Before the sun rose, Tristan was quietly sliding out of Cady's bed.
"Where you goin'?" She whispered in the dimly lit room.
"I have to get back to my bunk before anyone notices I'm gone," he replied quietly.
The Princess rolled over, holding the blankets to her, "I don't care. Just stay."
He chuckled quietly as he sat on the side of her bed and pulled his boots on, "I would love to, you're very tempting, but you know I can't. I shouldn't have stayed to begin with."
She sighed as she stretched, holding her hand out in front of her, studying her ring. "Let's not wait too long to get married."
Tristan stood and walked around to her side of the bed and leaned over to kiss her, "I agree. We'll talk about it later. Bye, Beautiful."
"Okay. Love you."
"Love you." Tristan crept across the room and opened the door. He looked both ways and saw the hallway deserted. He moved quickly and quietly through the castle. By the time he had slipped out a side door, he had only been spotted by one guard who had recognized him. Tristan smiled sheepishly as the guard raised an eyebrow and allowed him to pass with a shake of his head. His face burned as he hurried past the guard.
The barracks were dark and quiet as he pulled open the door and slid inside. He let out the breath he had been holding for what felt like ages as he sank on to the edge of his bunk. After kicking off his boots, he stretched out on his bed and closed his eyes, a smile on his face, never noticing the eyes that watched him sneak in.
Keith looked around the conference table the next morning. He sat at one end, Allura at the other. In between sat the twins, Brina, Sky, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk. For the first time since they had returned, Erik was not there. His eyes swept over to Sky who was glaring at the tabletop. She was pale and quiet. "Sky?"
She looked up, "Yes, sir?"
"Should we hold the meeting for Erik?"
She shrugged, "He knows when the meeting starts, if he wanted to be here, he'd be here."
Keith cocked an eyebrow, but knew it was better not to address personal relationships at the conference table. "All right, well, then we'll get started. I think everything is going well. All is clear at the moment, you're performing well as a team. Declan, you're improving as a leader, I think Erik's advice is helping, but mostly it will come with time and experience. I've spoken with the rest of my team and when the new pilot is chosen, we will probably do more team building exercises outside of the Lions. Speaking of Blue's new pilot, we are planning on holding interviews the beginning of next week. We only have a few candidates that we feel are even up to interviewing, but, well, there is one candidate of particular interest."
"Who?" Declan asked.
"Tristan has shown interest in the position."
"Tristan? That would be great." Brina spoke up.
"I know you all like him, but we can't play favorites. We need to choose the right person to fly Blue."
"Will we be sitting in on the interviews?" Declan asked.
"If you'd like to," Keith said. "We would like the team's input. Does anyone else have anything they'd like to bring up?"
"Any word on Vinn?" Gideon asked.
"No, I'm still working on that. As soon as I have any info, I'll tell you."
Brina half raised her hand, "Has Paton said anything more about disturbances in town?"
Allura sighed, "Yes, there has been some vandalism. They're still patrolling and working with the media now in hopes of getting people to call in with tips."
"Was there anything else?" Keith waited a beat and no one spoke up. "All right then, you're dismissed to start practice. Sven and Romelle are due in this afternoon and so if there are no problems, you guys can have the rest of the day off."
"Sweet," Declan grinned.
Keith shook his head, "Go. I want formations run and then target practice."
Chair scrapped the floor as they all pushed back from the table. Allura caught Sky's arm as they all left the room and held her back a moment.
"Schuyler, sweetie, are you okay?"
Sky nodded, "Yes, Ma'am."
"Is Erik okay?"
"As far as I know."
"What happened?"
"Nothing. We need to get to our Lions."
Allura pursed her lips, but she nodded, "All right. You know you can talk to me if you need to, right?"
"Yes, Aunt Allura, thank you." Sky smiled softly to her before disappearing into Red's tube.
It was obvious to everyone that Sky's mind was not on the task at hand. She seemed to be lagging behind the others a bit, was easily distracted, and her target practice was like that of someone who hadn't practiced in months.
After an hour, Keith called them back in. Sky's behavior was obviously having an affect on them all.
"Let me talk to her," Lance said stiffly.
Keith shook his head, "You can talk to her after I do. I need to speak to her as her Commander."
Lance's jaw twitched, but he knew Keith was right. He nodded.
"I know," Sky snarled as she entered Castle Control. "I know, I sucked. I'm having a bad day, it won't happen again."
"No, it won't, come with me Schuyler," Keith said evenly.
