Chapter sixteen is here! It's time... time for Galra babies! Okay, so at most it's young children and a toddler and no actual babies (yet!) but listen. They're still cute. They're super cute. Parts of this chapter were one hundred percent indulgence, but who could blame me? Is there a more adorable combination than Keith with kids? No, I didn't think so.

And of course the other half is just Keith and Allura fighting to to the death. You know. Just normal alien stuff.

maroon

chapter sixteen

allura

"What are you doing here?"

The question slipped out before Keith could stop it, and probably sounded more accusatory than it should. Kolivan had given the princess and the rest of the paladins relatively free access to the base, so she was allowed to come and go as she pleased- but he couldn't deny how uneasy her presence here made him.

"Is it a crime to stretch ones legs now?" Allura asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I- no. It's not." Keith said. "I just thought... nevermind, it's not important."

Allura frowned, and for a second he feared she'd challenge his words, but she did not. Instead she merely looked at him, expression bordering on unreadable. "I should ask the same of you. What are you doing here?"

Biting down a remark that he lived here, Keith just grit his teeth. He couldn't tell if she meant anything by it, or if she were just genuinely curious. "I promised Ilun I'd come see her youngling."

At once, Allura's expression transformed, surprise washing over her features. "Youngling?"

Brows knitting together, Keith frowned. Did she not know what a youngling was? He didn't think the word had changed between Old and New Galran, but maybe it had. "You know... a child?"

"I know what a youngling is." Allura snapped. "I just did not expect that there would be any here. I was under the impression that this was a military base."

"Well... yeah." Keith admitted. "But that doesn't mean we don't have families."

Allura defused at the statement, though only a bit. "I just thought... would it not be safer to keep them somewhere else?"

He bristled at the remark, before biting down on his tongue to keep him from acting on his impulses. Allura didn't know. She hadn't meant anything by it.

"No," he said simply, "-it wouldn't."

To her credit, Allura merely stared at him for a long moment, her brows knit together. He expected her to ask, but whether it was out of disinterest or decorum, she did not.

Fine by him. The less he talked about his father, the better. Somehow he didn't think Allura would be wild about the idea of allowing a traitor's son to continue to be a paladin, even if he was just as much of a victim of his father's betrayal as the children he had taken from the original nursery base were.

At least he'd lived.

"Might I come with you?"

The question caught him off guard, and for a brief second, he felt something clench in his heart, fretful memories skirting the edge of his awareness. But then he let himself breathe- Allura was no Prince Lotor, and besides, they didn't even know if his father's actions had been done under his direct orders, or if he just thought that offering the prince a batch of reazit children would be a strong testament to his loyalty.

He guessed the non-reazit kids were just a bonus.

"I," Keith began, careful to gauge his tone, "-I guess?"

Allura frowned. "Is there some reason you do not wish me to?"

"No," Keith said quickly, "-it's not that. It's just... why?"

Allura gave it a bit of thought. "Curiosity, mostly. If we are to continue to work together, I would... like to understand a bit more about you, I suppose. And not simply the person you were masquerading as."

That... wasn't an answer he'd been expecting. He just wished he could glean a little bit more from Allura's face, but she was keeping her expressions closely guarded, as if she was afraid of giving away too much. He couldn't tell if that was simply her default, or if she were doing it by choice- maybe even both.

"I wasn't masquerading." Keith told her. "It's not like there's a real Keith Kogane."

"But you were pretending to be a human." Allura noted.

"I- yeah. I was doing that." Keith admitted. "Sorry."

He wasn't even sure why he had apologized. It wasn't like he had planned on becoming a paladin, or maintaining the masquerade of being human for so long. He was just following orders.

Except at the same time, he sort of did. He had lied, orders or not.

Allura merely hummed, not reacting to his apology one way or another. "Well? Are you going to introduce me to this youngling?"

"Younglings," Keith said absently, "-there's more than one."

Allura didn't so much as blink. "A nursery then, I take it? I thought I smelled the dulcix plant. Though I am surprised that any of them survived the destruction of Daibazaal."

