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As Color Fades Away

Chapter Seventy-One

Lance was back in the Astral Plane.

But it was different from before. Before when he'd come here from Haggar's interference he had seen his quintessence stretching out in front of him; blue marred with the black , and he had been some sort of specter; there but not.

This time...

This time he was the quintessence and he had a form.

He glanced down, surprised to see that he was wearing his favorite jacket, although it was not the hunter green he was familiar with as it was instead as blue as the rest of him, his skin included.

And he was glowing.

Lance blinked at his hand but the glow did not diminish nor did the form vanish.

He was here. As himself.

And Haggar…

He turned around in a circle, floating and yet grounded, looking for any sign of her. But there were only swirls of colors – blue, red, green, yellow and black – looping about the space, encircling him completely.

He felt…

He felt safe.

"Blue?" he whispered and he could feel an answering roar inside of him.

Those colors were the Lions. They were the barrier.

But… what did he do now?

Haggar had sent them here to harvest his quintessence but there was no sign of her.

Had she already been destroyed by the barrier? No. He shook his head. There was no way she would go down that easily, not even putting up a fight.

She was here.

Somewhere.

He shivered, wrapping his arms about himself, the quintessence flowing like water over his skin. He was uninjured, he realized, blinking at his still scarred but otherwise intact left hand. The pain had near all vanished too, save for a steady ache in his head that he vaguely thought might be permanent.

It was a good ache though. It meant the Lions were there. That they were protecting him.

"Thank you," he said softly, the word seeming to echo in the space and there was a feeling of love then, so overwhelming in his mind that he near stumbled.

"Can… can you help me?" he asked, knowing that wherever they were they could hear him. "Can you help me fight her?"

Yes the answer resonated within him, numbers of completion, feelings of passion all wrapped up into the projection.

He turned around again, looking for Haggar. It's not that he wanted still really to face her but time was running out. He needed to beat her here so he could get back to Hunk. So he could still try and save one member of his family.

He directed his gaze then to the red and green spirals, trails of flame and twining vines nearly visible in the burst of colors.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to them, guilty settling heavy over his heart.

There was a whisper of confusion, a string of numbers pressing on his mind that he didn't fully understand but he could tell still that they were asking a question, unfulfilled.

"Pidge and Keith… they… they…"

Dios, he still couldn't say it. Saying it made it real.

He didn't want it to be real.

But he needed to tell them. They had given up their energy to protect him instead of their Paladins. And because of it…

Now they were dead.

It was his fault.

"They're… they're…" he swallowed thickly. "They're d—"

A harsh cracking rent the air, fissures appearing in the blackness of the Astral Plane beyond the border of his colored circle, cutting off his words. Lance hated that he felt such relief at the interruption.

It morphed immediately back to horror though as Haggar emerged through the rift she had created, features clearly visible despite the distance that separated them. Her yellow eyes were narrowed and a snapping sort of black and purple light fluctuated around her, striking against the colors with small crackles.

Lance felt sick as their gazes met.

However, he straightened his shoulders, pushing the twisted feeling away.

No.

He was in control here. He was done letting her walk about his mind. He was done letting her hurt his family.

It ended now.

"Blue," he whispered, not sure what exactly it was he was asking, but trusting his Lion to know the answer.

My Paladin came her reply, thrumming with power and love. Lions protect my Paladin. Lions stop witch.

There was an answering sense of power, the colors flaring with intensity around the barrier and Haggar's sharp inhale was music to his ears.

Witch never touch my cub again.

That seemed to be the cue as streaks of the colors broke off from the iridescent wall and Lance could see wavering astral forms in them of the Lions, made up of their elements, and hear their battle cries.

Blue struck first, passing through Haggar and sending her flying backwards on a tidal wave with a short scream. Red was there then, fire crackling and meeting Haggar's black lightning with her own raw power. Yellow rolled the ground beneath their feet, upheaving and sending Haggar stumbling with a short cry.

She didn't get far as Green launched herself, pinning her down with trails of green light and then Black roared, shaking the very universe around them. The Lions vibrated with victory inside his head.

"No!" Haggar's shriek echoed above it all and there was a blast of black lightning that shot into the very heavens themselves and disintegrated Green's light and sent the other colors flying backwards.

The Lions screamed and Lance cried out with them as his head pulsed with sheer agony, lights of all colors flashing in his vision.

His legs buckled, sending him crashing to the ground.

The Lions went in again, striking hard and quick but more wary this time of the black and purple lightning that flickered about Haggar.

Lance could feel their unease at her power and here, connected as he was to them, he too could see why. It wasn't just energy that surrounded Haggar as he'd thought, or even magic. It felt like thousands upon thousands of quintessences, brutally forced together, wailing out despair as they were used as a shield against the Lions' attacks.

