A/n: I apologize for any spelling/grammatical errors beforehand. Hopefully I'll be able to go back and proofread the chapters I haven't soon. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
••••••••••••••••••••

Inside the black lion's hangar, Arcadia sat in front of the large mechanical feline. A pout formed on her lips as she gazed into his yellow eyes. "C'mon, buddy, talk to me. You've been more verbal recently, but I can't make sense of any of it. Is something interfering with your systems?"

The black lion didn't budge an inch. Arcadia heard nothing from the metallic beast and hung her head with a sigh. "Okay, fine. Don't talk to me. Just so you know, you've been acting weird ever since Shiro returned to being your pilot." She stared at the floor, brows knitting together as a theory came to mind. Lifting her head, she returned to staring into the lion's lifeless eyes. "Are you acting weird because of Shiro or is Shiro acting weird because of you...?"

She waited for the faintest of growls from the black lion, but she was only met with silence. Throwing her body back against the floor, she groaned in annoyance. "Aethios, you're being so stubborn!" She closed her eyes, feeling a small tinge of pain in her head signifying an oncoming headache. "Great..."

"Uh..."

Arcadia heard the confused tone and reclined her head back. She saw Lance had wandered into the black lion's hangar and was eyeing her weirdly. "Oh, hey. I didn't know you were here, Lance."

With a hand in his pocket, he walked over and peered down at her. "Is this a normal pastime for you? Talking to the lions?"

"Not really. I only really ever talk to them when I feel like it or if they wanna talk." She sat up, focusing her gaze on the black lion. "Something's been off with Black ever since Shiro became his paladin again. I was hoping he'd tell me, but he's giving me the silent treatment..."

Lance glanced at the mechanical beast before his eyes widened. Immediately looking down at the alchemist, he asked, "Can you talk to Red for me?"

"Is there something you want to ask her?"

He nodded his head and dragged her out of the black lion's hangar and into the red lion's. He sat down on the floor with her as she eyed the metallic feline. "So, my question is what are Red's thoughts as to me being her pilot?"

Before contacting the red lion, Arcadia looked towards him. He was having his self-doubts again as a paladin of Voltron. "Lance, you know you belong on this team, right?"

Lance sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I know, but that doesn't mean anything if the lion I pilot doesn't think that."

"Red already approves of you," she stated. "That's why you're the red paladin now."

"But still, could you ask her?" Lance clasped his hands together, waving them back and forth. "Please?"

"If it'll make you feel better." Arcadia stared into Red's eyes, mentally contacting the lion. Hearing a low growl inside her head, she smiled and asked, "What're your thoughts of Lance being your new paladin?"

Red didn't take long to respond. Arcadia was able to decipher the growls and roars in her head to understand her response. A smile blossomed on her face at hearing what Red thought of Lance. "I see..."

Lance glanced rapidly between the girl and his lion. "What? What did she say? Did she say I'm a horrible pilot? Am I a terrible paladin? Should we find—"

"Lance, calm down," she intervened before he could spew off more questions. "Red thinks you're the perfect match for her, even more than Keith. If she didn't approve of you, she wouldn't allow you in the cockpit. There's nothing to worry about. Just keep being you because the real Lance always puts a smile on everyone's face."

The boy glanced up at Red before smiling. "I can do that." He then looked back at his friend. "Thanks for this, Arcadia. I feel much more confident now."

"Glad I could help." Her smile began to gradually morph into a knowing smirk. "Need help with anything else? Or a certain someone who happens to be a princess?"

Lance's cheeks ignited a deep crimson. "Wh-What?! You're crazy! I don't need help!"

"Allura is my best friend. I know tons about her that could help you if you ever need pointers." Arcadia stood up, patting Lance on the head as if he were a dog.

He pouted at her action, but it was soon replaced with a sheepish smile. "Y'know, you're kinda like the psychiatrist of the team. You always listen to our problems and cheer us up."

She blinked owlishly in bewilderment. "A psychiatrist? That's a strange word. What does it mean?"

"It's not really a word used to describe something or someone. It's a person who helps people by listening and offering advice. They usually help with mental illnesses."

"Your world has many strange words."

