Everyone sat at the table as they ate their food. Arcadia sat in between Keith and Allura with Lance sitting across from her. The blue paladin eyed her curiously as he scooped up a spoonful of green goo. "So, where'd you run off to?"

Arcadia looked up from her dish to meet Lance's blue gaze. "Oh, just on a small stroll. I played with a few balmeran children."

The blue paladin believed her, but he knew she was hiding something. "Is that all?"

"Oh! I heard it all! You've no need to keep it a secret, you two." Allura glanced between Keith and Arcadia, smiling with sparkling cerulean eyes.

Lance choked on his food goo and Hunk patted him on the back to help him. Pidge snickered as Shiro was confused at the princess' words. The cuban boy swallowed his food and shot out of his chair. "What happened between the two of you?! I demand to know this instant!"

Keith glared at the blue paladin a she placed his spoon down. "It's none of your business."

"Shut it, mullet!" Lance then looked at Arcadia, wanting her to answer him.

Arcadia sent him a gentle smile. "Keith and I are a couple now." The boy beside her blushed at her sweet words while Lance fell back into his seat, eyes wide in disbelief. She smiled apologetically at him. "I'm sorry, Lance."

The cuban boy reclined his head back and stared up at the ceiling. He sighed and slammed his hands on the table. "Out of all the guys here, you fall for him?!"

"I don't understand, Lance. What's wrong with that?" Arcadia honestly questioned.

"He's my rival!"

The draconian still didn't understand. "And that's an issue because...?"

Lance pursed his lips, crossing his arms. "You were supposed to end up with me! Y'know, the dashing, handsome, amazing, smart—"

"Talk about blowing your own horn," Pidge counters, interrupting the boy. Keith and Hunk laughed while Arcadia smiled in amusement. Lance continued to pout like a child, averting his gaze and staring at the wall with narrowed eyes.

"So," Arcadia turns towards Keith. "You told me you would tell what a "piñata" is."

"You don't know what a piñata is?" Hunk asked with a baffled look.

"Why would she? Draconia wasn't exactly a laid-back planet," Pidge stated matter-of-factly.

"I am also unaware of such a funny term," Allura said.

"It's usually an animal, object, or person made out of materials that's filled with candy. Usually, you use a bag or stick and hit it until it breaks," Pidge answered.

Arcadia smiled like a child in a candy shop. "That sounds like fun!"

"Indeed, it does!" Allura cheered.

"Wait, you know what "candy" is, but not what a date is?" Keith inquired, glancing at Arcadia.

She nodded. "Draconia and Altea had candy, but I seriously doubt it's the same that you find on Earth. Both planets made candy out of herbs that were naturally sweet."

"Interesting. You wouldn't happen to have any, would you?" Pidge asked.

"Actually, I do. I'll share it with you all later."

"I could use something sweet," Shiro admits, finishing his goo.

"Yeah, same here," Hunk sighs, taking a bite of his food goo. "If I had ingredients to work with, I would make anything that is sweet."

"Great! I think you guys will like the candy," Arcadia beamed at the paladins and Allura.

<——————<<<<<<

The next day, Arcadia was rummaging around her room in her casual outfit that she bought from Earth.

"Where is it?!" She shouted as she checked under her bed. She grabbed a box from underneath and pulled it out, popping the lid off. She smiled once she spotted a familiar, small burlap sack. She tugged on the string and opened it to count how many candies she had left. "Good. There's plenty for everyone."

Arcadia left her room with the sack and headed to Keith's. Just as she arrived, the door slid open. "Good morning!" She giggled, frightening the red paladin. The girl helped the boy back on his feet and took out a piece of candy. "Here's a peace offering for scaring you."

Keith eyed the piece of candy as he took it. He examined the turquoise sphere and received a whiff of it. "It smells like raspberries."

