kill people? Because I am not okay with that."

Lance rolled his eyes. "I'm pretty sure it just means killing Galra, Hunk. They aren't exactly people."

Miss Lia sharply cleared her throat, putting a swift end to their conversation. "The five of you have a long journey ahead of you. You should take this time to prepare."

"So... we're excused?" Hunk asked.

"For now." Miss Lia said. "Gather your things, and meet back here in an hour. We don't have much time."

"What about our families?" Lance asked. "What are we supposed to tell them?"

"To prepare to leave." Miss Lia said, making it sound so simple. "We must make haste if we wish to reach the Southern Fort before nightfall."

Lance bit his lip. As exciting as this whole paladin business was starting to sound, he still wasn't sure if he liked the idea of leaving his home. And from the sound of it, he'd be leaving his family too- maybe he hadn't gotten a whole lot of detail, but he was willing to bet that these five lions they were supposed to awaken were hidden away in the locations with lion in their name- and all of those were pretty far from each other.

What if... what if he never got to see his family again? What if this secondary seal they were supposed to have the moon maiden make broke while he was gone? What if-?

He tried to quell his own thoughts. Sure, there was a chance that might happen. But from the sound of it, if he did nothing, then it would definitely happen. At least now he had a choice.

In the end, it wasn't the lure of being hailed as a hero, or the temptation of meeting a pretty girl that convinced him that stepping up and becoming this paladin he was supposedly destined to be was the right thing to do. It was just... it was the right thing to do. That was it. That was all the reason he really needed. Everything else was just a bonus.

"Okay," Lance said, rising to his feet, "-I'm in."

"Shiro, wait!"

Shiro came to a halt, glancing behind him towards Pidge. Lia had offered to find him some armor that might fit him, an offer which he had been keen to take her up on. He didn't feel whole without his armor, all the more so if they were going to plunge headfirst into a precarious situation.

Glancing back towards Lia, the woman merely shrugged, giving the two of them some space. He had spoken with her extensively earlier while Pidge slept. Though she had been cagey with some of her answers, he saw no reason not to trust the woman- or her son, for that matter. Yorak had disappeared upstairs even before Lance and Hunk had left, and he hadn't seen him since.

He seemed... oddly familiar, somehow, like this wasn't the first time they'd met. Perhaps it was just the strong resemblance he bore to his mother.

"Pidge," Shiro began, "-something wrong?"

"Not wrong, but..." Pidge trailed off, shifting awkwardly on her feet. "Just- just wait there a second."

She darted off after saying that, not leaving much room for questions. Shiro merely frowned, watching as she ducked into the room Lia had lent her. He guessed maybe Yorak had a room of his own in the tavern, considering the fact that its owner was his mother. Glancing over towards Lia, he once again studied the robes she wore- he'd never seen a Seer himself, but they matched what he knew from plays. These were made out of real silk, however, unlike the shoddier material used by theater troupes.

Most of what they had discussed were the logistics of evacuating potentially hundreds of people within such a small timeframe. She hadn't mentioned anything about him being a paladin- or Pidge, for that matter. The most he had gotten from her was acknowledgement that she knew who Pidge really was, but had promised to keep it a secret.

She was definitely still holding out on them, Shiro thought. And while normally that should make him wary, she'd given no reason thus far for him to not trust her. She seemed genuinely concerned for the fate of the villagers, instead of being focused on her own survival. She could have just told them about the prophecy and sent them off into the mountains, leaving everyone that lived here to their fate. It definitely would have been a lot easier than trying to plan a mass evacuation.

But she hadn't. And as far as Shiro was concerned, that was good enough.

"Found it!" Pidge declared, emerging from her room with a wrapped bundle clutched to her chest. Thrusting it towards him, she beamed. "I think this belongs to you."

Shiro blinked, taking the bundle from her. Carefully unwrapping it, he recognized the item right away- it was his sword.

