"Allura...!"
Lance's voice faded as I turned away from him. As I looked to my father and the former Paladins of Voltron, my cheeks warmed from the tears rolling down my face.
The light around us became brighter... brighter... It was nearly blinding.
I turned to look back to my teammates one last time before shielding my eyes.
...
When the light faded, I lowered my arm and squinted, looking into the darkness that now engulfed me. I could see only stars for light-years.
"Hello? ... Father?"
I turned around and saw the same scene on all sides.
"Paladins? Honerva?" I shouted into the abyss, my voice rising.
My vision started to blur at the edges as my voice wavered. "Is anyone out there?" I swallowed. "Am I all alone?" I whispered. No answer.
My breath hitched as a sob escaped my throat. My legs shook, and I allowed myself to collapse to my knees in a heap. I put my hands over my eyes as my body shook. My breathing was labored, and I couldn't – no, wouldn't – care to catch it.
Peeking through my fingers was white light that reached my eyelids. I blinked away the tears and let my hands fall into my lap.
"The White Lion?" I breathed out.
Standing before me was what looked like a glowing, ephemeral, white lion. It wasn't a lion like the lions of Voltron. This one looked like an animal in a spirit form.
Without moving its lips, it seemed to speak to me in my mind. "Princess Allura of Altea... I thank you for saving the universe."
"I... It worked? All realities are saved?" I asked, breathless.
The lion smiled down at me. "Your sacrifice was not in vein, Chosen of Oriande."
My eyes widened, and I said, "You're here because I was the only one to unlock the secrets of Altean alchemy."
"You guess correctly," the lion conceded. "I now present you with a choice."
I hesitated, thinking about what choice I could possibly have to make. The universe was already saved, and I... I had... "What choice could I possibly have left? Aren't I...?"
"Yes, your body has passed on. But would you be able to speak with me if your spirit does not live on?"
My mouth twisted at that. "I suppose..."
"The choice I present to you, as the last Chosen Altean to enter Oriande and successfully claim its alchemical knowledge, is to either pass on peacefully or become one with myself - the White Lion - and become the Guardian of the Universe alongside me."
I gaped at the White Lion for a moment before replying, "How do I both become one with you and also be alongside you?"
The White Lion seemed to smirk - if a lion could smirk - and explained, "You will maintain your own consciousness, as will I, and be able to traverse all galaxies to ensure another empire like the Galran Empire never be created again."
I sucked in a breath at the choice before me. I could live on? But what about my father and mother? All of the Alteans I would never see again?
But then...
My new family, the Paladins of Voltron... I knew interacting with any of them would never come to pass again, but the prospect of watching over them... I could protect them and all life beyond them.
"I would be able to defend the universe forever?" I asked earnestly, my eyes transfixed on the White Lion.
He nodded. "Indeed."
I looked down, lifting my hands to stare at my palms. "I... I..." I fell to my knees before the lion. "I can't! I don't deserve it!" My head fell into my hands as I began to sob. "I was awful in my lifetime! I refused help from any Galra when I first came out of the pod! I turned on Keith! I went so far as to make the Zarkon - that hadn't caused all of those atrocities - remember and know what the other Zarkon did! I don't - I can't possibly..." I sobbed again, barely able to breathe.
"And now... you do." the White Lion stated simply.
I looked up and sucked in a breath, tear stains paved on my cheeks. "What?"
"You have shown regret, Princess Allura. There is no one greater than the Guardian of the Castle of Lions to take on the role."
I wiped the remaining tears away with the back of my hand and sniffled. "You truly believe I can do this?"
The White Lion inclined his maned head at me. "Only if you believe you are capable, yourself."
I sucked in another fresh breath of air. My back straightened and I looked the White Lion dead in the eyes. "I accept. I will become the Guardian of the Universe."
"Come." he stated.
I stepped forward as the White Lion lowered his head and crouched down to my reach. I extended my hand to meet his snout. Despite his ephemeral appearance, my fingers combed through silk-like fur, unlike any animal I had felt before. He was warm and welcoming under my shaking hand; it steadied me in the dark abyss... grounded me, somehow.
