Role Reversal ~ Part 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Voltron or any of its characters.
Rating/Setting: Rating is T. Setting is DotU in flavor and is AU. You need to have read "Role Reversal" in order to make sense of this twist on the Voltron DotU universe. ;-)
Summary: Sequel to Role Reversal. What if Keith were the prince and Allura was the pilot? Please read Role Reversal before reading this one.
Author's Note: So, this story is the continuation of "Role Reversal" which was a challenge from the former KAEX group member, Cheetoy. In this case, Keith is the Prince and Allura is the Alliance pilot. It's hard to believe that it's been almost 7 years since I finished it. I've reread it several times since and it's one of my favorite stories. I decided that it was finally time to brush the dust off the sequel that I started writing when it finished. I scrapped the chapter and a half that I had written and began again. I hope that you enjoy learning the rest of the story.
If you have PM enable, I do reply back to reviews! :) A Thanks to all who are reading and an extra thanks to those who review!
**Well, I'm still moving slow on this, but I have to say that I think I have 'though't my way through several chapters and am on Chapter 12 now. I have to say that this chapter is probably my favorite I have written for this sequel. I hope you enjoy it too!
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Chapter Nine
Keith stared at the witch through the bars of his cell. She held a cup in her hands, and he knew it was the potion that would put him to sleep so that he could be transported to arena. For once, he was glad to see Haggar. He wasn't eager to fight but he was eager to be free and to do that, he would have to fight. Whatever help he was going to get from others, it wouldn't occur until he was in the arena or on the way out. But he needed to be awake and not under Haggar's potion's spell or tranquilized. And he had to admit, he couldn't blast out so much energy that he would knock himself out. The darkness that was within him began to bubble up as he gazed into her yellow eyes.
Haggar cackled, "Yes, dark prince, you would love to engage me in battle." She smiled at him, "Not this night, Prince. You see me as your enemy but if you let your darkness guide you, you can see me as the ally that I am."
Keith snorted, "You only want to drain me of my energy and then you are done with me as you were with my father."
"You are not your father, Keith." Her eyes narrowed and she stepped closer, "Why would I destroy such a source of power?" She gestured toward his cuffs. "They give me hardly anything because you know not to use your power. Draining your energy as you died would give me a brief surge, but having you give me energy? That, Prince of Arus, would benefit us both as you could receive training in maximizing your power."
Keith's eyes narrowed as the darkness drew closer. "You would teach me? You would not be afraid of me?" The fact that he was even asking these types of questions indicated that his resolve was weakening as the darkness grew.
"Yes, I would teach you." She paused a moment, "As for being afraid of you? I have not lived as long as I have without respecting others and their abilities." Once again, she gestured at the cuffs. "I do not have those on you just to draw power. It is a sign of respect for what you are and for what you could do. It is why you are drugged going into the arena and out of it. It is why I put wards up to protect those watching. Prince Keith is to be respected; Obsidian would be someone to fear." She let that statement hang in the air for a moment and then added, "As I am to be feared."
Keith looked at her for a moment and reached his hand through the bars to take the cup. Before taking a drink, he said, "I will not attack the royal box tonight." He had other plans this evening. He moved to the cot and laid down and almost immediately blacked out.
.**********.
Keith came to awareness just as before. Suddenly and with a clarity of what was around him. The lift was almost in place. His right hand pressed itself into the sand as he sought to reacquaint himself with the construct of the arena floor. It was vital that he select the right spot to target at the end of his battle. He located it just as the lift clicked into place and the sand blended together seamlessly to hide the lift. But it didn't matter. The one he wanted was known to him. It had the disadvantage of being closer toward the royal box and Haggar, but it wasn't too far away and it should be easy to move the battle to the area so that when the skirmish was over, he wouldn't have far to go. He also had to remember the guards and their tranquilizers.
His thoughts were brought to the here and now as a roar went out over the sands of the arena. Keith's eyes quickly found a humanoid whose skin coloring was the same as Keith's own. But he had long red hair, was more muscular and stood seven feet tall. Not an easy kill but he hadn't expected one. The crowd was shouting two names this night, Obsidian and Osis.
Keith kept a wary eye on his opponent as he moved in the direction of the floor tile that he wanted. He spun his metal sword around in his hand. Not really the weapon he would need to short-circuit the already faulty floor tile, but he was sure his magic would make it work. Keith generated a magical shield for his left arm as he and Osis moved toward each other. He wanted to end this quickly; he was ready to be free. But free to do what? Return to Arus and return to his duties as Prince Keith Kogane? Or stay here and wreak some havoc as Obsidian on those who killed his family? Arus would still be waiting when he was done….
"Aaaaaargh!" Keith yelled as his sword clashed with Osis'. His lips were pulled back in a snarl as hair began to stick to the sweat that was now coming out on his brow and running down the sides of his face. Osis was a skilled fighter and wanted this victory as much as Keith as it was a winner take all match. Someone would die and each planned on it being the other. Osis put on a barrage of sword slashings and it was all Keith could do to take it on his shield or deflect with his sword. Then, Keith miss-stepped as he was backing up. Osis's downward slash caught Keith's sword near its hilt and knocked it from his grasp. The impact between the two swords sending vibrations all through Keith's arm.
Stupid mistake! Keith berated himself as he threw up another shield with his right hand to take the blows that continued from Osis who was also starting to mock Keith for his error. Keith looked to the sword that was now behind Osis and in the wrong direction that he wanted to go for the arena floor tile. He made a decision and dropped his shields as he turned and ran the short distance to the spot where he wanted to end things. Osis was laughing and walking slowly towards Keith thinking he had all the time in the world… but he didn't.
