"Ah, yes. Roe," Matt started, not fully processing Rae's words until they moved closer to the planet. "Wait…Roe…" His eyes suddenly widened. "You have got to be kidding?!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden alarm in his voice, wondering why he sounded so upset and terrified. Shiro looked to Rae, who closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "Oh, stop whining. We need the extra muscle and getting the Roens on our side will be beneficial for the war."

"No, you're just trying to kill me faster. Sorry, but I plan to live a long and happy life, so I'm just going to stay inside the giant metal lion where I know I'll be safe." He planted his rear on the floor of the lion, crossing his arms to prove he wasn't going to budge. Pidge had only seen him do this a few times when he was set in his ways. She knew there was no changing his mind.

Rae's growl echoed through the coms. "Matthew Holt, I swear if you don't exit that lion once we land, I will climb in there, grab your sorry behind, and chuck you outside before letting the others out! Alex will surely see you then, and while you're dying from her brute force, I will happily collect your skull and add it to the others."

To Pidge's surprise, Matt cringed at the harsh tone. "So, when do we land?"

Shiro could not help but gape at Rae. To his knowledge, she was the only person to ever get him to change his mind, and it was with a stern voice that reminded Shiro of Mrs. Holt, although a little scarier. Rae's eyes shifted to him, making him look away. He focused on flying toward Roe, realizing as they got closer that it was one large island surrounded by nothing but water. The ocean shined like mercury, reflecting the sun's bright rays, and fish the size of the red lion leaped out of the water as the paladins passed by.

"Woah! Did you guys see that?" Lance was astonished to see such massive creatures popping out of the ocean. He couldn't help but laugh.

Hunk was equally astonished. "They were huge! I wonder how much they weigh?"

Rae chuckled. "They aren't the only thing that's big here." This made the others suddenly nervous. They all hoped that these people were friendly, not hostile.

They landed on the outskirts of the island, not wanting to draw too much attention to themselves right away. Rae was the first one out, making sure all the others came out behind her. Matt hesitated, poking his head out of the lion to make sure no Roens were present before stepping out of the green lion, the whole time avoiding Rae's glare. He knew she was serious about throwing him out, and didn't want to look, knowing she'd give him that victorious smirk he's seen one too many times. Instead he turned his focus onto the scenery.

Roe resembled Earth in so many ways it made his heart ache. He missed his home. The grass and clouds, the breeze, all of which matched his surroundings. It made him start missing his parents. He knew his mom was still on Earth, hopefully safe and most likely mourning over the loss of her husband and children. As for his father, he had no idea where they put him, or even if he was alive. The thought made him shiver.

A cold, yet reassuring hand gently squeezed his shoulder and he turned to stare into gray eyes full of worry. Matt never knew how, but Rae always seemed to sense when people were upset, and she was always there to comfort them. He smiled at her, placing his hand over hers. A faint purple tint coated her cheeks, almost passing for pink but he knew the difference. It was one of the many features he loved about her as it made her unique. Though why she was the one blushing, he had no idea. As for himself, he knew exactly why. "I'm okay," he assured.

Rae removed her hand quickly, smiling softly. "Had to make sure. You looked deep in thought. Plus, this place must resemble home to you, so I assumed you were thinking of Earth and your family."

"Yeah," he sighed.

She wanted to comfort him more like she used to on Cryskos, but with the others around, she suddenly felt awkward. "Come on, this way." She started to lead them to the castle, which looked just as medieval as the rest of the kingdom, when a silhouette at the top of a hill made her stop dead in her tracks. Rae had no idea if other Roens were like Alex, and even if they were she had to be careful. No one was getting crushed on her watch.

The figure was in plate mail armor, wielding nothing more than his own two fists. Even from the distance, the paladins could tell that this man was much taller than any of them, maybe even taller than Kolivan and the Galra. Out of hesitation and panic, the four younger paladins activated their bayards, readying themselves for this opponent.

"Put those away," Rae shouted, but it was already too late. The warrior leaped from the hill, barreling toward them at lightning speed, ready to clobber them into dust. The paladins were paralyzed with fear, having never seen a person that large more at such speed. Shiro's eyes widened, preparing for the light to flash before him. He had fought many large, hungry opponents but something about this one screamed bloodthirsty.

