Chapter 2
Pidge woke up confused. Something licking her ear. She shrieked and the thing on her shoulder fell off.
"What the...? Wha..? Is this...hair?" She said looking at herself. She was tied in brunette hair around a chair.
"Struggling...struggling is pointless. I know why you're here. And I'm not afraid of you." Said a male voice from the shadows.
"'Scuse me, what now?" Pidge asked, surprised.
"Who are you, and how did you find me?" Pidge's eyes widened as a tall dark skinned boy came out of the shadows, holding a pan at him. She blinked.
"Ahaaa..." She said. She had to admit he was cute. But he had like seventy feet of hair, some of it holding her hostage to a chair AND seemed a bit loco for using a pan as a weapon. BUT MAN THAT THING HURT!
"Who are you, and how did you find me?" He said, getting close in her face.
"Woahhhh buddy. Listen. I know not who you are. Nor how I came to find you. But may I just say....The hell have ya been doing my boy? I haven't seen this much hair in a saloon! Jesus! Also name's Pidge. Pidge Gunderson." Lance frowned.
"Who else knows my location, Pidge Gunderson?" Pidge looked unimpressed.
"All right, princey." She said, realizing he was pretty girly for a boy. But she wasn't one judge. She was a girl in trousers after all.
"Lance The Tailor."
"Gesundheit. Here's the thing. I was in a situation, Gallivanting through the forest. I came across your tower and--" She froze.
"Ho, ho no, where is my satchel?!" She said, looking around frantically. Lance smirked.
"I've hidden it, somewhere you'll never find it." He said proudly. Pidge looked around and her eyes fell on a pot. She looked at Lance unimpressed.
"It's in the pot, isn't it." She said. Lance frowned and hit her with the pan. She woke up again with a mouse licking her ear.
"GAH! WILL YOU STOP THAT?!" Pidge said.
"Now it's hidden where you'll never find it. So, what do you want, with my hair? To cut it?" Pidge blinked in confusion.
"What?" She asked.
"Sell it?"
"No! What the- Listen, the only thing I want to do with your hair, is to get out of it. Literally!" Pidge said, wiggling her hands.
"Wait, you don't want my hair?" Lance asked, lowering the pan. Pidge looked at him like he was crazy.
"Why on earth would I want your hair? Look, I was being chased, I saw a tower, I climbed it, end of story! The fuck are you on about?!" Pidge asked.
"You're, telling the truth?" Lance asked her. Pidge looked at him exasperated.
"YES!" She answered. Platt and Lance turned away from her.
"Hmmm. I know. I need someone to take me. I think he's telling the truth, too. He doesn't have fangs! but what choice do I have?" Lance said, speaking with the mouse. Pidge looked at him with a raised brow. First of all...he thought she was a boy...Like everyone else. Second. She was in the loony-bin. There was no way he was serious right now.
"Okay...Pidge! I'm prepared to offer you a deal." Lance said.
"Deal?" She asked. Lance smirked and pulled his hair. The chair twirled and she fell on the floor. He climbed on the fire-place and pushed the wooden sigil off.
"Look this way. Do you know what these are?" Lance asked, pointing at her. She moved her head.
"You mean the lantern thing they do for the princess?" She said from off the ground.
"Lanterns... I knew they weren't stars... Well, tomorrow evening they will light the night sky, with these lanterns. You will act as my guide, Take me to these lanterns, and return me home safely. Then, and only then, will I return your satchel to you. That is my deal." Lance said to her. Pidge snorted, looking amused.
"Yeah, no can do. Unfortunately, the kingdom and I are not exactly, simpatico, at the moment. So I won't be taking you anywhere." Lance frowned. The mouse squeeked aggressively.
"Something brought you here, Pidge Gunderson. Call it what you will, fate, destiny--" He said, lifting her and pulling her towards him, using his hair. Pidge looked unimpressed.
"A horse." She said with a shrug.
"So I have made the decision to trust you." Lance says.
"A horrible decision, really." Pidge said to him with a shrug, again.
"But trust me, when I tell you this. You can tear this tower apart, brick by brick. But without my help, you will never find your precious satchel." Pidge frowned.
"Let me just get this straight. I take you to see the lanterns. Bring you back home. and you'll give me back my satchel?" She asked him. He took on a determined look.
"I promise. And when I promise something, I never ever break that promise. EVER!" He said, way too eager. Pidge looked around and frowned even more. There was no way out of this...