Keith kept his eyes glued to Osis and extended his arms and brought his two closed fists together as Voltron would do and then drew them apart as he softly whispered to himself, "Form blazing sword." When Keith raised his right arm in the air, it held a magical glowing blue rendition of Voltron's iconic sword. A hush fell over the crowd and Osis paused in his stride and then broke into a run. Keith leapt in the air, powered to a greater height by his magic and brought the sword down in an angled strike cleanly severing the shield Osis had thrown up as a defense and then the sword cleanly sliced the gladiator from his left shoulder to his right hip. There was no explosion or even blood this time as the wound was cauterized by the heat of the magical sword.
A hush fell over the arena as Keith quickly stood from his crouch and ran in the direction of the tile he needed. He quickly threw up several shields to cover most of his body. For some reason he could not form a dome to cover himself completely, but hopefully he would be done and gone before one of the darts made it through his defenses. He raised his sword and drove it into the weak spot that he knew was between the tiles.
.**********.
In the royal box, both Merla and Lotor surged up and out of their thrones while Zarkon merely leaned forward.
Lotor's intense gaze turned to Haggar as he incredulously asked, "Did he just form a Blazing Sword?"
Haggar did not take her vivid yellow eyes from the brightly lit arena and the prince therein. "He did."
Lotor looked back at Keith and watched him drive the sword into the arena floor and then the tile began to descend. Something that shouldn't be possible. He turned quickly back to Haggar as he asked, "How was he –" But Haggar was gone.
.**********.
Sven watched with both excitement and trepidation at the scene unfolding before him on the arena floor. Unfortunately, he was on the same level as the arena looking through the cracks that he had watched through previously. Seeing that Keith was going to exit through the lower level of the arena floor he quickly signaled the men with him to head for the tunnels. It would be up to Romelle and the men with her on the lower level to assist Keith.
.**********.
The tile in the arena floor made some high-pitched metallic sounds but then it bent to the will of Keith's magic and began to descend. Since this was more or less a malfunction, the sand began streaming off the sides as Keith jumped on. Using his magic, he pushed to make the tile go down even as it strained to return to its normal position. When the opening was large enough, he slid through just as he saw the brown robe of Haggar approaching. The tile began its upward return as Haggar began to use her own magic to counter it. But the space was too small for Haggar at the moment and Keith rushed toward the nearest wall looking for those who might help him.
"Keith!" a voice called out. One that he thought he recognized. "Keith! This way! Hurry! We don't have much time!" The tile that had almost closed completely was now descending and the sound of guards in the nearby corridors was growing.
Keith ran toward the voice and saw that it was Romelle and he followed her and three others to opening in the wall that was just large enough for him to crawl through. Two of the men had already gone through and the third was almost in when Keith reached them. "Romelle!" he said breathlessly.
Romelle's eyes were on the descending tile. Soon Haggar would be able to see them. "Not now, go!"
Keith dropped to his knees and as soon as he had entered the opening, he was grabbed by the arms and pulled quickly in. Romelle was right behind him shutting the opening. Keith went to speak but one of the men who could just barely be seen in the glow of the crystals embedded in the wall shook his head "no." He remained silent as the sounds in the room beyond grew. Romelle was still on the floor with her ear pressed to the wall and then she moved so that her eye was to an invisible crack in the wall. She raised her hand in the air but no one moved. Then she gave them a sign indicating that all was well… at least for movement. The three men that were in front of Keith in the passage turned and began silently moving through the narrow space but did not talk. He looked behind him to see that Romelle had stood and was gesturing for him to follow the men. Giving her a nod, he turned and followed his rescuers into the dim passage.
.**********.
In Zarkon's throne room, the mood was intense and volatile. The family had removed there while Haggar was investigating and now she was on her way to report. While Zarkon lounged in his throne drinking wine from a goblet, Merla stood rigidly next to him with her arms crossed and her eyes on her brother who was pacing rapidly back and forth in front of their father.
"Do you take any responsibility for this, Sister?" Lotor stopped his pacing to glare at Merla.
"Am I in charge of arena security?"
"That is not what I meant, and you know it!" Lotor snarled as he took a step toward her. She, in return, uncrossed her arms and put a hand on the dagger at her waist.
Zarkon waved his free hand in the air and loudly said, "Enough! We know Kogane is a wildcard but nothing has happened to any of us."
"Not for lack of trying!" Lotor said with his eyes still on his sister who had now pulled her dagger free.
"Merla, put away your knife and Lotor stop glaring at your sister," Zarkon said before taking another sip of wine. "I don't need to be referee to the two of you while Kogane is on the loose."
With the dagger sheaved, Lotor turned back to his father. "And why is he loose? Because Merla and Haggar want more power, that's why!"
Zarkon put the goblet down with what sounded almost like a sigh. "We have discussed this-" then he stopped as Haggar was allowed into the room.
She moved at a fast speed with her staff marking each pace. When she was at the throne, she bowed low before speaking. "Sire, the Prince of Arus has not yet been located. We believe that the escaped slaves in the castle were able to secret him away before I could get to the lower level."
Silence.
Then Lotor spoke, "So you are telling us, that a sorcerer that can sent out enormous energy blasts and form blazing swords with his bare hands is loose in the castle?" When Haggar went to respond he raised a hand and added, "And this same sorcerer would like nothing better than to see us all die?"
Haggar tilted her head slightly to the side and paused before answering. "Yes."