Keith moved to the wall between their cells and said louder, "Dad, I can't believe you're alive! The social workers said you'd run out on me, but I knew you'd never do that!"

"Hah, those fools. If they knew the truth, they'd never leave their beds pissing themselves in fear." Alphonse asked more gently, "Azurine took care of you, yes?"

"Yeah, I think, but I didn't meet her or Red or the others until years later. Dad, do you remember Takashi?"

"The Shirogane boy? Smart kid. What about him?"

Keith was shaking with nervous energy. "He raised me after you disappeared and encouraged me to enroll in that piloting school to become an astronaut like him."

"That's incredible, Keith."

Keith rambled on, "That's how I met Pidge. Dad, this is Katie Holt. Shiro worked closely with her father and brother, so we became friends."

Alphonse gently coaxed, "Keith, son, you should not tell me these things."

"But-" Keith protested.

Pidge squeezed his arm. "He's right. The witch is scary, Keith."

Keith realized what they meant with a sharp intake of breath. He put his head against the wall in resignation. "I-I understand, sir."

"I wish I could tell you everything, my son. I wish I could hold you in my arms again, but until we are free, I don't dare risk putting you both in danger. I do this to protect you, Keith... Katie."

Keith sniffled and laughed bitterly. "You sound like Talias."

"Don't tell me you met her as well!?" Alphonse's voice rose in horror.

Keith laughed more genuinely. "She adopted me before I met Krolia and learned who you really are, dad." A pathetic noise came from the next cell and Keith added, "Haggar knows all of this so..."

"But Talias, Keith? What could have possessed her to- Fucking quiznack! Does Zarkon know? Did he hurt you, Keith?"

Pidge answered, "Zarkon is dead... Keith's dad. Lotor killed him during a prisoner exchange to rescue my father."

The silence was stifling. Then Alphonse breathed, "He's gone? The empire has fallen?"

Pidge looked at Keith and cleared her throat. "Well, not exactly. Uh... Keith? Care to elaborate?"

Keith gave her a look. Alphonse asked, "Keith?"

Keith began, "The empire... yeah... it's recovering, but Lotor is ruling peacefully. He's made great steps," his voice cracked and he lowered his pitch, "at making new alliances. Talias and Zarkon's old adviser, Gnov, have been supporting him. Sendak's faction and Haggar's druids are the only forces prominent enough to threaten his rule and there hasn't been an assassination attempt on his life in months."

"Months?" Alphonse groaned. "That explains her renewed insistence during our 'lovely' sessions. So... why did Talias take an interest in you? I hadn't believed she and her sister were on speaking terms, so your identity wasn't compromised."

Keith smiled. There was the take charge attitude he remembered and the thing that made him an amazing general during the great war. "It started with the Kral Zera. Kolivan sent me and two-"

"Kolivan? The current leader of the Blades of Marmora?"

"Just shush up and let me explain! Yes. Kolivan was mentoring me after I completed the trials. Except... The Kral Zera was a mess. Shiro and Lotor appeared just minutes before our explosives went off and I... abandoned the mission. I fought alongside Lotor while Shiro and the other lions drew away the crossfire above Faive. Dad, I may have accidentally, sort of..."

"Son, I can handle it. Please, trust me."

Keith swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. "The thing is, Lotor and I lit the flame of the Kral Zera together."

"What?" Alphonse shrieked. They heard him jump up and pace the length of his cell. "That's impossible! Never has more than one ruled as emperor and you're altean! Talias, is she holding you as collateral?"

"Dad, stop. I am as galra as I am altean and Talias loves me. So does Lotor."

Alphonse's footsteps paused. "What are you saying?"

Keith mentally braced himself. "Dad, this isn't how I wanted to tell you. Hell, I honestly never imagined I'd get the chance, but here goes. Dad... ... ... I'm gay."

Pidge grabbed Keith's arm and yanked him around. "You never came out to your dad?"