It shouldn't have surprised him that the princess would know what a dulcix plant was, or what it was used for, but it still somehow did. The Blade of Marmora's founding leader had taken great pains to preserve several specimens of the plant, though Keith didn't know why. It didn't exactly seem like it would have been the most pressing concern at the time.

Maybe he just thought they all needed a bit of good fortune.

"A few did." Keith told her. "We grow them here."

The stalks of the plant gave off a spicy sweet aroma that was said to bring health and good fortune- and thus, they were typically kept in nurseries, and other places where children gathered. There were a few in the medical ward too, even though the properties of the plant were pure superstition.

"I see." Allura said, her words strangely guarded.

Oh. It took him a second to put it together, but she was probably thinking about Altea. He opened his mouth, suddenly feeling the urge to tell her that there might be some strains of Altean plant life that had been salvaged from its destruction, but he quickly shut it. He didn't know that for sure, and the last thing he needed to be doing now was making empty promises to her.

He'd already hurt her by lying. He didn't want to make things worse.

Besides, getting her hopes up just seemed cruel. He hadn't forgotten the way she had clung to the promises of her father's corrupted AI, to the point where she had nearly driven them all into an exploding star. He definitely hadn't forgotten how hurt she'd been when she had found out they were all lies.

Not knowing what else to say, Keith just shuffled forward, pressing his hand against the access panel. He felt the princess' eyes on him all the while, the hair on the back of his neck standing on end. He desperately wanted to ask why she had let him have the chip taken out, but now didn't seem like the right time.

She allowed him to enter first, seeming almost wary. He almost wanted to laugh. What did she think was going to happen, that she would be assaulted by toddlers?

He spotted Ilun at the same time she saw him. She was sitting back in a chair, a fuzzy bundle in her arms that he quickly determined had to be her child. She smiled at the sight of him, but she wasn't able to greet him, simply because someone beat her to it- two someones, in fact.

The two person chorus of Kyix was all the warning he got before the pair of children hurled themselves at him, deep throated play growls at the ready.

Yugdul and Taiche, he realized. They had to be at least seven cycles old now, if not eight. When he had left for Earth, they had still been small, but now they were just barely shorter than he was. Yugdul was painfully awkward with it, limbs suggesting that his growth spurt was far from over. But he was scaled, like Antok, and it was not so strange that they would grow to be quite large.

Taiche felt more complete, but Galra who did not possess fur or scales generally went through several steady growth spurts before reaching their full heights. Not dissimilar to humans- it was why he still held out a faint hope of getting taller.

They were both strong enough that their combined force nearly knocked him off his feet, and the only reason he didn't let them was because Allura was here. He beamed, responding to their growls with a loud but playful snarl, Yugdul responding to the sound by biting his shoulder. It was a play gesture, and didn't hurt- he was old enough to know just how much force to use.

He was never well enough growing up to play fight himself, but sometimes his mother and Antok would allow him to gnaw on their arms, keeping straight faces all the while.

Taiche opted to use words instead. "You came back! Yugdul thought you would be gone forever."

Yugdul looked at his friend, clearly scandalized. "You agreed!"

Keith just chuckled, ruffling Taiche's hair and rubbing Yugdul's crest. "Why does everyone keep treating it like I was exiled?"

"You were!" Yugdul argued. "Earth is so far!"

"Kyix wasn't exiled," Ilun supplied, "-he was sent on a very important mission."

"You found the blue lion, right?" Taiche asked. "Is it here? Can we see it?"

Keith stiffened at the question, eyes unconsciously darting in Allura's direction. In doing so, he drew the attention of the children towards her, the pair clutching at the fabric of his shirt at the sight of the unfamiliar woman.

Right. They'd never seen an Altean before.

"Princess Allura," Ilun blinked, more surprised than wary, in a way that made Keith feel extra guilty for feeling that way, "-what brings you here?"

The smile Allura wore was regal and graceful, but Keith didn't think it was genuine. Diplomatic, maybe. Ilun recognized it as such, a small knot forming between her brows.

"I thought I would do a bit of exploring," Allura replied, "-when I ran into Kyix here."

"Princess?" Yugdul asked, peeking his head out, his vice grip on his shirt growing lax. "You're a princess?"

