The Good Soldier

The Yellow Lion lay on the top of a cliff, basking in the sunlight watching the waves crash against the side. To the right of the rocks below him was the sandy shoreline. The beach was a soft golden color that matched his paint coat. He closed his eyes breathing in the damp earth from the spray of the waves and gentle salty sea breeze."Lux," a soft voice carried in the wind.

"Lux," The voice called again more clearly. Lux could feel the pounding rhythm of the earth shifting beneath him. He opened his eyes to the Blue Lion bounding down the shoreline towards him. Lux lowered his head against the base of the cliff hoping he will go unnoticed and avoid her.

"Lux!" The voice shouted this time as she reached the cliff and placed her front paws up along its side. Her head reached up to the side of the Yellow Lion's face and voice pierced his ear.

Lux clenched his eyes shut laying his ears flat against his head, but the damage was done. He stood up, shaking his head to stop the ringing. When he could focus he looked down at the young female lion. Her ears were drooped and her tail rolled with the waves along the shore.

"What can I do for you, Waverly?" Lux asked gently, his claws digging into the soft earth.

"Radar's gone."

Lux let out a loud sigh. He respected and despised the sibling's love and care for each other. When problems arose, particularly with Radar, and they were always started because of Radar, everyone always became dragged in. Lux had learned that if Waverly has a problem with Radar he was always her first pick to help.

"Lux, did you hear me?"

"I heard you, Waverly. I'm sure he just needs some space."

"No, he disappeared. I can't find him."

"Maybe, he doesn't want to be found. I'm sorry, Wave, but I'm not interested in searching for him. I think it's best to let him cool down on his own."

"He's not mad, Lux. I was talking to him. He understands Therron's point, but that's between them."

"Then why am I being brought into it?"

"Because he disappeared right before my eyes!"

Waverly's yell came out like a sonic pulse and Lux fled his perch to the shore to avoid the full blast. He quickly started walking along the beach to get away from the Blue Lion, who chased after him."We were talking and we came across Keith and he was trying to talk to him, but then there was a bright light then he was gone. I haven't been able to find him since."

"Did he jump plains."

"No, Lux," Waverly's voice trembled.

Lux rubbed against her side trying to comfort her. "It's alright. We'll figure this out."

The two lions walked along the shore. Waverly walked closest to the waves and liked the water rolling over her paws. Lux, however, moved every time to avoid getting wet, but quickly returned to her side to assure her he wasn't avoiding her. He often felt Waverly was treated as the untouchable one. As the female of the group with an overprotective brother, she was set apart from the others.

Lux remembered even as Altean, Waverly's illness, and condition kept her isolated, but she never complained about it. He thought she would feel lonely or want to be included, but like himself, she put others before her.

"So just to be clear he isn't hiding somewhere."

"No, Lux this isn't a joke."

"You're right. Radar isn't one to make a joke."

"He's not as reckless as everyone believes either. Radar is loud and likes to make his point, but he would never put others in danger. He wouldn't make me worry simply to have me worried."

"I get that, Wave."

The Blue Lion ignored him, ranting on as they continued down the shore. "He is stubborn, but justified, which makes it harder. I think for everyone because no one wants to admit he's right. Don't you agree?"

"He's not wrong, but-"

"You wouldn't tell him that?"

"No, I think his method's and actions undermine his authority." Lux smiled at the Blue Lion whose worry had changed along the walk to frustration. He remembered that feeling a lot as an Altean every time he justified and defended Radar, much like Waverly was doing now.

Lux had lost Radar's trust, before the change, when he helped Therron with Waverly's transfer. He regretted not being able to find Radar beforehand to be with her but knew he made the right call with going through with it. Waverly was essential to the team and might not have been with them if he hadn't.

"I'm curious. Why do you pretend you're ignorant?"

The Blue Lion paused considering his question before smiling. "Why do you get between Therron and Radar?"

"To stop them from killing each other."

"Then in my own way, I'm doing the same. Radar can't multitask. He can either lash out or defend me."

"So you play the sweet little sister to distract him?"

"No, just to direct his focus and contain his rage. Radar isn't wrong, but like you said his temper gets the better of him."

"Wow, girls really are manipulative."

"It's best for everyone."

"And what about you, Wave? Do you want him to have to protect you forever."

"I don't get a choice. You've seen what happened when I sided with Sorrel years ago."

