A/N: I do not own Voltron, its characters or settings. Anything new is mine.
Thank you to YamotoForever for the review! You won't get to find out what Lance has to say to Lissa or even what Keith has to say to either of them just yet. Next chapter you will.
It's going to be a long one, I want to get things moving, but I have to get a few heart to hearts out of the way first, so I'm just going to combine them in the next chapter.
Lance was bearing down on Lissa with a furious intensity when he saw the dainty figure of his love collapse across the enormous snout of her Familiar. Horror immediately slammed into his frazzled emotions with terrible force, rendering him motionless as it seized him in a grip more merciless then the one Fire Storm had imprisoned him in. His brain seemed to shut down, refusing to think or react as he stared at the still form of Lissa. His throat constricted with pain and he found it difficult to breathe. The Red Lion slowed from a reckless speed down to a complete stop as his hands slipped from the controls, falling uselessly to his sides. As he stared at the graceful lines of Lissa's inert body, a horrible sob racked his body, tearing from his throat in a guttural cry of denial as his dazed mind reeled from the shock of his beloved's death.
Fire Storm heard that profound sound of anguish even from a distance, so great was its strength, and he slowly turned his massive head in the direction of the Red Lion, taking care not to jar Lissa in the process. "Do not despair, young pilot. It is not so bad as it seems. My mistress has not fallen into the embrace of death, but rather that of sleep. The battle has but drained her."
Joy rushed to the fore of the mass of emotions swirling crazily through Lance, closely followed by fury. "I thought you said she wouldn't be harmed," he snarled, not even bothering to curb the savage quality of his voice.
Fire Storm ignored his harsh tone, touched by the obvious love this man felt for his mistress, willing to overlook the pilot's transgression under the circumstances. "She is not hurt, only exhausted. Normally she is a bit tired after such exertion, but I have never seen her in a state such as this," the dragon admitted, his voice thoughtful as he gazed down at the still form of his Rider. "She has not been sleeping well of late. Perhaps that has something to do with her lack of strength, but I cannot say for certain."
The dragon's puzzled words made uneasiness sweep through Lance with sharp intensity, and he maneuvered the Red Lion to hover near Fire Storm's gigantic head. "I'm going to open the entry hatch on Red Lion, and I want you to set her in it," Lance said, the deadly calm of his voice belying the anxiety that was thrumming through him, the sense of fear made more profound by his earlier worry that he'd lost her forever to the eternal embrace of death.
Fire Storm turned one baleful golden eye upon the Red Lion, not at all accustomed to being ordered around by anyone other then his mistress, and not willing to continue to overlook the young man's rude behavior. "I am quite capable of carrying her myself," he growled, his voice menacing, the sheer volume of it causing the air to quiver around them. "I have done so many times in the past, and she has never come to harm. I would die before allowing that."
Lance hesitated, staring at the dragon in grim silence for several moments, understanding Fire Storm's fierce loyalty to Lissa, and respectful of it. He knew it was the dragon's duty to see to Lissa's safety. Yet he had an overwhelming need to have her by his side so that he could protect her, and so he swallowed his considerable pride and said, "Please, I mean no disrespect, but I must have her with me."
Fire Storm heard the plaintive note in the man's voice and knew what it must cost so proud a creature to plead for anything. That Lance was willing to humble himself touched Fire Storm more then he cared to admit. He could also see in the pilot's eyes things unsaid, a need to protect and care for his mate, and in that moment, Fire Storm's resistance to the relationship between Lissa and Lance dissolved, banished by the purity of the emotions he saw in the young man's eyes. This was no selfish, fleeting love Lance bore for Lissa, but a lasting devotion that time could not weaken, an undying bond that had no boundaries. He said nothing in response, but simply nodded, letting his actions be his answer, and then lowered the sleeping form of Lissa onto the Red Lion's head when the hatch opened.
Lance put the Red Lion on autopilot and climbed up to where Lissa rested. He leaned over her and lifted her with gentle, trembling hands, taking care to move slowly so as not to jostle her, his love etched in stark relief across his strained features as he disappeared into the Lion. Almost immediately the Red Lion circled around and headed back for the Castle of Lions, Fire Storm following in its wake. The other four Lions had remained at a distance, not quite trusting the mighty dragon after his earlier imprisonment of the Red Lion, but they quickly fell into place behind the great lizard as the Red Lion's course became clear to them.