"Well, yeah! I didn't even know I was until Shiro explained what I was feeling after he caught me pining for your brother!"

"You married her brother?" Came the response from the next cell.

Keith glared at the wall when Pidge rolled her lips in amusement, wide eyed. He growled out, "Dad, I swear to god, if you don't calm-" He covered his face with both hands and groaned. Taking a deep breath, he continued, "It was a slip. I never intended to light the Kral Zera, but Marikus," Alphonse groaned again, "insisted we were ruling jointly. Lotor claimed I was his consort to save my life. I was injured and comatose for nearly three weeks under Talias's care before grudgingly accepting to help Lotor settle the empire. Nothing more. Except, dad, he fell hard for me. The purest of altean love."

"Love in a glance," Alphonse breathed.

Keith sighed and said after a pause, "We didn't know we were related when we finally admitted our feelings. It's official though. We held a gala on Lethua to make the announcement. The empire is moving forward without Zarkon to taint our history any longer."

Alphonse replied when everything had sunk in, "That... doesn't even seem possible, but yet... Keith, this is all real, yes? I- I'm not dreaming?"

Keith's eyes welled and he bit his lip. "Yeah, dad, as real as Mr. Hippopatama-saurus."

Alphonse snorted violently and began to laugh so hard he started coughing. "Fuck, Keith, I had forgotten about that."

Keith grinned. "So you believe me?"

"Of course, son. How I wish I could see you, my beautiful child."

"Dad!" Keith muttered in false complaint as Pidge started snickering.

She teased, "I didn't think anyone could embarrass you more than Kolivan."

"Kolivan teases you? From what your mother told me, he's quite difficult to get close to," Alphonse mused.

Pidge started cackling. Keith flushed and said, "About that... he's kind of my step dad. And by kind of, I mean he is. Kolivan basically adopted me when I became a blade. It's been about a year since then and I only just found out Krolia was my mom. Dad," Keith said gently, "she moved on. Kolivan hadn't known about us and continued to court her when she returned to the empire. We thought you were dead." Alphonse was silent. Keith pressed, "Dad?"

"Be still, Keitaran."

Keith froze and Pidge reached for his arm. Alphonse was completely silent. Then Keith heard it, the tap of a druid's feet. A door opened and the druid walked past Keith and Pidge's cell. Another door opened. They heard the druid say, "Haggar summons you, altean."

"Tell her to take her summons and shove it up a borak oonori."

The druid asked bemused, "You still resist? How unfortunate for you."

They heard Alphonse rush the druid. A scuffle broke out. Alphonse groaned a few seconds later followed by the sound of something large hitting the floor. Alphonse moaned at ground level and Keith shouted, "Dad!" Multiple people walked by dragging Alphonse. Keith stood and ran to the door. Pounding his fist, he screamed for his father long after they were gone.

Pidge gently pulled him away from the door. "He's coming back. Haggar won't kill him. She can't afford to. Keith, I think she's trying to learn your father's alchemy."

"Why? She has her own magic."

Pidge sat cross legged and he felt her touch the bond. Keith realized what she wanted and sat before her. Taking her hands in his, he closed his eyes and let their minds meld. As the time passed, they plotted and schemed. They hadn't moved from that spot when the door opened and three druids stood waiting.

They said nothing aloud while they were escorted through the base. At last, they reached the room they'd first been brought to. Haggar paced the perimeter of the circular depression while her druids tortured Alphonse. His white hair had grown out past his shoulders. The clothes he'd been given hung loosely on his frame. He was emaciated. His bones stuck out against his skin. Still, Keith would have recognized him if he had grown three feet and changed his skin blue. Alphonse was prone on the floor, barely conscious. His breaths were shallow and rapid. Keith clenched his jaw as his anger grew.

Haggar called, "Bring them closer."

Keith felt talons dig into his neck as he and Pidge were forced to enter the circle of druids. He stumbled when they released him, then he turned to catch Pidge. Alphonse mumbled deliriously, "Keitaran..."

