I do not own Voltron or anything even remotely associated with it. Heaven knows if I did, I would still have the toys

The Corridor of Lions

What followed next was something Keith could never clearly remember, no matter how he tried. Dimly he heard Liran's speech of welcome, something that his tension-wrought mind noted could have been said in half as many words as the king chose to use, and Allura's following speech to the people gathered beneath them. In the moment's pause between her speech and his own, Lance unobtrusively offered to perform the duty for him, but Keith had waved him off almost absently. It was not for nothing that GG had tried to hang on to him for the past ten years. Keith could have been on death's door and been able to deliver a polished speech about GG protocol and he did not fail himself. Short but sweet in comparison to the Arusian rulers, his piece expressed nothing more than a sincere gratitude for the reception they had received from the Arusian people and a hope that this would not be their last visit, but with an elegance that even Liran had to have envied. When he had finished, Keith managed one last bow and a casual smile before he retreated behind a mask of deliberate boredom. One part of him noticed the somewhat startled glances passing between the assembled Chancellors and likewise the pleasantly surprised features of Coran while the other wished for nothing other than to be alone. Since boarding the transport to Arus he had scarcely had any moments alone and more than anything he needed to be away from any prying eyes, however friendly their intent. The cheers of the Arusians gradually died down as Liran, gently guiding Allura, turned and exited the balcony, their son following in their wake. With some amusement, Keith noted the almost longing glance Cael cast over his shoulder at the Voltron Force before disappearing with his parents into the palace. All his heroes under one roof, he supposed the boy could hardly stand keeping in the questions he must want to barrage them with. Unconsciously a smile began to creep upon his lips and his expression was far less strained than it had been when Coran surprisingly stepped forward and addressed them.

"Gentlemen...it has been a long time."

"Not long enough," Nanny sniffed in the background. It was all Keith could do not to laugh.

"We've missed you too, Nanny."

"Humph," was all he received in reply and grins soon broke out on the faces of the Voltron Force as Nanny's nose catapulted into the air and she swished back into the palace. Clustered together in a semi-circle, the Chancellors of Arus were deep in their own discussion, though from time to time, a member glanced over at the four men with something more than curiosity. Surveying them all for a moment, Coran smiled and said,

"In light of your travels, Their Majesties decided it would be best to discuss why you are really here tomorrow. I'm certain you will appreciate this chance to rest and reaquaint yourselves with the palace. Your presence is requested, however, at a special dinner that will be given this evening. Their Majesties and the Chancellors, along with myself, will also be in attendance."

"We will be happy to attend," Keith replied politely, adding another bow for good measure. Coran's lips twitched and his expression altered ever so slightly as he looked them over a second time, his gaze finally landing on Keith as he said off-handedly,

"It is both strange and fitting to have you here again, especially in this capacity. I am reminded of the day you first arrived...but this is quite different. Quite different indeed. I'm not quite certain I am even looking at the same group of men. If you will follow me, please. I have been given the honor of showing you to your rooms."

"We remember the way."

"The Voltron Force stay in the servants quarters? Do you really think Her Majesty would stand for that after all this time? You are honored guests of Arus and will be treated as such during your stay here. You forget, Captain, they are already occupied...in an sense," Coran replied, his brows arching ever so slightly as a gleam of amusement entered his eyes.

"Things do change, Keith," Lance said with a grin, clapping a hand on Keith's shoulder before moving forward to monopolize Coran. Whether or not the elder man appreciated the arm Lance promptly slung around his shoulders, it was impossible to say, but Keith thought he detected a faint stiffening in Coran's posture. Shaking his head at Lance, he gestured for Hunk and Pidge to precede him, the two of them also occupied in shaking their heads, though he suspected it was at him rather than Lance.

"Fancy treatment eh, Keith?" Hunk joked as he passed, Keith simply shrugged. Pidge had no comment, but the disturbing gaze of Mycin was unusually piercing as he walked past and Keith tried not to let the creature unnerve him as much as it did everyone else. Unconsciously copying the young prince, he glanced back over his shoulder at the clustered Chancellors, no longer undergoing any pretense of conversation and staring after the Voltron Force with poorly disguised apprehension.