The man was nearly to them when Rae realized the others weren't about to move. She stepped ahead of them, shielding them like a mother would shield her children. In that moment, that's how she felt. They were all just kids after all. Well, except Shiro and Matt, but even still she must protect them with every fiber in her body. That was a promise she had made to herself.

He reached the group and collided with Rae's arms, which acted as a brick wall, stopping him instantly. No Galra form, no quintessence, just Rae in her natural state, fending off a being twice her size. Her muscles were flexed, strained as she was doing all she could to hold the warrior back.

Suddenly he stopped trying to push against her and stood straight, his head tilted as the most feminine voice came from the helmet.

"Kitty?"

Rae's head snaps upward to look the warrior in the eyes. "Alex?" She moves back in disbelief, still unsure of the person. At the same time, only one Roen knows that nickname, unless Alex blabbed it to everyone. If that was the case, Rae was going to kill her.

The warrior removed the bulky helmet and a crimson braid fell just past the shoulder blades.

The paladins stared in shock as the man who tried to attack them turned out to be a woman. The woman giggled as she shook the sweat out of her bangs, then her eyes locked onto Rae and she dropped the helmet, scooping up Rae in a hug and squeezed, causing many popping sounds to resonate from the dark-haired girl's back. "MY PRETTY KITTY! OH, I HAVE MISSED YOU SO!"

Rae was fighting to breathe, her face stuck against the Roen's breastplate. "Remove me from your breasts, tall creature," she yelled, which startled the tall woman and the paladins.

The red-head giggled and dropped her friend quickly, not wanting to anger her. "Sorry."

"Thank you." Rae readjusted her suit, then turned to the others. "Paladins, meet Alexandria, the greatest warrior Roe has to offer. Alex, these are the Paladins of Voltron. Oh, and Matt's here too."

Alex's eyes sparkled, hearing the name of her other best friend. Instead of Matt, she pulled up Pidge and hugged her like she was a stuffed toy. Pidge panicked and started shouting to be unhanded. Lance was afraid the Roen would crush their tech-savvy friend but could do nothing to pry her from Alex's hands.

"Um, Alex?" The Roen turned her head back to Rae. "That's not Matt. That's his little sister, Katie. Well, she goes by Pidge now."

Alex blinked, looking back at Pidge for a minute before hugging her again. "Even better! How could I have mistaken her for her brother? She's way cuter!"

Pidge made a sound of protest, trying to worm her way out of Alex's tight grasp. "Alex, honey, let the girl go," Rae said sweetly, a tone the others didn't hear often.

Alex clutched the green paladin closer to her. "But I want to keep her."

Rae's voice suddenly lost a bit of its sweetness. "Alex, no"

"But,"

"Alexandria!"

The Roen pouted, releasing the small green one from her clutch. Pidge was gasping for air but didn't seem afraid of her. Instead, she was amazed. Alex suddenly smiled, completely forgetting why she was upset. "Where's my Matty?"

Rae grinned and pointed behind Hunk, where Matt was hiding. "Traitor!" He glared at the gray-eyed girl before bracing for Alex's brute strength. Alex picked him up like a ragdoll, and now he had the same problem Rae did, not being able to breathe due to being glued to the breastplate. He flailed until she finally let him go.

"Oh, Matty, you're so handsome, just look at your beautiful hair! Ooh, and you got more muscles! I'm so proud you're not a twig anymore." Matt blushed by her comments. He knew she meant what she was saying, but he also knew the real reason she was saying it. To make him sound impressive in front of Rae.

A soft giggle escaped Rae's lips. "Al, leave Matt alone. I don't think he can turn and redder." This made Matt blush deeper, proving her wrong.

"Oh, I see," Alex sauntered toward Rae, gripping her chin and pulling up so their eyes would meet. "I'm only allowed to make you blush, is that it?" Her voice took on a seductive tone, making Rae blush enough for the purple shade to be visible to the others. Matt felt a sudden twinge of jealousy, though he knew this was a game to them. The others; however, did not know, leading to a bunch of confused looks and shock from them.

