I do not own Voltron or anything even remotely associated with it. Heaven knows if I did, I would still have the toys. I will once again apologize for my LONG absence, but I really haven't a decent excuse for you. The previous chapter exhausted me and I confess that I am as reluctant as Keith to tackle the Voltron museum so that accounts for some of it. It's very long, if that makes up for it. I really am sorry, I got busy and involved in other things. I'll do better with the next chapter, I promise. Hopefully you all haven't abandoned me yet. :) I do plan on finishing. I've come too far with this to leave it hanging out in limbo forever...it just might take awhile. And now, the infamous Voltron Museum.
The Museum(or Keith's Hell)
Arms crossed over his chest, Keith tried not to think about the destination of the shuttle even as it sped along its pathways, bringing him ever closer to the building that could be no truer representation of a hell on earth for him. To make matters worse, he was wearing his Galaxy Garrison uniform and the reminder of his past life was making him even more uncomfortable than the shuttle's seats. The uniform had been chosen as his attire, and that of his teammates, after some debate. Lance, perhaps deliberately, had suggested in Cael's presence that the Force should appear in full Voltron uniform at the museum. Naturally the prince had been taken with the idea but even the idea had made Keith both so furious and nauseous at the same time, it had been quickly stifled. Thankfully Allura had also been present to help Cael understand that having them go in costume as it were was asking a little much of the team. After all, they hadn't done so when the others had visited the museum, sometimes together, sometimes separately. There was no need to make a special case out of Keith's being among them. At this phrase Lance's eyes had shone wickedly but he had wisely kept everything he had wanted to say to himself, even though Keith suspected the effort nearly killed him. As it was, he had paid for his mischief. Keith had all but sat down when Cael was beside him, eyes wide at the sight of all his medals and inquiring reverently what all of them stood for. It didn't take long to discover that Lance's answers and Keith's didn't match and the prince had been pestering Lance ever since as to why he said that his medal for Valor stood for "good looks" instead. Listening to Lance try to explain his vanity and still come off in a good light was almost enough to make him forget where they were going. Almost.
If not for Cael, he wouldn't have gone. He would have sent the others and agreed to communicate with them from the command center and been perfectly content. But the night he had come upon the young prince in the corridor, far too excited to sleep, much less sit still while waiting for him to arrive had sealed his fate more certainly than anything else could have. Even now, Cael couldn't stay still for more than a few minutes. His interrogation of Lance was constantly interrupted by his need to dart from one member of the Force to another, flashing each of them a grin or making a comment before he remembered to question Lance. Occasionally he would press his face against the window and command the shuttle to move faster. He was acting, in short, like a normal little boy and Keith found himself smiling more often than he should have at the sight of it. His mother, too, was smiling even though her son seemed to be oblivious to her presence. It was a state Keith could only envy.
In the week that had passed since Frank's brief awakening, he had managed to steer clear of Allura outside of patrols and the numerous meetings Liran enforced on them in order to make certain their goals concerning the trip to the museum were in sync. She, too, had made no effort to seek him out and he told himself that with the distance he had regained some measure of control over his emotions. What would happen if he was ever alone with her for more than a few minutes at a time he knew better than to risk. Interestingly enough, Liran's treatment of him hadn't altered in the slightest towards him since that night and Keith had to admit, it was a nice play on the king's part to keep him from knowing if his suspicions had become anything substantial. Liran was neither cooler or warmer towards him and his manner was still as wary as it had ever been. The only change came whenever Cael's name was mentioned and only then did the king betray his growing animosity towards the Voltron Captain. Why the man should be jealous when he barely bothered to have any sort of contact with the boy that wasn't scheduled, Keith didn't know. By now he was able to accurately assess how Liran would behave in a political situation but personally, the man was an enigma to him and likely to stay that way. Jealousy seemed to be his first reaction to everything but Keith was beginning to wonder if that wasn't also a cover for some other emotion, assuming Liran actually felt anything. There were so many layers to the man it was a marvel anyone ever got through them all and found whatever it was that lay underneath. More often than not he wondered if even Allura had stripped away all of them. Somehow he always came back to her.