"I'll take your word for it since I've no idea what that is. The candy is made from an herb called "Noevie". It has blue leaves, which is why it's that color. Even though it's candy, it helps with exhaustion."

Keith popped the candy into his mouth and couldn't believe the taste. "Taste's sweet and a little sour."

"Do you like it?" Arcadia leans in closer, quizzically eyeing the paladin.

"Y-Yeah," Keith stutters, his cheeks slightly red.

"That's good to hear. I've got plenty to go around so if you want another, all you have to do is ask."

"Arcadia, Keith, please come down to the detainment room," Coran's voice came over the castle's loudspeaker. Arcadia wasn't sure what was going on, but she didn't question it. She grabbed Keith's hand and they headed to the detainment room.

As they arrived, they saw Sendak in a cryo-pod with Pidge pressing her face against the glass with glittering eyes. Coran was typing away on the console beside the pod as he spoke. "Okay, guys, Sendak's almost all hooked up. But look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep altean memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners."

Shiro stood in front of the pod with crossed arms. "Coran, we understand this isn't what the technology was meant for, but if we can extract Sendak's memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon's troop locations."

"Yeah, and then we can just be like, "Knock-knock." "Who's there?" "The avenging fury of Voltron, son!"" Lance threw his arms around in a crazy gesture with a smirk.

"Fascinating. So, how exactly does this work?" Pidge asked as she examined the technology. Arcadia wasn't surprised to see the familiar glimmer in her brilliant brown eyes.

Coran gladly explained the technology to the green paladin. "As the memories are extracted, they're written bit by bit on individual molecules of the micro-storage strands."

"When I go, I want all the stuff in my brain stored in a giant ship," Lance sighed dreamily.

Keith eyed the blue paladin from the corner of his eye. "The amount of information in your brain could be stored in a paper airplane."

Arcadia promptly covered her mouth to keep her laughter under control. Lance glanced at the girl before trying to come up with a comeback. "Oh, yeah? Well, the amount of information you have, Keith, could be..."

The long pause the blue paladin dragged out confused Keith. "Yeah?"

"Uh... it's less than what I have!" The cuban boy was proud of his comeback and smiles victoriously.

"Oh, good one, Lance!" Hunk cheered, complimenting the boy.

"Hunk, let's not encourage bad comebacks," Arcadia said as she stood beside Keith. Hearing her words, Keith grinned in amusement while Lance frowned.

Shiro sighs at the fours conversation before eyeing the galra in the pod. Pidge peered at the console as she asked Coran a question. "So this is how you incorporated King Alfor's memories into the Castle of Lions?"

"Precisely, but it's never been attempted before on an unwilling participant," the man answered.

Arcadia fiddled with the minuscule burlap sack in her hands as she felt the candies through the bag. She tossed it from hand to hand as she unconsciously leaned closer to Keith and rested her head on his shoulder. She pulled out a single sphere of sweetness and examined it. Hunk saw what was in her hand and tried to see if there were any more in the bag. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's the candy I promised. Want one?" She offered the yellow paladin. He nodded excitedly and Arcadia tossed a piece his way.

Hunk caught it in his mouth and his eyes gleamed as he got his first taste of the candy. "Holy crow! This taste exactly like raspberries!"

"Seriously? Toss me a piece," Lance begged. Arcadia did as he wanted and he wore the same expression as Hunk as he ate the candy. "You're right, Hunk! This is the best thing I've had since we left Earth that's even close to normal."

"Oh, give me one, Arcadia!" Pidge cheerfully bounced over to the draconian and received a piece of candy. She couldn't believe the flavor, either. "This is amazing!"

The devices Coran placed on the cryo-pod beeped, catching Hunk's attention as he continued to roll the candy around in his mouth. He noticed how long they've been standing there and eyed the pod. "Uh, is this what's supposed to be happening?"

Shiro kept his gray eyes glued to the galra commander behind the glass. "Let's give it some time."

