Update time! Yesterday was Thanksgiving in America, so I hope those of my readers who celebrate that had a good day and got to eat lots of good food. As for everyone else, I hope Thursday treated you well! As always, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy the next chapter! We're getting to some pretty exciting stuff soon, that I can't wait to write!

cosmic dust

chapter twenty seven

blades

"I can drain quintessence."

She barely even heard those words. Instead, her gaze was fixed on the runes that had been inscribed onto Keith's chest, etched by a steady hand into his flesh. She felt the color drain from her face, not because of what he had just confessed, but because she recognized these symbols.

"Keith," she hadn't even realized that she was speaking until she heard her own voice, and at that point, she could no longer stop herself, "-those runes, they're... they're Altean."

Her mind buzzed. How could that be? Altean magic should have died out generations ago, with the rest of her people. Even if some had survived the destruction of Altea, she doubted Zarkon would have been satisfied until he'd hunted every last one of them down.

So to see it here, now... it made no sense.

Except it did, a dreadful thought occurring to her. There was one Altean who had been unaccounted for- and if what had befallen Zarkon was any indication, then she was almost positive that she was still alive.

Honerva.

"Altean," Keith's voice was quiet, as if he were still trying to digest what she had said himself, "-how... how could these be Altean?"

Drawing in a long, shaking breath, Allura steeled herself, meeting the half-Galra's eyes. If this was true, then the ones who had inflicted such suffering, such horror onto him were not the Galra- but rather, her own people.

How could she possibly ever begin to apologize for that?

"I-" Allura began, but she did not get a chance to finish.

"Princess," Coran's own tone was strained, but she had no time to question if his thoughts had taken the same direction hers had or not, "-we appear to be receiving a transmission."

Allura briefly glanced at Keith, a look which he returned- anxiety still lingered, but confusion had by and large taken its place. She could not blame him. What she had said must have truly thrown his thoughts into chaos.

But she couldn't ignore someone hailing them either.

Tearing her gaze away from Keith, Allura leveled it instead on Coran. "Who is it?"

"That's just the thing." Coran told her. "I don't know. I don't recognize these signals."

"Well, you guys have kind of been asleep for the past ten thousand years," Matt piped up, "-and things have kind of changed since then. Maybe I could take a look at it?"

"Excellent idea, Number One." Coran remarked.

Sparing a brief glance towards Keith, one that Allura read as sympathetic, Matt made his way towards Coran's side, eyes scanning the readout. "Okay, I... actually don't recognize this signal either. Pidge?"

Startled, Pidge scurried to her brother's side, staring at the readout with a deep frown. "It's not anything I've seen before either. Which, given my experience, is probably a good thing."

"If Pidge hasn't seen it, then I probably haven't either." Keith noted, having already tugged his shirt back on, and was currently in the process of pulling on his jacket. Now that the moment had passed, he looked more perturbed at being interrupted than anything.

They could always talk later- and they would. She imagined he had just as many questions for her as she did for him.

"You don't think it's that creepy witch lady again, do you?" Hunk asked.

"Her transmission was on a standard Galran frequency." Pidge informed him. "This signal is being bounced around through so many different back channels that I have no way of determining exactly where it might be originating from."

"Could it be rebels?" Lance offered. "Like, maybe they've heard Voltron's reforming and they've come to help us kick butt?"

"If it is, it's not any frequency I recognize." Matt said.

"Well yeah, but you were what, with the rebels for like a year?" Lance asked. "Maybe there's some you don't know."

"Yeah, and during that year, I spent time working in a communications hub." Matt said. "If it's a rebel signal, I should know it."

"Okay, yeah, good point." Lance admitted, holding up his hands. "So uh... what should we do?"

"We answer it." Allura said. "Coran, head to the bridge and prep defenses just in case."

Coran gave her a firm nod. "Yes, princess."

Drawing in a long breath, Allura squared her shoulders. "Alright. Open a line."

Hesitating for a second, Matt eventually complied. Bringing up the feed from the call on the lounge's main monitor, he froze at the image that appeared on the screen.

They all did. But only Keith drew in such a sharp intake of breath, a fact which she only dimly registered.

She did not recognize the make of the ship they were being contacted from- if it even was a ship, and not some kind of stationary base or satellite of some kind. All she knew is that it was set to a backdrop of the stars, so whatever it was, it was likely not planet-bound.

