"Stop scowling, Sendak. You're scaring her."

Sendak scowled instead at the irritating druid in the black mask. He hated those masks, mocking as they were. Hiding what the one behind them truly felt and meant. The silver prince put one hand on the galra kit's head and moved her behind his leg. She held his pants in both fists and snuck glances at Sendak.

Sendak growled out the side of his mouth, "Hasn't your father taught you it's rude to stare?"

Keith warned in a low growl, "Sendak," at the same time the girl made a small frightened sound and hid her face.

"Your majesty," Sendak returned. The druid was glaring, no doubt. Even behind the mask, Sendak could feel Keith's hot anger focused solely on him. "You should have known better than to bring a kit along."

"You do realize we haven't entered the lower atmosphere yet, right? I can still change my mind about giving you a lift. The airlock is just down the hall."

Sendak chuckled with dark humor. "I miss our little spats."

Keith simply turned to the pilot and gestured them aside. Sitting in the seat, he raised his mask to better fly the ship. The kit crawled into his lap and pulled his hood down. He ignored her when she took his mask and held it up to her face. Sendak glared at the officers who shared a look and laughed under their breath. The druid had somehow made himself more irksome.

"Sit still, Rhea, or you'll fall," Keith instructed firmly. Sendak raised an eyebrow as she complied obediently. She dug her claws into his clothes as the Retribution began descending toward the planet's surface.

Sendak looked forward and braced against the pull of the ship. Keith's woman flipped switches from the captain's chair and announced over the intercom, "Prepare to land in ninety ticks."

The ship landed and the crew stood saw to their tasks. Once the ship's engines began to wind down, Keith stood and moved the kit to the floor. She ran to the woman, Acxa, and grabbed her hand in both her small ones. Sendak ignored everyone as he made his way to the lower bay.

Keith opened the hangar door and reached over to the kit. "I need that back now, precious one."

Sendak felt his lip curl in disgust and he saw Keith lift his mask off of the girl's head. She reached out when he put it back on. Keith lifted it once more and winked. "It's still me under here. Now remember what I told you. Be quiet and behave yourself. I'll introduce you to your grandmother and then mama will take you to play. Okay?"

"Yes, daddy," the girl answered.

Sendak raised a sidelong eyebrow at the druid. It seemed Keith was truly as serious as the rumors had led him to believe. It would be amusing to see how Haggar handled the news. Perhaps the silver prince would rebel in this as well. Sendak's lip curled more honestly in anticipation.

When they walked toward the base, a foursome of the witch's druids met them. The woman in the lead motioned them onward and said, "Witch-Empress Honerva is expecting you in the gallery, Prince Keitaran."

Keith answered, "Understood."

The druid added, "You are also welcome to attend, Commander Sendak. My lady has much to discuss with you as well."

Keith tipped his head slightly toward him. Sendak scowled at the silver druid and answered, "As do I. Lead on, druid." Sendak maintained a neutral expression as he followed the druids. He could feel their curiosity toward their leader as a nervous energy that prickled his skin.

When the girl grew tired of walking, she tugged the prince to a stop. Without breaking pace, he scooped her up and settled her on his hip. Sendak noticed she hid her face again. Good. He wouldn't be capable of tolerating her presence if she was stupid.

This mansion had belonged to a wealthy lord before the sun at the center of the system died. It had lain abandoned for centuries until the druids inhabited it's lavish quarters. The luxuries fit the status of the witch and her entourage. It was sickening.

The halls opened up to a wide room with large windows along the opposite wall. The world beyond was a dark abyss. Bright lights illuminated the polished floor and rows of disused bookshelves. The ancient tomes were covered in dust apart from the few the silver prince had read to amuse himself. The witch's notes filled several work shelves near a cold fireplace.

Haggar stood to meet them. Sendak indulged her by saluting, even though she was his equal. Keith set the girl on her feet and pushed her toward his woman, who averted her gaze. Keith knelt with his head bowed before the witch. "Mother."

Haggar instructed, "Rise, my son." She pushed her hood back and Keith removed his mask. She asked, "How went your travels?"

"Smooth."

"The empire did not pursue your fleet?" Haggar clarified as she poured cold tea.

Keith approached the table, his bearing proud. "The empire has made no response?"

Haggar smiled shrewdly at him and lightly cupped his cheek. "You have been holding back, Keitaran. There must be no fear. Only then will you unlock your full abilities."

"Now is not the time, mother," Keith muttered under his breath.

Haggar sipped her tea and sat. An ancient altean cat hopped into her lap. Keith blinked at the feline and it growled in reply. Then the girl said excitedly, "Kitty!"

