A/N: Yeah, really short update today, but got everything I wanted in this chapter and didn't want to just add a bunch of unnecessary stuff to make it longer. See a good deal of Casimir, though there are some hints about Lance here that could be useful later on. Let's see if you catch them. Thank you as always for the follows, favorites and the reviews, hope you guys have a great weekend and good luck to those starting school!

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 Fifteen

Eight hours had passed before Lance- Casimir woke up again. Allura has refused to leave his side the entire time and when his eyes fluttered open, she let out a relieved sigh. Her younger brother looked at her with a glossy gaze, his eyes were brighter than she remembered, but she supposed it had been such a long time ago. He watched her quietly for a moment, unsure of what to do or say to her.

"Hey," she whispered to him, "How are you feeling?"

Casimir groaned softly, "Okay I guess."

His head was pounding and he wanted to throw up if he was being honest, but for some reason he didn't feel like telling her that. There was something very, very wrong with the world he had woken up to. How he knew that, he truthfully didn't know, but he could feel it. Or rather, the teenager he saw before he woke up in Allura's arms had tried to tell him something. However he woke up too soon to hear what the teen had to say.

"Well, that's good," Allura told him, her hand gripping his.

Casimir eyed her hand curiously, he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. They were not meant to show much affection to each other, in public or in private. Though their mother had broken the rule on a number of occasions with them, when she died the actions died with her and affection was only given when one was either incredibly sick or in distress.

"'Lura what's happened," he asked in a hoarse voice, "How long was I out? Who were those people with you? Where are the others, father and the Paladins?"

The younger altean watched as several emotions flickered across his sister's usually stoic face, whatever happened must have been something horrible. The castle was still in one piece, so that meant the Galra had failed in their attempt to take it, so he wanted to assume that meant the lions were safe. Should those lions fall to Zarkon's hands, things would truly be a nightmare of great proportions.

"L-Casimir, a lot's happened…" she said uneasily, she refused to meet his gaze as she continued, "I don't quite know how to tell you this brother, but… Altea, father, the Paladins are gone. Zarkon destroyed our home and took everyone away ten thousand years ago."

Casimir sputtered out a response, "Ten thousand? How is that possible? And what do you meant gone? Father must be in hiding or something."

"He's dead Cas, Altea and everyone on it is gone. Only myself, Coran and you remain," Allura told him, this time her eyes locked on his own.

Casimir could only stare at her, his eyes burning with tears. He wanted to call her a liar, wanted to tell her she was wrong and father had gotten away, but based on the tears shining in her own eyes, the graveness of her voice… His father was dead, his planet, all his people.

Shaking his head as the tears fell down his cheeks, he choked out, "No, no. Father can't be dead. We can't be all that's left."

"I'm so sorry Casimir," Allura said to him, her own eyes shining with the loss.

The nausea hit him much harder than before and he could not stop the vomit from leaving him, but he did turn away from her. Her hand was resting on his back immediately. A sob tore itself from his throat from the horrible feeling, from the pain in his chest, from it all.

And for the next half an hour, Casimir sobbed his heart out, calling, screaming for his father who couldn't hear him, begging his sister to tell him it wasn't true, wishing with everything he had this was all just a horribly bad dream. When all his strength had left his body, he collapsed in Allura's arms and fell into a fitful sleep. The sight of him so distressed and in so much pain was enough to break her heart even more.

This was how Shiro found her. Sitting haphazardly on the young prince's bed, holding him in her arms and running her fingers through his sweaty hair. The former black paladin stood in the doorway with a worried expression, but he didn't enter the room yet in case she wanted him gone. However when her eyes found his, he could tell she needed him here.

"Are you okay," he said softly her as he walked over to her.

Allura looked down at Casimir, "I told him what happened, how our father and world is gone, he didn't take it very well. Worse than I did."

Shiro nodded, "He is young. It's a lot to handle. But you didn't answer my question, are you alright?"

"No," Allura answered honestly, "No I'm not… we shouldn't talk about this here."

"You're right, let's head upstairs," Shiro said, he extended his flesh hand to her.

Allura blinked in surprise, "I, I, no. Shiro, I can't leave-"

"Coran can watch him while you get some rest," Shiro interrupted, his tone was soft with an underlining of his commanding voice.

Allura stared up at him for a moment before looking down at Casimir hesitantly. He would likely be asleep for awhile longer and it might do him some good to see Coran when wakes up, though she feared his reaction when he learns she isn't around.