But that was largely irrelevant due to who it was that was calling.

Galra- a pair of them, at that.

They did not wear anything to indicate rank and file, and in fact, their armor was not of a kind she recognized. But the two were unmistakably Galra, and it occurred to her that save for their brief contact with the Commander known as Sendak, she had not yet seen any Galra since she had woken from cryosleep.

At least, not any full Galra, she thought, glancing towards Keith. His mouth was set in a tight line, but otherwise, she could not read his expression.

"Princess Allura," the Galra in front was the one to speak, and she was briefly taken aback by how formal his tone was, "-so the rumors are true. You survived."

There was no malevolence in his tone, but she could never be too cautious. Given the timing, it was far too possible that this was some kind of trick.

"You have heard correctly." Allura stated, keeping her tone as neutral as she could manage. "I am Princess Allura, of Altea. Who are you?"

"I am Thace." The Galra- Thace, she supposed- introduced himself. He held himself with the kind of composure that one of Zarkon's upper ranks surely would have had, though he decidedly lacked the air of superiority. "With me is Ulaz. We are with the Blade of Marmora."

The Blade of Marmora? She tried to think, hoping to recall if she had ever heard of such a group before. While she was certain she hadn't, part of her still felt as if she should.

Still, a feeling would not suffice. "I have never heard of this Blade of Marmora."

"Princess," Keith spoke, swallowing, as if he were uncertain of his own words, "-wait. Thace, he's- that's him. He freed me."

Blinking, Allura tore her gaze away from the screen long enough to stare at Keith, open mouthed. Quickly shutting it, she narrowed her eyes. "You are certain?"

Keith didn't dare say anything, instead simply nodding his head. Narrowing her eyes, she regarded the half-Galra for a second longer, before she fixed her gaze back on the pair of full Galra, acting as if she had never even momentarily lost her composure.

Part of her felt uncertain about this, but she did not believe that Keith would lead her astray, not on a matter such as this.

Galran rebels.

Such a thing was bound to be possible, she supposed. She would have thought that in ten thousand years, Zarkon would have crushed any opposition to his regime from his own people, but it was not impossible that some pockets of it remained.

Thace's gaze lingered for a moment longer on Keith, before he returned his full attention to her. "We have information that may be valuable to you."

"Information?" Allura asked. "What sort of information?"

"About the one known as Champion." Ulaz spoke.

Baring his teeth, Keith growled. "Don't call him that."

Ulaz merely only spared him a glance, whereas his reaction caused both Lance and Hunk to momentarily flinch. Perhaps to the Galra, Keith was nothing more than a misbehaving child. Or perhaps he had simply seen too much to be moved by one with mixed blood lashing out in anger.

"If it's about Shiro," Pidge began, making sure to put emphasis on his name, "-then we already have that information."

"Uh... do we?" Matt asked, ignoring the glower his sister sent him. "Because, yeah, sure, we downloaded everything we could find on Haggar's ship, but we don't know for sure that we have any actual information in regards to Shiro in there."

"I am afraid you will not find anything in regards to the Champion," and Keith's growl deepened, which Ulaz clearly took into consideration, as he hastily corrected himself "-in regards to Shiro on Haggar's cruiser."

"But you have it?" Allura asked, unable to keep all the skepticism out of her voice. She trusted Keith, and if he was willing to vouch for at least one of these Galra, then she was willing to gamble on the chance that what they might have to say would prove useful to them, but she wasn't about to go into this completely blind, either.

"Yes." Ulaz said firmly. "I can understand your hesitation, but I can assure you- we are all fighting for the same cause."

Weighing her options, Allura's brows drew together in thought. If they could bring them information about what Haggar had done to Shiro, then perhaps it was worth the risk. Perhaps it had not been his intention when he had broken onto that Galra cruiser, but it did not change the fact that in doing so, Keith had likely saved her life.

And with it, brought back hope to the universe.

At the very least, she owed him that much. All the more so if those runes truly were Altean.

"Very well," Allura assented, "-we will send you our coordinates."

Glancing over towards Matt, he jumped a little, but quickly set to doing just that. On screen, she watched as Thace confirmed the coordinates that had been sent.

"We should be there within fifteen doboshes." Thace informed her. "I assume we have your permission to land."

Fifteen doboshes. That didn't give them a lot of time to prepare- or for her to speak with Keith, for that matter.