"Well, I can give you a few reasons for why that was a problem."

"Why are you two going at it?"

"Because he is a child and isn't pretending."

"He's older than I was."

"Well age had no effect on him and it doesn't help that he is too smart for his own good."

"Seems like that's an issue with everyone."

"Perhaps, but I like to think I know better than to prove everyone wrong, which is Radar and Sorrel's daily goal."

"It's hard being the one in the middle."

"It's tiring, but someone has to do it. We all have a role to play for our team to work. Radar and Sorrel keep us honest even if we don't like their method's."

"No one likes to be wrong. Have you talked to Therron?"

"No, I think Sorrel put him in a slump most likely."

"What do you mean?"

"Sorrel was pressing buttons and I tried to get him to cut it out and Therron told me to leave. Sometimes, I think Therron likes to be yelled at. Sorrel is just a little more tolerable than Radar. We have made a mess of things of late. We just started to reconnect and now the secrets have started and trust is still at an all-time low."

"You think Therron knows where Shiro is?"

"Like I said Radar isn't wrong."

"Then why keep it a secret?"

"Paladins are personal. Ever wonder how Radar and Therron have been able to switch between theirs in the past? There is an old saying that applies to them. They are two sides of the same coin."

"The paladins reflect a side of who we are in our current state. How is your paladin?"

Lux stopped walking and took a deep breath of fresh air. He didn't like talking about his paladin just like the rest of them. Waverly said it perfectly. It was like looking in a mirror and seeing a different version of yourself.

"How is yours?" Lux asked back.

Waverly drew circles with her paw in the sand. Hunk couldn't quite understand the Blue Lion and the Blue Paladins connection and everyone lion and paladin alike had at one time rolled their eyes at Lance.

But they were compatible, which meant they were some how the same, but like Hunk is a version of Lux, Lance was a version of Waverly that none of the other Lions had seen before.

The Blue Lion puffed her cheeks and dug deeper circles in the sand, which made Lux wonder if Lance was reflecting the good side of her or the bad. Lux had seen the darkness in himself the same as the others ten thousand years ago. They had caused the destruction of not only one world but two, and Therron was still paying for his late paladin's destruction of every world that came after. Waverly, however, was naïve then like the rest of them, but she played dumb while everyone else pushed to see how far they could go to gain power.

A shiver ran down his spine at the memory and the chaos, which they caused and were defenseless to stop. They all were guilty and of course, it was Alfor, the paladin of the Red Lion, who put them all in their place.

The Defender of the Universe had used its power and destroyed everything. They had no one to blame, but themselves. This time around, the Lions had been tiptoeing around each other keeping their distance. Trusting again was hard both with one another and their paladins.

Progress was slow, but they were all back on speaking terms that was until Zarkon got inside Therron's head. The new paladins had no idea what was happening because the Lions had never let them get to close, but Zarkon knew how and began exploiting Therron, which is when Radar decided to butt in.

"You have to pick aside, Therron!" Radar said, through clenched teeth as he paced the dark plain of the Black Lion. The plain made up of endless space.

Lux had just arrived onto the plain and was trying to piece the conflict together.

"Wow, that lasted longer than I thought. Their new paladins were such good friends. I thought they were turning over a new leaf. What was I thinking this is Radar and Therron."

Lux pushed the Green Lion back through the gateway into the Yellow Lion's plain and slowly walked towards the hostile Red Lion. "Radar, can we talk this out. Tell me what's going on."

"Therron, has been communicating with Zarkon."

Lux was shocked. He turned towards the Black Lion, but he didn't deny it. "Why?"

"I just wanted to understand why he did it."

"There is nothing to understand. He is a psychopath."

"Radar-"

"No, Lux! I'm not going to stand around and wait for Therron to kill another person I care about."

"I didn't mean to put the others at risk."

"Well too late for that. You get a choice Therron. Choose Zarkon and our new paladins are killed. Choose Shiro and the past dies with Zarkon. I'm not saying we forget our mistakes, but we start over and rebuild peace in the galaxy."

"Zarkon once knew and worked towards that future."

"Until he single-handily destroyed everything we worked for."

"Zarkon didn't destroy Daibazaal."

"Maybe you're right it's not Zarkon, who can't be trusted. It's you, Therron."

"Radar, come on."

