"Lord Kogane, this is not a place where I'd recommend sleeping."

Keith startled awake, hand reaching for the knife at his waist. Looking around, he relaxed and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Gnov, it's just you."

"Excuse me while I recover from that devastating blow, my lord," she sarcastically replied.

Keith failed to hide a grin. "Sorry, I didn't get much sleep last night."

Gnov folded her arms, hip cocked. "Mm hmm. I know of many who are curious about how the emperor and his consort 'get along'."

Keith covered his face to hide his embarrassment. It was better to let her think that than to tell her about how he'd spent the night crying in Talias's arms while his emotional dam flooded. "Thanks for agreeing to meet me."

Gnov brushed her bright hair back and nodded. "I was surprised to receive your summons, let alone to meet without your other advisers."

Keith stood and braced himself with one hand on the table. "It's these damn shipments. There has to be a more efficient way to transport supplies through our quadrants."

Gnov tapped a talon against the console and called up the hologram detailing their routes. "So much fuel is wasted on escorts to protect the cargo."

"Right? I've been brainstorming ideas about how to conserve energy until Lotor solves his 'unlimited quintessence' problem."

Gnov chuckled. "I'll keep the disdain in your voice to myself."

Keith groaned. "He is so frustrating at times. Like now, he's off on his own and refusing to listen to my suggestions."

"That's his father coming through. I dealt with Zarkon's stubborn nature many times. I doubt Lotor even realizes he's doing it."

Keith shot Gnov a discreet look. She'd confirmed it. Looking back to the charts, Keith asked, "How do the fleets handle extreme g-force?"

Gnov returned his perceptive glance. "What do you have in mind?"

Keith highlighted a fleet of cargo ships and the planet they would pass the following day. "Where I grew up, we struggled with traveling through the void of space. There were limited ways to reach the outer limits of our sun's orbit. One way was to use a celestial body's personal gravity to slingshot deeper into space."

"And this worked?"

Keith nodded, confident. "I've done it. Of course, I've always flown a fighter when I used the technique and it requires an excellent pilot to avoid crashing into another planet or star on the exit, but it consumes less than a third of the same fuel to reach your destination." Keith chewed on his lip and stared at the charts. "My question is, will the ships handle the strain from their greater mass and are our pilots skilled enough to complete the maneuver without crashing?"

Gnov held a hand to her chin. "It has its merits. I will look into finding a way to test your theory, Lord Kogane, and put together a list of individuals I think may qualify for the task."

She turned to leave, but Keith reached out and put a hand on her arm. "There is one other thing. Lotor will have to approve of any plans we make. When can you show him?"

"Are we on a timeline?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. She really was exceptional at picking up on his nuance. "Gnov, you and I both know your talents are wasted in your current position. It is unfortunate about Janka's untimely demise, but I want to get you more involved with Lotor's inner circle of advisers."

"You scheme against the emperor, my lord?" Gnov's words were treacherous, but she was curious.

Keith folded his arms with a cocky grin. "This is for his benefit, believe me. I may have disagreed with Zarkon's politics, but he trusted your judgement. I read your file while I was still a rebel, and I have to agree, I'm impressed. And we wouldn't have as strong a position had the generals not rallied to you. A lot of what we have is due to your incredible loyalty. Give me a list of candidates you'd trust to replace you as shipment connoisseur, and I will make sure you are transferred to Lotor's inner circle."

"That's a lofty promise, Lord Kogane." Gnov grinned back and repeated, "Clearly you've given this much thought. What do you have in mind?"

Keith spent close to an hour explaining what he knew of the latest conspiracy. "I was missing something, but Lotor mentioned that the paladins of Voltron are coming. It all clicked into place. So while I'm off drawing our enemies' attention, stay close to Lotor. Don't let him wander from your sight. This is important, Gnov. If I'm right... I'll be praying I'm wrong."

"If this goes to plan, I might forgive you for kneeing me in the face."