Hunk sighs and an hour later, he was sitting on the floor and soon fell back as he fell asleep. Arcadia approached the boy and poked him on the cheek. "Wow, he's a deep sleeper. Wish I could fall asleep that quick and stay asleep."

Keith pushed himself off the pod he was leaning against and sighed. "Well, I can't wait around anymore. I'm going to hit the training deck." Before leaving, he glanced at Arcadia. "Wanna join me?"

"I'll join you soon, Keith," Arcadia answered with a gentle tone. He smiled and nodded as he left the detainment room.

Another half hour passes by. This time, it was Pidge who broke under the boredom. "Okay, if anyone needs me, I'll be in the lab. Maybe I can pull some information from Sendak's galra crystal."

Fifteen minutes passed and Hunk was the next to tag out. "Time to feed the beast. I'm going to go make some breakfast," he said, rubbing his stomach as he left.

The next victim of the suffocating boredom was the altean advisor himself. "Well, I'm afraid I can't wait here any longer, either. I have a million duties to attend to. Between that galra crystal infecting our system, and then fighting off those ships and performing the balmeran rejuvenation ceremony, the old Castle of Lions has taken quite a beating. Every system needs to be recharged and repaired."

The black paladin didn't even glance in Coran's direction. "I'll stay. Somewhere in Sendak's mind is the information about Zarkon that we need."

"Okay, well, while you guys do that, I think I'm gonna get my chill on. Maybe kick back with a lemonade or space juice," Lance explained, his hands in his pockets as he tried to leave.

Coran promptly stopped the blue paladin before he could saunter off. "Hold on there, space juice. You're going to come and help me."

Lance stared at the altean in disbelief. "What? Why? Why me? Arcadia's standing right there!" He pointed his finger at the draconian, who snapped out of her daze.

"Because you're the last one here and because your activity isn't very important," Coran retorts.

"Wait," Lance pauses for a brief second. "Did I say "chill with a good lemonade"? I meant I gotta do homework."

"No. Too late."

"Coran," Arcadia called out to the ginger-haired man. "Can I help?"

"We could always use another pair of hands. Come along, you two."

Lance sighed in defeat before glancing at Shiro. "Fine. Let us know if anything happens."

When the black paladin didn't respond, Arcadia walked over and placed a hand on his tense shoulder. "Shiro, have one of these. They'll help with exhaustion." At the sound of his name, the older boy glanced at Arcadia.

He accepted the small offering and smiled at her. "Thanks, Arcadia."

"Don't linger too long or you'll stress yourself out, alright?" She kindly warned.

Shiro nodded, his smile as gentle as ever. "You got it."

Arcadia and Lance followed Coran to the cryo-pods, ready to help with the cleaning. Before they entered, the advisor glanced at the draconian. "Arcadia, head to the bridge and give the wires a good shock."

"I thought I was gonna help clean?" The girl tilted her head in confusion.

"Yeah! It'll be ten times more fun with her around," Lance joined in.

"Nope. Her alchemy is needed elsewhere. Our systems need a good jolt!" Coran acted as if he was holding wires and putting them together.

Arcadia still felt weak from using so much alchemy on the Balmera that she wasn't positive she could perform such an easy task. "I'll try, but I can't promise anything. I'm still worn out from yesterday."

"Now that you mention it, you're still kinda pale," Lance said, examining Arcadia's features. He then eyes the altean advisor. "Maybe she should just go and rest some more, Coran."

The man didn't take notice of Arcadia's condition until now, feeling horrible for asking her to use her magic. "Lance is right. You should rest, Arcadia."

Arcadia placed a reassuring hand on Lance's shoulder. "You just need a small shock, right? I can do that. It won't even take a minute. Then, I'll go rest before joining Keith."

At the mention of the red paladin, Lance scowled before heading into the infirmary with Coran. The white-haired girl headed to the bridge with the candies still in her grasp. She reached her destination and sat the burlap sack down before heading to the metal detachment underneath the navigation system and opening it. She kneeled down and peered inside the rectangular opening. "Geez, look at all the wires."