In the distance, Fire Storm could hear the whir of machines, and instinctively he knew they belonged to the enemy that had unleashed the Roe Beast, for he'd never heard this sound before during his stay on Arus. His keen eyes made out dozens of tiny shapes in the distance, a fleet of some kind, and he snarled in malice as he observed them, knowing they were part of the force that had brought his mistress to such a state of weariness. He glanced at the Red Lion, his instinct to protect his mistress overriding all others, but vengeance nipped at him without mercy and after a moment he growled, "Boy, I am leaving you to look after my rider. The threat here is not yet neutralized and, more to the point, I will have blood spilled for the condition my mistress is in. I am trusting you to care for her, but do not fail me, for you will feel a wrath such as you have never dreamed."
Lance stared at Fire Storm in shock; surprised the Familiar was willing to trust him to such an extent, tactfully ignoring the dragon's sharp words. "I understand."
Fire Storm whirled away from them with surprising agility for a creature so immense, and then he shot across the sky with a blinding speed that made the velocity with which he'd managed to elude the Lions look sluggish. It was obvious to all the members of Voltron Force that he had been quite capable of escaping them if he'd wanted to, but no one remarked on it.
"Where do you suppose he's rushing off to?" Hunk asked, clearly curious and thrown off balance by the events that had just occurred.
"To see to the rest of the Doom forces, I assume," Pidge mused aloud.
"We should help him out," Keith said, turning the Black Lion to follow Fire Storm's dwindling shape.
"I wouldn't suggest doing that," Lance quietly called out. "I think you'll only get in his way."
Keith stiffened at the insinuation he might be more of a hindrance then a help, but Allura recognized the wisdom in Lance's words, and she gently said, "I think he's right, Keith. The dragon is so huge, he might have to worry about accidentally hurting one of us if we were to try and help him."
Keith could never resist Allura in any way, her suggestions never seemed to sting his pride, though he refused to study that thought too closely. "All right, but I don't like just sitting around doing nothing while there's a threat to Arus. Lance and Allura, you continue on to the castle and get Lissa to the med room. The rest of you, come with me. We'll guard the perimeters and finish off any ships that get away from the dragon."
Because Lance was more concerned about Lissa's health then the destruction of the fleet from Doom, he didn't offer any more protests. Every member of the Voltron Force knew how devoted Keith was to his duty. Lance resumed Red Lion's flight pattern without a backward glance, his worried gaze repeatedly raking over Lissa's gaunt features.
Allura lingered for a moment, upset at being left out of combat once again. It seemed as if Keith was always trying to keep her at a distance from the rest of the team. She didn't understand it. She trained as hard as everyone else, if not harder at times. She was a good pilot and a quick thinker, able to react on her feet. His constant coddling of her made her resent him at times. It was as if he had no faith in her abilities, and she didn't know why. She'd never done anything to prove herself unworthy of fighting alongside the team, yet Keith consistently excluded her from battle whenever possible.
"Why?" she asked, her voice soft, but curt.
Keith had no way of knowing the true extent of that brief question, and his attention was on the receding form of Fire Storm, his thoughts crowded by the numerous complexities of the day thus far. So he gave it far less attention then it actually warranted, taking it at face value and responding as such. "Lance is in no state of mind to see to the safety of the Castle, and Lissa is going to need him with her at any rate. Or at least Lance will think so. We have no idea where the Doom Fleet is, and that foul Prince Lotor has repeatedly attempted to kidnap you in the past. Since the Castle is open to danger, I thought-"
"That you could solve two problems at once?" Allura inserted, irritated, her own feelings thrown into tumult by the emotional trauma that had been emanating from Lance and Lissa for the past few days. "Get me out of the way and keep the Castle safe. Excellent decision, commander. As always," she snapped, before wheeling the Blue Lion around and heading to the castle.
Keith's jaw dropped as he stared after her, his bewilderment etched all over his face. Hunk and Pidge remained silent for exactly one minute before Hunk grumbled, "Women. I just don't get them. Sometimes they're almost more trouble then they're worth."
"I imagine they feel the same way abut us," Pidge replied in his usual cheery voice, though he didn't bother to elaborate on that piece of insight.
Keith finally managed to close his mouth, but his mind was still reeling from Allura's sharp words, and he barked, "Enough chit chat. Let's go."
The three Lions formed a triangle and then set out after the dwindling shape of the dragon.
Fire Storm sensed the approaching Lions, but he ignored them to focus his wrathful attention of the armada before him. Unhindered by the presence of any allies, he relied upon his most devastating natural weapon. He opened his great jaws and took a deep breath, his lungs expanding, the fire in his belly exploding from a flickering flame into a blazing inferno, roaring up through his throat and out into the air with concussive force. The stream of fire raced through the air faster then the eye could follow, enveloping dozens of ships, the raw intensity of the flames instantly incinerating the metal vessels.