"Pretty sure you're gonna hear a ton more before we manage to get back to Earth."

She mentally screeched happily while calmly replying with, "I look forward to learning even more funny words." Leaving the red lion's hangar, it was at that moment she remembered Sam was supposed to be departing soon. She ran back to Red's hangar, grabbed Lance, and ran to the pod bay where the pods were located.

When they arrived, the others were already there. They silently joined them as Shiro spoke to Sam. "We're going to miss you up here, sir."

"Ah, you guys seem to be fine without me. Your mission is here. Mine is on Earth. As soon as I get back, I'll inform the Galaxy Garrison what's going on and start working to upgrade our planetary defenses," Sam responded, adjusting the pack slung over his shoulder.

"Speaking of defenses," Arcadia walked to the front of the group, handing a small altean chip over to Sam. "I was able to get full weapon schematics from what was on the draconic fighter. I also took the liberty to translate everything. You shouldn't have any issues."

Taking the chip, Sam smiled gratefully at her. "This will be quite helpful. I look forward to seeing what your people have created. Thank you, Arcadia."

"Tell Iverson, the next time I see him, I'm going to kick his butt for strapping me to that table," Shiro proclaimed with a small smile.

The man chuckled at the black paladin's declaration. "I'll be sure to tell him that."

Hunk stepped forward with an altean memory chip in his hand. "Hey, I had everyone record some messages for our families." His cheeks turned slightly red as he smiled sheepishly. "Uh, a little heads up, I got teary in mine, so...that's mom's eyes only."

Sam took the device from Hunk with a faint smile. "Of course."

The yellow paladin then slid closer to Lance, pointing at him. "Oh, and you don't wanna see Lance's either since it's probably just a love message to Jenny Shaybon or the other Jenny. What was her name again?"

Lance glared daggers at him. "Shut up, Hunk!" He promptly turned his back to him, arms crossed.

Hunk stared wide-eyed at his back, shocked at his reaction to his teasing. "Okay, I was just joking around. Jeez..." He saw how strangely Lance was acting and asked, "Hey, are you okay, dude?"

"I'm fine," Lance replied, his back still turned to Hunk. "It's just... Once I started thinking about going back to Earth, I...started missing my mom and my brother Marco and my brother Luis and my sister Veronica," his voice cracked and his shoulders began to shake, tears forming in his eyes, "And my grandma and..."

Arcadia saw his sorrow from a mile away and was already by his side. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. She knew he was trying to hide his tears from the others, but she wouldn't allow him to hide them from her. When Lance finally met her gaze with his teary cerulean eyes, she offered him a soft and gentle smile. "It's okay to cry, Lance. You miss your family dearly and want to be reunited with them. Don't bottle up your emotions. If you need to cry, then cry. No one will judge you for crying, and this is coming from the crybaby of the group."

Lance chuckled lightly at her last statement. He wiped the tears away with the sleeve of his jacket. When he went to lower his arm, he was shocked at the moment Arcadia took a step forward and wrapped her arms around him. She rubbed his back in hopes to soothe his heart and vanquish the tears. He was frozen for a second before reciprocating the hug. With a sniffle, Lance held the girl close. Because of their height differences, he could rest his chin on top of her head. "Man," his voice cracked again, "Why did you have to fall for the mullet? Does Keith get hugs like this from you all the time? Because this is nice, like, REALLY nice."

Arcadia laughed. "I have read about the wildlife on your planet. There is this animal called a koala. I am a koala and Keith is my tree. He gets tons of hugs from me. I'm a hugger, if you haven't figured that out. I also enjoy cuddling."

Lance smiled at how she described her and Keith. "You're such a weirdo."

"But did this weirdo make you feel better?" She asked.

He nodded, his smile growing. "Definitely." He then turned his head, pressing his cheek against the top of her head. "But I am kinda jealous of Keith..."

Arcadia smirked faintly, whispering, "Maybe you could do this with Allura."

Lance blinked rapidly. "Wha—?!"

She laughed, pulling away from him. "Like I said earlier, come to me if you need pointers."

