10 000 Years - VLD
It was a good day, Prince Lotor decided. He had finally found the Red Lion. His father had been very diligent in keeping the location of the legendary beast from him. But now he finally knew where it was. And it was so very close. His hand lay on his breastplate, right above his heart and the pendant resting against it. Soon, he thought, soon I will have my due.
Today was a terrible day. Keith wasn't actually sure what the hell was going on anymore, but of that he was sure. Fitting that it was a monday. Monday's sucked.
How the hell had he ended up on some kind of intergalactic saviour team? And who put that team together, because he seriously questioned their intelligence. Shiro, he could understand. He was a leader, a hero. And Pidge admittedly didn't seem too bad, at least he seemed to be keeping up mentally with all the weird shit thrown their way. The big guy though, Hunk?, he seemed to be lost. And did it have to be some self-important annoying brat to fly the Blue Lion?
And then they all left him alone in the middle of a mission. Great. If he ever met the one that decided to make them a team, he'd have some choice words for them.
After getting lost in the huge, unfamiliar warship Keith finally found the Red Lion only to find it wouldn't open for him. The appearance of those drone soldiers didn't help.
"I'm bonding with you! Hey! Come on! We're connected!" he tried to move the Red Lion to open. To no avail. "Dammit!"
A shot glanced off the lion's shield just next to his head.
"Holy crap!" It wasn't too hard to spot the shooter, a drone slightly away from the others, but he couldn't act on that information because the drones were closing in. Fighting them off he saw the sniper taking aim from the corner of his eye. He was done for. But the deadly shot never came. Instead the flood of drones pressing in on him seemed to lessen for a moment.
And soon he saw why. Someone was standing right where the sniper had fallen. They were tall and lean, clad in dark, structured armor. There seemed to be some sort of orange and blue markings on the front, arms and legs but he couldn't get a clear look. Armed with what seemed a bastard sword - going by the handle length and the ease with which the stranger handled it one-handed - and a shorter blade in what Keith assumed was the stranger's off-hand, they were quickly dispatching whatever drones came within reach of either blade. The identity of his mysterious helper was obscured by a helmet matching the armor, a tinted face-shield obscuring any hint of recognisable features. But before Keith could make any more observations he had to return his focus to the drones.
"You're not getting this lion!" he growled out, ready to fight off as many drones as the ship can hold. He forgot to account for the fact his bayard took the form of a sword in compliance with his preferences while his opponents had firearms. Laser firearms, to be precise. And even with the mysterious stranger cleaving a way towards him, they were outnumbered and outgunned.
When Keith spotted an airlock, a plan formed in his mind. It was risky and the likelihood of it ending badly for him was… a thing… but it was worth a shot. He hit the airlock release and the drones were sucked out into space… as well as his unknown helper and himself. It seemed though that his half-baked facsimile of a plan had made a suitable impression on the Red Lion as the giant robot? Creature? Space ship? Whatever it was, decided to activate and pick him up. Taking his place in the cockpit he stared out on the floating drones and the stranger among them. He knew he should go and join the others but the stranger, whoever they were, had helped him and he couldn't just leave them to their doom. Despite operating the controls mostly by instinct, he managed to pick up the alien (probably. He couldn't know for sure. But at least they seemed to register as a lifeform to the Lion's sensors if he interpreted the display right) without catching any of the drones by accident.
"Good kitty. Let's roll."
Rejoining the others, the four lions made swift work of their remaining opponents before getting out of Dodge. Before they could head for the castle though, Keith reached out to them.
"I kind of have a passenger. We should check them out before getting back to the castle, don't you think?"
"What the heck, Keith?!" That was Lance. Of course. "What did you do, pick up some Galra or something?"
Keith rolled his eyes. "I don't know who or what they are. They register as a lifeform to the lion though… I think"
"You think? That doesn't sound very comforting, you know? Should we maybe just drop them off and head back to the castle?"
"We can't do that, Hunk." Thank God for Shiro, the voice of reason in this ragtag group - for lack of a better term - of theirs. "We need to know more first. They could have valuable insight. Keith, how exactly did you come by this… Passenger?"
"They could know about where the prisoners were sent!" Pidge piped in before Keith could answer Shiro's question. The next moments were filled with agitated chatter over the comms. He didn't even bother to try to understand everything the three garrison cadets were throwing around and at each other.
" Enough!" Shiro cut in and shut the teens up. "Keith. The passenger. Explain." The oldest team member sounded exasperated. Or tired. In as concise a fashion as he could manage, Keith relayed the events that led to him claiming (being claimed by?) the Red Lion.
"And I couldn't just leave them to death. Whoever they are, they did help me!"
He could almost hear Shiro nod. "You did the right thing, Keith. Let's all land out of viewing distance of the castle and see to this passenger there before proceeding to the castle."
And so they came to be just a short ways away from the Castle of Lions, their very likely sentient fighter ships/robots sat in a circle around them and the masked stranger in the centre.
"Why did you help me?" Keith asked.
"Let's say I have some scores to settle with the Empire. Helping you provided as good an outcome as I could get. My thanks for not leaving me behind, by the way." The stranger's voice was smooth, with a genteel, cultivated lilt to it but distinctly male, his words spoken softly as if he were used to being listened to in rapt silence. Keith was very thankful for whatever it was that allowed them to understand alien languages because he seriously doubted that this stranger actually spoke English (or the alien Princess for that matter. 10 000 years ago, Earth had barely even had anything in the ways of civilisation, let alone the English language).
"What do you mean "a score to settle"?" Shiro asked quickly followed by Hunk's" What do you mean with "best outcome"?" and Lance's plumb" Who the hell even are you?"
