"It's strange. Being back here," you said from Lotor's side. The two of you were walking down the hall of the Galra Central Command Ship. "Now that I'm Emperor, and all."

"I believe we both lit the Kral Zera," Lotor replied, "We're both the emperors."

"Eh," you said flatly, shaking your hand is a so so manner. "Potato, potahto."

"No one says potahto."

"You have a British accent, yes you do."

"What is a British accent?"

"You have one."

"I'm talking normally."

"No you not--where did you learn that accent? Someone in your family from Britian? Or England?"

"... you truly are strange."

"Listen, this is a completely valid and reasonable conversation."

"What even is a potahto?"

"SEE YOU JUST SAID IT!"

"I'm speaking normally!"

~
You and Lotor stood in the hall outside the docking bay. The Paladins were supposed to arrive for a diplomatic visit. With two sentries on both yours and Lotor's side, and several others lining the hall, you all waited until the doors slid open.

"You think they're gonna be in awe?" You nudged him. "This place is pretty sweet."

"While your carefreeness is refreshing, don't forget we still have a lot of work to do," Lotor replied. You poked him in the side.

"You're too stiff," you said, "After that whole mess of a Kral Zera, being a little looser than normal doesn't hurt."

"I suppose not, but we can't afford to slip up."

"I should've lit the Kral Zera by myself."

"The whole empire would've been doomed, then."

"WHY YOU LITTLE--" Right before you were about to strangle the life out of him, you heard the whirring of the dock bay doors. You quickly jumped off of him and put on an air of professionalism. The doors opened to reveal the Paladins.

"Thank you for my coming, friends," Lotor greeted from your side. "I have prepared a new imperial banner to herald our alliance." Your eye twitched.

'They were my friends first, bitch.'

"This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original Paladins of Voltron."
The others walked up deeper into the hallway.

"I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age."

"Since we ascended to the throne, the Galra Empire has torn apart," you spoke, "A good portion has sworn allegiance to us, but massive factions are still in revolt."

"Uh, okay, the Galra aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek," Hunk spoke.

"They're more likely to swing the other fist," Lance added.

"How do you get an empire that's only known violence for thousands of years to put down their weapons?" Shiro asked.

"By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for," Lotor replied, "Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it. And Allura." He turned his gaze to her.

"You are the key to getting it."

"I'm sure you're all revving to explore every inch of the Galra Headquarters," you said.

"I'd like to cross-reference our star charts with current Galra troop locations," Shiro replied to you. You nodded.

"Alright, it'll be done."

"You want to sync our intelligence to the Galra headquarters?" Coran asked from behind Shiro. "Oh, I never thought I'd see the quiznaking quintant."

"Ayo." You nudged the sentry next to you. "Take them to the record room. You'll find everything you need there." The sentry led Coran and Shiro away. Lotor then turned to the rest of the Paladins.

"I'm leaving you with a personal escort that will take you wherever you'd like to go," he said, "Come Princess. There is much work to be done." You, Lotor, and Allura all turned.

"Hey, Y/n?" Lance called. You stopped and turned to face him. The other two did as well. "Can I talk to you for a minute?" You glanced at the two and nodded at them.

"Sure," you replied.

~
You led Lance to a quieter part of the headquarters, but not far from everyone else.

"Something wrong?" You asked, tilting your head at him.

"Well, no, but like... it's just..." He sighed. "I know you have a duty to the Galra Empire, but it's just... it's just weird... not having you around the castle..." You blinked at him.

"Do you... miss me?" You asked. His cheeks exploded in bright red.

"I-I DON'T MISS YOU! I'M JUST... IT'S JUST... YOU JUST..."
You raised your brows at him.

"It's okay, take your time."

"... it's just... quieter... and lonlier, I guess--I don't know... I'm not used to you suddenly being gone and... somewhere else besides with us." He looked down at his feet.

"Lance," you said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I may be here currently, but that doesn't mean I'll stay here forever." You smiled.

"You guys came first, and will always come first."
That didn't seem to assure him.

"I know," he replied, "But what if there comes a time where you have to choose?" You took your hand off his shoulder.

"Well, I'm not sure," you replied, "It would depend on the circumstance. But know I'm always fighting for and with you guys." Lance smiled at you. You stared at him for a moment.

"Are you okay Lance?" You asked seriously. His eyes widened in surprise.

"I... uh... well, you know, I uh..."
You just stared at him.

"I just... I meAN--I THINK I HEAR PIDGE CALLING ME SEE YOU!" He ran away from you in a trail of dust. You just blinked after him.

"Uh... see you?"

~
You had traveled down to Haggar's lair, which Lotor told you he wanted to take Allura to. When you got there, it was eerily quiet.

"Ayo, anyone here?" You called.

"We're over here, Y/n!" You heard Allura called back. You jogged over to where her voice echoed. When you got down one of the aisles, her and Lotor were there.

"Hey, what're you two up to?" You asked, walking up to them. Your eyes then went to a container in Allura's hand. "What's that?" She held it out to you.

"We found an Altean science log," Allura explained, "It had... this is a part of the first trans-reality comet." Your eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean... the comet I was made from?" You inquired, reaching out to grasp it. As soon as your hand grabbed it, you heard a faint whisper. It made your head twitch. You looked behind yourself but saw no one there. When you looked closer to it, something was pulling you in. You couldn't take your eyes off of it. The whispering began, but from a different direction. At first, it sounded external, but this time, it came from inside your mind. They weren't saying anything you could understand, but they didn't sound nice.

"Y/n?" Allura's voice made you snap your head up, forcibly pulled from your trance.

"Are you alright?" Lotor asked, gazing at you in concern. For a moment, your mind went blank. You didn't know what you were doing.

"I... uh..." You stuttered out, "Yeah, I'm... I'll be fine." You looked down at the part of the comet.

"Why did Haggar have this?"

"I'm not sure," Lotor replied, "Perhaps she saw how successful you were, and tried to copy it by using her own magic." You looked closer to it.

"This looks like the core," you said, "Like, what I was made out of..." Allura and Lotor stared at you in concern.

"Are you sure you're alright Y/n?" Allura asked. You squeezed the glass slightly.

"Yes," you replied, "I'm fine. But I think it's better to keep this close to me. If anyone found out this was here, who knows what they'll do with it."

Ja ne!

{Ruby Red}