A/n: So, this book was originally going to be a Keith x OC x Matt story, but I scrapped that idea. You will see some moments between Matt and Arcadia in this chapter, but it's all one-sided. I thought it would be nice to add them and show what I did have in store before scrapping the love triangle. Also, the chapter varies from the show in some parts. I'm trying to be more original with the episodes without changing the major details. Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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When the castleship landed back on Olkarion, Pidge, Sam, and Matt were the first ones off the ship to rendezvous with Ryner. Hunk was in the kitchen baking goodies and Lance was somewhere on the planet below. Shiro was searching for Arcadia and found her reading the grimoire in the lounge. He told her about the transmission she received on the bridge.

Closing the grimoire, she made her way to the bridge. As she entered, her eyes widened when seeing who was on the screen. "Keith?" She wasn't expecting him to contact the castle directly. He would usually contact her via the communication devices Pidge made for them.

"Hey," Keith casually said. "It's, uh...it's been a while."

She smiled at him. "We talk almost everyday. You know that, right?"

"I know, but that's not what I meant. It's been a while since we've seen each other." Keith's eyes raked across her entire body. He felt the wanton need to take her into his arms and kiss her, but that was impossible. They were galaxies apart. He cleared his throat as a small blush formed on his cheeks. "Y-You, um, you look good."

"Seriously?" A voice groaned in the background. Another member of the Blade entered the video feed. Arcadia recognizes him as Detzan. He threw an arm around Keith's neck and ruffled his hair. "After all this time, that's all you've got to say to her?"

"I'll say," another voice scoffed. Ulrix entered the chat and stood on the other side of the now pouting Keith. He glanced at his comrades before speaking to the girl, grinning widely. "I think I saw him try to kiss the hologram image of you a few quintants ago, Arcadia."

Keith shoved Detzan off of him and elbowed Ulrix in the ribcage. "I haven't done anything like that!"

Ulrix cackled. "I was just messing with you. But you do stare at that hologram quite often."

Detzan reappeared and wrapped an arm around Keith's neck, putting him into a headlock. "Someone misses their girlfriend~!"

Arcadia smiled warmly as her boyfriend tried to wriggle free of Detzan's grasp. "Do try to not break him. I would like him back in one piece."

"We promise he'll get back to you in one piece," Ulrix replied.

Keith finally was able to break free from Detzan and shoved him away. He was slightly irked at his comrades, eye twitching. "Can I please talk to her in private?"

"Fine," Detzan sighed dramatically. "We'll leave you two lovebirds alone."

Ulrix and Detzan left, leaving only Keith. He straightened out his hair before meeting Arcadia's gaze. His eyes gravitated down a little ways and saw the book she had clutched against her chest. "What is that?"

Arcadia glances down at the grimoire, realizing she hadn't told him about it. "Oh, this is one of the twelve grand grimoires, the tenth volume to be more precise. This book was used by Zenio, one of the twelve grand masters to rule over Draconia. Apparently, it survived the core's explosion and the rebels found it. Matt gave it to me."

"Matt is Pidge's brother, right?" Keith recalled her telling him about how Pidge found her brother and he was now helping.

"Yeah, he's been a great help around the ship. We've spent a lot of time together after our missions. Just like Pidge, he's really interested in my people's culture."

Keith could feel a tinge of jealousy. He didn't realize his pursed lip and tense shoulders until Arcadia started laughing. "Why're you laughing?" He asked her.

"They always say jealousy is an ugly emotion, but the way you're pursing your lip like a child is cute," she managed to reply between giggles. He tried to come up with a smart remark, but nothing came to mind. He kept his mouth shut, relaxing his shoulders. Arcadia saw he was now trying to hide his emotions. It was a famous tactic of his, but it was too late. He'd shown his jealousy and she knew he was now only trying to hide it. To dissuade the green-eyed monster inside his heart, she told him, "You have nothing to worry about, Keith. I love you, not Matt. I just...really wish you were here."

"I wish I was, too..." Keith mumbled.

"Maybe you should sneak away and come see me." Arcadia said that unconsciously. Realizing what just came out of her mouth, she counteracted with, "Actually, don't do that. You might get into trouble with Kolivan and I do not want to be one who encourages bad behavior."

He chuckled. "Don't tempt me."

