The Resistance

Mornings were getting tougher. Keith was back to sleeping in his room after an unfortunate incident involving an alarm and misplaced clothing. That's not to say he did every night, but for the sake of the team it seemed prudent. Still it was lonely and he hated it.

In his sleepy haze, he almost missed Coran's suggestion that they visit the Blade of Marmora. Pidge's intel contained some information that she couldn't completely decrypt. There had been a lot of chatter about the return of someone of importance to the Galra Empire so the team needed to check into it.

Keith swung by the kitchen to grab food for himself and the Princess. He thought he'd surprise her with breakfast in bed. She'd been so tired lately and was sleeping in when she got the chance. Plus, he knew she wouldn't be happy with what he was going to tell her so he didn't want others around to hear the argument he was sure they would have.

He loved watching her sleep. Every chance he had he'd sneak in her room early just to look at her resting peacefully. Today was no different. And every time he wondered just how he was the lucky bastard who managed to win her love. She must have heard him enter the bedchamber; she mumbled incoherently and stretched her slender arms, motioning for him to join her if only for a moment.

He happily obliged, brushing her hair away from her face so he could cover it in small kisses. Her grateful smile made him wish they had longer to stay, but the castle was already on its way to the rendezvous point.

"Good morning my love." He never tired of hearing her say that.

"Good morning, beautiful."

Allura sat up in the bed when she noticed the tray of goodies he'd brought her. Keith went to fetch them while working up the nerve to give her the news. She was happy that the resistance fighters had agreed to help. That changed to anger when he told her she was staying at the castle. He was taking Pidge and Lance; she would need to stay behind in case they had to make a hasty exit.

She couldn't really argue the logic but hated being left out, again. Maybe it was the extra sleep or the fact that she had a full stomach, whatever it was she agreed to the plan. The Captain placed a kiss on her pouty lips and told her how much he was going to miss her, then headed back to the control room to get a status report.

As the castle neared the Blade's coordinates the Red, Blue and Green lions took off towards their destination. Kolivan was there to greet them, being the last of the Galra they had come to trust. He directed one of his technical staff to assist Pidge with the encrypted data. It seemed he was just as interested in who the intercepted messages were about as they were.

Finally, the code was broken. Prince Lotor. The name meant nothing to the paladins but seemed to strike fear into the eyes of the others in the room. Another name seemed important: Pollux, a planet once allied with Altea.

Pollux was inhabited by both Alteans and Galra since before the war. When war between the two seemed inevitable many who feared their families being torn apart decided to colonize a new planet. This included families from the royal houses, advisors and even a paladin of Voltron. The pilot was a female of Altean and Galra decent, considered a part of Alfor's family because of her bravery in battle. She had been commanded to keep the Red lion there for safe-keeping and was placed in a cryogenic chamber to be awoken after Zarkon was defeated.

Unfortunately, Haggar managed to find the pilot and her lion; they were taken to the main station to wait for the other lions to be captured. Some years ago, a resistance agent freed her from the pod and took her to a planet not conquered by the Empire. No one knew what happened to her from there.

Keith took in all this information with careful consideration. He was afraid to say what he was thinking.

"Could that paladin be your mother?" asked Pidge.

"Very possibly, it would make sense don't you think?" Keith could barely breathe.

The revelations didn't end there. Lotor was Zarkon's son and was crueler than his father. He'd been banished after multiple attempts to overthrow the King and take the throne for himself. It was believed that he had been sent to oversee Pollux as it was rich in resources. There was a good chance they could find him there before he left to aid his father in the war.

One more thing, Allura had been promised to him in an arranged marriage before he alliance fell apart. He still felt he held a claim to her and her kingdom, what little was left of it.

The Black Paladin bristled at this. Lotor would never lay a hand on Allura, and Keith would give his life to make sure.

Back on the castle ship the team sat down to share what they had learned. Everyone was having trouble digesting the enormity of what was given them. It was decided that they would leave for planet Pollux in two days so they could prepare as well as rest for what could potentially be a large battle.

Keith stopped the Princess in the hall. He was still shaken at the idea of her being a direct target for the Prince.

"I'm staying with you tonight. No, indefinitely."

"I'll be fine, love, you need to get some sleep."

"How can I sleep if I'm worried about you? I'll bring some extra clothes, just in case."

"Fine, but if you steal the covers I'll put you on the floor."

"Like you'll be able to pry my arms away from you."