She clenched her hands in fists as she followed him to his office. Her heart pounded in her ears. She knew she had screwed up and had behaved totally unprofessionally. She had broken the Force's cardinal rule, 'Personal Feelings Cannot Interfere With The Force's Work'.
"Sit down," Keith commanded as they entered his office.
She sat on the edge of the chair, her leg jiggling nervously. "I'm sorry, sir, I know I screwed up, it won't happen again."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
This would have been so much easier if he would just yell, she thought. "There's nothing to talk about, sir, I had a bad day, I'm sorry."
"Schuyler, why wasn't Erik at the meeting this morning?"
"I'm sorry my practice was pathetic, it won't happen again and I won't let my personal problems interfere with my work."
Keith smiled, "Sky, no one expects you to be superhuman. You obviously have a lot on your mind, I want to help you. What happened?"
She looked down at her hands as she twisted them in her lap, "It's personal."
"When it starts affecting the team, it stops being personal."
"I guess you're going to find out any way."
"What happened, Sky?"
She bit her lip and looked up at him, suddenly afraid she was going to cry. "Um, well, Erik and I…we, uh, we broke up."
"What?" He asked, obviously surprised.
"We broke up," Sky cleared her throat and swallowed hard around the lump that gathered there. It was the first time she said it out loud and it hurt. "We broke up and he's going back to Pollux. It…it's over."
Keith stood and rounded his desk, taking her hands and pulling her to her feet. "I am so sorry you're having problems, Sky, but it's not over. What you and Erik have is very special."
"What Erik and I had is over."
"All couples have fights and disagreements, that doesn't mean…"
"Thank you for your advice," she said sharply, blinking back tears. "But this wasn't just any fight. It's over, we're over. I'm sorry I screwed up this morning, I won't let it happen again."
"Sky…"
"Please, sir," she pleaded quietly.
Keith let out a breath and released her hands, "All right, you can go. Just let me know if there's anything I can do for you."
"Thank you, sir," she smiled weakly and left his office.
Sky kept her head down as she hurried through the hallways of the castle. She just wanted to be alone. She had two classes scheduled that afternoon and part of her was ready to blow them off. When you break up with your fiancé, you should be allowed to blow off a couple of classes, she thought bitterly. But then the more reasonable part of her mind pointed out that she couldn't allow this to interfere with her work. She had responsibilities.
"Sky?" Cady knocked on the door. "Are you in there?"
"Yeah."
Cady slid the door open and all but skipped in, "I'm glad I found you, practice was short this morning, wasn't it? Is that because Uncle Sven and Aunt Romelle are coming? Sky, what's wrong?" As she spoke, she watched as her friend's face crumpled and she burst into tears.
Sky's response was unintelligible as she gasped and cried.
Cady crossed the room and hugged her friend tightly, "What happened?"
"W-we broke up."
"What?" Cady stepped back and held her at arm's length.
Sky wiped her nose on her sleeve, "Last night. We broke up. Erik and I. It's over. I…oh, God, Cady, it's over. What am I going to do? He's going to go back to Pollux. It's over."
"It's not over," Cady insisted. "You guys have hit a bump, but it's not over."
"He's not the same guy."
"Yes he is, he's just having trouble dealing…"
"Well so am I!" Sky interrupted as she pulled away from Cady and stalked around the room, shutting her door. "But I didn't push him away! He snaps at me and wallows in self-pity! He…he actually thinks I shouldn't be with him because people feel sorry for him. I don't care what other people think. I just…I just want Erik back. But I don't think he's coming back. I thought I could handle it, I thought that if I could just stick it out, we'd go back to normal. But we didn't. He keeps pushing me away and driving space between us. I have so much going on, I can't deal with this right now."
"Oh, Sky, I am so sorry," Cady twisted her fingers together, unsure how to help her friend. "What can I do?"
Sky fell onto her bed and heaved a sigh, "Nothing, Cady, thanks. I just…I just have to muddle through this."
"Are you going to class today?"
"Yeah. So, uh, Tristan's trying out for Blue, huh?"
"Yeah, he's really nervous about it."
"I'm sure he'll do fine, he already has the backing of the team."
"Now he just has to give Blue a spin, see if she takes to him."
"If I was a betting person," Sky said, sitting up. "I would put all my money on him."
"Thanks, Sky. What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to take Figment for a walk, probably go down to my parent's house."
"Have you seen Erik yet today?"
Sky shook her head, leaning over to grab Figment's leash off her bedside table. "He didn't come to the morning meeting."
"You're still going to get together tonight with Aunt Romelle and Uncle Sven, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
"Is there anything I can do, Sky?"