There were only three others like it within the entire kingdom, with a black stone set in the pommel to signify his rank as the Captain of the Royal Guard. The other two belonged to Admiral Sanda, the leader of the navy, and General Iverson, who commanded their armies. King Samuel had gifted him with the sword himself when he'd earned the rank- the youngest Captain in the history of the Guard.

He'd thought the sword lost.

"Where did you get this?" Shiro asked, staring at the weapon in near disbelief.

"When they went to investigate the disappearance of the expedition, they managed to find your things." Pidge said. "I took your sword with me when I left, in case I found you."

"You brought it all this way?" Shiro asked, stunned. "You didn't even know for sure if you'd find me."

Pidge shrugged. "Call it a good luck charm. Seems to have worked, anyways."

"But your father, and Matt-" Shiro began.

"I brought Matt's dagger." Pidge said, pulling back her cloak to reveal the dagger in question, worn at her side. Its hilt, with the green stone set in its pommel marking it as a weapon that belonged to a member of the royal family, was wrapped. "It was all I could manage to sneak out of his room. And there's no way I could have taken dad's stuff from mom. Your sword was the easiest."

Shiro frowned, not knowing what to think of that. It wasn't like he had any next of kin, not exactly- his parents had been lost in a landslide a few years after he'd joined the Royal Guard- but at the very least, his effects should have been passed on to Adam, to whom he was formally engaged.

Then again, if Adam had wanted to move on after his disappearance... well, he couldn't exactly blame him. Especially not when from the sound of it, there were people who thought of him as some kind of traitor.

"Shiro?" Pidge's voice snapped him back to reality. "Is everything okay?"

"I- fine." Shiro lied. He knew he could ask her, but after everything she had been through, it didn't feel right. "Thank you, Katie."

"Pidge." Pidge corrected, eying Lia with a frown. She merely pretended she hadn't heard anything. "It's Pidge. And you're welcome."

"Pidge." Shiro repeated. "Right."

He wanted to point out that she couldn't continue to lie to the others forever, especially if what Yorak had said about them all being paladins was true. He didn't see any reason to doubt it, and it certainly explained why the Galra seemed so desperate to take him back, but if he had to be honest, it was still a little hard to believe.

All of this was, actually. The Galra being real, being captured by them and escaping, his arm... it was all like a bad dream. A dream, that if possible, he hoped he could wake up from.

But it wasn't. Not only were they living in prophesied times, they were also right in the middle of it all.

"Well," Lia spoke up, "-now that we have the matter of your sword settled, let us take a look at some armor, shall we?"

"Speaking of armor," Pidge cut in, "-what's Yorak's made out of? I've never seen anything like it before."

Shiro had to agree. His position with the Royal Guard meant that he'd seen no shortage of armor in his days, but he'd never seen anything quite like Yorak's. It was nothing like he was accustomed to seeing people from the North wear, on the few occasions he had accompanied the King to the border between their two lands for various negotiations. They typically wore a combination of leather and fur- which Yorak's armor clearly wasn't.

"Perhaps you should ask him yourself." Lia said simply- but also conclusively. They might get an answer, but not from her.

Pidge frowned a bit at her response, opening her mouth to push the subject- but a light hand on her shoulder from him was enough to silence her. She huffed a little, but got the message.

"I don't suppose you have any armor that might fit Pidge." Shiro said, turning back to Lia. Somehow he didn't think the traveler's tunic and breeches she was wearing would do all that much to protect her from an enemy attack. He was just amazed that she had managed to get this far, especially with the bandit problem they'd been having recently.

(Unless they had dealt with that in the year he had been gone. He wasn't sure.)

"We might." Lia said. "Perhaps not full plates, but I'm sure I have some gauntlets and the like that might fit."

"I don't really think I need-"

"Trust me," Shiro cut in, "-you're going to need armor."

Pidge huffed slightly, but begrudgingly accepted it. She trailed behind the two of them, as Lia lead the way down the hall. At the end of it was a locked door, to which she produced a key. Unlocking it, she hung the ring on her belt, right next to the knife she had used to ward off Sendak. He glanced at it curiously- just like he wasn't familiar with the material used to make Yorak's armor, he also wasn't familiar with the material that had been used to make his mother's knife. He appeared to have one of his own, though he hadn't exactly had a chance to get a good look at it yet.