Haggar glared at the kit where the woman gently restrained her. Then Keith put himself between them and the witch. She glowered at her favorite pupil. "Tell me of Iiterai and why such a... child... has been brought into my presence."

Sendak leaned against the wall above crossed arms while the silver prince stood at attention and gave his oral account of what had happened before Sendak answered his message with a show of force. Haggar didn't interrupt, but she stroked the cat with increasing agitation. Then came the anticipated moment. Sendak feigned disinterest as the prince hesitated.

Haggar tipped her head, the only sign of her impatience. Keith finally said, "The attack was aimed at me alone, but it was the people of Iiterai that suffered. Mother, the Blood Empress has nearly tripled the bounty on my head over the last quatra-pheob. If this continues, we must consider strengthening our forces defending our colonies. Without them, we-"

"The colonies mean nothing to me."

Keith flinched. "Mother, without the colonies, our resources would be impossibly rationed."

"Then we take what we need. That is how it's always been." Haggar stood and the cat dropped to the floor. "We will not stretch our soldiers any thinner. If the colonies cannot defend themselves, they are not worth our interest."

"Please, mother, reconsider-"

"I will not, Keitaran," she hissed. "This discussion is done. You are fortunate I entertained your diversions as long as I have. Now... the girl."

Keith clearly wanted to push the subject, but he motioned the two females to his side. Resting his hand on the girl's back, he said, "The attack on Iiterai left her homeless and orphaned. Mother, may I introduce our adopted daughter, Rhea."

"Our?" Haggar clarified with restrained annoyance.

"Acxa and myself, mother. Rhea is your granddaughter."

Haggar snapped, "Foolish boy." Turning away, her robe flared, mimicking her sudden anger.

Keith held his ground and followed her. "How am I a fool, woman? For protecting those we are dependent upon? For drawing the eyes of our enemies away from you? For wanting family?" His voice rose with each question. Every impassioned word reverberated more than the last.

Sendak looked to the girl where she hid her face against the woman's chest with her hands over her ears. She trembled in the woman's arms. Sendak looked again to the witch and prince, both oblivious to those around them. Haggar rebuked, "Watch your tone, boy. The colonies and their inhabitants are not your concern. Rid yourself of this weakness."

"It's not a weakness and her name is Rhea!"

Sendak watched in slow motion as Haggar's carefully constructed visage cracked. Her open hand struck the prince across the face with an echoing slap. The prince himself turned with the blow. He barely kept from stumbling, but refused to look back at Haggar who was shaking in rage.

She stepped close and spoke down to him, "I will never acknowledge that creature as kin, Keitaran. You should have let it die in the fire with the rest."

Keith flinched and clenched a white knuckled fist. He was also shaking, unable to hide angry tears without making it obvious he was crying. Haggar continued, "As for your actions, you are a fool on all accounts. You act publicly when you should not reveal yourself, you should not protect those who are undeserving of your protection, and family..." Haggar reached out to the boy and guided him to her chest. "I am all you need. My child, do not repeat what happened on Iiterai. In truth, a thousand lost colonies means nothing while you yet live. Remember this well, my son."

He whispered back where he stood against her in defeat, "Yes, mother."

She kissed his hair and held him at arm's length. "Now, confine yourself until I call upon you. Am I understood?" Keith bowed his head in submission and shrugged out of her grip. Lowering his mask, he lifted the girl who wrapped her arms and legs around his torso. Her loud sobbing followed them down the hall.

Sendak pushed off the wall as Haggar sat once again and he asked, "How may I be of service?"

She glared with a raised eyebrow. "By all means, pretend you are not pleased by my son's humiliation."

Sendak smirked while the druids filed out. Taking the other chair, he asked, "You believe my witness of such a momentous event will affect his judgment?"

"He needed additional motivation," Haggar commented. "Was the journey truly without pursuit?"

Sendak folded his hands on the table. "My fleet shot down a few unmanned drones. There was no identification on them, but otherwise, yes. The empire has not responded directly to the prince's message."

"That is disconcerting. Should they strike back, are we well fortified to repel them?"

Sendak frowned, but the witch wouldn't meet his eyes. "They would pay dearly for every small victory should that happen."

The witch sat back in her chair with her tea and the cat jumped back in her lap. "I trust you in this, commander. Do this, and the throne will be yours when I am finished."

"As our bargain has remained since the fall of Zarkon. Tell me, what progress has been made in your research?" Sendak settled in as the witch told of a potential weapon she was developing for vast militarization.

Many hours later, Sendak was immensely satisfied with the witch. The test had proved successful on a minute scale. No doubt it was only a matter of pheobs before it would be ready for a larger test. It wasn't until he was nearly to his quarters when he noticed whose room he was by. Spontaneously, he knocked on the door.

