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The Blade of Marmora ship slipped gracefully into the Castle of Lions' hanger, landing with a near silent whir of machinery.
Allura, Shiro standing a step behind her and to her left, stepped forward as the ramp lowered to meet the singular descending figure.
Kolivan came to a stop at the bottom of the ramp and reached up to push back his hood, mask disappearing. “Your Highness, Paladin Shiro.” he greeted them, voice deep and serious.
“Kolivan.” Allura greeted him politely, clasping her hands loosely in front of her. “How can Voltron assist the Blade?” she asked, getting right to the point. The Blade did not make social calls. Kolivan had been very cryptic when he'd announced his plan to visit and had refused to admit why. She was mentally bracing herself for whatever request or information the Galran resistance leader didn't trust to impart over encrypted channels.
“I have not come here seeking your help.” Kolivan told them, scared face giving away nothing as usual. Shiro's head tilted ever so slightly to one side and Allura's eyebrows raised, curiosity piqued. “I wanted to bring my condolences personally.” he informed them solemnly, meeting Allura's gaze squarely. “I regret to inform you that Keith was captured on a mission. All efforts to retrieve him failed.” the Galra's red marked ears lowered slightly, betraying his emotions, glowing yellow eyes softening as he bowed his head. “I am sorry for your loss. The Blade of Marmora weeps with you.”
Allura and Shiro stared at him in shock, both of their eyes wide.
“I,” the princess started, expression showing a mix of emotions. Her hands clenched against her skirts for a moment before relaxing. “I thank you for delivering this news personally but its . . . well . . .”
“It really wasn't necessary.” Shiro spoke up, picking up where Allura was floundering.
“It wasn't?” Kolivan repeated, lifting his head to frown at them, red brow furrowing. His yellow eyes flicked between them, silently questioning.
“No. Keith is here. He's alright.” Shiro told him, a slight smile spread over his face, polite and reassuring.
“He's here.” Kolivan looked outright stunned at this revelation, the Galra's eyes widening to stare at the Black Paladin in disbelief. “He was captured three movements ago, how can he be here?”
“Keith arrived a little under three movements ago. He said nothing about being captured.” Shiro's tone remained reassuring and dismissive but his eyes slid towards Allura with a definite hesitation in their dark gray depths. Despite himself, doubt was starting to grow in the back of his mind. Keith was fine. He'd seen him just a few minutes ago.
“I saw him captured.” Kolivan countered, voice firm. “I witnessed the event with my own eyes. I regret that I was too far to prevent it but it did happen.” his eyes narrowed dangerously. “In light of the fact that he has intimate knowledge of Voltron and Blade operations I ordered two rescue attempts to retrieve him.” his scared purple face hardened. “I did not lose men on a lie.”
Allura and Shiro shared a look, wavering in the face of that resolute statement. Both thought back to Keith's arrival, trying to remember if there had been anything that had felt off. There hadn't been. Keith had been acting . . . normal. Well, what passed for normal with Keith these days.
If this, heaven forbid, was a trick on the part of the Blade of Marmora, it was a strange one with no chance of anyone one actually buying it. Which would usually be a sign he was telling the truth. Except they had left Keith on the bridge when they came down to meet Kolivan.
“There is a simple way they we can clear this matter up.” Allura said carefully, expression uneasy. “Let us go ask Keith what happened.”
“Keith does have a habit of minimizing things.” Shiro said. 'Especially bad things.' he thought with troubled concern. If Keith had been captured by the Galra and not only hid that fact from Voltron but hid his escape from the Blade of Marmora . . . it must have been bad. Shiro was already thinking up plans of damage control before he'd even finished the thought.
“Hmmm.” Kolivan's mouth pressed into a hard thin line, yellow eyes narrowing to slits as he gave them both a long considering look. “Very well.” he relented. He swept an arm out to gesture to the exit of the hanger. “Lead the way.”