Something in Allura's smile softened at the child's question, and Keith felt something in him relax in turn. "Yes. I am Princess Allura, of planet Altea."

"I thought Altea was destroyed." Taiche blurted out.

To her credit, Allura didn't so much as flinch. "A long time ago, yes."

"Oh," Taiche frowned, "-I'm sorry. You must be sad."

Allura blinked, like she hadn't expected him to say that. "I- yes. I suppose I am."

"It is good to have you here, princess. Please, feel welcome." Ilun said, shifting the child in her arms. "This is my daughter, Ain. She will be three cycles old this year."

Ain. Keith looked up at her. "You named her after Vrek's mentor?"

"It seemed fitting." Ilun remarked, lightly pressing her child's nose, Ain letting out a pleased sounding trill at the action. "She has spots, just like her. See?"

Lifting up Ain's shirt to expose her belly, she showed them that she did, in fact, have spots. Unlike the deep violet fur that covered most of her body, the spots were a pale purple, even paler than his own shade of lavender.

Lowering her daughter's shirt, Ilun smiled. "When she is old enough, we will pass her blade down to her."

"I got my blade!" Yugdul dutifully reported. "Regris gave it to me a phoeb ago! Taiche hasn't gotten his yet."

Taiche glowered, letting out a low growl. "I just need to try the test again, that's all. I'll get it next time. Antok said he would give me his brother's if I worked hard enough."

Keith blinked at that, before smiling. That sounded like Antok. To be granted the blade of the second in command's brother would be a high honor, so it was no wonder Taiche was looking forward to it. He had always been a bit slower than Yugdul in training, so Antok had probably made the offer to motivate him.

"By blade," Allura asked, sounding genuinely inquisitive, "-do you mean the luxite blade you all carry?"

"Yeah!" Yugdul said. "Do you want to see mine, princess?"

"Oh," Allura blinked, caught off guard by the question- whatever diplomatic training she got must not have involved children, "-I... yes, I suppose I would."

Yugdul hissed with pleasure, drawing it with a flash that made Allura's shoulders jump. She quickly covered it up, kneeling down so that she could get a better look at the blade that the young Galra presented to her, beaming broadly.

"It looks very nice." Allura told him. "Does it not glow?"

"I can't awaken it yet." Yugdul told her. "Not till I go through the trials."

Allura frowned. "The trials?"

"The Trials of Marmora." Ilun informed her. "All who wish to become members must first past the trials."

"And this allows you to... awaken your blades?" Allura inquired.

"Something like that." Keith said, knowing his tone was a bit curt. He didn't really feel like going into details about the trials. He'd rather not remember his own.

"I see," Allura noted, carefully standing up straight, "-it is a lovely blade, Yugdul."

Yugdul beamed wider. "I can show you how I use it!"

Allura frowned slightly at the offer. "Thank you for that lovely offer. But I should probably check on my paladins."

Keith stiffened. Her paladins.

Right. Yeah. Of course he wouldn't be included in that. Biting down on his lip, he gave the princess a stiff nod, barely paying attention to the way Yugdul's face fell. "Do you know how to get back?"

"Kolivan provided me with a map." Allura informed him. "I should be able to manage."

"Will you come back to visit?" Yugdul asked. "You haven't met Nuv or the baby yet."

Baby? Keith blinked. Last he'd heard, Nuv was the baby. He wasn't even a cycle old yet when he had left for Earth. But there was another baby?

"Or Naveera!" Taiche added. "She went to find Nuv! He ran away because he hates baths."

Allura laughed at that- it was faint, but it was an actual laugh. Keith perked at the sound of it. Perhaps Allura's hatred for the Galra wasn't as deeply rooted as he thought.

"I will not be here for very long," Allura said, "-but if I find the time, I may yet."

Both Yugdul and Taiche perked up at the promise, waving to Allura eagerly as she said her goodbyes. Keith lingered in the doorway, watching her until she disappeared around a corner, brows drawn tight in thought.

"Kyix," Ilun called out to him, snapping his attention away, "-do you wish to hold her?"

Shoulders slumping, Keith allowed some of the tension in his shoulders to wash out. He knew what Allura's problem with him was, but it wasn't like there was much he could do about it. It wasn't like he could change her mind, or do anything about the fact that he had lied to her.

