A/N: It's a posting kind of night! Please ignore the spelling and/or grammar mistakes, I double checked, but likely still missed stuff. Just you wait Paladins, next chapter is when things really start coming into play. I'm excited and you guys should be too!

Okay, enough of me talking. Thank you all for the reviews, follows, favorites and some really sweet PM-ers, you guys are the best!

Summary: Allura has been hiding a secret from the Paladins, something painful from her past forced her to remain quiet. However that all changes when she finds a beloved object of someone she held dear. A simple pendant that hangs around the Blue Paladin's neck. Altean!Lance

Chapter Fourteen

Lance had to admit, despite the disaster in his mind, things were starting to look up for Voltron. The hunt for Shiro had taken a back seat, much to Keith's annoyance, but he didn't complain about it much. After his 'tantrum' at the diplomacy meeting a few days ago, the Lions had been rotated around. With Shiro still gone and Voltron still needed, it was time for a new Paladin to take the head of Voltron. Keith had been chosen as the Black Paladin and Lance chosen by the Red Lion, much to his surprise and some joy.

Lance smiled weakly at the memory. How the Blue Lion quite literally shut him out and would not allow him close. That really stung, but when the Red Lion roared and Allura telling him about their father, it couldn't be denied. Lance had been the first person to accept Keith as the Black Lion's pilot and in turn would now become his right hand.

King Alfor had piloted the Red Lion. It filled with Lance with a bit of pride to follow in his footsteps in this way, Allura had been beyond proud of him which felt nice. Speaking of Allura, the Blue Lion had chosen her to be the new pilot which had thrilled and terrified the Altean Princess. Lance thought it would be great.

Of course this was in the middle of a battle with Zarkon's son, that no one knew existed until now, so that was another tough pill to swallow. Things had changed rapidly in a matter of hours. And then after that battle, Keith went after Lotor with everyone in tow. Lance did his best to stop it.

Lance closed his eyes and called on the already fading memory.

"First you want me to lead, then complain about how I do it," Keith grumbled over the comms, "Prince Lotor is the heir to the Galra throne, we could end his reign right now."

Lance replied, "We could, or we could go back to the castle and work on our new line up."

"There isn't any time," Keith struggled not to shout. He was filled with anger and likely a good bit of fear. He was angry that Shiro was gone, that the Black Lion chose him to lead. He was scared about being the leader and about letting everyone down. There wasn't any time to sit around and wait, they needed to take action. This was the time to take action.

"Keith, you, me and Allura are piloting new lions," Lance said, his tone more serious than expected, "We are not ready to go to battle with Lotor now. We just got Voltron back, we need to adjust."

Keith gripped the controls on his lion tightly, he gritted his teeth, "Yeah and while we're adjusting, the Galra empire will rebuild and take over more innocent planets. We need to end this before it has a chance to start."

Lance flew ahead of the Black Lion and floated there, "We go into this fight now, it will end very badly for us. I'll respect your decision either way, but remember this. There is no denying that we aren't ready for a fight, you bring us in there now and it won't be pretty."

Lance opened his eyes. They still went into battle, got caught in a weird combustible atmosphere, but they were able to form Voltron. However, their ability to work together in their new roles took a bit of work and a good deal of training, but so far things were turning out alright. With the days spent training and freeing some planets with minor battles, Lance was able to pick up where he left off when it came to looking for Shiro.

It was early this morning actually that a new way to find him had come to him which resulted in him lying in his room with a massive headache. He felt the pull of his magic again. Where the energy came from, where the idea came from, he had no idea. It just hit him. While he had been channeling his magic and using the pool as a channel for Lance, he wondered if he could channel something of Shiro's to find him.

The signature he found in the astral plane was weak, but pulsing and more importantly, it was alive. It had to be Shiro, but because Lance wasn't sure, he hadn't told anyone about it. However this morning, he thought maybe he could use someone else as a channel. Allura hadn't been too happy at the rude awakening, but the experiment had been a success. He could in a sense channel someone in order to find someone else.

By channeling Coran, who also didn't appreciate the wake up call, Lance was able to locate Allura and vice versa. Lance was certain that if he could channel Keith, he would get a stronger connection to Shiro. That was why things were looking up for Voltron, there was an even stronger chance Shiro would come home.

Allura walked in his room, "Here, I've brought you more ice."

Lance didn't open his eyes, he gave a half-hearted thumbs up as the freezing ice pack was rested on his pounding forehead.

Allura was worried, really and truly worried. Of course, she wanted Shiro back, possibly even more than Keith did, but she didn't like risking her long lost brother for a chance. Even though she knew Lance wasn't being forced or pressured into this, he cared about Shiro too, but she hated that he was the one to push himself so hard into the magic.

He was getting weaker, though he piloted the lion fine and his training was well, Allura could see that his memory loss was getting worse and his appearance was still shifting. As she looked at him now, she saw there were maybe five locks of brown hair left. A part of her wondered if the hair was almost like a timer or indicator of some kind to show how much time Lance had left before Casimir was left in his place.

