When Serenity wandered through the castle looking for Allura, she heard strange voices and beeps coming from one of the rooms. She peeked inside and saw Lance in front of a small screen fervently pressing tiny buttons on a gray device he held in his hands. It appeared the buttons matched up with the screen to make different people move.
He turned when he saw someone standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey. Wanna play?"
Serenity tilted her head to the side.
"It's a video game. It's pretty hard, but it's a lot of fun. I can't seem to get past this one level. Maybe you'll have better luck."
He held out an identical gray device in her direction, but Serenity made no movement.
"Come on, at least try it. You might like it."
Serenity hesitantly took the device from him and slowly sat down next to him in front of the screen.
"Okay, so the blue X button is for jumping, the red circle button is for using your sword, and the green triangle button is for using your special attack. Your character's is the ability to make things freeze. Does that make sense?"
Serenity looked at him in confusion.
"Well, you'll get the hang of it."
He pushed several buttons and started a new round in the game. Serenity pushed random buttons on her device to understand how each one moved the character on the screen.
A huge dragon suddenly appeared and began to breathe fire everywhere.
"Jump out of the way!" Lance screamed. "Move over! Hurry, use your ice power!"
Confused by the strange device and overwhelmed by all of Lance's instructions, Serenity's character died within five ticks.
Lance quickly tried to defeat the dragon himself, but it didn't take long for his character to get incinerated as well.
He groaned and hung his head as 'RESTART?' flashed on the screen.
Serenity tensed a little. Was he going to be mad at her for losing his game? Was he going to force her out of his room? Was he going to hate her? Was he finally going to hurt her?
Instead of doing anything she feared, he looked up and smiled at her. "What do you say? Round two?"
Serenity looked at him confused for a moment and then nodded.
During the second round, her character died in fifteen ticks.
The both of them continued playing round after round, dying every time the dragon showed up.
They lost count on how many rounds they played, but if they had to guess, it was Round 156 when Serenity had mastered all of the buttons. She worked together with Lance's character to combine their characters' powers and in a grand battle, they finally managed to defeat the stupid dragon.
Lance threw his hands up in victory. "Yes, yes, YES! We did it! We finally did it! We are the champions of earth and space! We are the gladiators of this world! We are the defeaters of dragons! Nothing can stop us now!"
Suddenly, a werewolf appeared on the screen and mutilated both of their characters.
Lance sank back down in disbelief. "Except for that."
Serenity couldn't help but smile as he went from elated to depressed in only a few ticks.
"I can't believe this thing went from a dragon immediately to a werewolf. I guess it's a good thing it saved right after we killed the dragon or I might've tossed the whole thing into the space. Well, I need a break so how about I introduce you to Kaltenecker?"
Serenity looked back at him warily. 'Kaltenecker'? What sort of evil torture device was that?
"Don't worry, she won't bite." When her look of suspicion turned into one of fear, Lance quickly amended, "I mean she's friendly! She's the team pet!"
At those words, Serenity paused. Pidge had talked about having pets. About how they were a source of love and affection.
She slowly stood up off the floor.
"Great!" Lance smiled. "Come on!"
She tentatively followed Lance through the halls until they happened across one large chamber that resembled the outdoors.
A metal pathway extended towards them that led to a strange black and white beast in the center of the field.
"Hey, beautiful girl!" Lance called as he rushed over to the beast. "Did you miss me?"
Serenity smiled a little as she watched him rub his hands over the creature's fur. He was so…gentle with it. Could someone so good with animals really be a ruthless killer?
"Here, you can come a little closer."
The girl hesitantly walked across the metal pathway to the creature.
"This is my beautiful girl, Kaltenecker. She's our cow. She was free with purchase. You can pet her if you'd like. She loves to be rubbed."
Serenity nervously put her hand out and lightly touched the cow's fur. It was so soft and warm.
The cow let out a loud strange noise which caused Serenity to leap back in alarm.
Lance laughed good-naturedly. "It's okay, that just means she likes you!"
First video games and now adoring pets?
Kyzik had warned her about Voltron's tricks, but…could he have been wrong?
Serenity found herself on the training deck where she watched Keith battle one of the training robots. The Gladiator, Allura had called it.
His fight reminded her of a dance. Each step was fluid and calculated. While it somewhat resembled the Galra's fighting style, it wasn't so brash and abrupt. He channeled his anger into his movements but also didn't let his emotions control him.
When he defeated the robot, he sighed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "End training sequence," he commanded.
The robot disappeared from the deck.
He turned around and jumped when he caught sight of her.
Even if she was still worried about what Voltron might to do her, she found it a little amusing that she had been the one to scare him.
"How long have you been standing there?"
Serenity looked away from him.
"Did you want to use the room?"
She shook her head.
"So…what are you doing here?"
She didn't answer again.
Keith awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck. He had never really been great with people. The other Paladins frequently enjoyed giving him a hard time about his rather atrocious people skills. But this was pretty bad. How was he supposed to make conversation with someone who didn't want to talk? Was this what it was like to talk to him?