She flashed the Princess a smile, "Thanks, I appreciate it, but I'll be fine. I just…I needed to cry a bit, but I'm fine now. I'll see you later."
Cady watched as her friend hooked the leash on the puppy's harness and walked out. She hesitated a moment, chewing on her lower lip, before jumping to her feet. She had to speak to Tristan.
The next few days were rather awkward around the castle. Sky and Erik were stiffly polite to each other, avoiding each other whenever possible and speaking only when absolutely necessary. The discomfort spread quickly, but no one said anything since the news of the breakup had spread even faster.
The only reason Erik was still unharmed was because Sky had pleaded and ordered Lance to leave the young man alone. It didn't stop him from shooting Erik dirty looks and mumbling threats under his breath. The twins were surprisingly well-behaved, although they kept whispering to each other and glancing at Erik, a sure sign they were up to something.
The weekend was proving to be unbearable and Sky decided, that as soon as Sven and Romelle left, she was going to corner Erik and force the two of the to sit down and talk. She couldn't go on like this. She had to know if they had a chance to work this out or if it really was over.
Erik just didn't say much at all. He snapped at his parents, hid in his room, and just generally brooded.
As Sunday evening approached, the castle was feeling almost like a pressure cooker with stress building up on all sides. The tension between everyone grew as nerves ran high knowing that the interviews and tryouts for Blue were going to start the next day. And then came Romelle's announcement.
Dinner plates had been cleared and maids were serving coffee and slices of pie for desert. Sky poked at the slice in front of her, having lost her appetite several days earlier. Across the table and three seats down, Erik watched his ex-fiancee, as he had been doing a lot. Conversation was strained and forced as Paton, Allura, Keith, Lance, Darcy, and Hunk talked about the strange happenings in town where there were still petty thefts and vandalism.
"Have you told everyone your news," Romelle asked her son.
He shook his head.
"What news?" Tristan asked.
Romelle looked around the table, noticing everyone's attention on them. "Erik has decided to return home to Pollux with us tomorrow."
Sky's head whipped up, "What?"
Erik looked at her, but didn't speak.
"He's coming home with us," Romelle repeated.
She knew she had told him to go back to Pollux, but Sky hadn't thought he actually would. In that moment, she felt her world fall down around her. It really is over, she thought, horrified. He's leaving me. Without another word, she stood and walked quickly from the room.
Erik sat back in his seat and closed his eyes behind his dark glasses.
Cady looked from Erik to the door where Sky had just gone and back again. As everyone else sat in stunned silence, she threw her napkin down and ran after her friend.
"You're just leaving?" Darcy asked quietly.
"There's nothing left for me here," he replied, pushing his chair back and standing.
"What about Sky?" Lance called after him.
Erik stopped at the doorway, his back to them. "She broke up with me," he said stiffly before leaving the dining room.
"He can't just leave," Lance said, throwing his napkin on the table.
Darcy grabbed his arm, preventing him from standing, "Lance, this is between Erik and Sky."
"He broke her heart and now he's leaving?"
"All right," Keith spoke up. "I know we would all prefer it if Erik and Sky hadn't had this fight, but it is up to them to work it out. We can't, and we won't, force Erik to stay. If he wants to leave, it is his decision. Maybe some time apart is what they need right now."
"Erik still needs some time to recuperate," Romelle added. "He needs some time away to heal and build up his strength. Keith is right, this time apart is probably what they need right now."
Declan snorted and threw his fork down, "Then I guess it's a good thing he was injured, it gives him the perfect excuse to act like a jerk and treat Sky like crap."
"Declan!" Allura gasped.
"He loves Sky, very much," Sven defended his son. "He needs to come to terms vith vhat has happened. Ve're going to get him help vhen ve get home."
"I guess, for his own safety, it would be best to get him away from me," Lance said.
Tristan pushed his chair back, and stood, "If you'll excuse me." He slipped from the room, turned right, and didn't stop until he was standing in front of Erik's closed door.
Erik closed his eyes and sighed at the knock on his door. "Who is it?"
"It's me."
"Come in."
Tristan slid the door open and walked in, looking around, seeing an open trunk and suitcase. "You really are going, huh?"
"Yeah."
"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?"
"No."
"Come on, man, is running away really what you want to do?"
Erik slammed the lid of the trunk down, "I'm not running away."
"Then what would you call it?"
"I'm dying here, Tristan. We can't even be in the same room together. Sky was the entire reason I came back here and now that I don't have her, why should I stay?"