The walk back to the bridge was a tense one. Allura was troubled, uncertain what to believe. Shiro was planing out how best to get ahead of Keith's inevitably explosive reaction to getting called out. Kolivan was stewing. He knew he spoke the truth but the Human and Alteans conviction made him uneasy, his palms itched to take his luxite weapon in hand.
They entered the bridge, gazes immediately drawn to the familiar cropped red jacket. Keith was standing beside Coran, the ginger Altean babbling on about something. Both had their backs to them.
Shiro felt Kolivan stiffen beside him, but all he felt was relief. He knew Keith was safe but he was glad for the confirmation.
As if he could feel their eyes on him, Keith turned to look back over his shoulder at them, a slight questioning furrow in his brow. His dark eyes slid over Allura and Shiro but got caught on Kolivan. Keith stiffened, a startled look flashing over his face, looking for a moment like a startled animal.
Then his eyes flashed yellow.
There was a blur of movement, Coran turning as if in slow motion when the displaced air ruffled his hair.
Shiro's prosthetic hand moved faster then thought, before he'd even processed what was happening. It closed around a wrist, rising up into the air.
Everything seemed to freeze as if the bridge had been suddenly cast in amber. The other Paladins were frozen in their seats, twisted away from their stations with shocked and horrified stares.
Shiro stared into to Keith's face, the hand holding the knife that had been aimed for Kolivan's throat pointed at the ceiling, arm pointed straight up as Keith was forced up onto the toes of his boots. Shiro's body had interposed itself between the two blade members, blocking the younger man from getting to his target. Solid yellow eyes stared back at Shiro, burning with hatred.
Shiro now knew without a doubt that Kolivan had been right.
Keith's mouth twisted into a scowl and he reared back, using Shiro's hold on his arm to swing his entire body up and slammed both feet into the Black Paladin's side.
Shiro grunted in startled pain and stumbled back, hand opening reflexively.
Keith dropped into a crouch and leaped forward, keeping low as he stabbed upward with his knife.
Kolivan spun around, dodging out of the way. The spin added force blow as he slammed the side of his foot into Keith's side.
Keith went flying to the left. He twisted in mid-air and landed in a crouch, sliding backward across the floor. His head snapped back up, the yellow glow of his eyes flaring and features hardening balefully. He spun his knife around and surged to his feet, charging towards Kolivan again.
Shiro and Kolivan both sank into battle stances, the Galra raising his own blade and Shiro's hand powering up as the braced for attached.
A green rope shot out and wrapped around Keith's torso, pinning his arms to his sides when it pulled taught. Keith grunted when he fell hard on his rear when the rope pulled him back, legs splaying out in front of him.
“What the quiznak?!” Lance shouted, surging out of his chair with a panicked look.
“What's wrong with Keith?!” Hunk demanded fretfully, staring with wide eyes as Keith strained against the green bindings, still trying to reach his targets. “What's wrong with his eyes? Why is he attacking Shiro? Or was it Kolivan? Or both?”
“Guys, less panicking, more helping.” Pidge grunted, one foot braced on the back of her chair as she fought to keep hold of her bayard as Keith fought against the restraints like an angry cat.
Keith's head snapped around at the sound of her voice, glowing yellow eyes locking onto her. He spun around on his knees and lunged at Pidge with a animalistic growl.
Pidge yelped in fear and fell back awkwardly against the console of her station, raising her arm to protect her face. She dropped it a second later, staring up at the sight of Kolivan grabbing Keith around the waist.
The Galran lifted Keith up into the, the young man kicking his legs wildly and squirming in an effort to escape.
“Rrahhh!” Kolivan shouted, twisting his upper body sharply and flinging Keith across the room.
Keith flew across the room and slammed into the wall to the left of the bridge door. He dropped to the floor, the glowing green ropes going slack and pooling on the floor around him. He surged back to his feet, bearing his teeth, and flipped his knife around before lunging forward.
Shiro slammed into him with a grunt, tackling him in mid-air and knocking him off course. They slammed into the glass and tumbled back to the floor in a tangled of limbs. Shiro quickly shoved Keith down onto his back, grabbing the younger man by the wrists and slammed them against the floor, knocking the knife from his hand and sending it skittering across the floor. Shiro pinned his hands down on either side of his head, struggling to keep him down as Keith bucked and twisted against his hold, snarling like a wild animal.