The Red Lion turned on Lux and growled. "If I can't make Therron see reason. I'm just going to have to prove to the paladins he can't be trusted."

Before Lux could get out another word, Radar was gone. He slowly turned back towards Therron who signed and let his shoulders slump forward. The Yellow Lion knew it was only a matter of time before the other two went at it, but he wasn't prepared for this. As an Altean, he sided with Radar because he knew he was right. As a Lion, he defended Therron because he got what they needed to do done, but now after ten thousand years, he didn't know who to side with.

"Don't bother."

Lux straightened and raised his barriers, realizing that Therron was in his head. "Don't bother with what?"

"You're a good soldier, Lux, but you don't have to follow every order when you don't believe it's right."

"So you have been communicating with Zarkon?"

"Yes."

"Can you please explain why. You know Zarkon's been following us and you were opening up a connection with him. Why didn't you stop?"

"I want to go back to him." Therron laid down, resting his head on top of his paws.

Lux froze. He could hear the screams of the dying Alteans, while the Galra ships loomed overhead. He could see Zarkon clearly looking down over the carnage as he destroyed the planet Lux once loved and caught a glimpse of the shadow behind him: Haggar. "You want to go back to him or her?"

Therron tried to turn away from the Yellow Lion. "Does it matter?"

"It does because she doesn't remember anything."

"No, but if I could get closer. Maybe I could connect-"

"Therron, stop. You're wandering down a dark tunnel that there is no coming back from."

"I-I know that," Therron said, hesitantly.

"Alfor, wouldn't have-"

"Alfor is dead! I got my own brother killed. I grew to hate Alfor because I despised Radar. I let Minerva go because I thought I was protecting her. I didn't want her to get hurt. She is the only person I have left, Lux. Please, understand I have to help her."

Lux signed. "Is her life worth the lives of many? Radar is right you go to Zarkon you will be killing all our paladins. You let her go and put the lives of millions first in the past. Duty and responsibility have always come first. I can't convince you to change your mind, but in the end, you always have proven to make the right choice. You just need to see it yourself."

"Lux."

The Yellow Lion could picture the Black Lion's mouth moving, but it wasn't his voice Lux heard.

He shook his head and was pulled back to the sandy beach. Therron replaced by a concerned Waverly. It was refreshing to see that worry directed at him for a change and not Radar.

"I'm fine."

He looked past her and noticed a figure up ahead coming down the shoreline. He walked towards it and as he drew closer, he recognized Hunk and Lance. Waverly had followed him and now stood at his side.

"Radar and I saw Keith like this right before he disappeared."

Lux shrugged, "So, we have seen the paladin's many times in the past on our plains."

"I know that!" Waverly snapped.

The Yellow Lion bowed his head. "What happened before Radar disappeared?"

"He said he was going to get Keith to listen to him and yelled at him."

"Yelling at everyone seems to be common for Radar, but I don't see how that makes a difference since the paladins can't hear us."

"You don't believe me."

"No, I don't, Wave," Lux's words came out before he realized.

The Blue Lion narrowed her eyes and Lux could see her claws extend. "Fine, I'll prove it to you."

Lux heaved a sign. He had gone from the peacekeeper of the group to the one causing the fights. First Radar, then Sorrel and now Waverly. Lux was headed down a steep slope and bound to hit the bottom.

He watched the Blue Lion stand over her paladin and yell his name. Lux had to hold back the smile that wanted to spread across his face as nothing happened. He wasn't fast enough because Waverly must have seen the small curve of the side of his mouth because the smaller lion gave a low sneering growl and expanding her chest to take in a deep breath she screeched, "LANCE!"

For the third time that day, Lux closed his eyes and pressed his ears against the side of his head to stop the ringing. When the sound had stopped and the ringing subsided a little, he reopened his eyes. He blinked a few times, taking in the bright sun overhead and the empty beach in front of him. Lux spun around, looking up and down the coast for any sign of the two paladins or the Blue Lion.

The Yellow Lion started to chuckle. "Very funny, Waverly." But as he waited for the young female to return he began to fear she had been right all along. Fear kicking in, he scoured the whole island looking for Waverly and when she wasn't anywhere to be found he jumped to her plain and searched there. Still no sign of Waverly.