Keith and Pidge ran to him. Keith's voice cracked when he whispered, "I'm here, dad." He reached to turn Alphonse over when something circled his neck. Choking, Keith fell to his hands and knees. Pidge made small strangled noises and clawed at a band of purple energy collaring her. Keith's lungs spasmed as they were unable to fill. Black haze crept in at the edge of his vision. Pidge was barely moving any more. It was now or never.

Pidge was nearly unconscious when a purple beam shot out of Keith and hit one of the druids. They shouted in pain then fell to the ground dead. The circle broken, their collars disappeared and Pidge gasped and began coughing. The rest of the druids drew their curved daggers defensively, but Haggar smiled.

Pidge watched as Keith stood unwavering to face Haggar. A druid manifested before him and slashed. Keith dodged, disarmed the druid, and stabbed. The blade slid between the druid's ribs and Keith twisted his wrist, breaking it at the hilt. The druid's breaths filled with blood as they collapsed. Pidge watched in awe as Keith began to glow with quintessence.

Haggar said in amusement, "I believe this means you've accepted my offer, Prince Keitaran."

"It does, unless you want me to kill all of them until you have no choice but to make me your disciple," Keith answered. "If you have it, honor your word, but I also demand you release Prince Alphonse. You have learned all you will from him."

"Heh, heh, boy," Haggar dryly chuckled. "You have pluck, I'll give you that. Very well. Swear yourself to me, Prince Keitaran, and the green paladin and the man will go free."

There was a moment where Pidge felt something like fear emanate from Keith, but then it was gone. Her chest tightened as Keith took a knee before the witch and bowed his head. She protested, "No! Keith, don't-" A druid appeared in front of her and she ended with a terrified yip.

She heard Keith say loudly, "I, Prince Keitaran of the House of Lethua, son of Princess Krolia and Prince Alphonse and Consort of Blood Emperor Lotor, leader of the galra, swear my life to the witch-empress Honerva, known as Haggar. I swear to obey, follow, and love her as a son, the way the son of her own flesh never will. My blood will shed for her. My heart beats only for her." He paused as his own words hit him in full force. "This I swear until my dying breath."

Pidge couldn't breathe. This wasn't happening. Then Haggar pushed back her hood and smiled. She instructed mildly, "Child, stand and embrace your mother."

Keith stood, the proud image of his galra heritage, and paced to where Haggar waited with open arms. He did not hesitate to hold her to himself and lean his head into her shoulder. Pidge half expected treachery, but Haggar simply wrapped her arms around Keith and pressed her cheek to his hair. Her eyes closed and she sighed in almost maternal affection. "Very good, my young one." She stroked his hair and reassured in that same sickening tone, "The girl shall be returned to her people. However, the release of the man I cannot allow."

Pidge grit her teeth in anticipation. Jumping up, she threw an elbow. Knocking the druid out of her way, she placed herself between Haggar and Alphonse. Just before the magic energy hit her, Pidge apologized under her breath, "Sorry, Lance."

Lance screamed and fell to his knees as an excruciating pain shot through his chest. He was vaguely aware of Allura and Hunk shouting at him, but he looked ahead where a strange unfamiliar scene took place.

He was lying on the floor of a dark round room. Haggar and her druids looked down at him, but beside her was the familiar form of Keith. Keith jumped down and knelt beside him.

Lance heard him say, "Pidge! Pidge, can you hear me? Katie!"

Then there was a smug buzz in the back of his mind as if saying, 'Come and get us.'

Lance woke up gasping on the floor. Allura hugged him and cried in relief, "Never do that again!"

"What happened?" Hunk demanded.

Lance shook his head and a slow grin spread across his face. "Guys... I know where they are."

Can I just say I love Keith's dad. Whether it's texas kogane from the show or this bit here I made up. Like, seriously, fucking fuck!