Or that he was Galra.

"Yeah," he gave Ilun a weak smile, "-I'd love to."

Ilun carefully passed over her daughter to him, the small child detaching herself from her mother to allowed Keith to hold her. She made a happy preening noise, hooking tiny claws into the fabric of his jacket before burying her head in it. He wondered if it still smelled at all like Earth's deserts.

He remembered liking the scent.

"She's not said a word yet." Ilun noted. "But we think it is just because she has nothing to say. She is quite clever."

"I'm sure she'll be making explosives in no time." Keith grinned. Those were Ilun's specialty- there was no one better than her at building bombs, not within the Blades, at least.

Pidge could probably build a mean bomb, if she set her mind to it, but she'd yet to try. The thought was only vaguely terrifying.

The princess now gone, Yugdul and Taiche returned to their earlier activity- studying. A quick glance at the screens of their tablets suggested that they were learning about plants, so it had to be either the lesson on how to make impromptu medicine or impromptu poison. There hadn't been much for him to do in the medical ward other than study, so he remembered both well.

Regris had turned it into a game- a simulation where you either lived or died based on what you made. And judging from Yugdul's sour expression, and Taiche's laughter, he'd just died.

"Not until her hand eye coordination is more... coordinated." Ilun noted, then tilted her head. "You seem troubled."

"It's nothing." Keith said, and at once, he knew he'd said it too quickly.

Ilun simply gave him a skeptical look. "Does this have something to do with the paladins?"

"No," Keith said, "-no, the paladins are fine. It's just..."

"The princess?" Ilun finished, Keith nodding in reply. "Have you tried speaking with her?"

"Not really." Keith admitted. "Haven't had the chance."

"Haven't had the chance, or haven't tried to make one?" Ilun asked.

Chewing on his lip, Keith avoided looking at Ilun. "Both. I don't- I'm not sure what I'm supposed to say to her."

Ilun merely heaved a long sigh. "Have you tried not using words?"

Looking up, Keith blinked. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean," Ilun told him, tapping at the hilt of her own blade, "-is that we have another way of communicating. If this Altean princess is half the diplomat her people were once said to be, she'll respect that."

"You... want me to fight the princess?" Keith asked, uncertain. Sure, he knew the princess was a capable fighter, but that didn't sound like it would do him much good. Wouldn't that just be playing right into her perception of him? He was Galra, so of course he used violence in place of words.

"It's either that," Ilun said, "-or you spend the next few quintants fumbling around her. Words are not exactly your forte, Kyix."

She had a point. Considering it, Keith stared down at the fuzzy bundle in his arms, the small Galra having apparently fallen asleep, oblivious to their conversation. Ilun was right about one thing- the princess was a trained diplomat, he'd seen that much. If he challenged her to a match, she probably would understand the meaning of it.

And it wasn't like he had any better ideas.

"But," Ilun quickly added, as if reading his mind, "-not until tomorrow. You are still in recovery, young one."

Unable to help it, a faint growl escaped him.

"I want you to fight me, princess."

Nobody had quite known what to expect when Keith turned up at their doorstep first thing in the morning, but challenging Allura to a fight wasn't it. They all knew things were tense between the two of them, but if Shiro was honest, he didn't think that this was the best solution. But just as he was about to open his mouth to say that, Allura cut him off.

"Very well."

And if Keith's declaration had shocked them, Allura's response shocked them more.

Keith just gave her a curt nod. "Two vargas. Training room four."

Allura didn't so much as break her gaze. "I'll be there."

Turning on his heel, Keith stalked out of the room, without so much as saying anything to any of the other paladins. He was back in full Blade armor, his knife placed in a different sheath than Shiro remembered. Combined with his blank expression, for a moment he felt as alien as he looked.

Once the shock wore off, Shiro turned towards Allura. "Princess, I'm not so sure this is-"

"-a good idea?" Allura finished. "Perhaps not. But to the Galra, a challenge such as this is sacred. It would be rude of me to refuse."

"Okay, sacred challenge, I get that." Lance began. "But why does Keith want to fight you?"