Keith allowed a fatigued laugh. "You tried to kill me, too, you know."

Gnov's smile softened. She put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "Vrepit sa, Keith. It will be so."

"Vrepit sa, Gnov. Thank you."

Keith adjusted his shirt and walked toward the barracks. The skirt of galra fashion flared in his wake with every step. The working class moved out of his path, but the ones closest to his age would smile behind their hands or look away nervously. Keith would smile to himself. The generation of Zarkon's reign may hold a grudge against him, but the future of the empire didn't just belong to them.

When he entered the barrack where the next graduating class of galra officers trained, Keith strutted to the sparring room. Inside, the instructor, a hulking figure with tattoos across his torso and down one arm, nodded in Keith's direction. Keith went to his side and took in the room with folded arms. He asked, "They know I'd be stopping by, Verolle?"

Verolle grunted. "Ever since they discovered you joined their class in secret, it's all I can do to keep them focused."

Keith snorted. "I'm sorry. I never meant to be a distraction."

"No need. You pose a new challenge to them. After the next break, you can show that take down I asked about." They watched for a while, silent except to comment on the students. Then Verolle shouted, "Everyone stop and take twenty."

The students filed out. Keith smiled, earning giggles from a group of girls. Verolle let out an exasperated moan and shook his head. Then he asked, "Wanna spar?"

"Yeah. Let's."

Keith took up his position on the mats. It was so similar, yet different, to the dojo he and Shiro had trained in. Verolle didn't bother with formalities before attacking, something Keith was grateful for. After a few minutes, Verolle commented, "You're in a good mood today. What's different?"

The question caught him off guard. Verolle's strike landed across Keith's ribs. He rolled with it and came to his feet. "Nothing important." Whispers at the edge of the room made him made Keith look. The students watched curiously through the doorway. He called, "You can come in if you w-"

He was cut off when Verolle put him in a headlock. Verolle laughed as Keith tried to break free before picking him up and holding him over one massive shoulder. Keith laughed and falsely complained, "Put me down!"

"You ready, Keith?"

"You want me to do that now?"

"You're right. We should wait for the rest of the class."

"Verolle!"

His only response was a deep belly laugh that made Keith bounce on his precarious perch. A few minutes later, Verolle still hadn't released Keith when he called, "Alright, cadets, Lord Kogane has graciously accepted to help me demonstrate-" A few students squealed. Verolle raised a bushy eyebrow before continuing, "This will be a new move, one a few of you saw in action last month-"

One of the boys jumped to his feet and shouted, "That cool move he used to incapacitate that assassin who ran through the mess hall?"

Keith leaned forward and grinned under Verolle's arm. "Bingo." Then he threw his weight sideways and wrapped his legs around Verolle's neck. Using his momentum to upset Verolle's balance, Keith knew it wasn't perfect, but it sent them both to the mat. Keith landed in an ungraceful heap and couldn't hold back a laugh. Kneeling, he offered Verolle a hand. "You okay?"

Verolle took hold and they both stood. Patting between Keith's shoulder blades, he answered, "My pride will recover."

Keith put his hands on his belt and smiled up at the students, all of whom were already taller than him. "Alright, I'll demonstrate a few times more how to properly engage an enemy with this move, then I'll break it into sections. Who wants to volunteer?" The quiet chatter broke into a full on shouting match. Keith whispered, "No shortage of willing participants."

Verolle returned from behind, "At least they're enthusiastic."

Keith began his after workout stretching. Most of the students had left to hit the showers, but a few lingered a short distance away. When they worked up the courage to approach, Keith sat up and bent one leg casually. "Was there something you wanted?"

The three girls hid behind the slightly larger boy. He stammered, "We just wanted to thank you. For teaching us. I mean-"

"It's so cool that you come to our classes!" one of the girls blurted. Then she blushed and covered her mouth.