Arcadia reaches her arm into the narrow space and grabs the first wire she could. "This'll have to do." Readying to cast the spell, she was suddenly shocked by the wire she was grabbing. She immediately pulled her hand out with a yelp and fell back. "Didn't Coran say this needed a jolt? Why did it shock me if it needed power?" No one was around to answer her questions as she simply decided to head back to Coran and Lance.

Turning her back to the opening, Arcadia went to leave the bridge. She was about to walk through the door when something wrapped around her waist and hoisted into the air. A gasp of surprise slipped from her lips as she saw what had her suspended a few feet in the air. "A wire?"

When she tried to free herself, the wire shocked her. "Ow!" She growled in annoyance and tapped into her dragon abilities. Her horns and nails grew, ready to break free of the wire. Bringing a talon down, she tried to cut the wire. Unfortunately, the snake-like object shocked her again, the intensity much higher than earlier. She was knocked back to her normal self and her horns and nails shrunk. "You've got to be kidding me!"

Next, Arcadia tried to use her own alchemy against the wires to try and fry them. When she did, the wire reverted the shock and delivered it to herself. She screamed out in pain and glared at the wire. She sighed in defeat after her glare vanished, realizing she was stuck and needed someone's help. "Hello?!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, hoping someone would hear her. "Anybody?!"

Arcadia slumped in the wire's grip, hanging her head. "You can't be serious..." Another wire emerged from the opening and wrapped around her arms, pinning them to her sides. Now the draconian wasn't able to use her hands at all. An idea struck her when she remembered the golden bands around her horns. "Maybe I could contact someone."

As she tried, the wires shocked her a fourth time. "Alright! I get it! Stop shocking me, you stupid ship!" She stared at the door in silencing, praying someone would walk in and help her.

<——————<<<<<<<<

Now trapped in the airlock, Lance banged on the glass while shouting at the top of his lungs. "Help! Help! Help!"

...twelve, eleven, ten...

The computer's taunting countdown ran a chill down Lance's spine as he desperately tried to break the glass and escape the airlock before being sent into space.

Down the hall, Keith was defending himself from a rogue gladiator. He raised his sword, deflecting the machine's own blade as he ran down the corridor to gain some distance between him and the corrupted gladiator. The blue paladin spotted Keith as he neared the airlock, fighting off the machine. "Keith!"

...six, five...

The computerized voice was nearing the end of the countdown as Keith spotted the trapped Lance. "What are you doing in there?"

"I need help! Because if you don't get me out of here right now, I'm going to be sucked out into space!" Lance shouts at the top of his lungs as Keith kept up his defensive position against the gladiator.

Doors opening.

The airlock doors opened and Lance clung for dear life to keep from being dragged to his death, screaming at the top of his lungs. "I'm getting sucked out into space!"

Occupied by the gladiator, Keith wasn't able to tend to the screaming Lance until he was able to find an opening to attack. The cuban boy continued to scream his head off. "Keith! Keith, come on!"

An idea struck Keith as he dodged another swipe of the machine's blade. He ran to the airlock door and manually opened it. Before he could be dragged into space, he stepped away from the airlock and watched as the gladiator was yanked into the dark void. Keith leaned out of the safety of his cover and grabbed Lance's hand, pulling him out of the airlock and to safety. He shuts the door and collapses on the floor beside Lance. He looked up at the brunette with narrowed eyes. "What were you doing out there?"

Lance met Keith's slightly heated gaze with his own, ignoring his question. "Who was that guy?"

"He was trying to kill me!" Keith shouted

"Well, is he the castle? Because that's who's trying to kill me!" Lance yelled back.

Keith glanced down the corridor, only one question coming to mind. "If it's the castle, we can't be the only ones in danger. Where's Arcadia?"