"Very well," Allura told them, swallowing back her other feelings, "-and yes, you have my permission to land. Matt will send you the location of our main hangar, you may dock your ship there, if it will fit."

Scrambling to do just that, she caught Matt catching Keith's eye out of the corner of her own. The half-Galra seemed intent on not returning the look, his thoughts probably considerably elsewhere. She could not gauge where, exactly- his face was nigh unreadable.

"You have our thanks, princess." Thace told her, before cutting the transmission short. Once he did, she felt herself finally breathe, though the tension did not yet leave her shoulders.

She was inviting Galra onto her ship- and a pair of them, at that. In spite of the fact that she likely could trust them, and the information that they were bringing, she could not help but feel a bit... apprehensive at the prospect.

"Lance, Hunk, head to the bridge and inform Coran of the situation." Allura instructed, turning sharply on her heel. "Tell him that he is to remain there. After which, I want the two of you to join me in the main hangar."

"Matt, Pidge, I'd like for the two of you to come as well." Allura said, before looking towards Keith, a slight frown on her face. "And Keith... get your armor, and then come join us in the hangar."

Keith opened his mouth to say something, but quickly snapped it shut, instead giving her a curt nod of his head. Good. She'd rather not argue at the moment.

If they had come seeking the paladins of Voltron, then she wished to show them a united front- even if they were one paladin short. And not, she thought, catching the suspicious glance Lance directed towards Keith as he exited the bridge- an entirely united front.

But at least they could look it.

"Okay, so is it just me, or is this whole situation kind of weird?"

"Uh..." Hunk trailed off, giving him one of those looks. "I mean, we're kind of in space, flying giant lions. You're going to have to be a little more specific."

Right. Okay. That was a fair point. When he stopped to think about it, this whole situation had been weird from the start. But he wasn't talking about the lions.

"I mean Keith." Lance said, dropping his voice to a hushed whisper, even though they were the only ones around. "Don't you think it's a little convenient?"

"Again, you're going to have to be more specific, buddy." Hunk told him. "You mean those Blade guys showing up? I mean, yeah, I guess that's kind of convenient timing since Keith just like, mentioned them a few hours ago, which, by the way, feels like it was a lot longer ago than just a couple hours, but they've probably been keeping an eye on him for awhile, so..."

"No, I don't mean the Blades." Lance huffed, rolling his eyes. "I mean this whole thing!"

Hunk frowned. "Is this about Keith being that Keith?"

"Yes, it's about Keith being that Keith." Lance said, crossing his arms in front of him, narrowing his eyes. He didn't have to say it like that. "First we find out that the kid everyone thought died in the desert years ago is actually alive, and is apparently half alien, and then Shiro gets kidnapped by those same aliens years down the road? I'm telling you, something's fishy."

"Uh, just for the record, Keith was kidnapped by those aliens too." Hunk pointed out.

"Yeah, but we don't know that for sure, do we?" Lance asked.

Was it really just him? Was nobody else questioning this story at all? All they had to go off of was Keith's word, and it felt like all he'd done so far was a lot of lying to them.

"Lance, buddy," Hunk began, "-I know the fact that you were never able to beat his record is bugging you, but-"

"This isn't about the record, Hunk!" Lance snapped.

Okay, maybe it was, just a little. It was bad enough when there were two pilots named Keith who could probably out fly him in their sleep, but honestly? Knowing that they were the same person did not help, like, at all. Shouldn't he have like, gotten rusty or something, all those years he'd spent in space jail?

If he'd been in space jail, that was.

"Look, all I'm saying is, Keith seems kind of shifty." Lance stated.

"I don't know, Lance." Hunk frowned, looking unconvinced. "He's really not that bad. I think he's just quiet. Some people are like that."

"He just admitted he can drain people's lifeforce, Hunk!" Lance huffed. "What part of that says good guy to you?"

"Uh, the part where he didn't want it?" Hunk offered. "I mean... he didn't have to tell us about that, but he did."

Drawing his brows together, Lance had to admit, he had a point there. If that was some kind of ploy, then it wasn't one that he understood the point of. To gain their trust? If anything, that reveal made Lance trust him less.

Grunting, he tried not to think about that too much. Maybe he was just jealous. But to not trust a guy because of that just sounded so petty, and he wasn't petty, right...?