"This is kind of an off day for me. This doesn't normally happen..." Pidge says with a frown. Lance didn't break eye contact. She groaned.
"Fine, I'll take you to see the lanterns!" She says, giving in. Lance gasped and let her go.
"Really! Ooops." He says as he realizes he just let her fall face flat. Pidge groans.
"You son of a taint..." She mumbles from the floor. And so they got read to leave. Pidge used the arrows to get down and then looked up.
"You coming, Princey??" Pidge called from down at the bottom. Lance looked down and inhaled.
"Ok...I can do this...Platt? You stay here." The mouse squeeked. Lance threw his hair and used it to slide down. His eyes widened as his feet touched the grass.
"I can't believe I did this...I can't believe I'm doing this..." Lance mumbled. And they started walking. Pidge however? Was growing annoyed with Lance's bipolar attacks. Why bipolar? weeellll...
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THIS!" He called as he was swinging from a few trees. Next thing she knew...He was in doubt, laying down.
"Mother will be so furious. That's okay though, what she doesn't know won't kill her, right?" And then...
"Oh my gosh, this will kill her."
"THIS IS SO FUN!"
"I am a horrible son, I'm going back!"
"I am never going back!"
"I am a despicable human being!"
"WAHHOOOOO! Best day, ever!" And now, he was crying. They didn't get that far from the tower's cave really. Only a few hours of walking but...Man THIS WAS ANNOYING! Pidge frowned as Lance was sobbing. She rubbed her neck awkwardly and came up with a plan.
"You know, I can't help but notice, you seem a little at war with yourself, here." Pidge says. Lance looks up at her.
"Really...??" Pidge felt a bit guilty. He was like a small lost puppy. This will sting for a few days.
"Now, I'm only picking up bits and pieces. Overprotective mother, forbidden road trip. This is serious stuff. But let me ease your conscience. This is part of growing up. A little rebellion, a little adventure. That's good, healthy even." She says. He looks up with hope.
"You think?" Pidge nodded.
"I know. You're way over thinking this, trust me. Does your mother deserve it? No. Will this break her heart and crush her soul? Of course. But you just got to do it." Pidge says, nonchalantly. Lance freezes.
"Break her heart?" Lance asks, chocking a bit. Pidge nodded
"In half." She says as she picks up a berry.
"Crush her soul?" He asks, panicked. She hums.
"Like a grape." She says as she crushes the berry.
"She would be heart broken, you're right..." Lance mumbles. Pidge gasps.
"I am, aren't I? Oh, bother. All right, I can't believe I'm saying this, but...I'm letting you out of the deal." Pidge says, putting her hands up. Lance's eyes widen.
"What?" He asks.
"That's right. But don't thank me. Let's just turn around, and get you home, here's your pan." She helps him stand up and hands him the lethal weapon. She pats him on the shoulder and starts pushing him.
"I get back my satchel. You get back a mother daughter relationship based on mutual trust and viola! We part ways as unlikely friends." Pidge says, making a circle motion with her hand. Lance frowns and turns around. She stumbles forward a bit.
"No, I am seeing those lanterns!" Lance says. Pidge groans.
"Oh, come on! What is it going to take to get my satchel back?" She asks, annoyed. Lance points the pan at her. She puts her hands up.
"I will use this." Suddenly, something rustles in the bushes.
"Is it, ruffians, thugs? Have they come for me?!" Lance asks, climbing on Pidge, who apparently was unphased at the whole deal. Yeah she was almost a foot smaller than him but hey! She's dealt with worse from her brother. Pidge blinked unimpressed as a bunny came out of the bushes.
"Stay calm, it can probably smell fear." Pidge said sarcastically.
"Oh, sorry. Getting just a little bit, jumpy." Lance said, getting off. Pidge looked at him with a neutral face. That's when she got an idea.
"Are you hungry? I know a great place for lunch." She says with a smirk. He raises a brow.
"Where??" He asks.
"Oh, don't you worry. You'll know it when you smell it." Pidge said, starting to push him towards the direction she wanted to go. Somewhere close by in the forest, Haggar was walking towards the merchant she got the paint from. Keith was around the area, still searching for Lance, sniffing around. He hid behind a boulder as he felt someone approach and jumped in front of Haggar. The woman backed away and gasped.