Haggar was not using her own quintessence. No. She was fighting with others instead, sacrificing them with little heed and amplified by her own dark soul and magic that burned a sick mixture of black and purple light at her core.

They were driving her back again, Red pushing against the blackness and bolstered by Yellow when there was a flicker of blue light from within the darkness that upon sight made Lance's stomach twist.

What was that?

Wrong he heard Blue whine, horror channeling down their link, and the cry was echoed by the other Lions, amplifying in its intensity.

Wrong?

Wrong! screamed Blue, her panic near tangible and Lance shuddered.

"Bl-Blue," he gasped, trying to reach out to her.

What was happening?

What was wrong?

She cried out again, recoiling away from Haggar, who pursued and struck at Blue's waves with the sick feeling light. Lance could only watch in terror as his Lion's astral form took but a step and then collapsed.

Something inside him broke.

"Blue!" he screamed, surging to his feet and racing to the very edge of the barrier. "Blue!"

The other Lions were surrounding their fallen brethren, snarling at Haggar but not moving to attack.

Lance could feel their fear.

The sick feeling grew.

"Blue!"

He slammed against the barrier but it held firm, keeping him separated from the Lions and Haggar.

There was a sharp presence in his mind, a commanded feeling of Stay! that seemed to come from Red while Black roared a desperate note and unbidden pictures of corpses, gaping black holes and blood stained water filled his vision.

Lance didn't understand.

He didn't want to.

He just wanted to get to Blue.

Haggar though was moving again, but she was not pursuing the downed Blue Lion. She was heading for the barrier. For him.

Lance choked on his next breath as Yellow pulled herself away from the group, yellow and white light rippling as she placed her bulk between Haggar and Lance.

And although he couldn't explain why he knew that if Haggar touched her then she was going to be hurt. Just like Blue.

Just like everyone else.

He only ever hurt his family.

"R-run," he begged, desperation growing as Red joined her sister while Green and Black stood guard over Blue, who was lying, so, so still.

Lance couldn't feel her anymore.

"Run!" he screamed, voice raw. "Please!"

They charged instead.

Haggar did not attack with her black and purple lightning. She raised the blue glow instead.

Lance wailed as that sick light brushed against Red and Yellow, sending them staggering to the sides and his head pounded, even as Yellow pushed herself up and came back for another pass, sending the ground rumbling ahead of her.

"No! No! Stop!"

She did. A complete and utter halt as Haggar drove a violet wreathed hand through her head.

Lance collapsed again.

Red bellowed, sending fire racing around Haggar. The flames turned black and Red shrieked as they turned on her, swallowing her up whole.

Agony exploded across his vision.

Haggar strode forward without any resistance now, passing the still form of Yellow and paused just outside the barrier. Lance could faintly hear Green and Black still in his head, growling and fierce but not engaging.

The rest of the Lions were quiet.

Gone.

They were gone.

Lance whimpered, curling up against the base of the barrier that still had not let him leave, hands clutched in his hair as though that could make the pain lessen.

It did not.

"I am impressed, my Lance," Haggar smiled, crouching down so she was more at his level and raised a black-wreathed fisted hand. "You are as always full of surprises. However," her lips twisted up even more, "so am I."

She opened her hand then and nestled in her palm was a glowing blue light, the color he had seen in the battle.

But inside the light…

There was a pitch blackness, tendrils creeping out like a disease.

It was tainted. Dark.

Evil.

Lance immediately understood the wrong feeling.

"No," he choked out

"Yes" Haggar whispered. "This is your quintessence, my Lance. Isn't it beautiful?"

How?

How had she gotten that?

What had she done to his quintessence?

"It is not much, a drop really, but I managed to take it from our first visit here." Haggar caressed the sick orb. "I have nurtured it well, amplified its power with my own. Do see you see it now, my Lance? Do you see the power you could possess with me?"

Her hand closed about it, hiding it from view although not out of mind. "I admire your attempt to keep me away," she nodded at the barrier. "Truly, this is a masterpiece. However." She pressed her hand against the wall and it let out a sharp crack that Lance felt inside. "Such a creation cannot stand against itself. It would go against its very being."

She pushed harder and the barrier began to splinter away, Lance's own tainted quintessence destroying it.

"You are bonded with the Lions," she observed. "And as such…" A sneer twisted her features. "You are the weakest link. You will bring them all to their knees."

No.

No.

Yet even as he denied it in his mind he could not deny the truth. His quintessence was hurting the Lions.

He was hurting the Lions.

He'd done this.

"What was it I once told you?" Haggar smirked as Lance moaned, fisting his hands against his heart as he felt another crack go through him and felt Black and Green's shared pain as well. "There is no escape for you, my Lance. Not from me."

And with her words there was a final shattering both inside and out and the barrier dispersed in a whirl of colored light.