"To fight for her."
"She doesn't want that."
Tristan ran his hand through his hair, "Yes she does! Come on, Erik, you have to know that. She needs to know that, you need to show her that you love her. You think this isn't killing her? Are you willing to throw all this away?"
"No, I'm not! She's the one throwing all this away!"
"Oh come on, Erik! You have to know that things have changed, that you've changed. Why do you keep pushing her away? Are you ashamed?"
"You have no idea what you're talking about, Tristan."
"Maybe not. I have no idea what you've gone through, but I can sympathize with Sky. I know what she was going through when you and Cady were taken. Terrified that she'd never see you again, a million scenarios of what could be happening to you going through her mind, wondering how she was going to survive if anything happened to you. I don't think I could possibly put in to words what it meant to see Cady alive and well again, but to have gone through what Sky did… She was at your side around the clock, she watched over you, held your hand. Maybe you should stop thinking about yourself for once and think about how your behavior is affecting the most important person in your life."
Erik rounded on his friend, an angry grimace on his face, "Save the lectures, Tristan."
"Grow up, Erik."
"Why is everyone turning against me?"
"Maybe you should be asking why you're turning against everyone."
"I really don't need this."
"Erik, I consider you one of my best friends, and I'm saying this because I care about you and Sky. Don't go. Don't give up on her."
"I have to get away," Erik admitted quietly. "I need some time to try and figure out what I'm doing."
"You know how to get a hold of me, if you need to talk or if you ever figure out what's going on, give me a call. I just hope that you realize the mistake you're making and come crawling back to Sky." Tristan looked around and shook his head, "Before it's too late."
The next morning, Sky sat on her bed and listened as the ship carrying Erik and his family left Arus. She took a deep breath, swiped her sleeve over her wet eyes and stood. She hadn't slept a wink the night before, hoping that he would come to her, wondering if she should go to him. Alternately crying and cursing, she tossed and turned all night. And now he was gone. Time to get on with my life, she thought, crossing the room. He's the one who left and I just need to move on.
Practice was being put off that morning so the team could sit in on the interviews. Keith had decided that the three pilots whose applications they had accepted would be a good place to start. If they couldn't find Blue's pilot in them, then they would move on to the ten applications in the 'maybe' pile. He was in the conference room with Allura, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk. The absence of Erik was felt throughout the castle and the tension was almost tangible. Lance was holding himself taut with concern for his daughter and the team. Keith and Allura had stayed up long into the night, discussing the team, Blue, and Erik and Sky, and they were both showing signs of exhaustion.
Tristan was the first to arrive in the conference room, fifteen minutes early, followed soon after by the other two candidates, a second year pilot in the Air Brigade named Mytch Martyn, and the first year Brigade pilot, Marihanna Pachard. All three were accomplished pilots, it now was going to come down to how well they would fit in with the team and if Blue would accept one of them.
Declan, Gideon and Brina arrived just after the candidates and sat in the chairs grouped along the back wall. Sky arrived last, pale with red rimmed eyes. She nodded to everyone and took her seat beside Brina.
The Green pilot leaned over and whispered, "Are you okay, Sky?"
She nodded.
Lance glanced at his daughter and winked at her, offering a reassuring smile.
With everyone there, Allura stood at the head of the table and welcomed the three pilots. "Tristan, Mytch, Marihanna, welcome to the Castle of Lions. Having made it this far should show you how highly thought of you are as a pilot. Now comes the hard part. To be a member of the Voltron Force, you will have to fit in with the rest of the team and, most importantly, be accepted by Blue. In no specific order, we will speak with each of you separately. First, Marihanna, then Tristan, and finally Mytch. So, Tristan, Mytch, if you would please, there are two chairs in the hall just outside the door there."
The two young men, nodded and stood. As they passed the team, Tristan gently squeezed Sky's shoulder, hoping to offer a little reassurance.
The castle hallway was eerily quiet as Tristan sat in one of the two chairs against the wall and Mytch paced in front of him.
"There's no need to be nervous," Tristan said kindly. "The Queen and Commander are very nice people."
"Easy for you to say," Mytch mumbled.
Tristan didn't know the other pilot that well. They shared a barrack, but then so did thirty-three other men. Mytch was a quiet man known for his talent in flight and his quick temper. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, I don't know," he replied sarcastically. "Maybe I don't think I have much of a chance against the Princess' boyfriend."
"Oh come on, that doesn't mean anything when it comes to this. The Voltron pilots are important to the planet and they can't afford to play favorites. The best pilot for the job will be chosen by Blue and the team."