The others had been watching their exchange with a smile. When seeing Lance was feeling much better thanks to the alchemist, Sam turned his gaze to Pidge and Matt. "I guess this is it."

Matt was frowning sorrowfully just like his father. "I wish I could go with you. I'd love to help build Earth's first galactic defense system."

"I'm worried we won't have enough time and resources to make a dent before we need it."

Pidge looked down then back up with a smile. "A wise man once told me, "If you get worried about what could go wrong, you might miss your chance to do something great.""

Sam's frown was replaced with his own heartwarming, closed-eyed smile. "Sounds like a wiseman indeed." Opening his eyes, he looked toward his son. "Matt, you be careful on the front lines." Next, his gaze tracked over to his daughter. "Pidge, keep an eye on your brother for me."

"You got it, dad," Pidge beamed at her father.

Sam tried to keep his composure, but couldn't. His smile morphed into a shaky frown as he whimpered, tears brewing in his eyes. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Matt and Pidge. "I love you both so much."

"We love you too, dad," Pidge said as she and Matt wrapped their arms around Sam.

Hunk and Coran clung to Lance, each one with tears in their eyes. Shiro, Arcadia, and Allura smiled happily at the family. Coran began wailing after a brief moment of silence. Snot dripped from his nose and tears leaked from his eyes.

Sam reluctantly released Pidge and Matt to enter the pod. He stopped before entering, turning his head and locking eyes with Arcadia. "I know my Katie is strong, but please watch over her for me. She has a tendency to forget about her own health and by the way she spoke of you, I know I can trust you, Arcadia."

The alchemist beamed softly. "I will. I'll make sure she and Matt return to you safely."

Her words put Sam's mind at ease. "Thank you." He entered the pod and left the castleship.

Everyone returned to the bridge in order for Allura to open a wormhole for Sam. She opened one to the Milky Way galaxy and all eyes were on the pod as it slowly approached. The pod propels forward and enters the wormhole. With the pod safely through, the wormhole closes.

Now with Sam safely transported to the Milky Way, Allura grabbed everyone's attention. "Paladins, Arcadia, suit up. Our next destination is set."

The paladins and Arcadia left the bridge to change their clothes. Matt returned to his room while the others changed. The alchemist tugged at the collar of her space suit to adjust it before leaving her room to head back to the bridge. When she arrived, all the paladins were back and now fully dressed in their armor. What she also noticed was the castle encroaching on the ship that served as the central command of the galra empire. She wanted to protest since she still didn't trust Lotor, but held her tongue since she still wanted to support Allura's decision to trust him.

Lance stared wide-eyed at the large ship, shocked to be back. "I can't believe we're flying into the belly of the beast."

"It's strange to think the last time we were here, we were fighting the galra," Hunk commented. "Now we're working with them."

"We have to do everything we can to support Lotor," Allura stated. "This is our chance to promote a new era of peace."

That's when Arcadia could no longer hold her thoughts at bay. "I still don't trust him."

Pidge turned to the draconian. "I...kinda have to agree with you."

Allura eyes her best friend. "Does this distrust still stem from what Lotor did to your people?"

"Not just that," Arcadia sighed, crossing her arms. "Ever since he's allied himself with us, he's gone behind our backs with these insane plans. The prisoner swap, Kral Zera... What's to say this isn't some elaborate trap?"

"Even though I helped him with his plans, you still think that way?" Shiro asked, bewildered.

She looked away, unable to make eye contact with their fearless yet somewhat estranged leader. "I'm sorry, Shiro, but I've also been questioning your behavior lately. I may not know you like the others, but you've never struck me as a person who'd risk so much for someone we barely know."

"Arcadia..." Shiro mumbled sorrowfully. "I'm...sorry to have lost your trust. Is there a way I can earn it back?"

"Actions speak louder than words. Remember that, and you just might be able to." She pulled the hood over her head, her snowy locks tumbling over her shoulders. Still unconvinced there wasn't anything wrong with Shiro, she turned her eyes away from her teammate and gazed absentmindedly at the large ship as the castleship docked. Everyone except for Matt left the ship. With help from a few sentries, they were escorted to the vestibule where Lotor was waiting for them.