True to form, Liran and the Chancellors had taken the idea that their unknown enemy was somehow linked to Planet Doom and ran with it. Once decided upon, it had become their mission to root out every unknown and known Doom supporter in the galaxy. Apparently there was a small faction of them, not large enough to cause any real trouble, but substantial enough to make themselves heard during any galaxy-wide political issue. When Keith had expressed his surprise at this, Liran had actually bothered to look up from what he was doing and informed him quietly, "There are always two sides to things, Captain, even with Voltron." Liran had just as quietly returned his attention to the profiles spread out on the table before him and Keith had let the issue drop. The fact of the existence of anyone supporting Doom this long after its demise still amazed him. He hadn't failed to notice the lack of amazement in his teammates, however, and he was both surprised and rankled by their silence on the subject. He knew he was touchy about Doom, about Lotor, but that didn't mean he didn't want to know if there was anyone insane enough to think they had the right idea. So far, however, Liran hadn't developed any leads, but he was confident that they would in time. It was the reason he and the Chancellors weren't accompanying the Force to the museum this afternoon. Judging by the looks on the faces of some of them when they had given the museum party an official sendoff, Keith suspected they would rather be subjected to the crowds at the museum than spend another afternoon closeted in a conference room with Liran but His Majesty had been emphatic that they stay behind. His own presence would have been welcomed and had been asked for by his son only to be refused. This, too, had surprised Keith and when he had looked to Allura for confirmation, it had been Lance who whispered in his ear, "Liran's never seen Cael give a tour." Had it been anyone but Liran, he would have found it unbelievable but he could easily concoct the excuses the King must have for not seeing his son perform his duties at the museum. It was a shame, however.
"Cael, please, sit down we're nearly there and I don't want you flying out the window when the shuttle comes to a stop," Allura said quietly, breaking through his thoughts. Careening to a stop midway between Lance and Hunk, Cael's eyes sparkled momentarily at the image of flying out the window before he dutifully went to sit beside his mother once more. Allowing her to strap him in with an air of tried patience, he flashed her a grin only to grimace as she straightened his already unruly hair. Finding himself smiling without his awareness of it, Keith tore his gaze from the royal pair and focused it instead on the passing scenery. Gradually their pace began to slow and he soon found himself searching for another point to focus on as the museum drew ever nearer. The floor proved to be the perfect distraction and he drew a deep breath, reminding himself that it was only a museum and that the people of Arus had a perfect right to celebrate their history however they saw fit. And Cael. He would never forgive himself if he ruined it for the boy. Last night in the hallway, the Prince had been unusually coy with him, refusing to give him even a preview of the day's festivities but promising that it would be unforgettable. He hadn't even stayed more than a few minutes, waiting only long enough to secure Keith's promise that he would still go before dashing off to bed. If the boy's own father couldn't bring himself to swallow his pride and endure a day of adulation towards men he would always envy, Keith could certainly forget his own abhorrence of the museum for a few hours in order to secure Cael's happiness. That the boy's well-being should mean so much to him already was something he didn't want to acknowledge. He would be better off when he was light years away from all of them, much better off.
Abruptly the shuttle halted, sending all of them in different directions. Lance, who had been sprawled in his seat with his usual casual indifference nearly came face to face with the floor while Hunk and Pidge found themselves a little too close for comfort. Keith's arms moved slightly from his chest while Allura's feet shifted to one side. Of them all Cael moved the most, shooting as high into the air as his belt would allow before he sank back into his seat, his face alight. At a motion from Allura, the guards accompanying them moved towards the doors and one by one, the Force assembled themselves behind them. As usual, Keith and Lance went first, Allura and Cael falling in behind them with Hunk and Pidge bringing up the rear. Through the shuttle's windows, Keith surveyed the heads of what had to be thousands of Arusians waiting for even a glimpse of the original Voltron Force. Negotiations with the museum had been tricky and handled exclusively by Liran and Allura. Privately Allura told them Liran had handled most of it, she had been along mainly to speak for the Force as there was no better judge of what they would and would not be willing to do. All four had flatly refused to attend a free for all at the museum, rightfully concerned about the crowds that would appear and further hamper their mission. Naturally the museum's officials had been reluctant to close down for even a few hours without gaining any sort of profit and so a number of tickets had been sold for the afternoon and only to those who could afford them. Each ticket had come with a waiver, however, signed by the buyer that stated that after the initial greeting period, they would not have contact with the Force members whatsoever, whether indirectly or directly. The museum would still be theirs to peruse and they could certainly follow a respectful distance behind, but that was the extent of it. A half an hour or so spent exchanging pleasantries was a small price to pay for the freedom to explore the museum at their leisure. They would have the whole of two hours to search for clues, though one was likely to be taken up entirely by Cael's tour. There was just one glitch. The museum refused to allow them access into Aran's apartments.