He was tempted to ask, but given her response earlier... it would probably be better if he didn't.

Lia ducked inside, and he followed shortly behind her. It was surprisingly dark, as the room had no windows, and he could see another door just up ahead, presumably also locked. Lia lit a lantern, setting it down on a table in the middle of the room, before she turned to look back towards them.

"Take anything you like."

There was, to his surprise, a fair amount of variety. Nothing like he'd seen Yorak wear, but there was some surprisingly high-quality armor stored here. He'd expected a more modest collection, perhaps a side business of sorts. While it wasn't anywhere near as extensive as the armory back at the palace, it was still sizable. He looked towards Lia, but she simply busied herself looking for armor for Pidge.

Right. Should have known.

Still, despite Lia's elusiveness, he managed to find some armor that fit. True to her word, Lia was able to find Pidge a pair of leather vambraces and greaves that largely fit her, though her petite size made it difficult for her to find anything else. Some of the armor here seemed to be made for exceptionally tall people, but then again, given Lia's height, he supposed that didn't surprise him.

(If anything, he was surprised by how short Yorak was in comparison to his mother. Doubly so since Northerners were generally known to be tall.)

"Thank you." Shiro told her. "I'll be sure to return it when I can."

"Keep it." Lia told him. "I would rather have it go to use."

Shiro frowned, tempted to insist, but something told him not to push his luck. Hooking his sword to his new sword belt, Shiro flexed his right arm. The feeling of fur brushing against armor was a strange one, but he guessed he would just have to get used to it. He'd managed to conceal it well enough- nobody would be able to tell it was abnormal at first glance. If they looked too closely, they might notice a slight size discrepancy between it and his left arm, but hopefully no one would be looking at him that closely.

"So... do you know what's up with Shiro's arm?" Pidge asked.

"No." Lia said shortly. "But perhaps in time, he'll remember on his own."

Shiro frowned a little, unable to help shake the feeling that she did know. But honestly, even if she did? He wasn't sure if he wanted to find out. Maybe he should consider losing his memories a blessing in disguise. Clenching his fist, Shiro exhaled, turning back towards Pidge with a faint smile.

"It's fine." Shiro said. "As long as I can hide it, it shouldn't attract too much attention."

Pidge frowned, looking unconvinced. "If you say so."

She didn't sound like she doubted him. Or at least, she didn't sound like she doubted he was who he said- and thought- he was. He didn't think so either, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't afraid to find out the truth about his arm because of that very possibility. After what he'd seen with Sendak...

He shook the thought off. He was Takashi Shirogane, no one else. Why would the Galra be going to such lengths to capture him if he wasn't who he thought he was? Besides, Sendak had looked human from head to tie, right up until Lia had flayed a section of his skin off. His human skin, he thought with a small shudder- he guessed the real Commander Linwood was dead somewhere, ending his life as a skinless corpse.

That was no way to die.

"So," Pidge began, looking towards Lia, "-where's your son?"

"Yorak is preparing for the journey ahead." Lia said simply. "As should the two of you."

That was a dismissal, as clear as he'd ever heard one. Exchanging a glance with Pidge, he shrugged. He couldn't deny that she had a point- they did need to start getting ready. Not that he even had anything to get ready. Guess he was traveling light this time.

Still, he could probably give Pidge a hand. And if her unpacking habits hadn't changed any in the past year, she would probably need it.

"Well," he began, "-you heard the lady. Let's get ready."

Once Shiro and Pidge left, the door to the adjacent room cracked open, a single purple eye peeking out. Catching sight of it, his mother merely heaved a sigh.

"You don't have to hide." Krolia said.

"I wasn't hiding." Keith mumbled, swinging the door open all the way and stepping outside. "It just didn't seem like the right time to come out."