Pidge just stared blankly at the blue paladin. "Why wouldn't Keith want to fight Allura? No offense, princess."

"None taken." Allura said simply. "I suppose I have given him reason to."

And he... couldn't exactly deny that. But part of him was surprised that Allura not only recognized that, but chose to openly admit it. But then, none of them had actually spoken to her directly about the matter- she had returned to the room yesterday with such a complicated expression on her face, that none dared to ask, and she had gone to bed almost right away.

"Still, I'm sure the two of you could just talk this out." Shiro offered. "Fighting seems... a little extreme."

"I mean... it's just a spar, right?" Hunk ventured, hesitant. "Sparring's fine."

"Hunk, from what I understand of the Galra, they don't exactly spar." Shiro told him, watching as the yellow paladin paled just a tad. He couldn't exactly blame him- he still had vivid memories of explaining the concept to Keith during his first Garrison mandated self defense course.

He'd still wound up dislocating Cadet Griffin's shoulder. He hadn't even looked that sorry about it.

It wasn't that he was afraid the princess couldn't hold her own. She had picked him up with one hand and had hurled him basically across an entire room, and he wasn't exactly light. Maybe she didn't know which way to hold a standard Galra blaster, but he was more than confident that she could hold her own in a fight with Keith, or any other Galra for that matter.

He just didn't think this was the best way of handling things.

Even if it was definitely the Keith way.

"Enough." Allura snapped, her voice cracking like a whip, causing the younger paladins to flinch. "I have already accepted his challenge. To go back on my word would be considered dishonorable, and I would rather avoid seeing this alliance fall apart before it even begins."

Frowning, Shiro carefully studied the princess. She might have opted to raise her voice, but she didn't exactly sound angry, just determined. In fact, she'd been completely unsurprised by the challenge- if he didn't know any better, it actually sounded as if she'd expected it.

Or at the very least, anticipated it.

Huh. Maybe this wasn't the worst possible way this could be handled.

Lifting his head as the door slid open, Keith frowned. It wasn't like he'd expected Allura to come alone, but he was a little surprised to see the other paladins with her. In hindsight, he guessed it shouldn't- they had all been there when he had issued his challenge, and they were probably invested in seeing how the fight turned out.

They looked nervous.

Allura didn't.

"Princess," he began, "-you made it."

"I accepted your challenge, did I not?" Allura merely asked, keeping her tone level.

Keith just nodded. It wasn't like he had expected her to go back on her word. That wasn't how Allura operated.

Grabbing the staff that he had borrowed from the weapons storage, he tossed it to her. She caught it, taking a moment to assess its weight. He picked it because it seemed to be her default, something which she did not miss. "I see you have been watching me train, then."

There was no accusation in those words, but it still felt like there was. Pushing himself off the wall, Keith made his way to the middle of the training room. "I've been keeping tabs on the training deck. Needed to know how everyone was doing."

Narrowing her eyes, Allura tilted her chin back. "Of course you have."

He opened his mouth to say something, but bit it back. They were here right now because words weren't going to get them anywhere. Ilun was right- for him, this was the best method.

And honestly? When it came down to it, he and the princess weren't that different. So maybe this was the best way for her too.

"Shall we set some ground rules?" Allura asked.

"Wouldn't be a fair fight without them." Keith remarked. "Lower back's still a bit sore. We can make that a no strike zone, if that's okay with you."

"It is quite alright by me." Allura agreed. "I would rather avoid any hair pulling."

He quirked a faint grin at that. It was just such a princess-like request, that he couldn't help it. "No hair pulling. Got it."

"How will we determine the winner?" Allura inquired.

Keith considered the question. "First blood?"

That was his usual default.

Allura arched a brow at that. "Only one of us has a weapon that can actually cut. That hardly seems fair."

"Fair point." Keith admitted, considering it for a moment. The staff she had was made to withstand luxite, but she was right, it couldn't cut. "How are you with spears?"

"I prefer the staff," Allura admitted, "-but I have a fair bit of training with spears as well."