Nothing, not even all of Liran's kingly rages or the threat of withdrawing their financial support could budge the officials. Whatever he may have done, Aran still had a right to his privacy and until they had substantial proof against him, they wouldn't sanction the intrusion into his rooms. After some discussion, Keith convinced the Arusian rulers to let the matter drop, stating that they could still find out things about Aran with a simple visit to the museum. That it was an outright lie he fully knew but he had no intention of staying out of Aran's apartments. All that mattered was that the museum officials believed he would. And they did. The main priority of the museum's security was to make certain no one bothered the Force, not to limit the actions of the Force themselves. The level he had stooped to bothered him occasionally but there was no other way. Or so he told himself.
With a loud sliding sound the doors opened and the guards moved forward. Instantly the sound of cheers overwhelmed them and all of Keith's reservations and reluctance vanished underneath what Lance would have called his political face. Nodding slightly acknowledge the crowd as he passed, Keith smiled the smile he had perfected in his years at Galaxy Garrison. Not overly big or too small, it neither appeared fake or entirely genuine. It was a mixture between being pleased and polite and it had served him well. Hunk grinned sheepishly while Pidge appeared oblivious to it all. Lance, predictably, made eyes at the girls he found attractive, playing the crowd to its full advantage. Allura, too, had her public face on, appearing the demure, regal Queen from her golden head down to her slippered toes. Overwhelmed by it all, Cael stood close to her, his eyes wider than Keith had ever seen them as he stared out at his future subjects. Not all the cheers were for the Force, either. As soon as word spread that the Prince was among them, Cael's name rang out several times and the young prince shyly acknowledged them with waves and jerky bows, his eyes constantly seeking his mother's for approval. Other than gently moving him away from the safety of her skirt, Allura let him handle their adulation as he chose though Keith thought he detected more than a glimmer of pride in her gaze from time to time. He would be as beloved by his people as his mother was at this rate and of that Keith was truly glad. In the distance, the giant statue of Voltron grew ever larger and he found himself looking at it without revulsion. Not once in any of their patrols had they formed the giant robot, according to protocol, and it seemed strange to see all the lions assembled together when he had become so used to them in their separate forms. It was still a familiar sight, however, and he saluted the face whose gaze he had sat behind so many times as they passed, creating a ripple of gasps throughout the crowd as he did. Dimly he recognized that he was once again part of something that Arus would talk about for years and he was both glad and disgusted by his giving them more to say with his behavior. Perhaps just this once, it wouldn't hurt him to play the part everyone expected him to play.
Awaiting them at the museum were the hundred-some nobles that had been able to afford the price of a ticket and they, too, were clustered outside its door, staring eagerly at the Force as they approached. Whispering to his mother, Cael fell back behind Pidge to take the hand of one of the guards and promptly vanished into the crowd. As head of their tour, it was his task to go in before hand and make certain everything was ready and to spare him the boredom of listening to his mother's speech. Not that Allura was boring by any means, but to a child waiting to show his heroes the museum solely devoted to them, a speech on the significance of this event was hardly interesting and he wouldn't have heard a word of it in any case. Keith didn't intend to listen too closely to it himself(he was certain Allura wouldn't mind), instead planning to scan the crowds for anyone that appeared even the least bit suspicious and to try and convince himself that he was anywhere but where he was. What the museum officials had planned was, in his opinion, simply ghastly anyway. Even now as he obediently did as they requested, he had to suppress a shudder. In their infinite wisdom, the officials had decided that for Allura's speech, they should stand before the statue of the five of them just outside the museum's entrance in exactly the same pose as they were depicted. Even Lance had been unable to check a guffaw when it had been proposed, but it was dance to their tune or no private showing of the museum and so they had agreed. The next time they agreed to behave like monkeys, Keith was going to insist they were paid. As it was, he stood just as he was in the statue, his fists clenched, his expression determined(or so he hoped)and staring at a fixed point while Allura began her speech. From time to time he scanned the crowd but no one appeared to have any sort of designs other than open worship towards the five of them and he sighed inwardly. It had been a vain hope that whoever was behind this would make a move against them today. They were far too smart for that...which was the trouble. A deafening cheer rose up from the crowd signaling the end of Allura's speech and just as they had rehearsed, the Force bowed in unison and waved before turning towards the museum.