Krolia merely arched a brow, folding her arms in front of her. He cast a quick glance at her robes- he hadn't seen her wear them in ages, not since his father had died. She must have caught him looking, because her lips quirked into a slight smile.

"Come with me. I have something for you too." Krolia said.

Tilting his head, Keith nevertheless obediently followed behind his mother, curious as to what it was that she had for him. She lead him into the hall, but took a sharp turn to the right, unlocking the door to her own room. He knew from experience that there weren't any windows in it, but he still found himself instinctively reaching for his mask.

There were no windows in the room he'd been in either. It had been built to house members of the Blade who were passing through, almost all of whom suffered from the same blood curse he did. Their armor protected them, but it was still a miserable way to live.

Following Krolia inside, his eyes quickly fell on the trunk shoved in one corner of the room. It was old- she'd had it ever since he was born, and it was old even then. It wasn't ornate- just a plain wooden trunk, the kind you'd find anywhere. The only difference was that this one was spelled, so that anything put in it remained as fresh and pristine as the day it was put in. His mother had cast the magic herself, long before even his father was born.

He had a spelled trunk too, though the spells on his were different. Fingering the pouch he had tucked it away in, he dimly recalled the exact spell to bring it back to its actual size, instead of the miniature size it was currently. It made traveling a breeze, and he smiled a little recounting how Regris had grumbled about the unfairness of it all.

Krolia stooped down over her trunk, unlocking it. He watched as she first pulled out her own Marmoran armor- the same kind of dragon scale armor he wore, but with less spells cast on it. She didn't need the same protection from sunlight that other Blades did, himself included.

It wasn't something they talked about.

But that wasn't what she wanted to give him, he knew, watching as she pulled out something that was just as familiar to him, even if he hadn't seen it since... well, since he'd last seen her in her Seer's robes. He still recognized it right away- it was armor. Not made out of dragon scales and spelled to serve as a second skin, but armor of dark leather and thick fur, the kind his father used to wear.

"Your father had it made for you, before his death." Krolia told him. "I've kept it all this time."

Keith frowned. "You know I can't wear that."

"Maybe not now." Krolia said. "But if you bond with the red lion-"

"We don't even know if that will work or not." Keith snapped, before quickly regretting it. He knew what a sore spot his curse was for his mother. She would have gladly discarded her own borrowed skin if it meant being on equal footing with him, but she still had a role to play.

"I mean, we just dealt with a bloodthirsty Galra wearing a dead person's skin so they could pose as him. That's both super complicated and super gross."

Keith narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists. He knew he was supposed to work with these people, with these humans, but he could do without the reminder about what the rest of the world thought about his people. Maybe Zarkon's ilk were like that, but the Blade of Marmora wasn't. They had stayed true to the old ways.

It was just that the old ways had been thought of as disturbing even back then, by human and Altean alike. It was part of the reason why Zarkon had been able to swell his numbers like he had.

"You shouldn't worry about what Lance says." Krolia said, all but reading his mind. "There's no shame in our magic."

"He called you-"

"He doesn't know." Krolia said. "And it's not the same."

Keith heaved a sigh, his shoulders slumping. He knew it wasn't. His mother was wearing a skin, just the same as Sendak was, but the one she wore had been given willingly. Having flayed both Galra and animal alike for their skins, he couldn't even imagine it, but he had no reason to doubt his mother's tale.

For some though, no amount of justification would be enough.

"Three bloodlines becoming one." Keith half-recited part of the prophecy his mother and Kolivan had been given long ago. "I know."

Krolia smiled at him. "You should still take the armor with you. It may work."

Shifting on his feet, Keith chewed on his lip. "Did you see-?"

"You know I cannot see the lions." Krolia shook her head. "But the red lion was King Alfor's. Surely if anything can break the curse, it can."

Frowning, Keith stared down at his feet. He would like nothing more for that to be true. Just once, he wanted to experience what it was like to be a normal human- to walk in the sunlight freely, without the aid of enchanted armor. But the only way he knew to break the curse was to kill Haggar, and that had proved to be impossible.