"Oh, a Palace horse. Where's your rider?" The woman's eyes widened.
"Lance..." She started running. Soon enough, she was back at the tower, leaving the shape-shifter behind in confusion.
"LANCE! Oh, Lance~ Let down your hair!" Nothing...
"Lance?? LANCE!" The woman ran to the side of the tower and clawed onto the bricks like a ferocious animal. She opened a door and then climbed up a ladder. She smashed onto a stuck trap-door under a rug and opened it.
"LANCE??" And so she came across the crown and satchel, with Pidge's poster in it and a few things such as herbs, a journal and some charcoal. The woman's frowned as she saw the alchemy inside of it and properties and drawings of minerals and herbs. She snarled and put the things back. She got up and went over to a night stand. As she opened the drawer, a shiny silver blade could be seen. Haggar picked it up and twirled it. The game begins.
"I know it's around here, somewhere. Ah, there it is. The Snuggly duckling. Don't worry, very quaint place, perfect for you. Don't want you scaring, and giving up on this endeavor now do we?" Pidge says as they come across a nice looking bar.
"Well, I do like ducklings." Lance said. Pidge smirked and wiggled her hands.
"YAY! Garcon, your finest table, please." Pidge said, kicking the door open.
"You smell that? Take a deep breath through the nose. Really, let that seep in. What are you getting? Because to me, it's part man smell and the other part is really bad man smell. I don't know why, but overall, it smells like the color brown. Your thoughts?" Pidge talks as she pushes him towards a table. Lance paled, if that was even possible for his dark skin.
"That's a lot of hair." A guy with gruff voice said. Pidge nodded.
"He's growing it out, is that blood on your moustache? Oh, Princey, look at this, look at all the blood on his moustache. Good sir, that's a lot of blood. Hey, you don't look so good, Princey. Maybe we should get you home. Call it a day. Probably better off. This is a five star joint after all. And if you can't handle this place, well maybe you should be back in your tower..." Pidge says. Lance gulps as he looks around. Ruffians, thugs, all type of criminals. Suddenly someone puts a hand on her shoulder. A massive guy with dark skin and a bandana, with a girl holding onto his arm.
"Is this you?" He asks. Pidge frowned and looked at the poster. She moved his finger from her nose and groaned.
"They're just being mean at this point." Pidge says, frowning. A whole group of thugs surrounds them.
"Welp shit..." She says as the guy grabs her and lifts her.
"Oh, it's him all right. Greno, go find some guards. That reward is going to buy me a new cooking tray~" Pidge opened her mouth to say she was actually a girl. But decided against this. The man's girlfriend chuckles.
"I can use the money." A guy says, with purple skin and white hair, a galran, snatching Pidge away. She wishes she had her knife on her. Stupid deal and satchel.
"What about me? I'm broke. GET BACK!!" A girl calls, with white hair and altean marks, out as they snatch her. Pidge shrieks as they tighten the grip too hard and she's pretty sure she heard her rib pop under the pressure. She wheezed.
"Please, stop!" Lance said. They all started fighting on her. Lance got annoyed.
"Give me back my guide!! Ruffians!!" Lance said again. They didn't listen. Suddenly Pidge was lifted and was about to be punched.
"WOAH WOAH WOAH! NOT THE GLASSES--" Lance grabbed a branch growing inside the bar and pulled it. When she let go, it hit the guy with a bandana in the head. Pidge's eyes widened as she looked at Lance.
"Put him down! Okay, I don't know where I am, and I need him to take me to see the lanterns, because I've been dreaming about them my entire life. Find your humanity! Haven't any of you ever had a dream?" Lance asked. Suddenly they all mumbled. The guy with a bandana started coming closer. Pidge hissed and tried to break free to help him.
"PLEASE INCLUDE THE SONG!!"
"....No."
"Lol."
The ruffians all started telling their dreams, one by one. Hunk and Shay: the guy and girl who first grabbed Pidge, were actually quite nice. Shay wanted to be a painter and Hunk a baker. That was cute. There was also Lotor who just wanted love...Allura who wanted to sing....And there was a third guy, Coran, another altean, who wanted to do gardening! All these stuff were great. That's when they turned to Pidge.
"What's your dream?" Hunk asked.
"Oh me...? Sorry, I don't do this type of stuff--" Suddenly Allura threw a knife at her.