Ahead was the giant replica of the Black's head, seeming strange and overly large and Keith deliberately kept his gaze from the statue of himself adjacent to the entrance. It was hardly visible among the crowd of nobles waiting for them, but he knew it was there. He recognized the pose far too well not to be able to spot it and inwardly he groaned yet again. Thankfully he had enough to distract him with the sea of nobles surging towards him and he succumbed to the boredom of being polite readily. The half an hour to an hour allotted for the nobles' questions and conversation passed far more quickly than he had expected. Half of them simply wanted to shake his hand and gush over the honor it was to meet him at last or say how wonderful they thought he and the other Force members were while the other half actually wanted to engage him in conversation. He was deep in discussion with one elderly gentleman about the ethics of Galaxy Garrison when time was called and he actually found himself sorry that he wouldn't be able to converse with the man further. He was about to say so when he heard Carpien offer him the hospitality of his house for dinner some evening, should he choose to accept it. Too startled to reply, Keith simply stared back at the man who chuckled and informed him that he had only to mention his name at the castle and someone would get in touch with him. After another loud chuckle, Carpien clapped him heartily on the shoulder and left him feeling more than a trifle bewildered. Truthfully Keith didn't know what surprised him more, that the man had offered it or that he was actually thinking of accepting.
All at once Cael, along with three other young men at least four years his senior, appeared at the front of the doors, identially garbed in the museum's official uniform. The number of nobles plus the Force was too much for a private tour and so they had been divided up into four separate groups prior to the excursion. There was little doubt as to who would be leading Keith's group, Cael had requested him specifically but the other Force memberse had no such stipulations though it was unlikely Allura would be guided by anyone else. Inconspicuously sidling his way over to Lance, Keith clasped his hands behind his back and said in a low tone,
"I expect you're coming with us."
"No." Keith's brows skyrocketed and he said nothing, unable to think of anything to say. Lance shifted his weight from one foot to the other and added just as quietly, "I'm not going to play chaperone today. Three Force members in one party is a little much, don't you think? I'll still fulfill my part of the conspiracy."
"I assumed the three of us would..."
"The three of us do not need to go prancing about the museum together just so you can feel at ease. Zarkon's breath, Keith, you're going to have to learn to behave even when no one's watching. Otherwise you can never come back."
"What makes you think I'm going to come back?"
"You really think that after this is all over you can just go back to GG and never set foot on Arus again?"
"She'll understand."
"She understands you better than you know and more than you deserve but what about her son?" Keith's features blanched and his gaze fell to the slight boy, proudly calling off the names of the nobles on his list, and his stomach began to turn uneasily. Looking at him for the first time, Lance smiled thinly and continued, "The Prince will never understand why his hero doesn't want to see him anymore, no matter what you tell him. Breaking off all contact with that boy now will crush him far worse than anything Liran could do to him. It's one thing to hurt Ally; she walked into the situation with her eyes wide open but Cael hasn't got a clue. Do you think you can do that to him?"
"No," Keith said at last, scarcely recognizing his voice as his own. Lance nodded once in satisfaction and then again as his tour guide called out his name. For an instant his features relaxed into their usual cocky expression and he clapped Keith on the shoulder with all the affection of a brother.
"Relax, it isn't that hard. You did it for years, you can do it again. Just pretend you're his father."
"I can't do that," Keith nearly choked on the words, flinching underneath Lance's steady grasp.
"Why not?"
"You should know why. I can't give in to that illusion...not even for a day. If I give in to it even once I'll..."