"I just don't want to get my hopes up." Keith said.

"Then don't." Krolia told him. "But take the armor with you anyways."

Chewing on his lip some more, Keith finally heaved a sigh. "Fine."

"Good." Krolia said, leaning down to lightly kiss his brow. "Your father would be proud of you."

Keith just nodded, gathering up the armor. His own might serve to protect him from the sun, but it didn't leave him with a lot of sensation. For most Galra, it wasn't a problem, but the human part of him craved touch- something which he had been wholly denied ever since he'd decided to put the armor on.

Seeming to sense that, Krolia ruffled his hair, causing it to stick up every which way. He huffed slightly, but didn't pretend to do anything but enjoy it.

"Now," Krolia said, "-go on. Help yourself to whatever you like in the kitchen, since I'm certain you forgot your rations somewhere."

Keith flushed. "I didn't-"

"Don't lie." Krolia said. "I don't even need to be able to see the future to know that. I just need to listen to your stomach."

His blush deepening, Keith ducked his head. "I panicked. I didn't expect the barrier to reject me."

It never had before. He'd been worried that it meant he'd be bound to the forest forever, until he realized it was just because of his borrowed skin. With it shed, he had been able to cross the barrier with no problems.

"Anyways," Keith quickly said, "-the important thing is that I got Shiro through."

Krolia merely hummed. "Go and eat. You will have to guide them to the castle."

Nodding, Keith turned to leave. His mother shut the door behind him, presumably to change into her own armor. The Seer's robes had been useful for dealing with Sendak the first time, but he had no doubt that dealing with him for a second time would require something a little more sturdy.

And he knew there would be a second time. It was just a matter of when.

"Lance!"

He'd barely gotten in the front door before his mom drew him into a bone crushing hug. Doing a quick headcount, he was relieved to see that everyone was present and accounted for, save for the already expected absence of Veronica. Judging from the state of the house, they were also all starting to get ready for the journey ahead.

"Hey, mom." Lance smiled at her. "Sorry if I worried you."

"You did more than that!" His mom said. "Your father said there was a Galra in the village!"

"Wearing a human skin too." Marco grimaced. "Honestly, I was kind of hoping that one was just a story."

"Me too." Lance admitted. "But it's all true. Or well, at least, most of it. I don't know if it's all true or not, but-"

Cutting himself off, Lance heaved a sigh. "What is true is that we have to leave."

"So much for playing the moon maiden." Rachel muttered.

"Hey, you never know." Lance said. "Maybe they'll make an exception for you next year."

If there even was a next year. For the first time, it dawned on him that that may very well rest on him.

No pressure. Just the fate of the world on his shoulders. And well, on the shoulders of like, four other people- which was reassuring, because if he was going to be honest, he wasn't exactly known for his strong shoulders. Strong jawline maybe, but nobody ever said anything like the fate of the world rested on someone's jaw.

Rachel just huffed, resuming packing. It seemed kind of silly to be worried about something like her role in the harvest festival in the wake of their world as they knew it crashing down, but he guessed it did kind of make sense. Rachel playing the moon maiden in tonight's procession was what was supposed to be happening- not everyone in the village packing in a frenzy, so they could make it out on the road in time to reach the Southern Fort before it got dark.

He wished she could play the moon maiden too.

"I should probably go pack." Lance said.

Reluctantly separating himself from his mother, Lance made his way to his room. It had always seemed so small in the past- too small for his ambitious dreams, but now he didn't want to leave it. He guessed the difference was that now he didn't have any choice.

Glancing back over his shoulder, he frowned. He should probably tell his family about the whole paladin thing, but he couldn't bring himself too. If being a paladin meant having to separate from them, then he almost didn't want to.

He'd tell them when they got to the Southern Fort, Lance decided. Yeah, that sounded like a plan. No need to tell them before then. He could be Lance McClain, ordinary villager, for just a little longer.