He paused to watch with grim amusement as the ships maneuvered to face him, laughing with the arrogance that his kind was famous for as the puny lasers fired from their cannons harmlessly bounced off of his armored hide. He spewed another wave of fire into their midst, and two dozen more ships melted into nothingness, leaving behind no traces of debris, completely devoured by the searing heat. He saw a small group of ships separate from the fleet to flee, but he let them go. They would serve as a messenger, a witness to his fury and power, a warning against attacking Arus again while he dwelled on it.
He turned his gaze back to the armada and released another torrent of fire. He sensed the Lions drawing up behind him, but the robots seemed content to maintain a watchful vigil from the rear, and so he continued his destructive rampage, leveling the entire fleet in a matter of minutes. When he turned to face the Lions, he left behind no trace of an enemy presence, every last ship destroyed.
"Wow," Pidge squeaked, his eyes wide as he stared at the empty sky behind the dragon, mentally calculating the heat required to completely disintegrate full war ships, clearly awed by the power of the leviathan's breath.
"I'm sure glad you're on our side," Hunk called out from the Yellow Lion, his voice tinged with wonder.
Keith's response was the most brief, but also the most respectful. He glanced at the enormous dragon, understanding that this mighty creature was no simple Roe Beast, and perhaps had the power to vanquish even Voltron. His tone was therefore appropriately respectful as he murmured, "Impressive."
Fire Storm ignored their comments to glare at them harshly. "I said I would handle this matter myself. Why did you leave my mistress in the care of one love stricken boy and one soft hearted warrior maiden?"
"We had to make sure you had things under control here," Keith answered, mildly resenting the reproach in Fire Storm's voice. "We've been seeing to the safety of Arus far longer then you, and by all rights this was our fight."
"Not once my lady committed to the battle," Fire Storm growled. "She had best be safe."
"Lissa will be perfectly secure in the Castle," Hunk assured the hulking lizard, not liking the dark look that had crept into the reptile's brilliant eyes.
"Perhaps," Fire Storm rumbled. "But I did hear one of you mention something about kidnapping earlier."
Lance was relieved to see Lissa's color returning to normal as the Red Lion descended in front of the castle, the Blue Lion on its heels. Lance cradled Lissa in his arms as he climbed out of the Lion, and by the time he reached the ground, Allura was there waiting for them. He noted the look of irritation on the princess' face only because it was such an uncommon occurrence, but he didn't remark on it at the moment, his attention consumed by Lissa.
"Take Lissa to the med room. I'll go find Coran and Nanny," Allura said in a gentle voice, noting the drawn appearance of Lance's face.
Lance nodded and made his way to the med room, thinking that when Lissa woke up he was going to kill. Right after kissing her senseless. How could she risk her life like that? Why had she interfered with the Voltron Force's duties? Was she that devoted to protecting the damn annoying Prince Ower? That thought sent a distinctly unpleasant feeling of jealousy burning through his veins. Or was it her loyalty to her precious Legion that had driven her to behave in such an impetuous manner?
He had just placed Lissa on a bed when Allura entered the room, Coran and Nanny right behind her, a doctor trailing in after them. Lance spent the next several minutes pacing the length of the room as the doctor examined Lissa. The man was quite adept at keeping his features blank, giving no clue as to what her state of health was, and as time passed, Lance began to grow increasingly alarmed. Allura, Coran and Nanny had all left the room at the doctor's bidding, but Lance had chosen to remain, ignoring the doctor's wishes. Now he drew near the other man, noting the doctor's frown at his approach, but too worried to care about niceties at the moment.
"How is she?" he demanded, his impatience ringing in his voice.
The doctor glanced at him sharply and said, "She's fine. I can't find a thing wrong with her. She just appears to be in a normal state of sleep."
Lance nearly collapsed with relief, and then beamed at the other man as euphoria rushed through him. He laughed and then slapped the doctor on the back. "That's the best news I've had in years."
The doctor wasn't about to touch that comment. The pilot of the Red Lion had always been something of an enigma to the people of Arus, but they respected him for all of his rash, joking ways. He settled for nodding as if in understanding, when he had no true idea what this girl meant to Lance, but he sensed the pilot was hopelessly in love with her.
Both men were startled out of their wits when a voice softened by weariness said, "I hate to interrupt you, but could someone please bring me a drink?"