The sky had grown stormy on both their plains. Flashes of blue, yellow, and purple light sparked in the sky telling Lux that the paladins were most likely in the middle of a battle. Crouching low, Lux sprung up and flew towards the sky, hoping to find Waverly in the chaos.

As Lux approached the sky, the plain disappeared and he noticed he wasn't in the sky at all, but weaving down an endless dark tunnel. He could see the shots flying past him on either side and felt one hit his back leg. Lux growled low, biting back the pain.

"Hang in there," Hunk said, from his control chair.

Lux took another hit on his back. He sensed Hunk jerk forward in his chair and anger drove him to move faster through the tunnel, curving around the edge of the walls so the dart ship couldn't lock onto him.

He could see the opening in front of him and broke into the center, taking in the glowing orange core and the many stone houses below. He could make out many people milling about on the ground as gunfire rung out in every direction.

Three more shots, from the darts behind him, came upon his right side and Lux banked left around the core. Rounding the corner, he saw the Blue Lion exit another tunnel. The Yellow Lion took off towards her. "Waverly!"

He slightly bowed his head to rub foreheads and embrace her. He didn't realize until that moment how fearful he truly was at having lost the young lion. As he was about to bump heads the Blue Lion leaped onto his back, but besides her diversion, Lux could see it was a phantom projection of what was happening in the real world. It wasn't the real Waverly. With his head still lowered he head-butted the two darts that had been following the Blue Lion.

"Where is she?" He yelled to no one in particular as the two darts crashed to the ground.

Closing his eyes, he did his best to calm his nerves. He landed, letting the Blade of Marmora out of the hangar, and watched the Blue Lion do the same. The Phantom remained, but Lux began searching the area confident that the real Waverly had to be close by. He looked around the tunnel and then climbed out and searched the surface.

He had no luck though and the battle came to an end around him. Defeated, he drifted down to the core of the planet once again. He heard the cheers and saw the Blue Lion phantom sitting in front of the orange crystal. He landed beside her and let Hunk out of the Yellow Lion. He then noticed Lance, for the first time, swarmed around by a crowd of indigenous girls. What caught his attention though wasn't those around him, but they had kept him from noticing sooner. What Lux was surprised by was the blue energy, radiating off of him.

Lux walked towards him until he was standing over the foolish Blue Paladin. He got up close to see if it was something on him that made the glow, but as he observed he realize the light was emanating from his body. He looked back to Hunk but didn't see any light surrounding him.

The Yellow Lion stepped away from the Blue Paladin and started to pace around the core. Going around in circles he tried to sort out a logical explanation for Radar and Waverly's disappearance and Lance's sudden glowing presence.

"Everything is going to be fine, right boy?" Hunk asked.

Lux felt his whole body ease up. Hunk reassured him that he wasn't alone and together they could figure this out. With his confidence restored he followed Waverly's lead and called his paladin.

Lux's senses became numb and he hesitated a moment pulling away. His vision blurred, his form was lighter, and his hearing was muffled, but he thought he heard Hunk say, "Not so loud."

He never thought he would be able to reach him. The paladins had been able to sense the lions before and slowly identify certain feeling, but verbal conversation had seemed near impossible.

He watched in a haze, Hunk stumble towards Lance. He took a deep breath as Waverly had done and this time didn't hesitate as he called Hunk again.

The Yellow Lion let go and with it all sound, feeling, and sight as the world grew bright. The light didn't hurt or burn. It was empty and still. Lux felt he was drifting off endlessly lost in it.

He tried to remember what had happened and how he had gotten there, but the memory evaded him. He couldn't recall anything. Who he was, what his name was and wondered what was a name. Words slipped away and his thoughts became muddled. There was one thing he did remember and that was a lingering feeling of having been trapped here once before. The feeling scared him and he struggled to remember anything.

He searched the brightness for anything that would jog his memory. In the distance, the light dimmed and a darkness started to set in around him. He trembled, recognizing the fear. Fear. He held onto that thought with all his might. What it was. How it made him feel. Concentrating on that thought, he connected similar feelings such as doubt and worry. The more he thought about these emotions the more he pushed the darkness away until he began to remember more. Reasons for the feeling until Lux recalled everything.

The light faded and for a moment he thought the darkness was going to return, but instead he saw the end of a hallway as a door swung open into a room filled with multiple monitors up at the center.