No, nope. He wasn't just being petty. It was way too weird that the one Garrison mission to get captured was the one with Shiro on it. You know, the guy who had apparently been Keith's foster brother or whatever? And sure, fine, maybe Matt had been on that mission too, and he vouched for Keith, but he still thought the whole thing was a little fishy.

Besides- if Keith was half-human, what the heck had his mom even been doing on Earth in the first place?

But maybe Hunk was right. Maybe it was all one big coincidence and he was overthinking the whole thing. He grimaced a little at that- overthinking stuff was supposed to be more of Hunk's style, not his. And as much as he loved the guy, that was like, the one personality trait he totally didn't want rubbing off on him.

"Yeah," Lance frowned, not convinced, but deciding now wasn't the time to fight it, "-okay. Maybe you're right. I still don't like it, though."

Hunk frowned, looking like he was considering saying something- but lost the chance once the elevator doors opened, admitting them to the bridge.

"Ah, paladins!" Coran greeted them. "Is something the matter?"

"Uh, Allura says we're getting visitors, apparently," Hunk told him, "-and for us to tell you to stay on the bridge, you know... just in case."

"Just in case?" Coran blinked. "What sort of visitors are they?"

"Galra." Lance frowned.

Humming in acknowledgment, Coran nodded his head but otherwise looked unbothered by the statement. "More rebels, I take it?"

"I mean... I guess?" Hunk frowned. "They called themselves the Blade of Marmora. You ever hear of it?"

"No, I'm afraid not." Coran admitted. "But you can assure the princess that I'll be right here, keeping an eye out for anything suspicious."

"We'll be sure to pass that on." Lance said. "Come on, Hunk. I want to get down to the hangar before you know who gets there."

"You mean Keith?" Hunk asked.

Rolling his eyes, Lance grumbled. He had been trying to avoid saying it outright. "Yes, Keith. You don't have to say it out loud, you know."

"I'm telling you, Lance," Hunk said, "-you really have to give him a chance."

"What's this about chances now?" Coran asked, and Lance fought the urge to groan. Great. This was a conversation that he totally didn't want to get into. Not with Coran, at least.

"Lance thinks Keith's story is fishy." Hunk blurted out.

"Hunk!" Lance hissed, eyes wide. "You didn't have to tell him that!"

"I- oh, was that supposed to be a secret?" Hunk winced. "Uh, my bad."

Ugh. Normally he liked Hunk's honesty, but now he wished he were just a little better at lying, or at the very least, keeping things to himself.

"Hunk is right, my boy." Coran said, tugging on his mustache. "Normally, I would advise against trusting space pirates, but our resident outlaws seem to be the exception to the rule."

Groaning, Lance hung his head. That wasn't what he meant, but sure, okay, he'd take it. Whatever.

"Look," he began, just wanting the topic to be anything but this, "-let's just get down to the hangar like the princess asked. If these Blade of Marmora guys turn out to not be on the level, then she's going to need our help."

"Uh," Hunk hesitated, briefly glancing at Coran, who merely gave them a smile, "-yeah, we can do that. But do you really think they're lying?"

"I don't know! Maybe that creepy witch lady sent them." Lance huffed. "It just seems convenient that they would show up now, right after we took Shiro back."

"You mean after Keith took Shiro back." Hunk corrected.

"Yeah, fine. After Keith took Shiro back." Lance grumbled. "Let's just go."

Honestly, what difference did it even make? The important thing was that Shiro was here. Whatever that creepy witch lady had done to him, they could undo.

At least, he hoped. Hunk had seemed pretty adamant that it was brainwashing, and he trusted Hunk- even though he wasn't wild about his defense of Keith. When the heck had they even gotten so buddy-buddy?

Which- fine. He knew the answer to that. That was just the sort of guy Hunk was. Heck, that was part of why he liked him!

Look- he just didn't want to think his hero could have joined the bad guys. It had been bad enough when he'd thought he was dead.

But willingly joining an evil space empire? He didn't know if he could handle that.

"You forgot something."

Nearly jumping out of his skin, Keith jerked his head up, heaving a sigh of relief when he realized it was just Pidge. She was dangling his belt from one hand. Absently checking behind him, he realized he had never gotten it back from her- he'd sort of slipped out before anyone could stop him.

"Oh, uh... thanks." Keith frowned, reaching out to take it, only for Pidge to pull it out of his reach. Narrowing his eyes, he took a step forward, Pidge taking a step back. "Pidge."

