His helmet was the last thing he put away after he painstakingly lined up the scores of flower petals in a row along the windowsill. A small smile worked its way onto his face before it fell away at the reminder of what was and what couldn't be.

The night was as serene as the quiet before the storm but he knew that nothing was settled yet even though he had rigidly gone through the rituals of battle preparation. He lit the candles on the table and wrote down the required- his money to be divided among the other paladins, his helmet for Keith, his bayard back to the King. His lines were orderly and precise for his direct debts had been settled long ago. Whatever King Alfor said or thought, Shiro knew that he would do what he ought to do and paid for what he owed; he'd been long at peace with himself in that regard.

That night, he laid down and slept deeply, without dreams.

When he awoke, the air was so crisp that it burned when he breathed; the wind had blown through the window cracks when the sun dawned and made the flower petals flutter in dizzying circles before coming to rest in a haphazard mess. He dutifully lined them up once again, gently laying them in their position as sunlight lit him up, and for the first time since Emperor Zarkon had looked into his soul, Shiro felt warm and he almost heard Allura's whisper of restrained feelings.

He caressed one juniberry petal and allowed himself a moment to imagine what a life without gold and silver would look like. He laid that one petal on his desk next to the closed letter addressed to Princess Allura.

He did not look back as he closed the door to his room and set out.

The morning went by in a haze even though each breath felt like he was burning from the inside out; it was like walking in a dream and slowly becoming aware of reality and he would have sworn that was what happened if not for every breath feeling like fire.

He blinked and missed one second, two, three; he wasn't sure when the sun finally rose fully into the sky.

He walked into the courtyard and immediately felt eyes peering at him. He ignored them as he walked up to the King and Princess who were holding his bayard and helmet. It was customary for the royals to give their vassals their weapon and armor before a match.

Sendak was on the opposite side of the court. Emperor Zarkon appeared to be giving a speech to his Champion who nodded obediently at every word.

"Shiro." He looked at the King and accepted the outstretched bayard. No words were said. No words needed to be said as Alfor briefly put his hand on Shiro's shoulder and a look that Shiro would later describe as heartbreak flittered on the regal face before disappearing just as quickly.

Shiro moved on and purposefully didn't catch Allura's eyes as she handed him his helmet. He almost didn't catch her whispered words being carried off by the wind. "For luck," she breathed and for a second, they were young again and she was handing him a small flower crown.

He accepted the bayard.

He strapped it to his belt.

He didn't look back.

At the center of the courtyard, the two fighters stood and reluctantly bowed to each other. Sendak barely bowed and Shiro accepted the challenge; neither broke eye contact as they lowered their heads in this facade. "Fighters in position," King Alfor stated and they both lifted their weapons; Shiro, his bayard, and Sendak, his arm that transformed into a sword.

Shiro thought he heard a whisper of honor on the wind before the King's arm came down and he instantly leapt away from Sendak's lunge. He parried the sword and pushed off the ground in a leg sweep. The Galra jumped backwards and Shiro straightened up to meet the glare.

There was a moment of judgement before Sendak closed the distance in two quick large steps and bore down with his arm. Shiro caught the sword in his right and stabbed out with his left but met air as Sendak ripped free of his grip.

Shiro's bayard flew onto the ground from the force and he dove to grab it but Sendak had the reach and prowess that he didn't so the Galra was there first and kicked it further down the courtyard. Sendak smiled eerily and for a second, they weren't in the courtyard anymore. They were on a border planet and when he looked down, his arm was bleeding as they clashed again and again over the bodies of the dead.

Shiro blinked once, twice, because his arm was actually bleeding as Sendak drew blood in his moment of inattention. The audience hissed while the Galra entourage looked on smugly.

The one who drew first blood was the winner.

Shiro sighed, breathed heavily through his nose, and rose to retrieve his weapon but before he could, Sendak was already bearing down on him again, his left arm extended beyond a normal reach.

In the background, he barely registered Alfor's stiff look of surprise or Allura's sudden rise from her seat.

It was forbidden to attack once the match ended. He saw out of the corner of his eye, his fellow Paladins' rush to assist him and he nodded curtly at them to back off. This was his fight and damn if Sendak broke the rules that were set in stone long before any of them were born. For that, Sendak would burn.

"Too bad you didn't get the upgraded version," the Galra said as he pinned Shiro down and Shiro's right hand betrayed him minutely by sending pain riding up his shoulder before he could suppress it.

"Too bad you couldn't upgrade your face too," Shiro spat back before he kneed the Galra in the stomach and they both rolled several feet over in the courtyard. Getting the upperhand when they finally stopped, Shiro punched down again and again before he was thrown off.

He landed unsteadily on two feet and Sendak was the one spitting this time, blood dripping down his face. "You think you can stop me? Me?" The Galra stopped for a second, catching his breath in the silence, and in the background, Emperor Zarkon sat up straighter, leaned forward, eager, a predator.

"Nothing will stop me but victory, or death." And Shiro's world exploded as Sendak rushed at him, left hand impossibly long, and his bayard was on the other side of the courtyard and his back was against a wall and his hand just wouldn't move fast enough-

Pain rippled across his face and he fell hard onto one knee while his right hand came up to his face. His hand didn't feel anything but blood was dripping down, down, rolling down in waves along his arm and Shiro couldn't breath and a scream was ringing in his ears.

"Now, nothing will stop me from getting to your princess either," Sendak said in a low voice and Shiro's left hand, the human one, the one that still had flesh and blood to it, came up on its own accord and he called…

The bayard came singing a song of strength, of power, of honor, of blood into his open fingers and he swung, knew it connected when Sendak's next sentence choked off halfway.

Shiro blinked and between one second and the next, he had Sendak gasping as he pulled both of the Galra's arms back. Someone was saying something but he couldn't hear because someone's scream was still ringing in his hears and it wasn't until he broke Sendak's left arm did he realize that the scream was his name.

He finally looked up and his face must have been just as bitter as the taste of iron in his mouth, his eyes just as wild as the pain, but Allura, sweet sweet Allura, just took a step forward and stretched out a hand.

King Alfor watched impassively from his seat, his face like stone.

Emperor Zarkon had already left.

"It's over, Shiro," said the princess but he couldn't believe that, not when Sendak's promise of death still hung in his head. His grip tightened on the Galra's other arm and Sendak gulped big big breaths like he wasn't getting enough air.

"Shiro," Allura called again and her hand was still outstretched, open, kind.

I am not worthy crossed his mind because no, she's not supposed to be here, watching him crush bone, watching him bleed.

Slowly, without taking her eyes from his, Allura knelt down in front of him and the sight of her bloody skirt broke something, perhaps everything, inside of him, like Zarkon's words, like Alfor's trust, like the small petals that fell daily in his room. Like the promises he made to himself to honor and cherish this woman before him.

"Come back to me," she said hoarsely and it was all he needed.

He let go and took her hand.

Well, that was a journey. What was supposed to be a oneshot became a twoshot became a threeshot. Probably one of the only multi-chapter fics I actually finished so I'm quite proud and happy with the way this fic turned out.

- Reviews are much appreciated! Even just telling me that you liked the story makes me all the more happy! :)

- Hope you enjoy this story!