Entering the vestibule, they saw sentries lined up on both sides of the room. Lotor stood at the base of the stairs located in the back of the spacious room with two sentries located on either side of him. He smiled once seeing they had arrived. "Thank you for coming, my friends. I have prepared a new imperial banner to herald our alliance. This is the same symbol that flew over our fathers when they worked together as the original paladins of Voltron. I hope that we can return the universe to that golden age." As the paladins, Coran, and Arcadia approached, he continued. "Since I ascended to the throne, the galra empire has been torn apart. A size-able portion has sworn its allegiance to me. However, massive factions remain in revolt."

While the paladins and Coran kept their faces on display, Arcadia remained hidden under her hood. Her golden eyes radiated brilliantly from underneath  the hood, being the only feature that was visible beside her snowy locks. "Many factions revolted against Zarkon as well. It's normal for people to revolt against rulers, but you already knew that was going to happen, didn't you?"

Lotor nodded his head. "I'm well aware of what the change of power can cause, but it seems this divisional rift is larger than I anticipated."

"Uh, okay, the galra aren't exactly known to turn the other cheek," Hunk commented with a small glower.

"They're more likely to swing the other fist," Lance added with his own serious expression.

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

Lotor sauntered forward. "By providing them with the very thing they're fighting for." He stopped directly in front of Allura, arms folded behind his back. "Quintessence. Unlimited amounts of it. And, Allura, you are the key to getting it along with your draconian friend."

Arcadia's eyes widen in puzzlement. How were she and Allura needed in this seemingly wicked scheme of his that he was plotting? She then scowled at Lotor as he spoke again without explaining anything. "I'm sure you'll be interested in inspecting every aspect of the galra headquarters."

"I'd like to cross-reference our star charts with current galra troop locations," Shiro confessed.

"Consider it done."

Coran was taken aback at Shiro's request. "You want to sync our intelligence to the galra headquarters?" He then smiled. "Oh, I never thought I'd see the quiznaking quintant."

Lotor addressed the sentry to his left. "Sentry, take them to the record room." Looking back at Shiro and Coran, he said, "You will find everything you need there."

Arcadia, with narrowed eyes, watched the sentry guide Shiro and Coran out of the vestibule. She found the idea of them splitting up to be a terrible one since most of them yet had a reason to trust Lotor, especially her after what he'd done to her people. Her eyes never left Lotor as he turned his attention to Hunk, Pidge, and Lance. "I'm leaving you with a personal escort that will take you wherever you'd like to go." She felt her skin crawl when he moved to address her and Allura. "Come, Princess, Arcadia. There is much work to be done."

Allura was more than willing to follow Lotor. Arcadia, on the other hand, wasn't. She glared up at their backs as they ascended the stairwell. With a foreboding sigh, she knew she didn't have a choice. She didn't trust Lotor and wanted to ensure Allura was safe. She took a single step forward, but was immediately stopped when someone grabbed her wrist. Looking back, she saw Pidge with a worried expression. "Arcadia, we shouldn't be splitting up like this."

"I completely agree, Pidge," the draconian replied. "If anything happens, contact me immediately. In the meantime, I'll keep a watch on Lotor seeing as Allura seems to sense nothing out of the ordinary unlike the rest of us."

"You do the same. If Lotor tries to do anything to your or Allura, contact us right away."

Arcadia walked past the sentry to follow Lotor and Allura. She was only on the first step when she heard Lance struggling behind her. Peering over her shoulder, she saw the sentry had stopped him from following. Walking back to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder with a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Lance. I'll make sure Allura's safe."

"It's not just that!" Lance shouted as his body slumped against the sentry's arm. "I promised Keith I would protect you until he came back. I really do not like this guy!"

"Ditto," Hunk said. "I mean, he didn't even want to try a cookie. Who doesn't like cookies? Evil people, that's who!"

"I know most of us still don't trust Lotor, but we have to play by his rules while we're here." Arcadia pulled her hood down with a huff. "I do not agree with allying ourselves with him, but Allura does. I don't know what she sees in him, but I want to try and support her decision even if I don't agree with it."