"Okkkk...Maybe my dream is to be able to public my findings in alchemy and have people know about my work..." She said pushing her glasses up. Lance's eyes widened.
"Alchemy??" Lotor asked, a bit amused. Pidge frowned.
"Listen. I am an alchemist, ok? I also study herbs, plants and their proprietaries in medicine." Hunk's mouth fell open. Shay giggled.
"My my. We have a smart one here." Allura nodded as Coran cheered and they all started partying. Pidge looked away, flushing at the praise.
"Thanks..." Lance smirked at the small glint of personality he saw. Suddenly the guy Hunk told to get the guards came back. Pidge gasped and hissed.
"I found the guards!" She immediately grabbed Lance and pulled him after her, under the bar.
"Where's Pidge?! WHERE IS HE?!" Yelled Shiro as he stepped in with a few guards. Hunk slid with them, under the bar and Pidge's eyes widened. Hunk smiled and pulled a small lever.
"Go. You both live your dreams." Pidge and Lance looked at each other and smiled. Pidge slid down into the tunnel and smirked. Lance looked at Hunk and patted him on the shoulder.
"Thanks, buddy." Hunk nodded. Lance slid down after her. Meanwhile inside, Shiro was interrogating the ruffians.
"I believe this is the man you're looking for." Shay said, pushing a drunk dude forward. Shiro pushed him away and started searching. They also brought in Sendak and Zarkon for whatever reason. Suddenly, Keith barged in. He easily found the lever and pulled it, changing to his human form.
"A passage, come on men, let's go. Conli, make sure those boys don't get away." Shiro called as they all left. Sendak and Zarkon both looked at the lonely guard. They both hit the guy and used his knife to get themselves out.
"Play it safe. Or go get the crown." They both smirked. Outside the bar, at the same time, was Haggar.
"SO MANY PEOPLE WHO HATE ME IN ONE PLACE!! UGHHHH!"
"Uhh...'scuse me what about me doe?"
"You didn't love me back then. Shush."
"Fair enough."
Haggar looked at the drunk man and pulled out her knife.
"Where does that passage take??"
Inside the passage were Lance and Pidge walking.
"Well, I've gotta say. Didn't know you had that in you back there, that was pretty...impressive." Pidge said. Lance beamed.
"I know!" He squealed. Pidge looked at him amused. He coughed and looked to the side.
"I know." He said in a deeper voice. Pidge smirked and turned back to look forward.
"Soo...Pidge~ Where are you from?" He asked. She snorted.
"Whoa, whoa, sorry Princey, I don't do back story. However I am becoming very interested in yours. Now I...I know I'm not suppose to mention the hair." She says.
"Nope."
"Or, the Mother."
"Uh, uh."
"Here's my question, though, if you want to see the lanterns so badly, why haven't you gone before?" Pidge asks, raising a brow. Lance hisses.
"Welll..." Suddenly the ground shakes. Pidge's eyes widen.
"Shit-" Lance's eyes widen as they both see a light coming for them.
"Uh...Pidge...??"
"GUNDERSON!" Shiro calls. Keith, Shiro and the guards were after them.
"uhhhh PIDGE?!" She pushes him forward.
"Run. RUN!!" They both start running. Lance has to hug all his hair to his chest but as long as they can just GET OUT! At the end of the tunnel they are met with a huge wooden dam. They were on a cliff of some sorts. Lance looks down gasps. Sendak and Zarkon were emerging from a tunnel down there.
"Uhhh Pidge? Who's that?" She hisses.
"They don't like me." The guards come.
"Who's that??" Lance asks. Pidge frowns.
"They don't like me either." And then Keith comes in last.
"Who's that?!" Lance asks.
"Lets just assume for the moment, that everyone here doesn't like me." Pidge says, annoyed and a bit scared. Lance throws his hair and uses it as a rope, swinging on a rock below. He drops the pan. Pidge takes it and starts fighting the guards with it until Keith is last one standing. She whistles as she looks at the pan in surprise.
"Oh mama, I have got to get me one of these. HAH!" She draws it towards Keith, who was holding a knife. He manages to somehow disarm her. She chuckles.
"How about two out of three?" He points the knife at her neck, his arm pressing onto her chest. Keith's eyes widen and he looks down at her chest. Lance grabs her hand with his hair.
"PIDGE!" She smirks and salutes as she jumps. Keith tries to grab her but doesn't manage to. She starts swinging too low.