"She was headed to the bridge when I last saw her. She said she was going to rest after doing something for Coran," Lance responded.

Keith got to his feet and dashed to Arcadia's room. Lance quickly scrambled off the floor and shouted after the red paladin as he followed. "H-Hey, wait for me! Don't leave me alone!"

The sable-haired boy opened Arcadia's door and saw the room was empty. He headed to the bathroom and knocked on the door. "Arcadia?" The mechanical door slid open, revealing an empty and dark bathroom. "She's not here. Where else did you say she could be?" Keith glanced at Lance, worried about the draconian.

"Uh, the bridge. She might still be there," Lance answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Keith left the girl's room and headed to the bridge with Lance close behind. The door slid open and the two boys scanned the room.

"Up here!" They heard a feminine voice shout. The two paladins glanced up in unison to see Arcadia suspended in air by wires, tied up and unable to move. She looked down at them and kicked her legs back and forth, the only limbs she could move. "Get me down from here!"

Keith held his bayard tightly, following the wires until he found the source of them. "I'll cut the wires and you catch her," he said without sparing a single glance toward the cuban boy.

Unbeknownst to Keith, Lance was smirking. "Gotcha covered, buddy!" He glanced up at Arcadia with his famous smirk. "I'll catch you!"

"That better be all you do, Lance," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

Keith raised his sword and swiftly brought it down on the wires, cutting them in one stroke. Arcadia yelped when she felt the wires free her and she plummeted to the floor. Lance opened his arms, ready to catch the falling girl. The boy miscalculated and his back ended up breaking Arcadia's fall. The air was knocked out of his lungs, his back aching from the impact. "My spine..."

Arcadia patted his back gently. "Thanks for being my cushion, Lance. I didn't break anything, did I?"

Although the boy was still trying to catch his breath, he pushed through the pain and grinned. "No worries, babe."

At he sound of the nickname, Arcadia knew he was alright and removed herself from his back. She felt a tinge of pain in her arms and near her waist. Not caring who was watching, she lifted her shirt and examined her body. Lance stole a glance, his cheeks igniting a bright red. Keith, on the other hand, approached her and saw the red markings the wires had created. He ran a hand over the imprint, causing Arcadia to flinch from his touch. "Does it hurt?"

"Only a little," she mumbled before she pulled up her sleeves and saw even more markings. "They'll heal soon." The girl pulled down her sleeves while Keith tugged her shirt down over her stomach.

Lance sat up, pursing his lips and glaring at the couple. "How can you two be so casual about this?!"

"About what?" Arcadia inquired, eyeing the boy with interest and confusion.

"Y'know, the touching and flirting!" He retorts vehemently.

"We're not flirting," Keith growls, scowling at the boy. "Can't I be worried about my girlfriend?"

"Yeah, but..."

""But" nothing! Why do you care so much about what we do?" Keith hisses, crossing his arms.

"Because she was suppose to be my girlfriend, mullet head! I'm the charming one here, not you!"

The conversation grew more heated as the paladins got in each other's faces. Arcadia pried Keith and Lance apart, standing in between the two with a hand on their chests. "Stop it, you two! This is not the time nor place to be arguing! We've gotta figure out what's wrong with the castle and check on the others."

Keith stepped back a few inches, his glare still trained on Lance. "She's right. Let's find the others."

"Fine!" Lance retorts.

Arcadia grumbles under her breath as she left the bridge with Keith and Lance behind her. She could feel their heated, silent argument as they followed close behind. She decided to head to the only place she could always find Pidge—her lab. Coran had rendezvoused with them in front of the metal door as he was searching for everyone just like Arcadia, Keith, and Lance. The draconian opened the door to the lab and watched as Pidge and Hunk slammed onto the floor. Lance stormed in, glaring at the duo. "How can you guys be taking a nap while this castle is trying to kill us?!"