Keith swore he could feel the stranger roll his eyes." The Empire took something very precious to me a long time ago. I have since waited for the opportune moment to pay them back in kind. Seeing them lose a Lion of Voltron, the only one they ever managed to get their claws on, is immensely satisfying." He paused. "As for who I am? I do not know you. Why should I tell you who I am? For now, let it suffice to say, a friend to those who are my friends and an enemy to those who wish me harm."
"That's not an answer" Lance exclaimed, readying his bayard. Shiro raised a hand to calm him. "Enough, Lance." To the stranger he said: "You understand if we are cautious about our identities, I assume. We do not know whether you are of a peaceable disposition towards us or not."
The addressee sighed. "I am no friend to the Empire, though they are not always aware of it. If you need a name to call me by, I suppose Kova will do for now."
Shiro nodded. "Well then, Kova, we could certainly use some aid, if you were willing. I am Shiro and these are" he introduced them one by one "Lance, Hunk, Pidge and Keith. We're expected back at our base of operations but I am sure the rest of our team would like to meet you to discuss a possible alliance."
Kova nodded in accordance. "I will call my ship here and wait for your return."
It was only as they returned to the castle that Keith realised they still didn't know their new ally's face.
When they returned to the castle they had barely enough time for Shiro to officially become the Black Lion's paladin before they had to fight Sendak. Forming Voltron was quite the experience, even though Keith wasn't sure exactly how they had done that. Meeting the Princess and her advisor in front of the castle they had an impromptu battle debrief (or something along those lines) before Shiro brought up their new ally.
"I think we should meet with him again before bringing him here and to meet you, Princess. Just to be sure it is safe. Or as sure as we can get, at least."
The Princess didn't seem to like the idea but acquiesced after Coran insisted it was a good idea.
"You have returned victorious", Kova remarked when they met up again, "and formed Voltron. Impressive."
"We have some more things to clear, before we can take you to meet the rest of our team." Shiro explained. "For one, we would like to know our ally's face."
"Yeah, so off with the helmet" Lance added unnecessarily stand-offish.
Kova complied uncommented. As soon as he released the seal and raised the helmet silver hair spilled out in long waves down his back. The face revealed by the helmet held the same air of cultured gentility as his voice... And was distinctly galran.
"You're a Galra!" Lance accused him, "you're one of them."
Keith suppressed the urge to roll his eyes but he too was wary. The Galra were their enemies. But could it truly be an entire race that was evil? Or were they more like humans, some good, some bad, but most somewhere in between?
"Half-Galra." Kova corrected. "And believe me, I have more reason to hate the Empire than you can imagine."
"Oh yes, like what? How can we be sure that you don't work with them?" Lance pushed, completely deaf to the dangerous edge that had crept into Kova's so very calm voice.
"They took the love of my life from me. I would not work with Zarkon's minions to save my life." His voice had fallen somewhere between a hiss and a growl with some strange dark rumbling underlying that reminded Keith of a tiger about to roar.
This finally shut Lance up. A quiet "oh" was all that escaped him. Shiro only nodded gravely. "I understand." His glance caught on his prosthetic arm. "Let's head to the castle then."
Keith kept watching Kova warily. And so he didn't miss the way his eyes widened a bit upon seeing the Castle of Lions. The greatest surprise though came when they reached the bridge to meet the Princess and her advisor. The moment Kova spotted the Alteans, the empty mask on his face fell. The sheer wonder and disbelief on his face made Keith almost do a double take. With three long strides, Kova was in front of the Princess, gently reaching out, as if afraid she would vanish if he tried to touch her. Princess Allura didn't seem any less confused and enchanted by the Half-Galra before her, reaching towards him in turn.
He couldn't quite believe his eyes. Was this real, was she really alive and well and here? Or was this a dream? If so, he'd be sorely tempted to kill whoever dared wake him. Then their fingers connected and it rushed over him that this was real, she was here. Zarkon hadn't killed her. She was alive.
"Allura" her name left his lips as little more than a breathless, reverent whisper. It pulled a smile to her face as she formed his name. To hear her voice again, shaping his name in that Altean accent of hers felt like touching eternal bliss.
"Lotor" her hand touched his face as if she still couldn't quite believe it. He drew her into his arms, held her close, careful not to hold her too tightly. He wasn't sure he could keep his claws under control with all the emotions currently coursing through him. Her name fell from his lips again and again like a benediction. She was alive, he could feel her breath, the rise and fall of her chest, her scent surrounded him, juniberries and Altean spring and home, and he could hear her heart beating, a strong, steady rhythm on his ear. Her hand came to rest over his heart, over the necklace she had given him, all those many years ago. He was at peace.
It wasn't until he heard the Red Paladin ask whether there was a cat around that he realised he was purring. Embarrassing as that usually was, he was beyond caring right now. His Allura wasn't dead. 10 000 years he had believed he would never see her again and yet, here she was, safe in his arms. It was a miracle.
Yes, today was a good day indeed.
"Is there a cat somewhere around?" Keith couldn't help but ask, wrenching his gaze from the Princess and Kova - or Lotor, as she called him. "No, no. No cats here." Coran explained smiling widely. "That's just Prince Lotor. Galra have two sets of vocal cords, they can speak, roar, purr, sing in chords by themselves. Their native language is almost impossible to learn if you only have one set of vocal chords because they can harmonise and give additional and precise meaning to anything they say…" Keith tuned the Altean out after that.
"Wait, did you just say 'Prince'?" Hunk asked, surprised.
"Oh yes, Prince Lotor is the heir to the Galra Empire. Zarkon's only child, as far as I know."
"What?!" All five paladins stared at the royal advisor open-mouthed. Their exclamation of shock loud enough to pull Lotor and Allura out of their reverie.
God, mondays were weird!