Nodding his head, Keith brought up a holoscreen with a wave of his hand. Pressing a few buttons, a storage compartment rose up from the floor in front of Allura, revealing an assortment of spears. Taking her time to look through them, she eventually opted for one of the shorter ones, testing its weight for a moment before exchanging it for her staff.

"Very convenient." She remarked, watching the compartment sink back into the floor. "Can they be accessed from anywhere in the room?"

The Castle had weapons in the training deck too, but they were all stored in an immobile wall panel. "We use this room for weapons training. So, yeah."

"Weapons other than your blades, I take it." Allura coolly observed.

Drawing his own, Keith gave her a curt nod. With a flash, he awakened his blade, faintly making out a slight strangled sound from Lance's direction as he did so. Right. Guess they didn't know it could do that.

"So," Keith said, "-first blood?"

Tapping her spear against the ground, Allura met his eyes. "Agreed."

He should have expected it, but the princess' quick shift into battle mode still somehow caught him off guard. She lunged forward, spear aimed for a strike that would have been deadly had he not caught it with the edge of his sword, forcing the tip of the weapon in the other direction.

She was serious.

But she wasn't the only one who was serious about this.

Shifting on his feet, Keith ducked under her second strike, sweeping at her feet, angling to knock her off them. Allura jumped back to avoid it, switching to the defensive. He wasted no time in switching to offensive, lunging at her with a strike of his own, angled low at her thighs. She defended against it, blocking it with her staff, briefly locking them into a stalemate.

Keith broke it, jumping away from her. She feinted, moving to lunge forward, but the second he moved to dodge, she instead threw her spear. It tore his hood, but otherwise missed him, lodging itself in the back wall.

Narrowing her eyes, the princess surged forward, switching to hand to hand combat in lieu of her weapon. He blocked her punch with the flat side of his sword, her sheer momentum causing him to skid back half a step. Lifting his leg, he slammed it into the pit of her stomach, too fast for her to avoid completely- it struck, but it was shallow, barely even knocking the wind out of her.

"You," Allura noted, "-have been holding back."

"I haven't exactly been at full strength." Keith retorted.

"The chip, the one you were using," Allura said, pulling herself up to her full height, "-your grandmother designed it?"

"Yeah. She was good at that sort of thing." Keith told her, readying his blade for another thrust. Allura saw it coming, rolling to avoid it, sprinting for the back wall and wrenching her spear free just in time to use it to block his follow up strike.

They locked into another stalemate, but Allura quickly broke it, stomping on his foot. He hissed, darting out of the way of her next strike, falling out of her range.

"Did she not teach you about your own reazit?" Allura inquired.

"No," Keith said, "-she died before I was born."

"Oh," Allura frowned, "-I am sorry."

She followed the apology with a head strike, deadly accurate. He blocked it with his blade, before ducking into her guard, returning the blow with a headbutt. She hadn't expected that, staggering backwards, momentarily disorientated- but by the time he tried to take advantage of that, she had already recovered enough to block his blow.

"I'm fine," Keith told her, "-that's just how things are. People go on missions and don't come back. It's better than her having been caught and turned into a druid."

She narrowed her eyes at that, making a thrust with her spear. He avoided it, only for her to swing it back towards him, striking him soundly in the ear with the shaft. Gritting his teeth, he grabbed the shaft, holding it tight- only for Allura to let go, angling a kick towards his side that forced him to drop the spear to avoid it.

Picking the spear back up, Allura angled it towards him. "What is a druid? I know that they were with Zarkon's witch on Central Command, but I have never seen anything like them within Galran ranks before."

"We don't know." Keith admitted. "Not exactly. We know they're reazit Galra. We just don't know how Haggar changes them into what they are, or even what they are, really. Just that they don't have any free will."

"Are they not also Galra citizens?" Allura asked, jabbing at him.

"You think that actually matters to Zarkon?" Keith asked, deflecting it.

"No," Allura admitted, "-I suppose not."

Gritting his teeth, Keith slid his blade free of Allura's spear, putting some distance between the two of them. Allura wasted no time in closing the gap, flipping her spear and slamming the butt of it into his chin. Grunting, Keith felt his teeth rattle from the force of the blow, before he grabbed it, not letting her pull the same trick from before, yanking her close.