“Keith, snap out of it!” Shiro exclaimed, desperate, straining to keep the younger man down.
“He cannot hear you.” Kolivan snapped, drawing his luxite blade. “The druids have claimed his mind.” the blade grew into a sword at his side and he stepped forward, moving with purpose.
Lance suddenly sidestepped into his way, arms spread wide to block him. “Whoa!” he exclaimed, panicked. “You can't kill Keith!”
“He is no longer Keith.” Kolivan snapped back, frustrated. “Who knows what secrets he has already betrayed to the Empire?”
Both of them spun around when Shiro cried out, turning to see that Keith had swung his legs up and wrapped them around Shiro's neck, pulling the Black Paladin down and breaking his grip. He rolled the both of them over until he was straddling Shiro's waist, knife raised over his head and the other gripping the Black Paladin's shirt tight.
Shiro threw a hand up to catch thee blade.
But it didn't land.
A shudder ran through Keith's body. The solid yellow in his eyes flickered, familiar dark irises appearing, scared and confused.
Shiro's eyes widened in realization and sudden hope. “Keith?” he breathed.
The yellow flared back over his eyes with a vengeance, blazing bright as twin suns. He surged forward, body blurring with the speed of the movement. Then he froze again.
Shrio stared at the knife barely an inch from his face, not daring to breath.
Keith gasped, shoulders heaving, tremors shaking his entire frame as if an internal war was taking place. Then he choked, the sound sharp as a gunshot splitting the air, and blood sprayed out of his mouth. Bright red splattered across Shrio's horrified face. A second later he collapsed onto his side, eyes squeezing shut tight, and began violently seizing, limbs knocking violently against the floor and back arching, jaw clenching tight. The hand still holding the knife jerked about, the tip catching on the dark purple-ish gray of his pants and tearing at it, cutting into the skin underneath.
“Keith!” Shiro shouted in horror, rolling over and scrambling up to hover uncertainly over the younger man. He didn't know how to help.
“Hold his hand down!” Allrua commanded, finally rousing herself from the horrified stupor she'd been in and rushing forward. She sank down to her knees above Keith's head, long shirts pooling around her. She held up her hands in front of her and the dark skin began to glow with quintessence. “Try and keep him still.” she instructed Shiro, expression determined. “He will try and stop me. Don't let him.”
Shiro, his eyes wide and face pale, nodded in understanding. He moved forward, wrapping one hand around the left wrist and shifted it so that the knife blade was no longer in range of Keith's skin, pinning it to the floor. He placed his other hand to Keith's opposite shoulder, pushing down on it and holding it in place.
Allura leaned forward and pressed the palms of her hands to Keith's temples, closing her eyes in concentration.
Keith's eyes flew open, a look of shock quickly changing to one over fury. “You puerile little princess.” he hissed, blood bubbling up between his lips. His voice was overlaid with another, accented and maturely feminine.
Shiro shivered as a chill went up his spine, thoroughly creeped out.
“Your powers are no match for a fully trained druid of the Galran Empire.” Keith growled at Allura, face twisting unnaturally as if another person's emotions were pulling at his face, the unnerving echoing quality of the two voices making Shiro flinch. “This one serves Zarkon.”
“No.” Allura said firmly, voice hard as steel and unshakable with conviction. “You can not have him.” the glow of her hands grew brighter and brighter.
Keith screamed in agony, body going still and stiff, the yellow of his eyes flaring against the white of Allura's power. His free hand flew up towards his head, reaching up to tear her grip off of him.
Shiro caught it by the forearm before he could touch her, grunting with effort as he forced it back down. He could feel Keith's muscles straining under his grip through the material of his jacket.
“You can not have him.” Allura repeated, voice harder and hands pressing firmer to the sides of his head. “He does not belong to you.”