Keith smiled and gestured beside him. "Take a seat?" The other two girls giggled, but the four sat beside him. The boy jolted before awkwardly mimicking Keith's stretches. The first girl to speak knelt behind him with her hands on his shoulders. Keith asked, "How long have you been in Verolle's class?"

One of the shy girls murmured, "A couple years for me and Jewl, but Anjac and Lit transferred last year, Lord Kogane."

Keith tipped his head to the side, stretching his neck. "It's just Keith."

The girl behind the boy hid her face. "No, we couldn't. It's not- you're Emperor Lotor's consort!"

"And that elevates me somehow?"

The girls gave startled gasps, but the boy squeezed the hand on his shoulder. "Maybe... since it's just us... we could ignore your title, Keith. My name's Lit. This is my sister Anjac."

"Fine by me, Lit. You two were in the mess hall that day, right?"

Lit's lavender cheeks flushed. "Yes. I can't believe you'd remember."

Keith bent forward reaching for his toes. "I was trained to pay attention to details. So you're twins?"

Anjac nodded. "We trained hard so that they wouldn't split us up."

"We're all the family we have," Lit finished.

"And what are we?" the quiet girl teased, shoving Lit's shoulder.

Keith sighed. He missed Shiro and his stupid advice. Or Allura's unending optimism, so polar opposite his own attitude toward situations. The way Pidge and Hunk could talk and bicker for hours about technology that was always going to be alien to him. Lance's pep talks and horrible jokes. Coran's terrible mustache. Even Kolivan's encouragement and praise during their missions. The comforting purr of the lions when he couldn't sleep or his emotions went rampant.

"My lord, are you well?"

Keith cleared his throat and offered a smile he tried to pass as genuine. "Yeah, and it's Keith, miss...?"

"Crail."

Keith held eye contact with each of them. "Crail, Jewl, Lit, Anjac, you'll have to excuse me. I'll return to class soon, so I expect good reports from Verolle." He stood, patting Lit's shoulder as he passed.

He walked a short distance before leaning against the wall in a quiet hallway. Looking at the ceiling, he tried to catch his breath. Turned out he hadn't gotten all of his emotions worked out crying into Talias's apron. He closed his eyes in an attempt to decrease stimuli. All it did was help him hear a familiar tap. The sound passed and Keith followed with a turn of his head. When he opened his eyes, a slight figure wearing robes and an oxygen mask met his gaze.

The archivist nodded slowly, eyes crinkled at the corner. Then he continued walking accompanied only to the steady tap of his staff. Keith reached out. "Hey, wait!"

He was running a heartbeat later. Rounding the corner, the flash of the ancient galra's robes disappeared into a room. Keith didn't bother calling again. When he slid around the corner, he reeled back to stop himself. The archivist sat on a bench in some kind of chapel. Purple flames filled a trough along one wall and unfamiliar drawings decorated the back-splash.

Keith found himself asking, "Is that the flame of the-"

"Kral Zera? Yes, it is. I'm glad you recognized it, imperial consort." The archivist gestured to another bench like Keith had for the cadets. "You have questions, yes?"

Keith eased onto the edge of the bench and folded his hands. "How did you know?"

The archivist smiled behind his mask, the expression showing in his dimples. "You were tossed into this, my boy, by fate. In all my years, I haven't witnessed anything like your display at the ceremony. It was unprecedented to meet such a strong warrior who wasn't vying for the throne." He held his staff in both hands and leaned forward. "Fate brought you and Lotor together that sacred night. No, I do not care if you truly sleep with my emperor, but still, you grow close and the citizens trust you more every day. I couldn't hope for more, my son. The flame was right to choose you... to choose you both."

"I'm not a leader," Keith feebly denied.

"Only in acceptance, child." The archivist stood, seemingly every bone in his body creaking or popping. "Care to join me for a stroll?"

Without waiting, he reached for Keith's arm and dragged him along with a hand linked in the crook of the younger's elbow. Keith couldn't believe how strong the archaic galra was, but he went along anyways to ensure he didn't hurt him. The archivist led slowly through the hallways of the ship.