The prince replied from inside, "Who is it?"

"Commander Sendak, your majesty. I was wondering if you'd humor me a moment."

He waited. Then the door unlocked. Pressing the door-pad, Sendak entered to see Keith standing with crossed arms between him and the two females who retreated further into the suite. Keith's woman shut the door with a last worried glance at her man. Then Keith leaned against the frame of the bed. "What are you doing here?"

"So rude," Sendak mocked. He sat on the edge of the table and looked around the room. "I suppose that's to be expected from royalty, though I'm glad your accommodation aren't any better than mine."

Keith remained silent and glaring. Sendak tipped his head and said almost apologetically, "The witch really was tetchy. I warned you about the kit."

Keith ground his teeth and looked away. "She does as she sees fit."

Sendak laughed, low and cynical. "You don't need to keep the charade going in my presence, boy. I know at the center of your being, you are galra."

Keith's attention snapped back, sharp as his dagger. "You speak nonsense."

"Do I?" Sendak challenged. Pushing off the table and pacing toward Keith, he continued, "I see her in your bearing, hear her in your voice. Your mother." Keith's eyes widened. Sendak pushed, "That's right, the Blood Empress, not that crone you pretend to venerate. You hide that lineage, though that very bloodline is why you have such ease in your tasks. After all, Prince Keitaran, Lord of Lethua, son of Prince Alphonse of Altea and Krolia, Blood Empress of Daibazaal, is so much more influential than the silver executioner of the witch-empress."

Keith narrowed his eyes, muscles flexed on his neck and arms. Sendak grinned, baring his fangs. "There you are, your majesty. I see the galra in you now. Strange, you're almost attractive beneath that altean shell."

"You should stop speaking and leave."

"Or what?" Sendak blocked him in with his body. "She objectifies you, your majesty. She doesn't appreciate what you've done in her name. Uniting colonies, gathering intel and resources... those are skills I value." Keith put a hand on Sendak's chest and pushed. Sendak remained immobile and chuckled. "You could do so much more beneath another."

"You?" Keith asked sarcastically. Sendak answered with a crooked smirk. Keith ducked around him and went to the bedside table. "I would do literally anything else first."

"You're committed to that?"

Keith snarled in frustration, "Sendak, it's time you left."

"I haven't even made my final offer." Sendak waited until Keith was unwillingly looking at him. "Serve me, and you will be granted what you truly want."

"You do not know what I want, Sendak."

Sendak relished the pain in the druid's expression, the shimmer in his dark eyes, the tension in his posture. He had him right where he wanted him. Sendak breathed, "Family. Your true family. Serve me, and I swear not to kill Krolia, your father, your friends. You may even keep your woman and the kit. All I demand is complete... absolute... servitude."

"You're asking me to submit as your consort?"

"That's one way of putting it," Sendak confirmed. "I shall leave you alone to consider."

Keith's breathing picked up while he pieced it together. Sendak laughed low in his throat as he made his way toward the door. He turned back and looked at Keith. The druid's pupils narrowed to slits and he threw his dagger. Sendak didn't even flinch when the druid appeared inches in front of him.

The blade of the thrown dagger was clutched in Keith's bare hand. Blood dripped through his fingers, but he showed no pain. Keith leaned close and whispered, "You forget who I am, commander. If you believe what you say, then you are aware that I have already lit the Kral Zera." He raised his glare to Sendak's face and put his hand on the door-pad. The door opened and Keith threatened, "Be careful of what you say, Sendak, or you will find another vying for the throne. Treachery against my mother, Honerva, will not end well for you, Commander. Now, leave my quarters this instant and never speak to me of this again."

Then he shoved Sendak through the door and it slammed in his face. Sendak wiped at his jaw with one hand. For all that bravado, the druid denied nothing. He would have to watch the boy closely in the days to come.

"Keith, you must eat something."

Keith kept feeding Rhea, but glanced at Acxa's plate. "You've hardly touched your food, either."

"One meal is nothing compared to three days. My love, you worry me."

Keith avoided her eyes. "She needs it more than I do."

Rhea was painting with something that resembled watercolors. One of the druids, he suspected Serad, had found the color palate cracked and dusty in the manor's nursery. Keith lightly brushed Rhea's hair back and she looked up with wide innocent eyes before opening her mouth for another bite.

Acxa covered his hand with her's and said, "May I speak to you alone?" Keith knew that tone. He squeezed her hand in answer and she directed, "Go play in your room for a while, Rhea."

"Yes, mama." The girl grabbed her blanket and a stuffed animal, another gift from the druids, into her arms and toddled out of the room. Keith followed to make sure she didn't start any mischief then returned leaving the door open.