“AAAHHHHH!” the druid screamed, voice overwhelming Keith's, as the white light outshone the yellow, flaring bright as a star going supernova.
Shiro twisted his head to the side and squeezed his eyes shut as the light grew blinding.
Then it went out.
There was several long seconds of silence as if the entire bridge were holding their breath.
Shiro blinked open his eyes, lifting his head, looking at Allura – he didn't dare look at Keith yet, scared about what he'd find – in concern. The princess looked exhausted, expression drawn and shoulders drooping. Her hands dropped to her lap and she groaned wearily, swaying precariously from side to side for a tick then began to fall over.
“Whoa now!” Coran exclaimed and rushed forward to drop to his knees beside her, catching Allura. “Careful, Your Highness, you need to take it easy. You've used up a lot of quintessence.”
Lance stepped closer, subdued and worried, gaze fixed intently on Keith. “Is he okay?” he asked softly.
Shiro looked down. Keith lay still beneath him, limp on the floor. He was breathing, albeit labored, head tilted back slightly and dark hair clinging to his skin. His breath caught, chest shuddering, then Keith's eyes cracked open.
Familiar dark irises blinked blearily up at him, confused and pained. “Shiro?” he croaked out, voice faint and rough.
Relief hit Shiro like a bunch to the gut and he barely stopped himself from collapsing on top of the younger man, limbs suddenly feeling like jello. He felt his eyes start to burn, stinging with tears. It had worked, whatever Allura had done must have worked.
“Oh, thank goodness.” Hunk exclaimed, clasping his hands in front of himself and getting all weepy. “I was so scared.”
“You really had us going there, mullet.” Lance said, stepping closer, tone a mix of scolding and teasing to hide the fear and relief in his voice.
Keith blinked and furrowed his brow, turning his head slowly to the side to stare at Lance in confusion. Then his eyes widened when be caught sight of the brooding figure standing behind the Blue Paladin. “Kolivan?” he gasped out, arms moving in uncoordinated movements for a second before he got them under himself and pushed himself up. “What are you-? Quiznak.” Keith wheezed, freezing in place and grimacing in pain. “What happened?” he demanded uneasily, glancing at each of them in turn.
“What do you remember?” Shiro asked carefully, watching Keith intently.
Keith turned to look at him, frowning slightly. “I don't . . .” he started then his eyes widened. His head snapped around to stare at Kolivan, eyes locking on the Galran's luxite blade which was still in sword form. “I . . .” he breathed out, horror growing on his face. “There was a battle and . . .” What little color had returned to his face was wiped away in an instant. He looked like he was going to be ill. “What have I done?” he whispered, small and stricken.
“It wasn't you, man. It was creepy druid magic.” Hunk protested, wiggling his fingers to indicate said 'creepy magic'.
“Yeah, it wasn't your fault, Keith.” Lance agreed, stepping even closer, expression almost uncharacteristically sympathetic. “They were controlling you.” his features brightened, a grin spreading over his dark face.
Shiro could tell that Keith wasn't convinced. From the tight press of Allura's mouth and the narrow cast to Kolivan's eyes and the subtle guarded look the two shot each other, they clearly weren't either. There was a chance spying and this singular attack weren't the only things he'd been made to do against his will without him ever remembering. There would be consequences to this, in the very least the Blade and the Coalition would have to put Keith on probation until they were absolutely certain he was no longer a flight risk. Then there was the emotional fallout. Shiro could already see it settling into the contours of Keith's face. The guilt and shame, the distrust in himself and his own mind. The fear of what he couldn't remember, what horrors any possible gaps in his memory might be hiding.
Shiro shifted so that he was sitting on his heels and pulled Keith up and against his side, hugging him around the shoulders and holding him close. He wasn't going to worry about any of that now, he had a feeling Allura and Kolivan would be doing enough of that for all of them. He knew precisely how close they had come to having to choose between killing Keith or the rest of the Paladins dying and that scared him deeply. Shiro knew he would have his hands full in the near future reassuring and defending his friend. But for now he was just going to appreciate the fact that Keith was relatively safe and himself.