Keith asked, "Where are we going?"

The archivist chuckled. "Nowhere in particular, young one, but you seemed restless. To be full of youthful energy again, heh heh heh."

Keith resisted a confused twitch. "Who are you?"

The archivist gazed down with what Keith would guess was a grandfatherly smile, if he had ever met his grandparents. "Who I am is the archivist. I record all that comes to pass. My memories are linked to those archivists who came before. Who I was no longer exists."

"Like the castle's AI of King Alfor's mind?"

"Before the altean alchemy created such things, we archivists used oral and written accounts. Then advancements rendered such methods obsolete. I am the only archivist until my successor replaces me."

So a historian with the memories of all his ancestors at his disposal. Keith asked further, "You know the history of the galra?"

The archivist chuckled and patted Keith's hand, skin paper thin and dry. "Yes, dear boy. I thought that was the one thing I'd made clear."

Keith felt his neck heat up. "I would like to learn, if you are willing to teach me."

"There is much, too much, for one without training in the methods of the archivists."

Keith stopped walking and felt his shoulders drop and his jaw set. "Then give me the simplified curriculum. I need to know about my mother's heritage. Please."

The archivist's shoulders shook with mirth and he leaned on his staff. "Of course, dear boy. You do not need to be so adamant."

Keith let the lithe elder tug him along again, but he listened as the archivist began with the origin of galra culture. He didn't notice that they'd walked to a section of the ship he usually avoided. The archivist stopped walking and gently removed his arm from Keith's. "That is enough for today, Keith. The hour has grown late."

Keith looked around in shock, finally noticing the shelves and racks of samples and countless recording devices laying around. The archivist used his staff to gesture further into the lab, before turning and hobbling from the witch's lab. Keith hesitantly made his way deeper following the archivist's guidance. When he reached an open section with a work space and a precarious stack of handwritten notes, he sighed.

Lotor had fallen asleep. His arm was folded on the table and one squashed cheek rested on it. Keith shook his head and walked over. The hologram notes were still active casting a blue glow over the prince's resting expression. Closing the hologram, Keith sat beside Lotor and brushed back the ivory locks stuck in the corner of his lips. Keith whispered, "Hey, Lotor, it's time to go back." Lotor moaned, exhaling slowly. Keith smiled, a warm soft expression he had trouble showing the prince when he was awake. Keith rested a hand on Lotor's other arm and said louder, "Come on, sleepyhead. Wake up. I can't let you sleep in these conditions."

Lotor's eyes fluttered and he inhaled sharply. Jolting slightly, his eyes shot to Keith holding his arm, following the hand to Keith's face. "Keith? What are you doing down here? Where was I?"

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You fell asleep."

"What? No I- What time is it?" Lotor looked at the ticker on the wall and cursed. "Is it that late already?"

Keith cursed internally as well. He hadn't even noticed how many hours had passed while the archivist spoke. Standing and suppressing a sudden yawn, Keith pulled on Lotor. "Come on, then. Time we both got some rest."

Lotor slowly stood, stretching with his hands holding his lower back. "I suppose a bed is better than a table."

Keith, too tired to care, let out a small laugh. Lotor raised an eyebrow before coming close and reaching for Keith's hand. Keith didn't resist. The laboratory elevators exited close to their quarters, so they wouldn't continue the intimacy for long. In the elevator, Keith shut his eyes, feeling the grit of staying up too late scratch his lids. The elevator jumped and he fell sideways into Lotor.

Lotor's arm snaked around his shoulder supporting until Keith regained his balance. He was so tired. He continued letting Lotor hold him up longer than necessary. Then the doors opened and he had to start walking again. Keith broke contact with Lotor, only turning back when he reached his bedroom door. "Goodnight, Lotor."

Lotor gave a crooked half smile. "Goodnight, Keith."