Hunk sat up and stared at the blue paladin. "Taking a nap? We've been floating around in Zero G! You know how scary that is?"

"That's not scary! That's fun! I was almost ejected into space!" The cuban boy scoffs.

"Well I got attacked by killer food, and that's the most horrifying thing you can imagine! The stuff of nightmares! It'll haunt me to my grave!"

"Well, I had a robot trying to kill me and Arcadia was tied up in the bridge by possessed wires!" Keith adds to the yelling frenzy.

Lance faced Coran with anger. "I don't care what you say, Coran. This castle has gone apples and bananas!"

Coran groans, knowing the boy was right. "Perhaps the infection from Sendak's galra crystal is worse than we thought."

"Well, let's get rid of it," Hunk suggested.

"It's too late. When Sendak plugged it into the ship, it corrupted the entire system."

"...Sendak? Wait," Keith pauses for a brief second. "Has anyone seen Shiro?"

Arcadia's eyes widened. "Oh, no..." She dashes out of the room and headed to the detainment room to check on him. The draconian stormed through the door and seeing Shiro's horrified expression shocked Arcadia because she had never seen him in such a state. He slammed a fist into the pod's glass covering, now cracked from the impact. The girl carefully approached him so she wouldn't frighten him further. "Shiro?" Seeing the pod was vacant, she knew Shiro had ejected Sendak's cryo-pod into space.

"Shiro, are you okay?" Pidge asked as she and the others caught up.

Keith saw the cryo-pod was empty and looked at Shiro. "Where's Sendak?"

"I... I had to get him out of here. I-I was hearing his voice. He... He can't be trusted on this ship," Shiro muttered, his voice shaky. Arcadia placed a calming hand on his arm and withdrew it from the shattered glass to make sure he hadn't hurt himself. Shiro was able to calm down at Arcadia's gentle touch as she examined his knuckles.

"It is the ship! I got stuck in a cryo-pod then in an airlock. Keith got attacked by a robot, Arcadia was strung up with wires, and Hunk and Pidge got attacked by food. It's been a weird morning," Lance said.

"Your hand seems alright, but it might bruise," Arcadia said, releasing Shiro's hand.

He smiled at the draconian. "Thanks, Arcadia."

Suddenly, the computer started beeping and Coran ran over to the console. "What? How is that possible?"

"What is it?" Keith asked the altean.

"The ship is starting a wormhole jump!"

"The only one able to create a wormhole is Allura!" Arcadia gasped. "We need to head to the bridge and stop her!"

The seven companions made a mad dash to the bridge and found Allura piloting the ship toward a dying star. Shiro stared at the princess, wondering why she was delivering them to their death. "Allura, what's going on?"

She smiled as she looked over her shoulder at her friends and advisor. "We're going to Altea. We're going home. My father is taking us."

"Allura," Arcadia stepped forward. "Altea was destroyed! There is no home left to return to!" She placed a hand on Allura's back, but she was sent back by a shock.

King Alfor's hologram appeared and glared daggers at Arcadia as his distorted voice rang out across the bridge. "Stay away from my daughter!" Keith caught Arcadia as she fell back and thanked him as she recovered with his help. A protective barrier appeared around the princess, shielding her from the others.

Shiro approaches the barrier and calls out to the princess. "Allura, wake up!"

"The crystal must have corrupted King Alfor's artificial intelligence. It's taking over!" Coran shouted in fear.

"We're headed straight for a star and it's about to explode!" Pidge bellowed as the star pulsated.

"We'll never survive the supernova at this rate! We don't have a lot of time before it blows!" Arcadia shouted, staring at the flaming star.

Allura was still convinced of the vision King Alfor was showing her as she smiled. "Father, I can see Altea."

Coran placed his hands in the barrier and begged the princess to see past the illusion. "Allura! Allura, wake up! What you're seeing isn't real."

"The juniberries, the most exquisite flower of all," Allura sighed dreamily, ignoring her advisor.