"He'll be okay," Shiro assured her.

Allura released a tired sigh, she nodded and detangled herself from her brother's hold. Once he was settled, Allura followed Shiro out of the room, her hand in his own. However by the time she reached the end of the hallway, her footsteps stopped and she couldn't move anymore.

Shiro stumbled for a moment at her abrupt halt, he turned to look at Allura, a question ready on his tongue, only to stop when he saw her heartbreaking expression. Her head tilted down, eyes on the floor with tears slipping down her cheeks. Shiro hated seeing her like this.

"Casimir is back, but Lance is gone," Allura said softly, "It's as if I've lost him all over again. And you, you were dead. I thought I'd never see you again and now you're here. Then there's this comet that Lotor now has the comet, he's just as much a threat as Zarkon was. So much has happened and I, I'm frightened."

Shiro gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, "It's an overwhelming time, with so many obstacles and challenges that we can see and others we can't see. But I know that you won't be facing them alone, all of us will be here to help you through it. It will be a long road, but we will stop Lotor and we will get Lance back."

Allura frowned at him, "Shiro, Lance will never come back. We couldn't stop it, how, how could we ever hope to get him back."

Shiro's smile was warm as he replied, "I by all intents and purposes was gone, dead you could say. Yet I'm still here. Lance, Keith and the others didn't give up on me, I won't give up on Lance. You shouldn't either."

"I thought he was dead since waking up," Allura said, her gaze far away, "I don't, I can't talk about this anymore."

Shiro nodded in understanding. He didn't understand exactly what she was going through, but Lance was important to him and would be missed. However the former black paladin wouldn't, couldn't give up on the hot shot pilot, who was eager to prove himself and determined to do the best he possibly could.

Things would sure be different without him, Shiro hoped they would find a way to bring him escorted Allura up to her room, though he didn't leave her side until she was asleep. The black paladin had just risen to his feet when her door opened to reveal the altean prince.

The boy peaked his head through the door, stark white hair and bright blue eyes. Casimir had woken up to find Coran in his room and was thrilled to see the advisor, his uncle in all sense of the word. Though Coran appeared hesitant, he answered any and all questions Casimir had, what had happened while he was gone, who those people were and more. It had been an overwhelming amount of information, he wanted to talk to Allura about what he learned and was surprised to see the new black, or former black paladin with her.

"Oh sorry," he said, he glanced from his sister to Shiro, "I didn't realize someone was with her. I'll come back-"

"Casimir," Allura said sitting up.

Casimir replied a bit hesitantly, "Hey Allura. I uh, I talked to Coran. He told me what, what's been going on. Uh Mr Shiro, can I have a moment alone with Allura?"

Shiro replied with a nod, "Of course. I'll just be out here."

As Shiro left the room, Casimir walked over to Allura's bed and stood beside her. The altean prince studied his sister for a moment, she looked tired and he felt that was his fault. Coran told him just about everything that happened, but there was so much there and it was hard for him to sort through alone. He needed her now, though he supposed it was selfish to bother her when he could just as well figure it out on his own.

"What is Cas," Allura asked as she sat up in her bed.

Casimir looked at his feet, "Coran told me everything that happened. I was sent away with the lions and ended up on earth."

Allura nodded, she took his hand in her own, "That's right. You grew up on earth, went by the name Lance."

"I forgot about Altea, about you and father," Casimir said softly, his gaze looked up to find hers, "I'm sorry 'Lura."

She squeezed his hand, "No, you have nothing to apologize for."

Casimir sniffed, "I have everything to apologize for."

"The last time I saw you, I was cold and heartless, I am the one who owes you an apology," Allura said, her grip on his hand tightened.

Casimir smiled weakly at her, "Yeah, you were pretty mean, but that's alright. Things were stressful… So, in other news I was the blue paladin. Though I recently started piloting the red lion, just like father and you took my lion."

"Yes, yes that's right," Allura said with a light laugh, "Would you like to meet them? The other paladins I mean."

Casimir rubbed the back of his neck, "I know I can't avoid it, but I am worried to meet them. They knew me as Lance, I don't remember him or any of them. Do you think they would even want to see me?"

Allura nodded, "They have been worried sick about you. I know they are eager to see you up again. While they did know Lance, you and him are not so different."

"I guess so… alright, let's go."