The Altean markings under my eyes began to glow as they had in Oriande, making my face warm, ever-so gently. I closed my eyes and welcomed the change.
It was then that I felt myself become weightless... fluid.
My body became one with the White Lion's.
I opened my eyes and looked around. Space seemed as it always does: cold, dark, and very lonely.
Then I heard the White Lion's voice in my own head. "You may shift between this body and the one you are most comfortable with at any time, Princess Allura."
I swallowed before glancing down. I had joined successfully with the White Lion. It wasn't an unwelcome feeling... In fact, it was almost familiar. It felt as though I was sitting in the cockpit in a mechanism that seemed so far out of reach... It even felt... like standing in the Castle of Lions.
Normally, I would have felt a pang of longing in the pit of my stomach at the though of the other Paladins, but here - in this new body - I felt alive. I felt whole.
"This form does seem comfortable to me, already... umm... White Lion," I said.
"There is no need to address me so formally. We are one and the same."
I'd have scrunched up my face if I could. "Look who's talking with the 'Princess Allura, Chosen Altean, Guardian of the Universe' quiznak."
"I do not understand your Altean language colloquialisms."
"Yet you understand that word," I said, huffing out a breath. "I suppose we have all of eternity to master my terminology then."
"Shall we begin your training?" the White Lion asked.
"Where do we start?" The image of my Altean face smirking came to mind.
"We begin with addressing your worldly relationships. You desire closure, do you not?"
My breath caught for a tick.
"I will accept this as confirmation. Allow me to take control for but a moment."
"What do you mean take c- Ah!"
The body of the White Lion - and now my own - flew faster than the Castle of Lions or the Blue Lion had ever taken me. Coursing through the black abyss of space, stars were merely a blur as streaks of blinding white light guided the way of our travels.
When we slowed, my eyes widened at the planet we had landed on. "Earth?"
The White Lion had taken form in the Garrison. But it looked different somehow... Things were not as I had last seen them.
"How many years have passed?" I asked, bracing myself for the answer.
"Two," he answered. "Two of your loved ones remain here. The others have chosen their own paths."
I took a steadying breath as I looked around. There were few people milling around, none of them having noticed our presence. I didn't see any of the Paladins.
"Who?" I asked.
The White Lion leapt forward through the Garrison and outside. We continued on in a few leaps and bounds through the Texan desert. Finally, we stopped in a grassy field in which a beautiful hall was nestled. There were tables and chairs laced in white and adorned with towering bouquets at the center of each. Humans, Galra, Alteans and other species were dressed to the nines, but some had already loosened up ties or pulled flowing hair back in an effort to stave off the heat of the dry, dusty air.
That was when I spotted them. I felt my eyes heat up, and my form shifted back into an Altean. I looked down and saw that I was still ephemeral like the White Lion, but I could feel more strongly again. Water brimmed over my lashes and streaked my face.
I could see Shiro in a white tuxedo, holding a man's hands I didn't recognize. But they were laughing and dancing as Shiro seemed to be singing to him a little drunkenly and the other man laughed and swayed along with him.
A little away from that couple, Coran was chatting up a human woman standing nearest to what seemed like another couple I didn't recognize. Then, I heard the smaller woman's voice and realized Pidge was in a flowing mint green gown with one of the M.F.E. pilots that I slowly recognized as James, standing close with an arm around her waist.
My eyes swept the room again briefly to see Hunk having some cake with the other M.F.E. pilots at their table. The mice, all dressed in matching outfits, were sitting on his shoulder and next to his plate to steal some crumbs. Shay was feeding the mice some of her cake when no one was looking. The scene warmed her deeply, feeling Hunk's happiness radiate through her.
The last group of people my eyes settled on were two young men with loosened ties and vests, sitting at the bar. The two were laughing and patting each other on the back, a few shot glasses around them. I couldn't help but smile as water brimmed at the edge of my eyes. Lance and Keith were even getting along and having fun.
I giggled to myself and wiped the tears from my eyes. "Thank you, White Lion. I would have never seen this had I not chosen this alternative."
The White Lion's consciousness seemed to agree. "Welcome to your new life, protecting this happiness. I suppose being a defender is nothing new for you."
I shook my head, watching my family. "I would not have it any other way."