"Allura, please! You've got to listen to me!" Coran pleaded desperately.

"Is this real?" The princess glanced at her father.

Alfor nodded. "Of course it is real, daughter. That flower you're touching is real."

"But where is the fragrance of the sweet juniberries?!" Coran shouted over the hologram.

Allura sniffs the flower and smells nothing. "Huh?" Her eyes widen as her vision clears and she stares at the dying star. "That's not Altea."

"When that star goes supernova, it will destroy the entire system. Allura, you must reset the course and get us out of here!" Pidge shouted.

The princess took the controls and tried to wormhole the castle to safety, but she was shocked and sent out of the barrier. "Father, please, I beg you to turn this ship around. If we don't do it soon, we will all perish!"

Alfor smiles menacingly at her. "I know. That is my intention."

Allura gasped. "What? Why?"

"Don't you see, dear daughter? Zarkon can never be defeated. He's been ruling for ten thousand years."

"But we must continue to fight!"

"Fight for what? It is all over for Altea. You don't have to live a lifetime of war." Alfor's voice distorted as he continued. "You can be with me and the rest of your people."

"Father, please! The paladins and I can still stop Zarkon! Somewhere in there, you must want that to happen," Allura beseeches the hologram.

King Alfor's body flickers as his menacing look changed. "Allura, my A.I. has been corrupted. You must disconnect my power source." It didn't last long as the corruption took over. "We can stroll across the Blossom Canyon every morning, just like we used to. Remember how much you loved that?"

Arcadia could see the sorrow in her best friend's eyes. "I remember. I'll see you soon, Father." Alfor's hologram dissipated and Allura couldn't hide the sadness in her voice. "I've got to get into the A.I. chamber to disconnect my father's power source manually."

"But that means... losing King Alfor forever!" Coran gasped.

Allura turned her gaze to the five friends. "Paladins, get to your lions! I need you to slow the castle's descent into the star." The princess left and headed to the A.I. chamber.

"I can help, too," Arcadia said.

Keith grabbed her shoulders and stopped her, staring into her golden eyes. "You stay here. Our lions can handle the heat."

"But Keith—"

"Stay here. Please," he begged.

Arcadia has never heard him like this. It was strange, but she sighed and agreed to stay behind. "Alright." Keith was relieved at her compliance and left with the other paladins. She walked over to Coran's side and helped him in any way she could. After they both were able to open the hangar doors, the lions flew to the front of the ship.

As the mechanical beasts ceased the ship's descent, all the computers came back online. "She did it," Coran smiles.

"I know she'll be devastated," Arcadia murmured sadly. The princess returned without a hint of sorrow in her persona. The draconian knew she was hiding it and would consult her later.

"Paladins, get to your hangars. We're getting out of here," Allura said, taking the controls and creating a wormhole as soon as all five lions were safely back in their hangars. Just as the wormhole closed behind them, the star went supernova.

Arcadia sighed in relief and slumped against the console. "Talk about a close call..."

"I'm so sorry about your father, Princess," Shiro apologizes as all five paladins return to the bridge.

"We all are," Hunk corrects the older boy.

Allura smiles at them. "Thank you. But that was not my father. The real King Alfor was a great man and a great father. He may not be here with us anymore, but his dream lives on through all of us, and his legacy is Voltron."

<——————<<<<<<<<<

Exhausted, everyone returned to their rooms except Coran and Arcadia. They were busy chatting and goofing off as they remained in the bridge. From the corner of her eye, the draconian spotted her bag of candy. "I completely forgot about those!" She snatched up the sack and took a candy out, tossing it towards Coran. The altean caught it and ate the edible sphere with a huge smile. "I'll see you later, Coran. I'm going to see how Allura's doing."

"Do save me another piece of that delectable candy!" He yells as Arcadia left the bridge and shuffled down the hall to the princess' room. She stood outside of Allura's door and knocked gently. "Allura?"