They both fell silent for a few seconds when they both heard someone call Keith's name. The boy sighed in annoyance and sorrow. "Sorry, but I've got to go. I'll try to contact you again real soon, Arcadia. Maybe... Maybe we can find some time and meet up somewhere."

She smiled gently at him. "I'd like that very much. Stay safe, Keith."

"Yeah. You too."

The transmission ended.

Arcadia sighed melancholically. She casted her crestfallen gaze to the floor, hugging the grimoire tighter to her chest. She missed Keith dearly and her number one wish at the moment was to see him again. Her heart ached at his absence. The transmissions and their late-night talks kept their relationship kindled, but it wasn't enough to satisfy her. She wanted him here with her and the others.

The draconian was torn from her thoughts when the door to the bridge slid open. Allura and Lotor enter, the prince of the galra empire taking a seat and wincing. This didn't go unnoticed by Arcadia as she walked over. While she still abhorred Lotor, she respected Allura's decision to ally themselves with him. She still didn't trust him and probably never will, but that didn't stop her from not healing his injuries. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she begrudgingly used her healing alchemy on him.

Lotor glances at Arcadia after feeling the warmth of her spell. His eyes lingered on the grimoire in her possession before asking, "A healing incantation?"

"Yes," she replied emotionlessly. "It took me years to perfect. Hope you don't mind."

"Thank you, Arcadia," Allura said, appreciating her alchemy. "The others should be here any minute."

"Good," Lotor responded. "There is much to discuss."

"Are you all right? Arcadia could provide more healing if necessary."

"I'll be fine."

"What you did was for the greater good." Allura's lips tugged upward into a smile. "And for many of us, proof of your intentions for peace."

Hearing the familiar beeping of the keypad, Lotor stood up as the door to the bridge opened. The Paladins and Coran were waiting on the other side. Lance was taken aback at Lotor's presence and grimaced. "Look, it's Prince Lotor, just hangin' out on the bridge."

"Guess this is a thing that's happening," Pidge commented.

"I suppose we'll have to get used to it—like my zarbloovian intestinal eel." Coran rubbed his abdomen, eliciting a muffled screech to emanate from it. "Easy, fella."

Shiro walked through the door, approaching Lotor, Allura, and Arcadia with Coran and the other paladins close behind. "What's going on, Lotor?"

"The death of my father has created a power vacuum within the galra empire. The most formidable galra leaders will gather for what is called the Kral Zera sometime in the next two days to decide who will take the throne. We must be there," he explained.

Lance crosses his arms as he tried to wrap his head around what the prince just said. "So, you want us to fly you into the middle of a meeting with all of the most powerful galra leaders?"

"Lotor, we appreciate all that you've sacrificed, but this sounds far too dangerous," Allura said.

All eyes fell on Shiro as he spoke against the princess. "We've been in more dangerous situations with much less to gain. Putting Lotor on the galra throne is what we've been discussing."

"Yeah, but no one told us that would mean flying into a war zone," Pidge chimed in.

"We can't plan an operation this important so quickly," Allura retorts with a hint of anger in her voice.

"We don't have a choice," Shiro calmly replied.

"I'm with Allura," Lance stated as he looked over at their leader. "We need time to think this over."

"Lance, this is not your call," Shiro retorted, shocking the boy. Looking back to the princess, he spoke again. "Allura, the coalition wouldn't be where it is right now without Lotor. We need to listen to him."

"Well, I'm with Allura, too," Pidge said. "This is too dangerous to pull off at the last minute."

Arcadia couldn't remain silent any longer and also spoke against Shiro. "Too much is on the line for us to blindly do anything without a well thought-out plan. I have to side with Allura on this one, Shiro."

Coran nodded in agreement. "Agreed. So, it looks like it's five-to-two, in the princess's favor."

Shiro was still calm, but his patience was being tried. "Look, this isn't a vote. I'm the leader of Voltron. I'm making this decision."

Allura took a step forward out of anger. "Like when you armed Lotor with your bayard without consulting the rest of us?"

"I may not have consulted with you, but I did tell Arcadia and she agreed because she wanted to support your choice in trusting Lotor. Making that decision resulted in the removal of Zarkon."