"Keith." Pidge said. "When were you going to tell me?"

"I told you now, didn't I?" Keith said, snatching the belt from her. Removing the knife, he tucked it into his paladin armor, feeling more secure already. "Look, it doesn't matter right now. We can talk about it later."

"We've got fifteen doboshes." Pidge stated.

"Less than that." Keith muttered, but heaved a sigh. She was angry, and she had the right of it. She'd just found out that she'd been keeping company with a monster for the past year, so he couldn't exactly blame her.

"Look, Pidge, I'm-"

"I'm sorry."

Shutting his mouth, Keith blinked, staring down at the green paladin, uncomprehending. "I... wha- why would you apologize to me? I'm the one who needs to-"

"Because I knew," she confessed, "-I knew you were struggling with something, but I never tried to ask you anything. I should have."

"That's not," Keith frowned, not knowing what to say to that, "-you were just being considerate."

"Maybe," she said, "-but I just... you gave me hope, Keith. That actually finding my family might be possible. I wouldn't have even gotten this far if it weren't for you."

Shoulders slumping, Keith looked down at Pidge. He didn't get it, but he knew he'd upset Pidge in some way. That couldn't stand.

"Come on," he began, forcing himself to smile, "-I think we both know that's not true. You would have found your way up to space somehow."

Cracking a faint grin, Pidge pushed up the bridge of her glasses. "Well, I didn't say I never would have gotten here. Just that I wouldn't have gotten here nearly as fast."

"Also," she added, cocking a brow, "-has anyone ever told you that your fake smile is just plain creepy?"

Flinching, Keith covered his mouth. It wasn't that bad, was it?

Sighing, Pidge shifted on her feet. "Look, all I'm trying to say is that we should have talked about stuff more. You shouldn't have had to keep something like that to yourself."

Keith frowned, his brows knitting together. "So you're not freaked out by it?"

"Freaked out?" Pidge blinked. "Why would I be freaked out?"

Dropping his hand, Keith stared at her, perplexed. Didn't she get it? "Pidge, I can- I'm a monster."

Rolling her eyes, Pidge just shrugged off his declaration. "So you're a space vampire. Big deal."

"I'm not just a space vampire, I'm-"

"Keith." Pidge cut him off, looking him square in the eye. "I just said it wasn't a big deal. It's not like this is something you asked for, right?"

Unable to say anything, Keith just shook his head. God no, he hadn't asked for this.

"And I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen you use it, so... yeah. It's not a big deal." Pidge shrugged. "You're a good person, Keith. Reckless and headstrong, yeah, but you're not a monster. You'd make mom cry if she heard you call yourself that."

Swallowing, Keith just stared at Pidge, unwilling to believe his ears. Was she really just accepting him, just like that?

Green trusts, Red rumbled in the back of his head, friend. Family.

"I," Keith opened his mouth, before biting down on his lip, "-I... I just..."

He hadn't... he hadn't had anyone say anything to him quite like that since Shiro had been around, really. Ducking his head, Keith drew in a long, shuddering breath, wondering what he should even say. What could he say to that?

"You know," Pidge piped up, "-thanks is pretty standard in a situation like this."

Peeking out from behind his bangs, Keith gave her a weak smile. "Thanks."

Nodding her head, Pidge beamed. "You're welcome! Now c'mon, lets go meet these Blade guys of yours. I'm dying to find out how they get their armor to do that glow thingy."

Letting out a faint snort in spite of himself, Keith felt at least a little bit of his built up tension wash away. He had honestly expected to be flat out rejected after his confession- so this... this was nice.

Even if he now had more unanswered questions than before. Hand hovering over his heart, he frowned. What was it that Allura was going to say?

Altean. She had said the runes etched into his skin were Altean. That he'd heard.

How? It didn't make any sense. Haggar was Galra, wasn't she? Why would she be using Altean magic?

But if they were Altean... was there... could Allura fix him? Was that even possible?

He didn't know. He'd given up on that idea. It had seemed so impossible- but now that the prospect was staring him in the face, he was too terrified of being let down to even dare to hope. He had only gotten this far because he'd resigned himself to it being impossible to fix.

He didn't know if he was ready to do otherwise.