However…

Lance could still feel Black and Green in his head. They had not disappeared. Their connection had not been lost with the destruction of the shield.

What did that mean?

Was… was Blue still there? She had to be, right? Haggar couldn't have... have killed her. No She had to be.

He threw out his mind, seeking her, but pain pushed down and he broke off the search.

Haggar was there then, smiling down upon him with victory in her eyes.

"And now you are mine," she murmured, reaching out her hand.

FIGHT!

The feeling rather than the word flooded Lance's senses – passion and desperation and fear and hope all rolled into one – and he moved on instincts born of himself and the presences guiding him.

His hands shot out above him, pulsing with his own blue quintessence, and he pictured it like a wave; deadly and strong and unforgiving. And just like the first time in the mindscape where the ocean had struck, so too did this one and Haggar was pushed away from him with a short gasp. He wasn't even afraid of it, he realized, as the water bore Haggar away. It was his water. His quintessence.

It felt right.

Lance rolled to his feet, blood pounding and a roaring in his ears that he realized was Black and Green and…

His heart stopped.

"Blue?"

Her voice was quieter but it was there once more.

She was there

She was alive.

My Paladin came her whisper. Fight with Lions.

"How?" the word coming out a plea as Haggar pulled herself to her feet.

He heard their roars and their astral forms, all back on their feet – Blue, he breathed– charged for him. It should have been terrifying, these five mighty creatures bearing down, but Lance opened his arms as though to embrace them all.

They were there then, rushing into him and his head throbbed as it had just hours ago when all of the Lions had taken up residence and bursts of color seared his eyes. He staggered as he felt the power well up, so much, too much, inside of him.

Fight.

It was a command, a request, a plea, a hope, a call to arms and Lance clung to it against the maelstrom of other emotions and feelings and overpowering beings vying for a spot in his head.

Fight with Lions Blue murmured, her presence swimming to the front and letting him draw a full breath as she calmed the turbulence. Fight with… me.

The word was imbued with smiles and laughter, an echo of Lion loves 'me' dancing in his mind and the worst of the fear was blanketed beneath it.

Lance sucked in a breath.

He could do this.

They could do this.

"Together," he said quietly and roars of approval met it.

He felt Blue shift away and there was instead fire thrumming along his veins, filling his heart with a passion and tempered anger.

It felt different but… but not bad.

Lance let it come, seeing red sparks float about his still blue-wreathed hands. Red was not taking over his quintessence, she was not changing him.

She was merely using him as a channel.

An anchor, he remembered Allura using the word.

He was an anchor and they were the ship. Red the cannons, Green the rigging. Yellow was the hull, Black the sails. And Blue was the water keeping them all afloat.

Not an anchor, Lance reiterated, not in the literal sense. He was not pulling them down, sinking them. No. He was the helm. The direction.

And it was time he steered them forward.

Haggar was coming towards him, lightning crackling in her hands and being amplified by the blue glow.

Destroy he felt the Lions say. It was bad. Evil. Wrong.

It had to go.

"Red," Lance whispered, letting her primal instincts guide him into lifting his right hand, fingers splayed.

And fire blazed.

They were red and blue flames, mixed together as one with both his own quintessence and Red's.

Lance pictured the cannon, glowing with heat. And a small smirk coming to his lips despite everything, Blue laughing along with him at the pun, he ordered, "Fire."

Haggar threw her hands up as the flames whooshed at her, batting them away with a hiss and sizzle of her own power.

"You think this will stop me?" she called out, eyes snapping in the firelight. "You are weak, my Lance."

Lance ignored her words. He was not weak. He was not.

He never had been.

And he was not done.

"Green," he summoned and around his left arm green vines appeared, small blue flowers dotting their length.

Green calculated trajectories at him, odds and chances and Lance's mind reeled at the influx of information, not entirely comprehending but still understanding the meaning. Green took that as an affirmative and launched herself forward, seizing around Haggar's ankles, tripping her up while more climbed around and around.

Pain pulsed in Lance's head and Green screamed as black light ate into her vines, flowers shriveling only to come back and suffer the same fate.

But although there was agony it was not the same level of wrongness as before. The blue light was growing smaller, fainter, and based on Haggar's shriek as Red's flames tried to light up the hand holding it she was losing her connection to it.

To him.

Just a little more.

"Yellow!" Lance cried and beneath his left foot he felt the ground shake, a fissure stretching out across the Plane and angling towards Haggar.

She stumbled as the ground beneath her erupted, a mixture of yellow stone and blue crystals, that sought to down her.

Yellow made another pass and Haggar had no choice but to dodge around it as a sinkhole split open under her.

"Blue!" Lance screamed and he felt his Lion roar like the ocean waves, a gushing rapid extending from his right foot and eating up the space between them in a mad torrent. She joined with Yellow in striking around Haggar, crashing down like a breaking surf upon the witch and sending her tumbling, only for Yellow's torn earth to send her back into the throes of water.

