Pidge released a shaky breath as she pressed herself firmly against the wall. She had been ill prepared for the attack and in the chaos of the chase had only managed to grab her helmet from the training deck. Her hands tightened on a make-shift slingshot as the footsteps grew closer. She knew it was him.
Closing her eyes she took a steadying breath and drew back on her weapon. Her aim must be true if she was going to survive. Sweat formed on her brow as she felt him draw closer his steps sounding mechanical.
With a yell, Pidge pushed away from the wall and dove around the corner. She took only a moment to find her mark before letting the small plastic ball fly free. She landed on the floor and a moment later she heard her target crying out in pain.
"OW! Pidge, that hurt." Lance said, rubbing the side of his neck. "But I have to admit it was a good shot." He too only wore his paladin helmet. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and in his hands was a slingshot similar in style to the one Pidge had.
"Thanks," Pidge replied with a smile. "What's the score now? Five to zero?"
"I won the round yesterday." Lance argued, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as he helped Pidge to her feet.
Pidge rolled her eyes, "Fine, four to one." She nudged him with her elbow, "You know you're gonna have to be sneakier if you ever hope to get ahead with the points."
"Well, how do you do it? Maybe I can pick up a couple tips." Lance replied, returning the nudge.
Pidge shrugged, "Instinct? I'm not sure exactly. I just have this feeling and somehow I know it's you."
Lance looked at her thoughtfully for a moment as if contemplating her words. Ever since they had met that day at the Garrison there had been this growing connection he felt between them. One that he found he couldn't describe.
"Hey, guys!" Hunk said coming in just then and effectively ending any further conversation, "Allura and Coran want to know if you're ready for the festival."
Pidge walked over to Hunk and offered him a high-five, "Heck yeah!" She turned to Lance, "We've got a plan to defeat all the rigged arcade games." Pidge smiled at him, "You should join us!
Tents littered the open field a mile from the city's gates. The tents varied in color from bright pink to black, each of them decorated with bright white lights and ribbons that completed their tents. There was no shortage of food; it seemed as if every other tent had steaming hot food at the ready. The tents that were not serving food had games the festival patrons could play. Music from a band drifted from the center of the festival and spread on the wind throughout the surrounding area.
The paladin's Landed in the black lion a few hundred yards out from the festival. They wore their plain clothes, and much to Pidge's dismay she had been told to leave her tablet behind. She wasn't too upset about it though, it just made her and Hunk's job harder with trying to hack the rigged arcade games.
The group made their way from the black lion and into the thrall of people. They weaved their way towards the center of the festival where the band was playing an upbeat song. There were several younger children native to the area dancing in front of the band. There was a bonfire behind the band and it appeared that even the flames danced in time with the band's tempo.
Without warning Allura let out a shout of glee and darted into the crowd. She had Keith in tow behind, her hand clasped firmly in his. The rest of them watched them go. Keith managed to turn back and give them a shy smile before he too disappeared into the crowd.
Before Lance and Pidge knew it, Shiro and Coran disappeared into the crowd in a different direction followed shortly by Hunk.
"Hunk!" Pidge called after him, "What about our plan?!"
Hunk turned to her holding up a hand, "Give me five minutes! There's a tent over here that I want to take a look at!"
Pidge dropped her hands in what almost looked like defeat to Lance. "I guess we'll wait then."
"Or we could explore a little?" Lance suggested.
"He said he would only be five minutes though." Pidge replied.
"We can stay in the center of the festival."
Pidge nodded, "Okay as long as we don't wander too far. We still have rigged arcade games to crack."
Lance laughed as Pidge fell in step beside him. If he was being honest he was thankful that others had left and it was just the two of them. It was giving him time to think more about what Pidge had mentioned earlier. It also gave him the time to think about his own unexplainable connection to the green paladin. He had noticed it the first time they met and had felt it growing since then.