"I know you're her best friend, but maybe you need to share your doubts with her," Pidge stated. "True friends support each other, but they also listen to each other's doubts. Maybe you can help Allura understand."

Arcadia was aware of how stubborn Allura was when she made up her mind. However, Pidge was right. She needed to express her doubts of their alliance with Lotor to her so she could possibly understand. "I promise, Pidge, I will talk to her as soon as I can. She needs to know it's not just me who feels this way." She smirked at her three friends. "Try not to get into too much trouble while I'm gone. I would hate to miss all the fun."

The alchemist rushes up the stairs to catch up with Lotor and Allura. When she did, the three of them entered a strange room lined with shelves. Stacked on the shelves were different items. Some were even vacant. Arcadia could sense a strong residual magic in the room that didn't match her own people's alchemy signature. It felt foreign and unbound to the natural elements. Not only that, it made a chill creep up her spine. "This is rather unsettling..."

The princess glanced over at the alchemist, seeing how uneasy she felt. "Are you all right, Arcadia?"

"I'm fine," she replied blandly.

The princess sighs and continues to look around the room. "What is this place?"

"Haggar's lair," Lotor answered.

Allura and Arcadia exchange glances of uncertainty before she turned her gaze to Lotor. "Why would you bring us here?"

Lotor focused his attention on Allura. "Our fathers traveled through the rift into the space between reality." His eyes moved over to Arcadia. "They too were accompanied by a draconian. Grand Master Proliux was his name, if my memory serves me well. Although, he was no longer a grand master after he left Draconia. I believe you now possess his grimoire."

Arcadia gaped in puzzlement. "Proliux was part of the previous generation of grand masters. He too was in possession of the tenth volume of the grand grimoires. When he left, he took the grimoire with him and the tenth volume had to be replaced. My people branded him as a traitor since no one knew where he went and stole one of the twelve grimoires. It was the first time Draconia had to go an entire generation with only eleven grand masters." She glanced down at her empty hands, imagining the grimoire was in her grasp. "So, I possess Master Proliux's grimoire, not Master Zenio's... That would explain why it survived Draconia's destruction."

"Father did mention having a close friend who was a draconian, but he never mentioned his name," Allura said before looking towards Lotor. "What happened to Proliux, if I may ask?"

A grim frown manifested on Lotor's face. "He sacrificed himself to protect our fathers and the other paladins. King Alfor used what remained of his quintessence to fuse it with the lions."

"The lion's posses quintessence from alteans and draconians?" Allura gasped. "That is marvelous!"

"And it explains why I am able to understand the lions," Arcadia mumbled. "I thought it was simply because of the strong connection to quintessence, but it's much more than that. A master alchemist has the strongest connection to quintessence than any other being in the universe."

"I believe Haggar may harbor some of your people's secrets in here that could help in the future. Your people were fascinating in more than one way," Lotor said. "It is a shame you are the last."

Arcadia felt a heated remark erupting in her throat, but she quelled it. She convinced herself to not start an argument with him. She wanted to say she was the only one left because he killed the others, but she kept her lips sealed. Now was not the time for arguments. Of course, she couldn't prevent her sour expression from showing. "Truly a shame..." she mumbled to herself. She then changed the subject. "But draconians aren't the only race to master alchemy. Alteans did, as well. Your people's alchemy is much more different than mine's. We're bonded to the elements while alteans were connected to space and reality."

"Indeed. I believe Alfor's altean alchemy made it possible to travel to the rift between space and reality," Lotor said. "There may be something in here that contains secrets that Haggar was unable to unlock. But you can," he stated, eyes focused on Allura.

Arcadia couldn't help but feel like Lotor was using Allura. She went to protest, but the princess expressed herself. "We shouldn't be here. Let's go, Arcadia."

The alchemist was happy to be leaving, but it vanished the moment Lotor grabbed Allura's hand. Her distrust in him was blinding her and causing her anger to flare up. Hands clenched into fists, she felt her nails digging through her suit and piercing the flesh of her palms as he addressed the princess with a soft begging tone. "Allura. Please... I cannot do this without you."