She released the spear, jumping backwards, watching him warily. With his blade in one hand and Allura's spear in the other, he circled her, looking for a gap in her guard, and finding none.

So he'd just make one.

Throwing the spear, she ducked to the side, realizing a second too late that he was pulling her own move on her. His sword tore the fabric of her pressure suit, but the cut was too shallow, not drawing any blood. Gritting his teeth, Keith followed through with a punch to her stomach, but she caught it, twisting his arm behind him, a pained yowl escaping him.

Grunting, he slammed his head backwards, hoping to disorient her long enough for her to release his arm, but for once, he was too tall for that to be an effective strategy.

"Do you yield?"

Snarling, Keith narrowed his eyes. "Never."

He could have sworn Allura laughed, then simply released his arm. The sudden absence of pressure caught him off guard, allowing Allura to reclaim her spear, lunging in another attack. He blocked, but Allura held her ground, using her weight to bring the tip of the spear closer to his face, enough to nick it.

They each held their breaths- and not a second later, a thin trickle of purple blood leaked from the cut. Heaving a long sigh, Keith's shoulders slumped, withdrawing his sword and transforming it back into knife.

Sheathing it behind him, he held up his hands in defeat. "Looks like you win."

"So it would seem." Allura remarked. "You know, it occurs to me that we never established what we were fighting for."

Keith flinched, watching as the princess rested the butt of her spear on the ground. They hadn't, and now he'd given the opportunity to determine the meaning of their fight to its victor.

"No," Keith swallowed, worst case scenarios flashing through his mind, "-I guess we didn't."

For a long moment, Allura merely held his gaze, before she herself broke it, letting out a faint sigh. "I... must apologize to you, Kyix."

Blinking, Keith stared at her. The last thing he expected the princess to do was to apologize to him. He didn't think he'd done anything to earn it.

"For what I said about Ulaz," Allura quickly clarified, "-I was wrong. His sacrifice was noble, and I dishonored it. Will you forgive me?"

"Is... is that what you're asking for?" Keith asked.

"No," Allura shook her head, "-I just felt that it should be said. You do not have to forgive me if you do not feel that you should."

"Oh," Keith frowned, still not sure he understood what brought this on all of a sudden, "-it's fine. The Galra took everything from you. I don't think anyone can blame you for being suspicious of us. And you didn't know."

"I suppose not," Allura admitted, "-but it was still uncalled for."

Letting out a long breath, Allura's shoulders slumped, her guard feeling as if it were relaxed for the first time since he'd told them all the truth. "Now then, as for what I am asking for, I would like to see the chip that your grandmother designed. Preferably the one you used, if possible."

Shaking off the shock from their fight, Pidge raised a hand. "I'd like to see it too!"

Looking back towards her, he noted the meek way Hunk raised his hand in agreement. Shoulders relaxing, Keith felt himself smile, feeling strangely at ease.

Ilun was right. The fight had been good for him.

"I mean, I'd have to ask Kolivan." Keith told her. "But if that's really what you want...?"

"Yes," Allura said, and then added, "-please. Your grandmother must have had a deep understanding of quintessence to craft such a device."

"Yeah, I guess she did." Keith said. "So are you... am I staying? As the red paladin?"

Allura blinked, staring at him quizzically. "Did you think I would ask you to leave?"

Opening his mouth, he quickly shut it. Thinking back on it, he couldn't recalling her actually saying anything to that effect. He'd just assumed.

"I just- I thought-"

Letting out a breath, Allura leveled her gaze with him. "I... considered it, I will admit. But I know that the red lion would not choose anyone that it did not think was worthy of it."

"And that if it trusts you... then I should as well." Allura admitted, her expression softening. "I am sorry I accused you of being a spy."

For a long moment, all Keith could do was stare, dumbfounded. Shaking it off, he cracked a faint grin. "Well," he said, "-you weren't exactly wrong."

"No," Allura admitted, a faint smile of her own on her lips, "-I suppose not. But I am glad that you are on our side, Kyix. Though I am still unhappy that you lied."

"Now," Allura's smile turned into an outright grin, baring her teeth, "-how about a round two?"

Keith responded by unsheathing his knife. He hated losing, after all.