"I think you should slow down Lance," Allura said softly as she sat beside him, "Though I am pleased you are involved in Altean alchemy, I just wish you wouldn't-"

Lance sat up, causing her pause. He held the ice pack up as he told her, "I get you're worried, but I can handle this. We all need Shiro, we all want him back. Besides, if I can find Shiro in the astral plane, that means I could find Pidge's brother. I, I'm being useful."

"Lance, you are already useful without killing yourself over this," Allura argued not hiding her anger.

Lance sighed, "There's nothing any of us can do to stop this process, okay I've accepted that," Lance said dejectedly, a tinge of fear in his voice, "If finding Shiro is the last thing I do as Lance, I think that would be a great way to go. Please, let me have this."

"Pardon me for not being so eager to lose you," Allura hissed bitterly, her eyes burning with tears she couldn't shed.

Lance placed his hand on her shoulder, "I get why you're worried and scared about this, but trust me Allura. I'm closer than ever."

Allura exhaled, "Whatever you say, just be careful."

"I always am," Lance told her, he stood from his seat, "Now come on, I need to talk to talk to Keith and the others about this."

"I think you should wait," Allura told him.

"What, why?"

"Because you need to build up your strength more."

"Allura, I get I look younger, but I'm not some kid-"

"It's more than that. With everything happening, we need to focus on the matters at hand-"

"We can't just forget Shiro. What if he's in pain out there?"

"You'd know if he was. Please just, just wait until we've settled into our new roles, let your strength build back up and your connection to Lance stabilize," Allura begged, her eyes held desperation in them that caught Lance off guard.

Wordlessly, he nodded. For now he would wait.

Two Weeks Later

Lance had told Keith about his discovery, despite Allura's wishes, the day after. And for the past fourteen days, in between the battles and training, Lance and Keith had been working on the connection to Shiro. The first time they tried it, the pulsing had been more prominent and Keith had been able to feel it, it was the only proof they had that Shiro was in fact alive. Whether or not he was okay was an entirely different matter, but they had hope.

The connection grew stronger, the only problems now were contacting him or finding his location, something Lance couldn't do. Keith was sitting patiently in his seat, waiting for Lance to get started, but the blue or now red paladin seemed hesitant and uncertain about something.

All morning, Lance had seemed like himself, if not on the more distracted side which had sent the team into a bit of a worried haze. Everyone knew that Lance would eventually become Casimir, it was something that couldn't be avoided and even though no one was giving up on trying to find a way to stop it, there was an acceptance there. An acceptance that it would happen, no matter what they did.

"Lance, everything okay," Keith asked.

Lance puffed his cheeks, he rubbed the back of his neck unsure of how to phrase this. Yesterday when he and Keith were looking for Shiro, Lance had done something different. It was something he only knew he and Allura could do because of their magic and relation. However, he did it with Keith last night and it threw him off guard.

"It's uh, it's about when we did it the other day," Lance said as he took a seat, "I, I saw something. It wasn't related to Shiro though…"

Keith frowned, "What are you talking about?"

Lance swallowed, "Allura has been able to show me memories and I, I assumed it was because we're related and both have a magic, but yesterday… I saw one of yours."

Keith visibly tensed, he kept his expression as blank as he could, "And what did you see?"

"That's the thing, uh," Lance shook his head, "I saw a man, with your hair and complexion. I think it was your dad."

It was Keith's turn to swallow. His dad hadn't been mentioned in years. The last time he had really thought of his dad was when he and Shiro had gotten into a fight. How Keith was so angry with Shiro for reasons he honestly couldn't remember. At the time, he was just a kid who didn't have a home.

You can't tell me what to do! You aren't my dad!

Keith had been devastated when his dad died, he was the only family he had. And he knew nothing about his mom. There was a chance when he was with the Marmora that a vision of his dad was going to tell him about her, but he left too soon to know. Lance looking at a memory didn't bother Keith that much, but it was weird. Keith started searching his memories of his dad, ignoring the burn of his eyes and lump in his throat. He wondered which memory Lance had seen and why he seemed so hesitant.

"What about him," Keith asked simply.

Lance looked away, "It's not so much about him, but your mom."

Keith narrowed his eyes, "Lance- you saw her?"

"I think so," Lance said, he forced himself to look into Keith's eyes, "I saw her through your eyes. I'm guessing it was a really early memory, I'm talking infantile based on the angle-"

"Why did you wait so long to tell me that you saw my memory, and why are you being so hesitant to tell me what you saw," Keith demanded, his anger and fear growing. Though he ignored the stab of jealousy that Lance had seen his mother before he did.

However the emotions quickly faded as he studied his friend. Over their time shared here, Keith had come to see Lance as his closest friend here and really valued having him around. Sitting here across from him, he noticed and not for the first time, how worn down Lance appeared.

He was still the same height as Pidge, but he no longer stood tall like he had before, as if an invisible force was constantly weighing him down. There were dark circles under his eyes and right above his now prominent sickle marks that Lance complained about a lot, how they hurt. Keith tried not to think about the time when Lance was complaining about them during a sparring match and Keith stopped the match and touched those marks.

Lance exhaled, "I didn't know how to tell you, but I realized if the roles were reversed, I would have wanted you to tell me. I saw her and she was holding… a bundle, a baby."