"Do you maybe…want to try some of the simulators?"
She tilted her head, silently telling him to elaborate.
"Um…we could…race or something. I don't know…"
She furrowed her brow, wanting him to go on.
"There's a simulator that mimics a course on another planet. You have to run across the terrain and dodge obstacles. It feels like you're running across a long distance, but really, you're only running in place. We could, uh…try that…I guess."
Serenity looked down at her long dress.
"Right, uh, you're wearing that. That was a dumb suggestion. Geez…"
He ran his hand through his hair.
Though he gave off such a tough aura and always had his arms crossed as a way to shut himself off from everyone else, Serenity couldn't help smiling a little when she realized the oh-so-tough Red Paladin had no idea how to communicate with women.
She leaned down and tied the bottom of the dress just above her knee, exposing her bare feet which had since healed since Shiro's 'rescue'.
Keith looked at her in surprise. "So, uh, you do wanna try it?"
She pressed her lips together, wondering if this was a terrible idea. If she lost, would he be angry with her? What if she won? Would he be upset that a woman had been better than him?
But…the way he talked was so…awkward. Would he really want to hurt her whatever the outcome?
She decided to just do it anyway and deal with the consequences later, whatever they were.
Keith shrugged his shoulders. "Start running simulation," he ordered.
The training deck disappeared and was replaced with an unfamiliar landscape. Serenity was shocked to realize the ground beneath her feet felt uneven as if she was actually stepping on rocky terrain rather than the smooth floor of the training deck.
"Ready," an automated voice announced. "Begin."
Keith took off down the set path like a rocket.
Taking a deep breath, Serenity ran after him. The wind whipped through her teal hair and across her face. Her legs began to ache the further she ran and the harder she pressed on.
But she didn't really mind the pain. For the first time, she wasn't running from something. She was running towards something.
Every now and again, a rock or ship or laser would threaten to hit the runners and it was their job to either dodge or jump over the impending threat.
It was difficult, but it was nothing compared to the training Serenity had faced in the past.
When they finished the course, the planet's terrain faded away and they were both back in the training deck.
Keith slumped over, sweat pouring down his face. "You're…you're really fast," he panted. "I didn't think I was going to win for a second."
Serenity breathed heavily from the exertion of the run as she gave him a small smile. It had been close, but Keith was the victor of the race.
"We can do that again later if you want to."
She nodded her head. Whether this was a way to gain her trust or not, she had loved every second of it.
The Paladins, Coran, Allura, and Serenity sat down at the table for dinner. Hunk brought out several new dishes and set them in front of his teammates.
"This smell wonderful, Hunk!" Allura praised. "You've outdone yourself!"
Hunk waved his hand. "Oh, don't mention it." He leaned down towards her. "Actually, please continue."
The princess rolled her eyes but smiled.
Shiro looked over at Serenity as she began to eat. She looked much, much better than before. Her figure had somewhat filled out, and color had returned to her cheeks.
She was also much more comfortable around them now. Or at least enough that she didn't flinch at every single thing they did.
She'd yet to speak to any of them though.
Well, he would take his victories where he could get them.
"So I thought I would announce that I beat Keith's record today with the Gladiator," Lance announced proudly. "Defeated it in one dobosh and 42 ticks." He leaned over to the Red Paladin sitting next to him. "What do you have to say to that, Mullet?"
Keith flicked his fork in the tiniest motion and sent a small piece of food flying into Lance's face.
"Ow! My eye!" Lance exclaimed as he bolted out of his seat holding his right eye.
Blinded and disoriented, he lost his balance and crashed onto the floor.
Lance growled as he stood back up. "You did that on purpose!"
Everyone silenced when they heard tiny noises.
Serenity had her hand to her mouth and her shoulders slightly moved up and down. At first, it seemed to everyone that she was crying.
But then she took her hand away from her mouth and burst out laughing.
Shiro couldn't believe what he was hearing. She was laughing. She was actually laughing. She really wasn't afraid of them anymore.
Serenity tried to make herself stop laughing, but every time she got close, she thought about Lance falling over and began laughing all over again.
"You think that was funny?" Lance smirked. "Then you're going to love this."
He picked up a small plate of one of Hunk's dishes. Then to everyone's shock, he dumped the contents of the plate right onto Keith's head.
Serenity's mouth dropped open.
Keith stood up from the table. Then he quickly grabbed a fistful of food and rammed it into Lance's face before the boy had time to get out of the line of fire.
Shiro slammed his hands on the table as he too stood up. "All right, guys, knock it off."
He barely had time to get the words out before he was hit right in the face with another handful of food as a result of Keith ducking when Lance went in for the counterattack.
Shiro glared at the two boys.
Now, Lance wasn't sure he had ever seen Shiro really angry, but this might be one of those rare times.
Shiro wiped the food off his face. "Oh, it's on."