"You and Arcadia put the entire operation in jeopardy," Allura hissed, glaring at him. Hearing her name, the draconian lowered her head in shame. She should've told the others what Shiro was planning after he told her. Even though they were able to retrieve Sam and bring him back safely to the ship, she was careless and shouldn't have hid anything from the others.

"We put an end to Zarkon's reign," Shiro remarked. "Now is the time to finish the job."

Lance walked up and stood between their leader and the princess. "Shiro, we're all on the same side here."

"I told you to stay out of this!" Shiro angrily yelled, shocking everyone but Lotor.

Arcadia blinked in bewilderment at his behavior. She'd never seen Shiro let his emotions, especially anger, show. He was the one who's supposed to be the most level-headed of them all. She then narrowed her eyes, not fond of the way he was handling the situation.

Lotor intervened before any of the paladins, Coran, or Arcadia could comment on Shiro's snappy behavior. "While you all waste time squabbling, sinister forces are conspiring to fill the galra power void. If I do not return to claim the throne, there is no telling who will."

Shiro managed to respond calmly. "Good, then it's settled."

Pidge scowled at him with disapproval. "How's that settled?"

Shiro met the girl's gaze. "Our hands are tied. The Kral Zera is happening. If we want to stop the galra, we need to put Lotor on the throne immediately."

"This isn't right," Arcadia said. She wanted to express how awful Shiro was treating the rest of them. "I went with your crazy plan before because I believed it would ensure Pidge and Matt got their father back. I became blinded by my promise to Pidge and wasn't thinking straight the entire mission. But this... I can't stand beside this decision, Shiro. Lately, you've been making last-minute decisions that have affected major outcomes. You may be the leader, but this is a team! A team decides on a decision together."

Shiro took a threatening step towards her. "There's no point in arguing! It's already been decided!"

"You're the only one who's decided!" Arcadia yelled back. She was becoming frustrated with Shiro and her own fury was showing. She wasn't one to snap at people, but she couldn't keep her emotions in check any longer. "Listen to your team! You aren't a leader without them!"

A loud slap echoed throughout the bridge. A searing pain resonated from Arcadia's cheek as she stumbled backward and fell. She'd been slapped by Shiro. Lance quickly placed himself between Arcadia and Shiro when seeing him raise his hand a second time. He glared at the older man. "What's wrong with you?!"

"Shiro!" Allura yelled furiously.

Pidge's eyes widen in horror before she runs over to Arcadia. Kneeling beside her, she examined her reddening cheek. "A-Are you okay?"

Arcadia gently touched her abused cheek and winced. "I'm fine." With Pidge's help, she got back onto her feet.

Shiro suddenly blinked and realized what he'd done. Lowering his hand, he took a few steps back as his anger vanished. His own eyes were wide as saucers after seeing how swollen and red the girl's cheek was. "Arcadia, I..."

"Oh, so now you care," Lance scoffed.

Shiro glanced at his human hand, the one he used to slap her. "I-I don't know what came over me..."

Pidge and Lance escorted Arcadia off the bridge and to the lounge. All three sat on the couch, contemplating Shiro's recent behavior changes. The draconian opted not to heel her cheek since it wasn't a life-threatening injury. Leaning back, she huffed out a sigh. "I haven't known Shiro as long as you guys have, but I feel like he's been acting strange recently. Maybe it's the pressure of being the black paladin..."

"I don't know, but he shouldn't have hit you like that," Pidge said. "But to be honest, what you said was true. I think you just made him mad. If you hadn't said anything, I definitely would've."

"How's your cheek?" Lance asked. His expression looked like he was the one slapped, not Arcadia. It was almost like he looked like a kicked puppy.

"Stings, but I'll be fine," Arcadia replied. "I want to forgive Shiro, but another part of me doesn't want to. What should I do?"

"Give it time," Pidge answered. "Once Shiro's calmed down, you two should talk."

After a few minutes, Hunk arrived in the lounge with a tray of goodies. He smiled, making his way over to the three. "I've brought cookies! Who wants one?"

Arcadia smiled gratefully at him and took a cookie. "Thank you, Hunk." She found the yellow paladin to be adorable. He always knew how to bring a smile to everyone's faces. She took a bite and admired the flavor. The cookie was soft and warm with a strange goo-like filling that seemed to resemble chocolate chips. Even though the color was off-putting, it was delicious. "These are amazing!"