An image appeared in Lance's head then, a sun being eclipsed by a moon and the glowing black and white light that resulted.

It was beautiful.

It was the end.

"Black," Lance whispered, feeling the last Lion crouched in his head. "Go."

She needed no second bidding.

Black light sprinkled with blue stars rushed past him as though coming out of his eyes, her glow momentarily darkening the landscape. The power, the protection, imbued in this darkness though was so so different from Haggar's.

Black crashed into the witch with all the weight of the universe behind her, descending on Haggar's hand that was being immobilized by Green's vines and contained by Red's fire.

And in a blink Black had wrapped about the last bit of tainted blue and pulsed.

Haggar screamed.

It was an inhuman shriek and Lance clapped his hands over his ears with a yell of his own as the world seemed to shake about them.

The Lions retreated from the writhing witch to rush back to him, swirling in a dizzying circle and leaving colored streaks behind.

They were rebuilding the barrier.

It was smaller, wrapped nearly flush against his skin, but it was there and it was strong and secure.

My Paladin safe now Blue purred, wrapping him up within her essence that had just moments ago been as unforgiving as a storm but was now as gentle as a spring rain. Witch never touch again.

Echoing purrs of the same comforted him, twining about like house cats around his ankles, filling him with their strength and love.

Lance sent back the same, knowing he could never say thank you enough for what they had just done for him. He caressed each color with his own, feeling the vibrations of contentment and love flow down their conjoined links.

The ache in his head was still there, still steady, but like before it was a comforting presence.

They were here, with him. Together they had stood against Haggar.

Together they had beaten her.

But as if summoned the witch staggered to her feet several yards away. Her hood had been thrown back, revealing wild hair and even madder eyes. Small trickles of black and purple lightning flickered at her fingertips.

"No," she hissed, taking a lumbering step forward. "No."

Lance tensed and immediately he felt the Lions' hackles rise.

Not quite beaten yet.

"No," she repeated, eyes sparking. "He is mine."

No came the answering roar, Blue's voice echoing across the Plane and Haggar drew up short. Not yours Blue growled.

Lance trembled at the sheer love and protection coursing from Blue, standing strong in the face of his greatest nightmare.

"You—"

Mine Blue declared, cutting Haggar off. Paladin is mine. Lion is Paladin's. Not yours. Never yours.

"He belongs to me," Haggar snarled. Lance was hers. She had found him. She had seen his power. She had cultivated it. It belonged to her.

And she would not lose it.

A ball of black lightning formed in her hand, the last of her power. Every drop of stolen quintessence, of magic, of herself she poured into it.

He would be hers forever.

She met his eyes through the iridescent barrier. Hatred and longing swelled up all at once as he held her gaze; the fear she craved masked behind a quiet strength.

She would break it.

And then she would make him her own. He would belong to her.

No came the echoing response that was the Blue Lion. And he never will.

Haggar screamed and charged.

She was coming fast, robe and hair flying out on a self-created wind.

She would be upon them any second.

Lance braced himself, hands clenched.

Do not worry, my Paladin Blue intoned her words a caress. All will be well.

Lance's hands smoothed out, trust taking up residence over the fear.

He trusted Blue, the Lions, with everything he had. He believed in them. In their power. And without his poisoned quintessence to usurp them there was nothing they could not overcome.

They would stop Haggar.

Here.

Now.

She would never hurt anyone again.

"I know," he answered simply, pushing every feeling he had behind the words.

He felt Blue smile and he returned it.

There was nothing to fear anymore.

Haggar crashed against the barrier screaming, violent black lightning striking hot.

Lance shouted.

The Lions roared.

And the Astral Plane exploded in color.

xxx

Author's Notes:

It wasn't exactly subtle, but everyone notice the particular positions of the Lions fighting with Lance? Ah hah. I'm pretty proud of it still.

So. Let me just say this was one of the hardest chapters I've written. Probably the hardest if we're being honest. There was so much riding on this moment. I will add that Lance will not be doing this kind of attack in the future; it's an Astral Plane thing only to bond with the Lions and their quintessences like that and I highly doubt (in this timeline) the Paladins will ever do battle on the Plane again. Going forward with what the Lions have done is all about the connection to them and sensing that and the others. Not turning Lance into Voltron himself. Promise (it'd be wicked cool though, wouldn't it? ;p).

Also, for those of you who are fans of the Shiro and Keith backstory in here I have added to my headcanon (re: canon now xD) fanfic of how the two of them meet to Keith moving into the Garrison. If that's your cup of tea it's titled Stand Together Now, Carry On and will be a total of three chapters. Be sure to give it some love if you read!

And back to Color, please do leave a comment before you go. I'd love to hear from you.