The two of them wandered through the throng of people stopping occasionally to look at a tent and what activity or food it contained. They mostly stood back and watched other people play, most all of whom lost the game. Lance glanced over more than once to see Pidge's eyebrows scrunched in concentration. She had a finger placed thoughtfully to her lips as she watched the arcade game in front of them. It wasn't a game that either of them recognized and it very quickly became unclear how one knew if they had won the game or not.
"Maybe this won't be as easy as I thought it would be." Pidge said after a moment. She turned then and moved onto the next tent. It was a dark purple tent with no lights or ribbons hanging around the outside. Next to the entrance was a wooden sign. It was decorated with a flame and an arrow below it pointing into the direction of the entrance.
The two paladin's shared a curious look before entering the tent. Inside the floor of the tent was covered with carpets of varying color and design. In the center on the floor was a small square table with a lantern. It gave the room a golden hue that was warm and inviting. In the corner there was a doorway with its entrance that was covered with a sheer purple curtain and decorated with small silver beads.
Lance wandered over to a nearby shelf and looked over the several jars with different colored powders and plants. "This seems out of place compared to the rest of the festival.
Pidge hummed her agreement. It hadn't taken them much convincing for them to enter the tent. It seemed the same feeling that was drawing her to Lance was also drawing her to this tent.
Glancing over at Lance, Pidge noted him picking up a jar in order to better read the worn label. She studied him for a moment watching as he did the same movement to the other jars on the shelf. For a moment she allowed her mind to wander as it seemed the tent was unoccupied for the time being.
She was disappointed that Hunk had abandoned her and Lance so quickly in his hunt for food. She couldn't blame him though, wouldn't she have done the same if it was technology instead of food? She had to admit though that the connection that she felt between her and Lance was stronger when it was just the two of them. When the others were present the connection was still there, but it held a quieter presence. Pidge had become enthralled with the connection when it first formed back at the Garrison. She found herself on more than one occasion stopping in her tracks when she felt it come alive because he was near.
"Hello."
Lance and Pidge turned to the voice startled. Lance, who had still been looking at the jars, fumbled with one for just a moment barely managing to catch the jar between his hand and thigh. He gingerly set it back on the shelf and as a precaution stepped away from it.
Standing in the entrance was a young female. She wore a white ankle length skirt paired with a cropped long sleeve shirt. A belt of small diamonds decorated her waist. Straight black hair framed a Ivory face with bright green eyes. The female's nose and mouth were covered by a sheer white veil. In her hands the female carried a try with two drinking glasses filled to the brim with a dark liquid.
"Lance. Katie." The female said, looking at each of them. "Come, sit with me." The female moved then settling on her knees she set the tray on the small table with the lantern. She placed the glasses on the table, and then motioned for them to sit in front of them.
They didn't move from where they stood. Lance shared a look with Pidge and then glanced toward the door. She nodded in agreement that they both needed to get the hell out of there. This female, whoever she was, somehow knew who they were, and that couldn't be good. Did she have some connection to the Galra?
"There's no need to be uneasy." The female spoke, she still knelt at the table with her back to them. "I've been expecting you." She nodded her eyes bright, "Please come sit, and then you can decide whether or not to leave."
Pidge and Lance sat with skepticism still evident on their faces. This seemed all too close to a trap.
"You said you were expecting us?" Pidge said
The female nodded, "I have been expecting the two of you for generations now."
"Who are you exactly?" Lance asked. He eyed the glass in front of him, the dark liquid steaming with heat.
The female held her hands out in front of her palms up and tilted her head forward ever so slightly. "I have taken many forms over the years and have been given many names by the great star." She folded her hands together and rested them in her lap. "I take the form of the ones I am to unite, so as to provide comfortability and assurance." The female smiled, "For the sake of pleasantries you can call me Cam."
"What do you mean by unite?" Pidge asked. She had a feeling she knew exactly what the female meant, and the very thought made her cheeks grow warm.
Cam held out a hand to Lance then to Pidge. "In the past several years since the Garrison and then fighting as Paladins of Voltron I'm sure you have felt a growing connection to each other. A different kind of connection, one that seemed to have no beginning or end, it just was." Cam brought her hands together and laced her fingers. "Each and every person has a connection to another whether as family or friend. In your case, you two have the most sacred of connections." Cam smiled as she turned her face heavenward. "You have the connection of soulmates."