Then he picked up a handful from his plate and threw it directly at Lance.
Unfortunately, Lance moved out of the way and the food hit Allura on the shoulder.
Shiro's eyes widened. "Oh…Princess, I am so sorry. I, uh, that wasn't—"
He was cut off when another pile nailed him in the chest.
When he looked to the side, Pidge stood there with her hand to her mouth. "Whoops," she said sarcastically.
"That's it!" Shiro exclaimed.
And from there, it was an all-out war.
Food went flying across the table hitting everyone in sight.
Serenity's stomach began to cramp up from laughing so hard. She had never seen the Paladins like this. She didn't know they could be so ridiculous. She had been taught that they were brutal killers who wouldn't hesitate to hurt her should they get the chance.
She supposed this could still be part of their plan to eventually hurt her, but it didn't really feel that way. Everything they had said and done to her so far had felt nothing but sincere.
Suddenly, a huge pile of food hit her right in the face. It didn't hurt but it did stun her.
All movement in the room stopped at once.
"I'm sorry," Lance said softly. "I didn't mean…"
They all anxiously waited for her reaction. Would she be afraid of them again? Would she go right back to how she'd been when she'd first come to the Castle?
Serenity looked at them all with an expression they couldn't quite read. Then she grabbed a large pile of food in her hand and threw it right at Lance. It hit him directly in the face.
She began to laugh again, and the war of food resumed this time with Serenity joining in.
The mess that was going to result from this was not going to be anything to laugh at, but Serenity didn't care.
She was sure that she had never felt happier in her entire life.
Shiro politely knocked then opened the door to Serenity's room in the med bay.
"I want to show you something," he smiled. "Will you come with me?"
Serenity stood up and followed him down to the hangar.
She stepped back when she realized he wanted her to go inside the Black Lion.
"Hey, it's okay," he told her. "Black is nice and gentle. She won't hurt you if you don't hurt her."
The giant mechanical Lion stared down at her, and Serenity briefly imagined it eating her. Would it be able to sense that she didn't fully trust the Paladins of Voltron? Could it tell that her loyalty was still to the Galra?
"I'll be right next to you if anything happens."
Serenity couldn't understand why he always did that. Why did he always say he would look out for her and try to comfort her when he didn't even know her? How could anyone be that trusting and foolish?
With hesitant steps, she followed Shiro inside the huge Black Lion.
He took a seat at the controls while she sat behind him.
"I'll make sure to be gentle."
Using slow and careful movements, Shiro coaxed the Lion out of the hangar and into space.
After several minutes of flying through the stars, a small planet appeared in their view. Shiro carefully piloted his Lion to land on the grassy terrain.
"All right, make sure to stay quiet when we're out here, okay?"
Serenity nodded, though she had no idea where they were or why Shiro had wanted to bring her here specifically.
…Maybe the time had finally come. Maybe he was now going to torture her just like Kyzik said he would.
When they stepped out of the Lion, Serenity felt grass under her bare feet for the first time. It tickled and felt strange on the raw skin.
In front of them sat several small bunches of strangely shaped trees with blue leaves.
"We came across this planet once while out on one of our missions. And we discovered something amazing. Watch this."
Shiro put two fingers to his mouth and let out a low whistle.
Serenity looked towards the trees, and for a moment, nothing happened.
Then suddenly, several types of winged creatures flew out of the branches all at once. There must've been hundreds of them.
They were beautiful. Some of them looked similar to a parrot but they had blue feathers varying in shades and small slashes on their wings that looked a little like gills. Others resembled butterflies with extravagantly colored wings and long black tails.
Serenity gasped and smiled.
To see this kind of color and life…
It was…the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen.
One of the birds rested on her outstretched finger. She gently petted its head and it closed its eyes in contentment. It departed from her finger and then nuzzled her cheek with its soft feathers before letting out a high chirp of pleasure.
The birds and butterflies surrounded her, admiring how gentle she was with them.
Shiro let one of the birds perch on his shoulder while a butterfly landed on his hand. "They seem to like you. I can bring you here whenever you'd like if you want to spend some more time with them later. They probably miss the other Paladins anyway."
Serenity couldn't believe he had shown her such a beautiful place. She wished she could spend the rest of her life here with the birds and the butterflies. She would never have to worry about them hurting her or betraying her.
But then…were the Paladins of Voltron really the ones she was supposed to distrust? Were they really the ones who would betray her? The entire time she'd been with them, they had been nothing but nice to her. Surely if they were going to betray her, they would've done it long before now. If all of their actions were truly just a charade, they were far more dedicated to it than anyone she'd ever met.
"We need to get back soon, but we can spare a few more minutes, okay?"
Serenity pet another one of the birds and looked over at Shiro. "Serenity," she finally said. "My name is Serenity."
Shiro looked back at her in disbelief.
She'd…talked.
She had told him her name.
Then he smiled. "Nice to officially meet you."