"Really?" Hunk was surprised at her praise. "I wasn't sure what to use for chocolate chips since space really doesn't have an equivalent. I did find this goo stuff on Olkarion that kinda—"

"Dude, just take the compliment," Lance groaned.

"Oh, right. Yeah, thanks!"

Lance stood up, grabbing his own cookie. "Welp, I'm gonna go train." He left the lounge.

Pidge was next to stand. She beamed at the draconian. "I'm gonna go find my dad and Matt. If you need anything, we'll be in the green lion's hangar." She too exited the lounge, leaving only Hunk and Arcadia.

Standing up, the girl finished up her cookie. "Thank you for the cookie, Hunk. They were delicious as usual. You're pretty crafty in the kitchen. I'm kinda jealous."

"If you ever want to make a special request, I will do my best to cook it! For you, space dragon, I will do anything!" Hunk proudly proclaimed.

Arcadia has come to enjoy being called "Space Dragon" by the lovable yellow paladin. "I will let you know when I get a craving for anything specific."

Leaving the lounge, she wandered the castle in search of Allura. Coran told her the princess was heading to the training deck and headed straight there. As she entered the training room, she hid in the shadows when seeing Allura and Lance were chatting with each other. They were both talking about the sword Lance had managed to morph his bayard into.

"It's an altean broadsword. My father used one just like it," Allura explained, smiling.

Lance eyed the sword. "I have no idea how I did this."

"I think your bayard has shown you what we've all been noticing. You have greatness within."

Lance muttered a weak and sorrowful, "Huh." He lowered the sword, frowning. "I don't think Shiro has noticed."

"Shiro has been quite difficult lately," Allura tried to explain their leader's recent behavior. "I'm not sure what to do, we seem to constantly be at odds. But what he did to Arcadia..."

"You guys are under a lot of pressure. Having Lotor around doesn't help. But the way he slapped her...that was totally not cool."

The princess hung her head, eyes brimming with sorrow as she hugged herself. "Sometimes it feels like it was easier to fight the galra rather than to try to work with them."

"You both have the coalition's best interests at heart. Don't forget that. Shiro isn't your enemy," Lance said, trying to cheer her up.

Allura lifted her head and beamed at him. "You're right. I need to stay focused on the big picture. Thank you, Lance. Speaking with you has actually made me feel better."

The red paladin pouted like a child. "What do you mean "actually"?"

They both laugh, which caused Arcadia to smile. She then slowly approached as Allura disarms Lance and knocks him to the floor, eliciting a grunt of pain from him. She held the red bayard with a proud smirk. "You're going to need to work on your stance." The princess heard the clacking of shoes, her grin festering when recognizing the footsteps. "I believe Arcadia can help you with that."

"Wait, what?" Lance pushed himself up into a sitting position and saw the draconian making her way over. "Oh, I don't think so! I saw her take down Keith! There's no way...!"

"I'm not here to fight you," Arcadia said. "I can teach you how to wield a sword. I'm more into free casting instead of weapons, but I do know how to make them from alchemy. It's pretty easy with ice."

Allura helped Lance to his feet. "I believe the last time you used an alchemic sword was back on Altea. My father was quite surprised to see you running around the castle with a dagger made of ice."

"Okay, that's cool and all—no pun intended—but do we have to do this now?" He whimpered, fearing the girl's training regiment.

"That all depends on you," Arcadia answered. "If you wish to learn how to use the sword, now would be a good time. Besides, you're already in your armor and we're standing in the middle of the training deck."

He groaned while Allura handed him his bayard. "Okay, but only for a few minutes."

"Great!" The draconian held out her hand and created a simple sword out of ice. She knew she needed to keep her spell casting to a minimum since she still wasn't sure what was happening to her body. Manifesting a weapon from ice is a low-level spell and wouldn't put any stress on her body. Grabbing the handle of the blade, she twirled it in her hand.

Lance's jaw nearly dropped to the floor when seeing how easily she spun the sword without dropping it or cutting herself. "I take that back. Can we try this another day?"

"No need to be scared. I'm only going to teach you how to wield it correctly. As Allura said before, you'll need to work on your stance. If it's not perfect, your opponent will easily be able to knock you down." Arcadia held her sword and adjusted her stance. "Your feet have to be spread apart just enough to avoid losing your balance while you're in a fight. If you break your stance, your opponent will get the upper hand. Just watch what I do and try to copy my stance."