There was much afoot here. He had a feeling that whenever they did get around to discussing the real reason for the return of the original Voltron Force that things were going to be anything but dull. Idly he wondered how much of it Lance was responsible for before clearing his mind of any thoughts other than the need for some time alone. He was thinking far too much, a habit he had never been able to cure despite his awareness of it. As the balcony finally disappeared behind them, he blinked along with the others at the change in light only to find a sight before them they did not expect.

Straightening at the sight of the Voltron Force, Prince Cael performed another flawless bow though a slight nervousness hung about him as his gaze landed upon Coran.

"If you will allow me, Coran, Mot...Her Majesty gave me permission to escort the Voltron Force to their new rooms." Coran's brows raised but the smile he gave the young boy was a kind one as he efficiently disentangled Lance's arm from around his shoulders.

"Certainly, Your Highness. Dinner is at seven, gentlemen. You needn't wear your uniforms, but don't think that your usual attire will be acceptable." Feigning innocence at his comment, Lance grinned as soon as the older man's back was turned while his teammates rolled their eyes. Left alone with them, Cael seemed more inclined to gape than to say anything to them. Glancing briefly at the others, Keith opened his mouth to speak only to have the boy suddenly recover his wits and say only,

"This way."

In an instant his tiny form was striding off along the left corridor of the palace, leaving them no choice than to follow. Lagging behind the others, Keith watched the retreating figure of Cael for a moment, unnerved by the interest in the boy that seemed to keep growing against his will. He still saw very little of either Allura or Liran in him, though that was understandable considering how little he knew the King of Arus, and yet...their child seemed very much an enigma and he couldn't understand it. As he rejoined his friends, it was all he could do to keep himself from laughing out loud as he realized Cael had slipped into the mode of tour guide. Similar grins were flickering across the faces of his companions even as Hunk asked a question that he already knew the answer to. Cael responded efficiently, supplying information that they hadn't needed but it scarcely mattered. Glancing from time to time at his surroundings, Keith tried to reorient himself as to their position of the palace and realized that while some of the corridors and rooms they passed seemed familiar, others did not. Once he had known the entire layout of the castle, at least of the main rooms that appeared on the computer's official map. Jokingly Lance had bet him that he couldn't find his way blindfolded and Keith had uncharacteristically taken him up on the dare. Five locations had been chosen on the various floors and one night after dinner he was blindfolded and sent out to find them. One of his teammates was waiting in each location to make certain he really did arrive, despite his being monitored at all times in the control room, and to send him on his way to the next. To Lance's utter amazement, Keith had done it, backtracking only twice along the way and asking for no help from those who monitored him. Looking around him, Keith knew that he couldn't do so again and not simply due to lack of memory. As Cael took them up a flight of stairs and onto the thirteenth floor, he started slightly in surprise and said,

"Prince Cael?" The youngster nearly tripped, but his voice was steady as he answered,

"Yes, Captain?"

"My memory may not be what it used to be after ten years, but it seems to me that the rooms of the palace have changed since I last was here."

"It has changed, Captain. We don't know why. Coran has consulted the computer time and time again, but there's no record of how the blueprint changed or what caused it. My...Her Majesty thinks that the castle changes according to what Arus needs. She may be right. When it was confirmed that you were coming, this wing suddenly appeared. It was clearly meant for you."

Before Keith could ask the boy what he meant, Cael turned the corner and gestured to the wall on his left. There was a break in the usual metallic sheen of the palace walls in the shape of a Lion's head. A perfect replica of the Blue Lion. For a moment Keith stared at the familiar head, somewhat surprised that it was not also painted blue, and then shook his head slightly. Next to the Blue's head, there was the familiar lighted keypad indicating a room lay within. So these were the new rooms for the Voltron Force. It seemed even the castle had a sense of humor.

"This one, of course, won't be in use," Cael said apologetically, watching Keith with undisguised interest.

"Allura doesn't live here?" Lance asked before anyone could stop him. At the same time Keith and Hunk elbowed him sharply in the ribs. While Pidge tried unsuccessfully to hold in his laughter, Cael watched Lance bend over in pain with a bemused expression and replied matter-of-factly,

"My...Her Majesty resides on the fourteenth floor. It is devoted entirely to the living space for the royal family."

"That hasn't changed at least," Keith replied, throwing Lance a far from apologetic grin as the former finally straightened.

"My nurse resides there as well," Cael added, still watching them with his strange expression. Keith couldn't help but roll his eyes at Nanny's eternal status as watch-dog. The others seemed as faintly amused as he though Lance was too engrossed with moaning in pain to notice anything else.