Acxa continued pushing her food around for another minute before she winced and went to the couch. She rubbed her temples, doubled up over her lap. Keith sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her waist. She groaned and leaned into his shoulder, closing her eyes. Keith knit his brows in worry. She seemed to be getting worse instead of better. He asked, "Are the doctor's supplements helping?"

She nodded weakly, though he was hesitant to believe her. When she shifted against him a few minutes later, she was more relaxed. Then she broached, "Keith, I'm scared about our future."

Keith rubbed her arm with his thumb and reassured, "Sendak doesn't scare me. He's too dependent on Haggar to act on his threats."

"And Haggar?" She met his eyes with uncertainty. "Keith, you heard her. Rhea, the colonies, your people... me? We are refuse in her eyes." She placed her cheek against the hollow of his shoulder. "I think I should take Rhea and disappear for a time."

Keith tensed and hugged her tighter. Something about her tone said she was serious this time. "No, Acxa, please..."

"I told you Rhea would reveal your weakness, my love, and she has. The soldiers under you respect you more for it, but your enemies will exploit and deprave your love for us. The longer we stay with you, the higher the risk to all of our lives. Your mission cannot fail, Keith."

"And where would you go?" Keith countered. "I cannot protect the colonies as things are and everyone knows who you are to me, Acxa, my queen." She gasped in surprise. He cupped her face and said definitively, "I want you by my side or not at all. You, Acxa, no one else."

Her eyes shimmered, a liquid night sky. "You are a fool, husband. How can I leave you now?" She sat up with one leg bent beneath her and held his hand to her lips. "My lord, I beg of you, do not be angry, but there are things about my past that you do not know. Things that I have never told anyone. I didn't want you to treat me differently because-" She cut off and curled up into herself.

Keith swallowed painfully and made a sympathetic noise. Gathering her in his arms, he laid down so she was on top of him. He hated seeing her like this when he knew how strong she could be. But... for her to reach this level of vulnerability on his behalf only made him want to protect her more. So he confided, "My dad was a firefighter."

Acxa looked up in wide eyed surprise. "Huh?"

Keith smiled softly. "I thought we were sharing things we hadn't told one another."

She wiped at her eyes and seemed confused. "Well, I suppose, but-"

"He put out fires for a living. Said it was the only thing he was good at because his brother was such a hothead." Keith chuckled. "I suppose he was, piloting the red lion. They were polar opposites, and yet so alike. I inherited my anger issues from their side of the family. Hard to believe, I know, but alteans have a tendency to fight for what they think is right even if they're wrong."

"I've noticed," Acxa teased with a knowing smirk.

"Hey," Keith said with a wounded look and a dropped jaw. She giggled and snuggled into his chest. "My father taught me to temper my anger. I learned to fight at a young age. It was an outlet, but I still had a tendency to act out. My father's anger was cold. He never directed it at me. I only ever saw him like that when the school told him I was worthless. I never returned to formal teaching until high school after that."

Acxa whispered, "You truly are galra from birth, beloved." She looked into the distance and said thoughtfully, "When your father was held prisoner, he rarely spoke. I would sit in the halls unannounced and listen to him hum, but after a while, he realized someone was there. He told of a boy with fire in his heart. I always thought he was speaking about a childhood friend from Altea, but looking back, I know it was you."

"I want you to meet him and the others."

Acxa looked into his face with alarm. "No, Keith, we can't!"

"Why not?" Keith shrugged. "You're mine, Acxa, and I know I'm your's."

"Keith... There is another reason I-"

"My lord," a man said from the hall, "your mother has sent for you."

Keith sat up quickly and Acxa curled up into the armrest of the couch. He kissed her knuckles and said, "I'm coming." The door opened up as Keith retrieved his mask. He said to Acxa, "Take Rhea to the Retribution and stay there until I meet you. I never want Rhea to be afraid like she was again."

The druid said from the hall, "Your ship is not yet prepared to leave, my lord. The alterations are incomplete."

"Alterations," Keith stated.

The druid bowed his head. "The teleduv my lady built is being retrofitted into your ship's engines. You will no longer need to delay once she has summoned you."

Keith hid his discontent behind his mask and said, "That is good news, Serad. However, I stand by my word. I want my daughter to be comfortable around our allies."

He said with a smile in his voice, "Shall I escort her and your lady on a tour of the manor?"

Keith smiled and answered genuinely, "Thank you, Serad. That would be appreciated."

Acxa stood and called, "Rhea, sweet one, come back out." As tiny feet ran back to the living space, Acxa kissed the side of Keith's neck and whispered in his ear, "Don't stay away too long, lover."

Keith growled back, "I wouldn't dream of it," before leaving to find Haggar.