Lance's bayard morphed into the broadsword. He carefully eyed Arcadia's form and copied her stance. He wasn't confident he did it right and swallowed nervously when she began circling him. She adjusted his arms slightly and pushed his left foot out more. "Well done, Lance. You did pretty good on your first try. Should we—"

All of a sudden, Coran's voice came over the ship's communications. "Paladins, deploy your lions! Shiro's in trouble!"

Lance and Allura ran out of the training room, leaving behind Arcadia. The snowy-haired girl sighed through her nose, her ice sword shattering. She decided not to follow the paladins to their hangars and returned to the bridge. She stood behind Coran, hearing the door to the bridge slide open a few seconds later. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Sam and Matt.

"What's happening out there?" Matt asked, eyes focused on the screen.

"The forest appears to have come alive and is attacking the city," Coran informed them.

"Where are the lions?" Sam pondered.

"I've already sent them to assist Shiro. He's battling something in the forest."

Arcadia stared at the image of the city before coming to a decision. She didn't want to join the paladins out of fear of Shiro and knew how she could help. "I'll head to the city and help the olkari." She spun on her heels to leave.

"Wait!" Matt shouted, running to catch up to her. "Let me help you, Arcadia."

She glanced over at Sam, who nodded in approval. Looking back at Matt, she faintly smiled. "All right. You've got an earpiece, yes?"

"Yep. Let's go."

Heading to the nearest exit, Arcadia transformed and Matt climbed onto her back. She flew through a section of the particle barrier Coran disabled and towards the city. Overhead the buildings wrapped in vines, they could hear the screams of the olkari. The dragon swooped down and landed in a part of the city that had yet to be invaded by the forest. Matt slid off her back and immediately ran over to the nearest olkari to help them.

The white-scaled dragon inhaled deeply and turned her body to the encroaching vines. Her chest radiated a faint orange, reddish tint before she released a plume of flames. She thought they would burn, but there wasn't even a scorch mark. Changing elements, she blew out an icy cloud and encased the vines in ice. She was relieved to see she was able to stop them. Combining their efforts, Matt and Arcadia fended off the vines and saved many of the olkari. She froze them while Matt smashed them with his staff.

Feeling the familiar dizzy sensation after a few minutes, Arcadia forcefully reverted back to her normal body. She shook her head, stumbling backwards. Pressing a hand to her head, she fought against the dizziness. While doing so, a vine slithered towards her and wound around her waist. She shrieked out as her body was lifted into the air before being carried off towards the forest.

Matt, having been dealing with some of the vines, heard her shrill cry and turned around. He gasped and immediately took off after her. Catching up to the vine that was wrapped around her waist, he leapt at it and jammed the tip of his staff through it. It released Arcadia and retreated back into the forest. "Are you okay?" Matt asked, helping her up.

"Y-Yeah," she weakly replied.

That's when he noticed the blood trickling from her nose. "Your nose is bleeding!"

"Sorry, I think I pushed myself too much." She clung to him when she felt her world spin.

Matt could see her eyes weren't focused and held on to her to keep her from falling. "Don't apologize. We should get you back to the ship."

"I should be able to carry us back, but—"

"No," he silenced her. "We'll get back the old-fashioned way. We just have to be really careful or we'll be snatched up before we know it. If you're not feeling well enough to walk, I can give you a piggyback ride."

She managed to focus on his face and tilted her head slightly at hearing the unfamiliar word. "Piggyback ride? What's that?"

Remembering she was an alien and only spent five years on Earth, Matt laughed. "Guess you haven't heard that one yet. Let me show you how fun they are!" He released her, turning his back to her and squatting down.

She was even more confused than before. "Matt, what're you doing?"

"Climb onto my back and I'll show you."

Trusting Matt, Arcadia maneuvered her body onto his back. She carefully wound her arms around his neck, gasping when he suddenly leant forward and hooked his hands under her knees. Unconsciously, her arms tightened around his neck when he stood up. She realized what she'd done and apologized. "Sorry. I didn't choke you, did I?"

"You're good! Just make sure to not let go!" Matt cheered excitedly, carrying her through the vine-infested streets of the Olkarion city. He maneuvered through some of the destroyed buildings to avoid being grabbed by vines.