"Come in, Arcadia," she responds.

At her permission, the draconian entered Allura's room and smiled at her. "How're you holding up?"

"With all things considering... not well..." Her melancholic gaze brought a frown to Arcadia's face.

She sat next to her in silence before meeting her azure gaze with her golden one. "You made a huge sacrifice today. I'm surprised you haven't been crying."

"Father wouldn't want me to mourn. It was only his memories," Allura murmurs, clutching her hands together tightly.

"He may have been an A.I., but he was still your father. You've lost him twice now. Most people in your shoes would have given up and let sorrow drown them."

"How come you never talked to him yourself, Arcadia?" The princess asked curiously.

"I... couldn't bring myself to. He was my adoptive father, but he was more of a father than my real one.  I'm not as strong as you, Allura, and I'll never be. I'm an emotional wreck when it comes to reunions and even more when I have to say goodbye to someone." Arcadia laid back on Allura's bed and stared up at the ceiling. "I'm just a mess in general."

The princess chuckled and patted the draconian on the head. "Yes, you are."

"Glad we agree," Arcadia snickered.

The conversation drew to a silent close until Allura glanced at the girl with a smirk. "How're things with Keith?"

"Uh..." Arcadia flew up and into a sitting position. "I've no idea if I'm doing this "couple" thing right. I've never been in a relationship before!"

Allura giggled and pulled on Arcadia's cheek. "I'm sure things are going great! You'll be fine, Arcadia."

The girl grabbed and yanked on the princess' cheek in response. "I hope so."

<——————<<<<<<<<<

After a lengthy chat with Allura, Arcadia left and headed to her room. As the metal door slid open, she saw Keith sitting on her bed. She tilted her head to side as she noticed a blade in his hand. Then, she remembers their conversation on the Balmera. "Is that the blade your father gave you?"

Keith met Arcadia's golden gaze and nodded. "Yeah. My dad passed away when I was little and didn't even get to tell me about the blade. I... was wondering if you knew something about it since... y'know..."

"I'm an alien?" Arcadia snickered as she sat down beside him.

"Uh, yeah," he mumbles.

"I might not be able to help, but I'll try." At her words, Keith handed the blade over. The alchemist ran her fingers over the blade and the strange symbol on the hilt. She narrowed her eyes as she stared at the marking. She sighed when nothing came to mind. "I'm sorry, Keith. I'm not familiar with such craftsmanship."

He nodded with a sorrowful frown. "It's fine." He placed the blade back in its sheath and fell silent.

Arcadia saw the hope leave his lilac eyes as he reclined back onto her bed. The girl crawled on top of the bed, grabbed his hand, and curled up in his side. "I'm sure you'll find out the truth soon. For now, you should rest. You can stay here for the night if you'd like."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," the boy groans.

"Why not?" Arcadia stroked his knuckles gently with her thumb.

"The others might find out."

"Let them find out! Couples sleep together, right?"

"Y-Yeah, but..."

"Listen," Arcadia mumbles. "I've never been in a relationship before and I'm not really sure how it works. Allura told me a few things, but I'm not sure if dating on Earth is the same like it was on Altea. Then again, I was shoved into a cryo-pod after only living on the planet for five years and didn't have a significant other during that timeframe."

"I wouldn't know, either. You're my first girlfriend," he admits shyly.

Arcadia smiled and kissed Keith on the cheek. "Then, we'll be lost together. Now," the girl released his hand and crawled up to the pillows, snuggling one close to her chest. "Let's get some sleep."

Keith thought of returning to his room, but he quickly pushed the idea aside. Instead, he joined Arcadia and rested his head on one of her many plush pillows. When he glanced at the snowy-haired girl, he saw she was already asleep. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair out of her face, admiring her calm expression as she slept. A faint smile spread across the paladin's face as he closed his eyes and welcomed slumber with open arms.