"PIDGE!" Lance pulls on the hair and she is pulled higher. She lifts her feet up and manages to make it out just in time from the two galrans' swing of swords.
"HAH! You should see your faces 'cause you look...---" Suddenly she was slammed in a wall.
"Ridiculous..." She chokes out. Lance looks surprised at Keith who was now pushing one of the dam's pillars down. Keith starts running towards him.
"JUMP, LANCE!" Pidge calls out to him. He ends up getting down and Pidge starts sliding down to reach him. The dam breaks behind them as they both run and starts sweeping all of the people chasing them. The keep running forward towards a small tunnel. The force of the water is taking down a huge rock. Blocking their exit. Water was slowly dripping in. They were stuck in darkness. The two went as high as they could and Lance started beating at the walls with the pan that they found on the ground, thanks to the water. Pidge breathed in and sunk down.
"Pidge...? PIDGE!" Lance called out. She came up with a sharp gasp. She hissed, grabbing her hand. Lance noticed out she had a bloody cut there. The stones must have been sharp.
"It's no use, I can't see anything." He frowned as Pidge said as she went back in the water. The water was slowly raising. Lance took a deep breath and went in the water. Pidge pulled him out.
"Hey, there's no point. It's pitch black down there." Pidge said to him, wiping some water off his face. He looked down and started sniffling.
"This is all my fault. She was right, I never should have done this. I'm so... I'm so sorry, Pidge." She looked away.
"Kathlyn..." His eyes widened.
"What....??" Lance asked. She smiled at him.
"My real name is, Kathlyn Holt...Katie for short... Someone might as well know." She said. Lance's eyes widened.
"You're a girl!" She shrugged. They both stayed in silence for a bit. Lance sniffed and chuckled.
"I have magic hair that glows when I sing." Pidge looked at him in disbelief.
"What...??" A realization struck him.
"I have... magic hair, that glows when I sing! Flower gleam and glow. Let your power shine--" They both gasped as the water reached the roof. It was black...Until it wasn't. Lance's hair started glowing and Pidge screamed. She covered her mouth and their eyes followed the light. Small stones...engravings...A WAY OUT! Pidge swam towards the rocks and started moving them. Her hand was through. Soon enough the whole wall crumbled and they were spurted into a river. They swam to the shore. They both coughed and chocked as they came to the shore but, they were alive.
"We made it." Lance said, beaming.
"Your hair glows." Pidge said in disbelief as she put a hand under her glasses, rubbing her eyes.
"We're alive! We're alive!" Lance said, happily.
"Didn't see that coming...His hair...ACTUALLY GLOWS!" Pidge said in disbelief. Lance got up and started fishing his hair out of the water.
"Katie." Lance called out. She face-palmed.
"Why does his hair glow?" She asked herself. Lance frowned.
"KATIE!!" He tried calling her again. She turned her head to him.
"WHAT?!" She asked. Lance couldn't believe she actually answered. He thought she was kidding. Then he looked at her clothes. The water damped them, making her stick to her and he could see her curves. Oh my GOD! SHE REALLY WAS A GIRL! Hold on...Weren't girls supposed to be full of grace and be very delicate and stuff? Yeah, he wasn't the ideal man either but- Woah! This blew his mind! She was also an alchemist?! He wasn't one to judge since he really did deserve the nickname 'princey' but...It was still mind blowing. As a kid he always expected to meet some fancy girl that loved flowers and danced. She however is a bandit...Snap out of it! She's your guide
"It doesn't just glow."
Zarkon and Sendak came out of the ducky marked tunnel. Haggar was waiting patiently at the end and felt quite disappointed to find that his son and that friend he made were missing.
"I'll kill him. I'll kill that Gunderson. We'll cut him off for the kingdom. Get back the crown, come on." The two were ready to walk away when Haggar came out of hiding.
"Bo-oys!... perhaps you want to stop acting like wild dogs chasing their tails, and think for a moment." They drew out their swords at her. Fools.
"Oh, please there's no need for that. Well if that's all you desire, then be on your way! I was going to offer you something worth one thousand crowns, would have made you rich beyond belief. And that wasn't even the best part. Oh well, C'est la vie. Enjoy your crown." She said to them as she threw the crown. They both started looking at the crown funnily.
"What's the best part?" The two asked.
"It comes with revenge on Gunderson~" The two smirked. Yeah...that will surely do.