8. The Path She Chooses

Lotor might have let the princess go, but he was keeping tabs on her. She had reunited with her friends – good, that was very good. He always liked a good challenge, and he knew she had felt something when he had touched her. She wanted him just as much as he wanted her – he knew that he had seen the hesitation in her eyes. He had seen the desire, but it was like he had said to her, she was far too noble for her own good.

It was easy enough to track her as he had made sure the Blue Lion had an invisible tracker on it, but she wasn't alone anymore. She had Hunk, Keith, and Pidge beside her. That may make things a little more difficult, but it was okay – he had expected it. That was what he had told her to do in the end. He moved his space craft a little closer to the others.

"It's good to see you reunited with your friends, Princess," Lotor said calmly. "Have you told them that your heart wavered towards me, but you held yourself back?"

The Blue Lion growled at him as he said that, and he could feel Allura's hesitance return when Keith's voice interrupted them.

"Shut up, Lotor," Keith growled, tone low and showing that he was pulling no punches. "Stop trying to manipulate her."

"Lies sometimes hold a truth, even if you don't want to admit it, Black Paladin," Lotor said simply. "Feelings are not in our control. Neither is the way we think. She feels something for me…it's only her mind holding her back, not her heart."

"You're wrong, Lotor," Hunk was the one who spoke up surprisingly. That was odd – he had always been softer than the others, but Lotor had known he was loyal to his friends, standing by them and ready to back them up when necessary.

Still, he did not speak. He simply quietly observed the man, waiting to see if he would continue in the defence for his friend.

"Tricking someone, making them think you have good intentions when in fact you're not a good person aren't qualities anyone would admire," Hunk said firmly. "You have an attractive physical appearance that any girl might find themselves allured towards, but your personality? It's so ugly and it might not show on your face now, but it will eventually. Your charm will fade."

Lotor scowled at this. How dare he? How dare he have the nerve to call him ugly? Filthy peasants who he had given more than they deserved. His ship started to glow purple, and he readied an attack.

"You're going to regret you ever said that," Lotor growled in a low tone, aiming an attack at the Yellow Lion, but the Blue Lion crashed into his ship, throwing him off balance. He was slightly surprised that Allura had recovered from his words so fast but, at the same time, it made sense.

"Do not threaten my family," Allura said fiercely.

Yes. Yes, it was that same fierceness for which he had fallen in love with her in the first place. Her strength was always for the right path, and as much as he loathed to admit it, she had a strong heart and mind. Her heart would never accept him because he didn't align with her values, but it had been wavering for a moment. Her body had craved him in that moment – he had felt her attraction to him. Or maybe these matters were beyond the mind and the heart.

"I felt it," Lotor said softly. "Allura, you wanted me back. I felt it."

"I fell in love with the person who I thought you were, Lotor," Allura responded quietly. "My body responded to the person who my mind thought of…I want nothing to do with you. You tricked me. You tried to force me against my own will. Who knows what other kind of evil you're capable of? Keith taught me not to judge someone by what's in their blood, but by who they are. But in some cases, blood speaks louder and defines who you are. You're more like Zarkon than I could have ever imagined."

Lotor saw red now, and in this moment, he did not see Allura. The woman – the princess – the queen he had once hoped would rule by his side.

He only saw the woman who dared to compare him to his idiot monster of a father. He had never used such force – his words were more powerful than his actions so how could she even think he was anything like his father? No, he was not his father's son. He was his mother's son, and he would prove that to them, no matter what it took.

"Oh? Is that so? If that's the case, then why was it so easy to infiltrate your team?" Lotor asked slyly. "Becoming a part of Team Voltron, putting your bonds to the test with one another shows your bonds aren't as strong as you think they are, Princess. Shiro betrayed you, don't forget. Keith left you to my mercy. And we all know what my father did, but after seeing all that, are you certain it is not just the Black Lion that is cursed?"

There was a silence in the team at that. He had expected for Keith to react more than that, but to his surprise, the Black Paladin began to chuckle.

"Is that the best you've got?" Keith said shrugging. "Kids at the Garrison could push my buttons better than you can. Black may be the unlucky one in terms of the Paladins she chooses, but that would make us the cursed ones, because we can't treat her the way she deserves. Or is she the kindest one because she still believes in us after everything we've put her through? All the betrayals, all the disappointments, I'm surprised she hasn't become cold and heartless like you. She really must be the kindest."

Lotor stared at the ship. He was caught speechless for once, and did not have the words to respond. His grip tightened around the controls. It was time to end this. Enough talking. If Allura couldn't be his, she could die with them.

Just as he was about to launch another attack though, another speck of light burst through. Dammit…no, this couldn't be happening. Despite how much they had planned to separate Voltron, they had managed to come back together, the Red Lion had returned. Team Voltron was back together – all except the Black Lion.