Keith blinked, but he had no response.

Lance continued nervously, "You mentioned a long time ago that it had always been you and your dad. With the recent discovery your mom was Galra, it made sense that she would leave earth because she would stick out there you know. And you never mentioned having a sibling so I just, I just wanted to bring it up and felt those same pulses and-"

"Wait, are you saying my mom and sibling are out there right now," Keith asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Lance said thickly, "Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying. Once we find Shiro, I can start seeing if I can locate your mom and sibling along with Matt."

Keith didn't really know how to react. He wanted to be happy that his mom and apparently his sibling were alive out there, somewhere. He wanted to be angry that his mother left him behind and took his brother or sister with her. However he couldn't express either of those emotions when he looked at Lance. He knew the magic that Lance was using was exhausting, Keith wasn't sure Lance could handle finding four people.

"I, I don't know what to say," Keith said honestly, "Do you think you could handle all of that?"

Lance laughed weakly, "I can handle it Keith, I'm sure of that."

Keith started, "Lance, if you can't do it, I don't want-"

"Don't," Lance interrupted sharply, "Okay, don't. I can do this."

Keith didn't object further. It made him think of the conversation he had with Allura days ago, how scared and heartbroken she looked. Of course she wanted Shiro back, but she was terrified of what this was doing to Lance. A few moments of silence later, Allura made her way inside the lounge with a displeased look on her face.

When she learned that Lance had told Keith about what he knew, she had been furious which prompted her fearful conversation with the new black paladin. However she could not deny him, especially when it was likely that it could be one of his last requests as Lance. Coran had all but confirmed to her that in the coming days, Lance would be gone and Casimir would be all that was left. She noticed the atmosphere was tense between the pair, but would not question it now.

"Well, are you two ready," Allura asked as she took a seat before them.

Lance nodded, "You bet. Now give me your hands, let's see if we can bring Shiro home."

Allura held Lance's hand, ready to begin. By combining their magic, Lance was certain he would be able to find Shiro. The connection wasn't strong enough on his own with just Keith, but he had a feeling with a little more magic on their side, they would be able to locate him. Not to mention Allura's connection to Shiro went a lot deeper than Lance had been prepared for.

Keith didn't move, so Lance grabbed his hand while Allura took his other hand. Allura's grip was loose while Lance's was firm, though still gentle. The first time Lance had held Keith's hand, the former red paladin barely managed to hide a blush. Though he had no idea why he was blushing in the first place, he did his best to keep it hidden. Now, it was almost second nature which was still weird for Keith.

The trio closed their eyes as Lance spoke, "Alright guys, let's do this. Allura, call on your magic and most prominent memories of Shiro. Keith, you just need to think of him and his presence in your life."

"Do you think it would work if the others were here," Keith asked, opening his eyes, "We all have a connection to Shiro."

Lance opened his eyes as well, but said nothing.

It was Allura who answered, "The three of us need to test this first. If it doesn't work, then we can bring everyone else on board. Let's get back to it."

Lance closed his eyes again and Keith followed suit.

Lance felt the warmth of magic wash over him and the cool touch of ribbon in his hand, though he was aware of still holding Keith's hand, the manifestation of a connection was silk ribbons. The feeling of it sliding over his palm, moving with every beat of their heart. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer sitting in the lounge with Keith and Allura, he was in the astral plane again.

A smile grew on his face, this was it.

He wasted no time, he called on his magic that mixed with Allura's, he used the memories from Keith and his sister which caused the ribbon like connection in his hands to grow stronger. Then he felt the tug of the ribbon and held onto it, as tightly as he could until he saw him.

There was no denying that it was Shiro. He was on some frozen wasteland. Lance pushed harder, he didn't notice that his breathing turned erratic, nor did he car. He could see Shiro in the snow, being taken by two aliens. He could hear their voices, the voices of the aliens he didn't know and the voices of Keith and Allura. It was overlapping, but he strained to make out the words of the aliens. He caught a name before he was forced out of the vision.

Lance jolted, he looked around frantically only to stop when Keith came into vision slightly over him. What happened? He was leaning against someone, he tilted his head slightly to see Allura. She looked down at him with a teary eyed expression, her grip around his frame tightened then.

Lance blinked, "Uh, what happened?"

Keith frowned, "You, you were freaking out. Started hyperventilating, the lights here flickered a lot, then your nose started to bleed…"

Lance brought his fingers to his upper lip, he pulled his hand away to look at the red blood on his fingertips which sent chills down his spine. Maybe he had pushed himself a little too hard, but it didn't matter.

"I found him," Lance said as he lowered his hand, "I know where Shiro is, or I know the area around him. I only caught the word Thesaryx before I was pulled out. I know that's a planet, it has to be the one he's on or near."

Allura's brow raised, "Are you certain?"

Lance nodded, he answered slightly breathless, "Positive. Come on, let's go."

"Wait a second," Keith said before Lance could move, "Just, wait a second. You might just pass out on us if we move to soon."

Lance made a face at that, but knew Keith had a point. However the moment didn't last long. Coran's voice blared over the comms. There was a mission, a call for Voltron from the planet Thesaryx.