Rae giggled and flicked her nose. "Not in front of the others, they don't know."

Alex wrapped her arm around Rae's waist, pulling her closer to where their noses barely touched. "But I want them to know. You don't keep secrets like this from allies. They must know that you and I…. are best friends." Both girls burst out in laughter.

Lance let out the air he didn't realize he held in, Hunk and pidge were chuckling nervously, thankful it wasn't true, Keith looked unamused, and Shiro was still trying to figure out if they were serious or joking.

The girls turned to them, still laughing at their faces. Once the laughter subsides, Alex's attention turned to Shiro, and there was an unusual sparkle in her eyes as she approached him. "What do they call you?"

Shiro felt uncomfortable having to look up at the woman, along with the look she was giving him. "Um… I'm Shiro. It's nice to meet you." He tried to be friendly, as this was the ally Rae mentioned, and extended his hand for her to shake.

She looked at his hand for a moment but chose to ignore it. Instead, she reached out and grazed her hand across his cheek. "Shiro? More like sexy."

Alarms blared in Shiro's mind. He tensed, not sure how to take this. Maybe it was similar to what she did with Rae. A joke. Unfortunately, Alex didn't have that glint in her eye like she did now. Rather than thinking more into it, he chose to brush it aside as nothing and step away.

Alex pouted, but looked at Rae instead. "So, what brings you all here? Did Rae and Matty finally decide to come visit?"

"No, actually." Rae's face suddenly went serious. "We need your help. Voltron has a few allies, but the Galra's numbers have grown drastically in a year. What we have just isn't enough. I was hoping to get you and the Roens on our side, but I know that it will be hard since Keith and I are here. A lot of planets will not help knowing we're half-breeds. Not to mention we have the Blade of Marmora on our side."

"We will not fall to that." A darkness swirled inside her emerald eyes, making her look scary. "Prejudice has taken over too many minds, but I refuse to let it do the same to ours. If my people will not stand with you, I will. I always will, and you know that. It'll take some convincing, but I will get them to hear you out. Let me take Pidgey and Sexy, we'll convince them."

Rae nodded, ushering Shiro and Pidge to go with her. Pidge groaned a little due to the nickname, but she was excited to see more of Roe and its people.

Alex led the two over the hill, toward a large tent where the rest of the warriors were. A makeshift base, Shiro guessed. Why they didn't use the castle, he did not know. Maybe in case of an attack? He noticed as they got closer that Alex was getting more and more nervous. He contemplated asking why, but one look from her made him reconsider. "So, what do we have to do to get them to ally with us?"

The woman sighed. "My planet is separated by three leaders. The king, Alistair, is the leader of the guard. Our protectors. Kelix oversees the philosophers. They keep up with all things knowledgeable and are usually good with decision-making. And finally, there is Thoran. He leads the healers, tending to all injuries and illnesses. For an alliance to be formed, two out of three leaders must give their vote. Sadly, two of our leaders' hands are tied by Zarkon. I'm hoping that speaking with all of you will give them the backbone they need to fight back."

"No offense but that's a lot of hope to have," Pidge commented. "I mean I hope it works too, but the last time we had to convince people to fight, we had to basically throw out their leader."

"Let's just say it's taken a lot of convincing for any of our allies to side with us," Shiro added. "We've always run into a challenge."

Alex sighed. "You'll run into one here, too. Thoran caved out of fear, but Kelix… she has become power-hungry. She'll be the hardest to convince."

Shiro grimaced. "We can't let that stop us. Whatever we must do, we'll do it. Rae trusts you and wants you as an ally, and with seeing how fast you are, I don't blame her."

The crimson-haired girl couldn't help blushing from his words. She also admired the fact that he trusted her best friend when most probably wouldn't. As they reached the entrance of the tent, Alex's anxiety became nearly unbearable. She wasn't ready for them to learn the truth about her.

She took a deep breath and walked inside. As soon as the warriors saw her, they kneeled and bowed their heads. "Um… is this normal," Pidge questioned, feeling puny compared to the Roens around her. She also noticed that all of them were much taller than Alex, though she decided to keep that observation to herself.