"Your room is there, Yellow Pilot," Cael said, bringing some order back to the proceedings. As one the Voltron Force turned to survey the room directly across from the one that had first seized their attention. Similar to the room on the left, on the right was another door, flickering keypad, and the replica of the Yellow Lion. Pulling out a keycard from somewhere within his uniform, Cael handed it to Hunk as solemnly as if it were a dangerous explosive, his blue eyes fixed on the big man. Lost amongst Hunk's hands, the "Yellow Pilot" studied the key to his room for several moments, a series of emotions flickering across his face before he waved cheerily at his companions and inserted it into the keypad. With a familiar whooshing noise, the door vanished, revealing the bare outlines of a room inside.

"I hope you will find it comfortable. I haven't been in them, I wasn't allowed. I'm sure it's different from where you stayed before." Hunk nodded and removed the key card. Stepping just inside the doorway, he put his hand over the release button for the door and turned to face his friends once more.

"Don't let me catch you calling me "Yellow Pilot" again, Prince. It's Hunk," he said, pointing a mock finger at the young Prince. Dismay flickered briefly across Cael's face as he protested,

"This isn't a time for informality, it's a solemn occasion and..."

"Solemn or not, you've known me since you were three years old, you don't need to be formal with me, or any of the others. Except maybe Keith, you don't know him."

"Thanks," Keith interjected dryly, despite the truth of the statement. Flushing, Cael nodded and hung his head, appearing suddenly like the nine-year-old boy he really was. Instantly the sternness vanished from Hunk's features and he affectionately reached out to ruffle Cael's tousled hair as he said,

"Don't worry about it, Prince. I'll overlook it this time."

"Yes...Hunk." Slowly the young prince looked back up at Hunk, a reluctant smile spreading across his face. Brightly Hunk grinned at him and then disappeared into his room. A cloud still hung about Cael, however, and the smile Hunk had produced soon faded. Stepping forward, Lance put a hand on the boy's shoulder, his smile the one he usually used when he was trying desperately to be charming in place as he said,

"Come on, Squirt, show us where we'll be staying. Though I think I already know how they're set up. Keith's going to love his room." Under Lance's hand, Cael straightened and nodded.

"I am not a squirt," he said quickly before continuing along the hallway. Lance grinned and threw a glance back at the others before following in the prince's wake. Pidge and Keith followed, the latter glaring openly at the back of his supposed best friend though Lance didn't seem to notice. Keith, too, had a suspicion about how the rooms were laid out, a suspicion that was only confirmed as the next two rooms proved to be ones belonging to the Red Pilot and the Green Pilot. Accordingly, Lance's room was on the same side as Hunk's and Pidge's the same as the vacant Blue room. It was the layout of Voltron, recreated in the form of the rooms, which only meant that his could be at the end and that it was probably the largest of the four. It was an honor he did not want. Going through the same procedure with Lance and Pidge, Cael handed over their key cards and watched them vanish into their chambers. With both of them he underwent an exchange similar to the one he had with Hunk, though he took care not to address them by their official titles. With each one he seemed to have a different relationship; Hunk clearly was another father, Pidge an older brother, and Lance the joking uncle that everyone shook their heads at but loved all the more for it. Where he could possibly fit in, Keith didn't know and didn't want to speculate on. To his irritation, he was uneasy now that he and the boy were alone. Cael's attention was already rather inclined to focus on him and now there were no other distractions. The boy was nothing but respectful as he motioned to Keith to follow him, however, and they walked in silence along the corridor.

There was but one door remaining and the corridor, appropriately came to an end as they reached it. Swallowing with some difficulty at the sight of the Black next to the keypad, Keith turned automatically towards Cael to receive his card. Hesitantly the boy drew it out of his uniform, his gaze refusing to meet Keith's for any long period of time before he finally handed it over. As he took it, Keith understood why Hunk's face, along with the others, had gone through so many emotions while looking at it. The card, rather like the ones he used at GG, was specifically made for the room it unlocked, both in its capacity to unlock and how it was designed. Though shaped no differently than any other, it had a picture of the Black Lion on one side, while the other had a small picture of himself, a blurb of information, and his own name. Realistically he supposed the key also served as a sort of identification badge, combining the two items into one, and on the whole, non-disturbing. The only thing that was strange was the last line of the blurb describing him. Before the words "Captain of the Voltron Force" there was no "former." Rather than dwell on it too long, he quickly inserted the key into its slot and watched the door vanish with a sense of relief. Following Hunk's example, he stepped inside and placed one hand over the release button before removing the key, knowing that he should at least say good-bye to his silent companion. As he turned to do so, he found Cael studying him with his head tipped slightly to one side, his hand resting against his chin.