It took Lux's a minute to adjust. His senses on overdrive from having returned all at once, like turning off and on a light really fast. When he could finally focus his vision, he noticed there was a long table with a single chair in front of the monitors that was pushed out. Lux looked to the floor and saw a small figure lying on the ground. His legs moved on his own, but what startled Lux more was that fact that he had legs. His form was smaller and not the large Yellow Lion he was before. He might be different, but where he was hadn't changed. He clearly recognized the Castle of Lions architectural design.

Distracted, by his thoughts he didn't notice that he had crossed the room and stopped a few feet away. He tilted his head to the side confused. "Sorrel?"

The figure who lay on the floor was defiantly the young green haired child he had known before he died and became the Yellow Lion, but that didn't explain why he was here now.

Suddenly, a thought crossed his mind telling him it had all been a dream. He never became the Yellow Lion, the Galra never concurred the universe, and Altea still existed. The thought made him smile and he reached to pick the young Altean up and set him back into the chair. He was fast asleep and Lux placed a hand on top of the boy's head.

In his sleep, Sorrel swatted his hand away and snuggled back into the chair. Lux chuckled and Sorrel groggily rubbed his face. Lux leaned against the table, rubbing the back of his neck. He yawned and shook his head feeling drowsy himself.

He felt guilty, watching Sorrel sleep and thought he should leave. He stood up and began pacing, uncertain why he felt so agitated. As he continued to pace, Sorrel slid out of the chair and fell down again. Lux lunged for him feeling pulled towards him and sat him up against the table. While he felt pushed into the chair, Sorrel had fallen out of.

He watched Sorrel rub the bridge of his nose than the back of his head, where Lux guess he must likely had a bruise, but was surprised it didn't wake him up. "Sorrel," Lux called. "Sorrel, wake up," he said, with more concern in his voice. "Sorrel," he yelled.

Sorrel's eyes shot open and just as quickly, he closed them. Lux let out the breath he was holding, letting his head drop before looking back at the young Altean.

"Is there a reason for your need to yell? What are you doing in here anyway?"

"What do you mean?" Lux asked, worried.

Sorrel opened his eyes again. More slowly this time and stared at his for a second before taking in the room he was in. "Well, this is different."

Lux stood up out of the chair and began pacing again. "It wasn't a dream was it?"

"What wasn't?"

"Everything. It happened. There is only one smug arrogant Sorrel and it wasn't the young Altean I once knew."

"What?" Sorrel stood and Lux stopped pacing as Sorrel approached. The young green haired Altean was forced to look up at him and he stepped back. "You see me as you once knew."

"Yeah, but don't worry I won't be making that mistake twice." Lux started, walking back towards the door. He heard Sorrel's footsteps behind him and felt a tug on his shirt.

"Will you wait up. Where do you think you're going?"

"To find Radar and Waverly."

Sorrel paused. "Then will you let me help you? I don't think it's good if we remain like this for long."

Lux lowered his guard. Sorrel wanted nothing to do with him before and he thought back to that slippery slope. This might be his chance to recover. "You want to help me."

He shrugged his shoulders and wouldn't look at him. "Sure." Lux took his hand and led him back towards the desk. Sorrel climbed onto the chair to look him in the eye and said, "But you have to stop thinking of me as a helpless little kid?"

"No, deal," Lux said, turning around and held Sorrel piggyback style.

He felt Sorrel's hands wrap around his neck even as he defiantly yelled, "Lux, put me down now."

"I don't think so and it's not me, but you are welcome to try and get down."

Sorrel didn't say anything, but Lux felt him turn away and look behind him.

Lux had many questions but knew Sorrel was just as confused as him and if they were going to get any answers, they needed to find the others first.

Kestle:

Hey, Y'all!

I finally finished another chapter. Sorry, this took so long, but I go a new job and had to move. I'm still unpacking boxes and currently don't have wifi set up yet. I'm currently in Starbuck writing this. I hope to get Wifi soon so I can upload at home.

I don't know what it is about Hunk and Lux, but I think they are the hardest to write for.

I will post the next chapter of Voltron: Origins for Keith next and finally getting into the 3rd season. YEAH! Even though the show is on season 6 and going on 7. The chapters will follow the events but will have many additional conversations and scenes to the events in my story. It would be interesting to read the upcoming chapters and rewatch the episodes. I hope you are excited about whats to come as I am.

Please don't forget to comment.