"Never mind, I shouldn't have said it. I'll wait for your signal. It'll be okay, Keith." Trying to smile reassuringly at him, Lance started slightly as Keith met his gaze and began to laugh.
"We seem to have switched roles suddenly."
"Come to think of it, we have. Hmm."
"Don't get used to it." It was Lance who laughed now and he briefly tightened his grip on Keith's shoulder.
"Try not to hate it too much," was Lance's parting advice. Keith could only smile wanly at him and his second in command laughed a second time before strolling off in the direction of his tour group. As he neared Allura, a look briefly passed between them before Lance wholly transformed into the egotistical hero he loved to play for the masses. Steeling himself for his own ordeal, Keith forced himself to think only of Cael's enjoyment and took a deep breath before joining his own group. If he made it through this day without gagging, it would truly surprise him.
For the next hour, Keith endured his guided tour of the Voltron museum from the young prince of Arus. Partially in order to prove that he could and partially just to keep himself sane, stayed close to Allura, never so close that he was in danger of physical contact with her, but close enough that he could look to her for reassurance whenever things got too much for him to bear. The first five minutes were the worst; through no fault of Cael's, he felt as if everyone in the group was looking at him under a magnifying glass and that they could see everything he had ever felt or seen and then the moment passed and he was able to breathe again. Gradually it felt more as if he was looking at a storybook of his own life rather than hearing it recited by someone else and his nausea began to dwindle. The tour itself was rather informative; it began with the unknown origins of Voltron, including some early diagrams found of the lions in several stages of construction and presented the prominent theories on how the space robot actually came to be. From there it briefly discussed the pilots who flew them initially before moving on to those who had made them famous. In his own section, Keith looked once at the panels dedicated to himself and at the statue that was a fairly accurate representation before finding a bare patch of wall and staring at it determinedly. Though gazes continued to flicker to him, he only acknowledged Cael's or Allura's, the latter wanting desperately to offer him comfort throughout it but not daring to, or so he guessed from the somewhat pained expression on her face. It was here that he drifted as close to her as he dared, knowing that she alone knew how hard it was for him to have to see himself idolized for all to see and wanting to take whatever solace he could from her company. It was not as hard as he would have thought. He didn't need to feel the touch of her hadn to know that she sympathized with him; one look at her was enough and even just the knowledge of her presence was soothing.
Once they had moved on to Lance, he actually began to enjoy himself and moved towards the front of the group to better enjoy Cael's tour. After a few moments, Allura joined him and slowly, without his awareness of it, the other members of their group drifted off into other areas of the museum until it was just the three of them. Cael had just finished describing Pidge's occupation on the planet where he researched Zarkon knew what when Keith finally realized that they were alone. After several startled glances over his shoulder, he looked to Allura only to find her smiling sheepishly. Returning her smile with a grin of his own, Keith plied Cael with a question he knew the answer to and appeared sufficiently impressed with the prince's answer. Across the room, appearing for all purposes to be engrossed by a diagram of standard GG ships, Lance watched the touring trio, his features strangely blank. Moving onward into the newly added Doom wing, Cael actually forgot himself for a moment and took the Voltron Captain's hand in order to draw him closer. Shock replaced by pleasure flickred across Keith's features and he allowed himself to be pulled along without so much of a glance for Allura, his lips forming a smile he was also completely unaware of. In front of the diagram, Lance straightened abruptly, his gaze locking with the pained one of Allura before she disappeared after the two of them. Shaking his head, Lance passed a hand over his forehead and muttered under his breath, "Damn you, Keith," before making his way towards the exit of the Doom section.