"You're not quite like what I thought you'd be." Keith's brows raised.

"How did you think I'd be?" Cael's head inclined even more to the side as he pondered and said,

"Taller. Flashier. Bossier. But you're not."

"Is that good or bad?"

"Good. I like the way you lead. It's different from the way my...His Majesty does."

"How does His Majesty lead?" Cael frowned and his features sobered as he answered,

"He demands it. Men follow him because they know they'll be in trouble if they don't. Lance and the others, they follow you because they want to."

"How do you know they don't get in trouble if they disobey me?"

"Because I've read every log you ever wrote and you never disciplined them for disobeying you other than suspending them from practice."

"How did you read my logs?"

"They have excerpts of them at the museum."

"You said you read every one." Without knowing it, Keith was slipping into the same manner he used on his more unruly cadets and Cael's gaze instantly left his as he said,

"My...Her Majesty has them. On her computer. I've asked to read them but she always said no. When she heard you were coming, she started reading them again and I was in the room when she had to leave...so I made a copy and took them. I destroyed it afterwards so there's no proof. Are you going to tell her?"

"Only if you don't." Cael's face fell and Keith fought back a smile as he said gently,

"Prince Cael, those logs were meant for your mother's eyes and mine only. There are things in them that it's best other people do not know and while you are the heir of Arus..."

"About the Lions? But you wrote most of those parts in code, or at least I think you used some sort of code while you were writing those because I couldn't figure out a lot of them and..."

"It was wrong for you to read them without your mother's permission," Keith continued as if Cael hadn't spoken. "I know she intended for you to read them someday, it was our intent that the reigning heir of Arus and the current Captain of the Voltron Force should always know what's in them but you're not the king yet."

"I could forget what I read," Cael said hopefully. Again Keith fought a smile as he shook his head.

"You still have to tell your mother. I won't make you tell her today, if it makes you feel any better. But if you haven't told her in three days, and I expect I'll be here at least that long, then I'll have to tell her. She'll be far less angrier if she hears it from you instead of me. And she'll understand...once she's through being angry."

Cael scowled down at the ground for several moments and then reluctantly nodded his head. Inexplicably the impulse to touch the boy's shoulder just as the others had done surged through Keith but he couldn't bring himself to go through with it. Looking as if he had swallowed something particularly sour, Cael looked up at Keith and said,

"You know my mother well, don't you?"

"I did once." Cael nodded and then heaved a sigh that seemed to carry the weight of the palace with it.

"I'll tell her tomorrow, before the meeting. That way it'll be hours before she can really yell at me. And she won't have a chance to tell my...His Majesty." An earnestness came into his eyes suddenly making him look frighteningly like Allura and Keith desperately tried to keep his features smooth.

"You're certain my...His Majesty hasn't read the logs?"

"If he has, your mother has broken my trust, and I don't think she would do that. Why?"

"Because he wants to."

Digesting this piece of news in silence for several moments, Keith watched the boy fidget once more and couldn't stop himself from wondering what in the name of Zarkon was actually going on here and why he was suddenly in the middle of it. This, of all things, was not what he had expected to find when he arrived.

"I'm sorry, Prince, but there isn't much time before dinner and I..."

"It's my fault, Captain. I talk too much. I hope you like your room."

"Will you be at dinner, Prince?"

"Yes. But I'll probably miss everything interesting once I have to go to bed."

"Then I will see you there. I'll try to think of something interesting to talk about before you leave us."

"Really?"

"Of course. But I can't promise anything. I'm a very dull man."

"No, you're not. Captain." Bowing swiftly, Cael strode off down the corridor, looking back only once over his shoulder while Keith remained in his doorway watching him. Tension draining out of him in waves, Keith removed his keycard and automatically put it in the same place as he did his GG card. As he removed his hand from the release button, he turned to face the room supposedly devoted to the Black Lion for the first time, the only thought running through his head: please don't let it all be in black.