An intimidating blonde man stood before the others in full armor, looking over a map of the surrounding area. His bright green eyes matched Alex's and he smiled brightly. "Ah, my dear daughter, you've returned. I take it you found what landed on our outskirts?"

Alex nodded, stepping aside to bring his attention to the paladins. "These are two of the five paladins of Voltron. They were brought here by my friends and have a proposition for you."

Shiro stepped forward, gulping down his nervousness. "Sir,"

"King," one of the guards corrected, chuckling at the tiny human's mistake.

"Right, sorry. King… wait," he looked over at Alex. "This is king Alistair? You're a princess?"

Alex hangs her head in defeat, hating that they now knew who she truly was.

"Oh…well…" He cleared his throat and focused on his task. "Your majesty, we need your help. The war is still going, and the Galra are still ruling over the universe. We need to put an end to Zarkon's reign, and with your help, we come one step closer to accomplishing our goal. We ask that you please side with us in this war."

Alistair sighed and took his seat. "I'm afraid I cannot help you."

"But father," Alex blurted out, standing right in front of the table. "We must help them! Zarkon has taken too many lives and has brought fear to almost everyone! We cannot just sit by and do nothing while these people fight for us."

"Yes, but without the others, I cannot make this decision. And with the information of the one paladin and their newest ally, there is simply nothing I can do."

Pidge could've sworn Alex's hair grew brighter as anger was evident on her face. The princess slammed her fist into the table, breaking it in two. "How can you say that?! So, what if they're Galra? I cannot speak for the one, but the other is Rae and she is the one who risked her life for me almost every day! She is the reason I am here and not still in a cell, being tortured and experimented on! When did our planet become filled with prejudice?" She was nearly in tears, shaking from anger.

To Shiro's surprise, Alistair remained calm. "Perhaps if your friend and the paladin speak with the others, they can come to an understanding. As for me, my dear one," he stood and gently caressed his daughter's cheek. "You know I will always stand by you and your word."

Alex smiled and hugged her father, then turned to prance off. Pidge and Shiro exchanged looks before following her. "Oh, if you two wouldn't mind not telling Rae I'm a princess, that would be great. I don't need her seeing me differently."

The two nodded in unison, amazed with how calm and happy she was now. "So now we just have to get Keith and Rae to talk to the two that are under Zarkon's watch," Pidge said aloud. "Great, while we're at it, why won't we just call up Zarkon himself? See if he wants to vote, too!"

Shiro shook his head. "Keith may not be the best with others, but he knows when to do the right thing. He'll come through."

"And Rae may be extremely awkward and sometimes hostile, but she's also excellent at getting people to fight. They can do it, I know they can." Alex giggled, hoping everything went smoothly. "Plus, with Rae and the red one gaining us as allies, that means I get more time with you, sexy."

Pidge did her best holding her tongue. Shiro sighed and looked at the princess. "Can you please not call me that?"

"Fine," she pouted slightly, but then quickly grinned. "I'll just think of a better nickname for you."

Shiro groaned. Before he could say another word, they had already made it back to the lions. He could see Matt and Rae talking, Matt telling her stories of his adventures with the rebels, and Lance, Hunk, and Keith contemplating on whether the two were a couple or not. Rae saw them approaching and ran to meet them. "So, what's the plan?"

"You and Keith must convince Kelix and Thoran to side with us." Alex stated, become slightly more serious. "You both are the half-breeds, so it's up to you. This trial will determine what we do. Succeed, and we shall be your allies. Fail, and I'm afraid I will be the only Roen to fight alongside you."

A/N: Chapter 10 is finally complete! My apologies for such a long hiatus, new job has put a lot of stress on me, mentally and physically. Also, this chapter required my co-writer's stamp of approval before being published. Shout out to my co-writer lunarmother1103, who has inspired the character Alexandria, and has helped me out so much with this whole story. I'm so happy to have this character finally involved, and it'll only get better from here. Please follow along, and feel free to review. Your comments and input will be greatly appreciated! Until next time!