Arcadia couldn't keep silent any longer. She saw how uncomfortable she was earlier, which is why she wanted to leave. "Allura, you do not have to do this if you don't want to." She then glared at Lotor while still talking to her best friend. "Don't let soft words cloud your judgement."

Allura glanced at Arcadia before looking back at Lotor. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. In the end, she decided to help Lotor. "All right, I will help you."

The draconian blinked in surprise. She had been easily manipulated by Lotor due to his sweet and soft tone alone. "Allura..."

"I will be fine, dear friend. While I help Lotor, you may search the room for your own people's secrets," Allura said, smiling faintly. "They will be just as much help as my father's."

She gritted her teeth in anger before turning to search the room. She walked away from Lotor and Allura in order to calm herself down. It took her a few minutes, but she was able to regain her composure. Inhaling deeply, she decided to scan the shelves for anything that was draconic. She found a few plants encased in vials that were native to her home world, but nothing stood out. She walked up and down the many walkways in the room and examined all the shelves. There weren't many things from Draconia, but most of it was flora and fauna. She was confused as to why Haggar would want to keep all this stuff.

Eventually, Arcadia stumbled upon a small galra chip. What drew her to it was the fact it was hidden under a few draconic alchemic crystals. She searched around the room for something that could possibly help her access what was stored on the chip. She couldn't find anything and went to talk with Allura, but stopped when she overheard what she and Lotor were discussing. Hiding, she eavesdropped on their conversation about Honerva and Oriande, a mysterious realm containing the origins of altean alchemy. She heard about it during her time on Altea when King Alfor would tell her and Allura fairytales to lull them to sleep.

After hearing about the altean stone Allura found, Arcadia decided to not linger any longer. She left the room and searched for Pidge, Hunk, and Lance. One of the sentries helped her. The trio were standing by one of the windows, saluting a trail of stardust with two unknown galra guards. The sentry that Lotor assigned to them was gone. "What're you guys doing?"

The paladins and guards turned around. The popsicle in Hunk's mouth slipped out. "Oh, you missed all the fun, space dragon!"

Pidge ran up to her and showed her the pictures they took. "We totally reprogrammed a sentry and had the time of our lives! I even recorded some of the things we did!" She proceeded to show the alchemist one of the videos.

Arcadia winced when she saw Lance's face smack into the sentry's metallic exterior. She looked up at the red paladin to see the extent of the damage. "Oh, ouch..." She sauntered over and placed her hand on his shoulder, healing him. His black eye vanished and the bump on his forehead receded.

Lance sighed contently. "Thanks, Arcadia. My beautiful face no longer hurts. Now the ladies won't be disappointed with this handsome mug repaired."

"Right..." She mumbled. Turning to the window, she gazed out at the stars as the robeast coffin disappeared into the void of space. At that moment, she remembered what she found and turned back to Pidge. Before she could even reveal the chip, a sharp pain surged through her head. She lost her footing and stumbled backwards, gripping at the sides of her head.

Lance, Hunk, and Pidge stared in fear at hearing her release a bloodcurdling scream. The galra guards dashed off the moment they saw her eyes, nose, and ears were bleeding. Pidge took a few steps forward when Arcadia's back hit the glass of the window. She didn't know what was going on and was frightened for her friend. "Call Allura! Call anyone!" The green paladin shouted.

Hunk immediately put on his helmet and contacted the others. Pidge halted her movements when she saw Arcadia's eyes roll into the back of her head and her screaming ceased. Lance rushes forward and caught her as her body collapsed. Just like Pidge and Hunk, he felt his heart racing with worry for her.

It wasn't long before the paladins and Coran were all back on the castleship. Lance placed Arcadia in a healing pod, eagerly awaiting for what Coran was going to tell them about her condition. A few minutes ticked by before the advisor shared what the diagnostic says. "According to the pod, Arcadia is as healthy as a duflax."

"That can't be right," Pidge commented. "Her ears, eyes, and nose were bleeding. Someone who's healthy doesn't bleed like that!"

"We will keep Arcadia in the healing pod for a few vargas. Once she's regained consciousness, she may be able to tell us what happened," Allura said.

The paladins and Coran all gazed at the healing pod with concerned expressions before leaving the med bay.