Mytch snorted.
Tristan knew it was a losing battle, so he let the other pilot pace with an angry scowl on his face.
Ten minutes later, Marihanna came out. She was a small, plain girl with an outgoing personality. "They're all yours, Tristan," She said with a smile.
"Thanks, Marihanna." Tristan found he was feeling quite nervous as he went in to face his future in-laws and the team.
"Tristan, have a seat, please," Keith said with a smile.
"Yes, sir."
"No need to be nervous," Allura assured him. "This is more of a formality with you. These interviews are to get to know the candidates better, see what the team thinks. Do you have any questions or comments?"
"Uh, no, Ma'am."
"If you were to win this position," Lance said. "People are going to wonder how much a non-Arusian will be willing to fight for their planet. How would you handle that situation?"
"Well, sir, I am making Arus my home, it is the home of my fiancée and the family we will someday have. I may not have been born on Arus, but I will fight for this planet with every ounce of my strength and ability."
"Being a member of the Voltron Force is a very demanding position, both physically and emotionally, are you sure you can handle it?" Hunk asked.
"Absolutely, sir."
Keith looked passed Tristan to the four people sitting behind him, "Do you guys have any questions?"
Declan looked at the rest of his team and then back at his father, "No, sir."
"All right, Tristan, you can go. Send Mytch in, please."
After the initial interviews, the three candidates were taken into Castle Control. Allura was going to go up with each one of them, allow them the chance to ride in Blue. No one expected Blue to take to one of them on their first time in the Lion, but it was important to see how each pilot took to being in the magnificent machine.
So far, Tristan and Marihanna were in the lead. Mytch was an accomplished pilot, but his personality hadn't quite clicked with the others.
Mytch went up first. They shot out of the lake and straight up into the air, circling the castle and shoot out over the flatlands. After twenty minutes, they returned and Marihanna took Mytch's place.
"How'd it go?" Keith asked Mytch as they stood in Castle Control.
"It went well, sir, I even flew Blue a bit," he replied.
"What do you think?"
"She's a powerful machine, sir."
"Yes, she is. How did you feel up there?"
"Feel?" Mytch rubbed his chin. "I guess I felt empowered, strong, and untouchable."
Keith nodded, "Any questions?"
"Just when do I start?"
Keith smirked. At first he had taken to Mytch because his quick temper, cockiness, and flying abilities had reminded him of Lance when they had first started. But there was something about Mytch he didn't like, he couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something.
Twenty minutes later, Tristan was settling into Blue's cockpit with Allura. It was smaller than Black's, but no less intimidating.
"Just relax, Tristan," Allura smiled as they took off. "We're just letting you get a feel for being in Blue."
"It feels amazing," he whispered.
"That how I felt when I first rode in her."
"Ma'am, can I…can I fly her?"
Allura looked at him, surprised, "I suppose, if you think you can handle her."
"I think I can."
Flipping on the auto pilot, Allura unbuckled her seatbelt and they began the awkward maneuvering that came with swapping seats in the cramped cockpit.
Tristan licked his lips and studied the control panel in front of him. He slowly wrapped his hand around the stick and reached up to flip the switch to turn off auto pilot.
In Castle Control, they all watched as Blue dipped dangerously. Keith ran to the control panel, but stopped when he saw the Lion regain her ground and perform a few twists and turns. In order to allow the candidates to feel comfortable in the cockpit, they had agreed to close the audio and visuals to Castle Control. Keith opened the lines of communication, surprised to see Tristan in the pilot seat already. "Is everything all right, Allura?"
She smiled at him, "Everything is just fine."
Mytch and Marihanna also saw Tristan in the pilot seat. Marihanna felt disappointed, knowing she hadn't taken that quickly to Blue meant she was going to get the position, but then she was happy flying in the Brigade.
Mytch, on the other hand, was furious. He felt as though they had been duped, his time wasted. They were going to give the position to him any way, why did they even bring us in?
When Tristan and Allura returned to Castle Control some time later, Keith dismissed the three pilots, promising to be in touch with them.
"Well, what do you all think?" Keith asked when the current and former teams were left alone in Castle Control.
Declan looked at his teammates, "I think you know where we stand."
"What about you?" He asked Allura.
"They all seemed awed by Blue, which is understandable, but Tristan was the only one to actually ask to try flying and he did well considering the fact it was his first time." She told him.
"Do you want to call them all back for a follow-up, or should we just accept the fact that we're going to offer Tristan the position?"
"Just offer him the position," Pidge said.