She hadn't even noticed Pidge slip away from them, so she'd been rather surprised when she had arrived at the hangar in the company of Keith, just after Hunk and Lance. The borderland rebels had already left, vowing that they would return once they secured Te-Osh a place at one of their medical facilities.

She wished them luck.

Catching Keith's eye, Allura bit down on her lip. There was plenty that she would like to say to him, but now was not the time. Instead, she turned away, failing to notice the downcast turn of his gaze as she did so.

The Galra would be arriving soon.

"Remember," Allura began, "-we might have invited them onto our ship, but we will still remain cautious. At least until we know we can trust them for sure."

"I mean... this Thace is the one who supposedly freed Keith, right?" Pidge asked.

"Supposedly, yes." Allura said.

"It was him." Keith stated. "I'm positive."

Frowning at his tone, Allura nevertheless dismissed it. "I understand that. But the fact remains that we know nothing about this other Galra he was with- this Ulaz."

Keith frowned, but he opted not to say anything. Satisfied that he had said his piece, Allura fixed her gaze towards the hangar's entrance. Within moments, she spotted a ship, the make of which she was unfamiliar with, begin to make its approach.

In spite of herself, she felt her body tense.

The ship landed without issue, which relieved a bit of said tension. If they truly wanted to, they would have been able to open fire on them from within the hangar. It still did not mean that they were wholly trustworthy, simply that one of her fears did not come to fruition.

She did not entirely loathe the idea of trusting the Galra, but she still felt uneasy about it. Zarkon's betrayal was still fresh, at least to her.

"Paladins," Allura spoke, "-be on your guard."

Two Galra exited the ship- Thace and Ulaz, each clad in the same type of armor. Upon closer examination, it bore faint similarities to old Galran stealth wear, but she never would have been able to tell at a mere glance.

They also each carried a blade.

She thought of Keith's knife, and of his mysterious Galra mother, to whom it had once belonged. She thought of his father's shack, where he had grown up, so close to where the blue lion had been hidden.

"Greetings," Allura stepped forward, presenting herself to the pair, "-I am Princess Allura. Those with me are the paladins of Voltron, and Matthew Holt, of the rebellion."

Matt actually waved.

"Princess Allura," Thace pressed his hand over his chest in salute, "-it is my honor. As I said during our transmission, I am Thace, of the Blade of Marmora."

The other Galra did much the same. "Ulaz."

"You claim that you have information in regards to Shiro." Allura stated. "But you have not explained how you are aware that such information would even be relevant to us."

"I know," Ulaz stated, "-because up until a few vargas ago, I used to serve Haggar as a technician. I was the one who constructed his arm."

Allura narrowed her eyes at that. "And you know how to help him?"

"No," Ulaz confessed, "-if I did, I would have done it myself already. But I do have information that might help you do it yourself, princess."

Allura stiffened at that. She did not like the direction that this was taking.

"Me?" Allura asked. "How can you be so sure that I can?"

"Because," Ulaz replied, "-the witch Haggar is Altean."

She swallowed. It was just as she feared, then. It could have been a lie, a trick, but she had seen the rune markings for herself. That Haggar was actually Altean was the most reasonable explanation.

Even if it made her gut twist just to think about it.

"I understand." Allura said slowly, gauging her words carefully. "We have much to discuss."

She tried not to look at Keith's expression as she turned to face the paladins- and failed. She wished she hadn't, because if she thought it had been unreadable before, then now she truly could not even begin to gauge what was going through his mind.

She had once held him in suspicion for simply being part Galra. So if he were going to loathe her for being Altean, she could hardly blame him.

She only hoped that the information Ulaz had brought with him would prove to be useful. Because if it were, truly, an Altean that had stolen so much from him, then at the very least, she could attempt to give what had been taken back.

She just feared it might be beyond her ability.

"Sir, the planet will be in range within one varga. How shall we proceed?"

Studying the star map with mild interest, Sendak narrowed his eyes. His loss against the red lion's paladin and his motley crew of pirates was a black mark on his record, and one that he was looking forward to correcting.

Now he had been given a chance to redeem himself. He would not waste it.

As tempting as it was, simply destroying the Castle of Lions was not an option. He had been given explicit orders- that both the Champion and the fugitive prisoner were to be captured, alive. Fortunately, he knew just the way to do that.

And while he was at it, why stop there?

"Ready the weapon the witch gave us." Sendak instructed. "Haxus, gather some sentries and come with me. We shall claim the lions ourselves."