The New Paladin

14: A Victory

The battle was hard paced and fierce.

Lance was cooperating well and they managed to form Voltron. It stood proudly for about 3 ticks before the strange giant robot hit them with its orb sending Voltron to the ground.

"What, what, what." Lance mumbled over and over. "Okay, yeah this is not okay."

"Pidge shield, Keith sword." Shiro instructed. "Hunk, Lance get us close."

"How do I do that?!" Lance asked clutching tightly at the controls.

"Push forwards." Hunk explained his voice shaking slightly.

And Lance realised in that moment, with Shiro yelling out orders, Keith's lack of reply to said orders, Pidge's quiet mumbles and the shake in Hunk's voice, it told him that they were nervous.

The paladins of Voltron we're nervous.

"We're all going to die." Lance realised quietly.

"Not very positive there Lance." Shiro said sounding concerned.

"Oh, um... It's human sarcasm, dark humor and all that." Lance said trying to cover up his own nerves. "But I have got to say whoever designed that things outfit really messed up."

Keith's snort and Pidge's cackle released some of the tension.

"Of course you'd pick up on that." Hunk said letting out a heavy sigh. "You're doing this on purpose aren't you?"

Lance grinned. "Possibly."

"Alright guys, let's show him what we can do." Shiro said and Lance could imagine his smile.

Most of the battle went by Lance in a blur, he was too busy tying to keep everyone out of his head, including the lion, while also piloting said lion.

He felt exhausted by the time the great monster thing fell.

"We did it!" Pidge cheered sounding as relieved as Lance felt.

"How you fairing Lance?" Shiro asked.

"I never want to do that again." He admitted rubbing his face. "Like ever again."

"Why? Was it too hot for you?" Keith asked sounding still a little on edge.

"Keith I have bruises everywhre my head hurts and I'm pretty sure that that I'm going to need to sleep for the next year."

"What's a year?"

"Oh come on!"

"Alright guys, let's disband and we can discuss what to do next." Shiro decided with a heavy sigh.

"Alright." Lance groaned as he got up. "Wow, I feel like an old man."

The second he exited his lion the first thing he noticed was that he could see.

And it wasn't like looking through his lions eyes, no he was just looking as a normal person does.

"Okay, Pidge I suggest that you get that drone somewhere and analyse what it knows, Keith you and I are going to scout the ship in our lions make sure it's completely gone and Lance you should head to Coran to check your eyes." Shiro decided.

"Actually they're fine now." Lance smiled. "I can see again."

"But how?" Hunk asked confused.

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Pidge asked.

Lance chuckled. "3 and I have no idea how."

"Well you should still head to the medical room, Coran might know what's going on." Shiro advised.

"Alright you're the boss." Lance nodded.

"I'm gonna check up on the castles main systems Coran asked me to earlier but then we got attacked so I didn't."

"I'll help you once I'm done with this little guy." Pidge promised with a smile.

Lance watched the team talk as they moved to do whatever they needed to.

Shiro and Keith were close, it was obvious in the way they trusted eachother completely and the way they communicated in general.

Pidge and Hunk were obviously close to, Pidge seemed so sassy and full of confidence while Hunk was so kind and a little nervous.

With a shaky breath Lance pulled his helmet off feeling the cool air of Arus hit his skin.

He should go and find Coran, the overly energetic Altean with the strange ability to just appear.

He was probably with Allura, the Altean princess with fierce determination to stop the Galra with the expense going towards her empathy.

Lance didn't really understand it all.

If they had the power of the lions, the strength that the lions possessed why didn't they stop Zarkon in the first place? Why did they let him gain this much power?

Now the task that lay ahead of them seemed virtually impossible and Lance couldn't help the sense of fear creeping in.

The rebels who had been working as a group for several years now were only just keeping their distance from the Galra, while other scavengers or bounty hunters spend their whole lives running because the consequences of the Galra are too great.

Lance sighed. "This is not gonna end well." He grumbled before he set off along the long walk back towards the castle.

As he was walking he noticed a shadow forming over him.

He glanced up to see the blue lion hovering behind him.

"What are you doing?" Lance asked sounding more tired then annoyed.

She made a purring sound, but it came from inside his head.

"Okay that has to stop, that's the weirdest feeling in the entire world." Lance admitted turning back to keep walking.

He was conscious that the lion was following him. "Why don't you go you your hangar and rest, or do you not get tired?"

Something knocked the back of Lance's legs causing him to fall back. He landed inside the lions mouth.

She lifted him up before closing its jaw keeping him inside.

"Hey!" Lance snapped but before he could say more the lion took off. "Whoa! Hey!"

Lance latched onto the side as he managed to shove his helmet on. "What are you doing?"

There was a loud thud as the lion landed and Lance let out a shaky breath, he didn't like being kidnapped by a giant robotic lion. It was uncomfortable and disconcerting.

The mouth opened to reveal the blue lions hangar.

"Thanks." Lance said dryly as he slowly got up. He felt shaky, like really shaky.

"Ah, there you are my boy." Coran greeted looking surprised. "Are you alright?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, just shaken." Lance smiled. "I think the blue lion has it in for me."

Coran chuckled. "I doubt that. Come on, Shiro called and asked me to check up on your eyes?"

"Yeah, momentarily went blind out there." Lance explained as they walked. "Got any ideas how that works?"

"I have quite a few." Coran nodded.