Lance who had been balancing on the balls of his feet lost his balance. He narrowly missed hitting the table as he went down. "I'm sorry, what?" He asked, his voice sounding strangled.
Cam held up a single hand, "Please, I will explain more."
Pidge glanced over at Lance who now had his attention on her. He was her soulmate? Those were a thing? She had always heard girls in her highschool, mentioned how they wanted to 'find the one'. Is that what this was? To be honest she had never paid much attention to the topic. She felt that her purpose was so much deeper than finding 'the one'.
"My role as a star sister is to unite the soulmates and protect their connection. There are forces of dark origin out in the universe that desire to destroy the sacred connection." Cam paused before continuing. "I have been watching over you since you met at the Garrison. I have remained hidden from you until the perfect opportunity to present myself to you. That time is now." Cam gestured to the cups sitting before Lance and Pidge. "Sitting before you is a drink that has been blessed by the Great Star. Its intent is to protect your connection against the dark forces that seek to destroy it. But be warned, the protection can only withstand so much before it dissipates and your connection becomes vulnerable."
Just then a group of children ran by the entrance to the tent breaking whatever spell had settled over the trio. It quieted once more and the muffled sound of music could be heard again.
"Please, if both of you wish, drink from the glasses." Cam said, placing both of her hands in her lap and bowing her head.
Pidge and Lance stared at each other, their cheeks dusted pink. Neither had expected this outcome from the festival. They were soulmates? The two had always had a special bond, and had been closer than the other paladins when it came to casual conversation.
Pidge found her hand inching towards the glass. She paused just inches before as she glanced at Lance. Just because they were soulmates didn't mean that they had to make anything more of it, right? Nothing had to change between them; it could all stay the same. This could be an experiment for her, gathering information on different cultures, and that thought fascinated her. Even as she accepted these thoughts there was a ghost of a whisper telling her that she wouldn't be able to ignore the strength of the connection for long.
Lance's hand grabbed the glass but he didn't move it towards his mouth. This was her? This was his soulmate? His sisters has spent his entire childhood talking about soulmates, he had his doubts about the whole idea. As he began to date he began to notice in the relationships that none of them felt quite right. Then at the Garrison Lance had met Pidge and it felt as if everything had clicked into place. This was who he was meant to be with and he wasn't about to let it slip away.
For what felt like the hundredth time in that setting, Lance and Pidge shared a look. A moment later they nodded an unspoken conversation having occurred between them.
In the same motion both of them took the glass that sat before them and drank the dark liquid until the last drop. It was sweet like honey with a sharp bite of cinnamon in the mix, it went down easy and the aftertaste was minimal.
"The Great Star is pleased with your choice." Cam stood then and bowed at the waist. "May the Great Star protect you and your sacred connection." And then Cam disappeared as if she had never been there.
Lance and Pidge emerged from the tent, their heads were spinning with all the information that they had received over the last ten minutes. They had gotten no more than a few yards back into the center of the festival when they heard shouting.
"Lance! Pidge!" Shiro was shouting their names. He rushed towards them, the others not far behind. When he was closer he slowed to a stop in front of them.
"Hey guys!" Lance said before turning to Hunk. "Hunk, Are you ready to go figure out some of the arcade games?"
"We have been worried sick about you!" Shiro said, "Where were you?"
"We were just exploring," Pidge replied, "We were only gone for ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Allura shook her head, "We've been looking for you for the past hour and a half."
"That's impossible." Lance said. "We were over there in that-" He had turned to point out the purple tent with the flame sign, but it was gone.
"What matters now is that we found you." Allura said, "We should get back to the castle of lions."
"Yeah-" Lance said. He was at a loss for words. The tent had been right there and now it was gone. A look shared with Pidge revealed that she had the same thought running through her mind.
What the hell had just happened to them?