The Doom section, it seemed, was an afterthough to the museum. Originally it had only been a mere three panels instead of a separate room and was insituted by the very man whose personality they had come in search of. According to Cael, Aran had been appalled that Doom wasn't given more representation from the moment he first set foot in the museum. Not that he was a Doom supporter, nothing of the kind. He just believed that there were two sides to every story; after all, from their point of view, Voltron was an evil menace and not the other way around. Most of the panels had been written by Aran and he had overseen the making of all the statues. The Zarkon and Hagar ones were particularly lifelike as was the model of Castle Doom but it was the one of Lotor that Keith found himself drawn to. Staring into the painted yellow eyes that were so familiar to him, he looked over the accurate representation of the man that had been his enemy for so many years and repressed a shudder. Even though he knew it was wax, for some reason the figure of Lotor suddenly seemed alive to him and he half-expected to hear the alien prince's sneering laugh as he stood before him. Moving to stand beside him, Cael stared solemnly up at Lotor's face and asked in an almost reverent tone,
"Was he as wicked as they say?" Conscious of Allura also moving to stand behind him, Keith swallowed and answered slowly,
"I don't know if Lotor was 'wicked,' exactly, Prince. Not in the true sense of the word. Lotor was a man constantly seeking his father's approval, even after he was dead. I don't think he ever thought he'd found it."
"Are you sorry you killed him?"
"Cael," Allura admonished, glancing nervously at Keith. Eyes widening, Cael shrank back against her momentarily, anticipating a second rebuke. Instead Keith hardly seemed to see him, his gaze going distant as he answered,
"His death sits heavily on me. I couldn't have stopped it, even if I had wanted to and yet...If he had lived, we might still be fighting himand you wouldn't enjoy the peace you know today, nor would any of the other children across the galaxy. His death was more than worth that."
"But are you sorry..." Cael began again before his mother shushed him. Eyes focusing, Keith turned to look at the young prince as he said with a faint smile,
"I will keep my own counsel on whether or not I am sorry it happened, Prince. Perhaps we can have this conversation again someday...when both of us are older...and better able to understand it." Nodding slowly, Cael bit his lip to keep from asking another question and turned away from the figure of Lotor with a heavy sigh. Keith's smile promptly faded and succumbed to the shudder he had been holding in. Behind him, Allura's breath caught and she moved closer to him, one hand tenatively drifting towards his shoulder.
"Shall we continue, Captain? The gift shop is our only remaining stop," Cael said quietly, scowling up at the face of Lotor before turning his attention to the adults accompanying him. Allura's hand fell without Keith's ever knowing how close it had been to his shoulder and the smile he gave the young prince was genuine as he said,
"Certainly, Prince, but I warn you, I brought nothing that remotely resembles money." At this Cael burst into laughter and Keith glanced briefly over his shoulder at Allura before allowing himself to be dragged off by the young prince once more. For several moments Allura remained where she was, simply watching them, just as she had spent most of the day doing. There was a rightness about the two of them together that pained her even as it pleased her. Quite possibly it was only because when they were together like this she was able to pretend, even for a little while, that things were the way she wished they would have been instead of the way they were. The same dream was too painful for Keith to contemplate she knew, though she didn't think he realized how completely he was playing the part. That was both the worst and the best part of it; in this one hour he had been more Cael's father than Liran had been in nine years of opportunities and she would never have this moment with the two of them again. It was unfair, horribly unfair...but she had chosen it...as had Keith and though Cael would suffer for it, at least it would be unknowingly. He would never know that things could have been different...or maybe should have been. Wiping away the tears she wouldn't allow herself to shed, Allura hurried to catch up with her companions, but not without casting one last look over her shoulder at the figure of Lotor. It was strange how Keith couldn't bring himself to say Lotor was wholly wicked; of all people she would have thought he would think it of the Doom Prince. She herself had never thought Lotor was as evil as he had wanted them to believe...in his own way, Lotor was no different from the rest of them: he had just wanted to be loved.
By the time she rejoined Keith and Cael, the latter had subjected the former to a description of all the most desireable items for sale in the gift shop and was currently trying to sell him on a replica of the Black Cael had had his eye on for months. Folding her arms as she watched Cael cajole the stubbornly refusing Voltron Captain, Allura tried not to laugh at Keith's own expression of amusement. He wouldn't buy him anything–he hadn't been lying when he said he had come without money(never in all the time she had known him had Keith had money on hand when it was needed)–but he was having a grand time making Cael think he might buy him something. Giving up with a heavy sigh of defeat, Cael folded his arms and threw Keith a positively scathing glare before mumbling,
"Thus concludes your tour of the Voltron musuem. On behalf of Arus, the museum wishes you a pleasant stay and a safe journey home."
"Thank God."