As he was wandering down one of the side streets, they both heard Pidge's voice over the comms. "It's like a computer and a virus rolled into one!"

All of a sudden, her comm link went silent. They then heard Coran express his frustration. "Quiznak! Now Voltron is offline."

"If the plasma mass has the properties of a computer, there must be some way to hack into it and shut it down," they heard Sam in the background.

"Conceivably. If we could just figure out how to interface with it," Matt said, ducking into a nearby building.

"I believe I have an idea just how to do that," Sam replied. "But I'll need a way to communicate with the vines."

"What about Ryner? She may have the headbands you need," Arcadia said.

"Good idea!" Matt chanted. "All we've got to do is get Dad down here."

"Let me fly him down and we can all make it to the tower."

"Are you sure you're up for this?" He asked worriedly.

"It's only a short flight. The dizziness has subsided and I am feeling better." She slid off his back when he released her and wandered out of the building with him behind her. They returned to the main thoroughfare where she transformed, flying away with Matt on her back as vines reached out to grab her. She flew out of their reach, heading straight for the castle.

"Dad!" Matt shouted over the comms. "Meet us near the docking bay. We're going to pick you up."

"Coran, we'll need to get through the particle barrier again," Arcadia said.

"Right away!" The royal advisor responded. He deactivated a portion of the barrier, allowing her to fly through.

They landed in the docking bay where Sam was waiting. Matt held out a hand to his father the moment Arcadia lowered her body to the ground. "C'mon, Dad. You've ever wanted to ride a dragon before?"

"Only when I was a child," Sam answered, taking his son's hand. He was pulled up onto the dragon's back and cried out in surprise when she started moving.

Matt chuckled at his reaction. "Well, now you're really gonna! Hold on!"

Arcadia flew out of the docking bay and left through the hole in the particle barrier. She could hear the cries from Sam, which were a mix between fear and excitement, as she flew to the tower where the ion cannon was located. She dodged some vines when they reached up to grab her and managed to safely arrive at the building. She reverted back and ran into the building alongside Sam and Matt. They made their way to the top floor and found Ryner surrounded by vines. She turned around, expressing her issues to them. "I'm trying to interface with the vines to stop their growth, but I can't communicate with the nano-cellulose."

"We don't need to stop it. We just need to reroute it," Matt informed her.

"Grab a headpiece, show me," she begged.

Sam and Matt put on headbands. Matt went to hand one to Arcadia, but Ryner stopped her. "Arcadia will not require one. She is in more tune with the elements than the olkari."

Matt nodded and placed the headband aside. "All right. Follow my lead." He and his father placed their hands on the vines, closing their eyes and focusing. Arcadia was tempted to help them, but her body had yet to completely heal from earlier.

Ryner watched in awe as the vines in the room ceased growing and shrunk. It was just enough to allow her access to the ion cannon. She returned to the control and saw there was still no power. "The power source must have been tampered with when the vines grew up the tower."

"Will a strong jolt be enough to power the ion cannon?" Arcadia asked, joining Ryner.

"I do believe so."

"Allow me, then." She was risking her life, but she knew Voltron was in trouble and the ion cannon was all they had left. If she could use her alchemy to power it, she wouldn't care if it was the last thing she'd do. Placing her hands on the console, she focused her lightning magic into her palms and sent a powerful shock through the system.

When Ryner saw the controls come to life, she beamed happily. "Power has been restored!"

Arcadia backed away from the console to allow Ryner full access. She didn't make it far before she collapsed to her knees. The dizziness from earlier returned tenfold. She hung her head, closing her eyes in hopes to steady herself. She didn't realize she was about to fall to the floor on her face until Matt came over and kept her from tipping over. He kneeled beside her, allowing her body to lean against his leg. One of his hands held the back of her head while the other was placed against her abdomen. Staring into her eyes when she opened them, he said, "You need to rest, Arcadia."

"B-But what about...Voltron?" She feebly asked.

Matt lifted his head just in time to witness the ion cannon fire and destroy the galra ship. He smiled in relief and looked down at her. "We did it, Arcadia."

"Now, Voltron! You must stop that beast!" Ryner shouted over the comms.

"Beast?" Arcadia mumbled.

"Let's finish this fight!" She overheard Shiro on the comms.

Matt helped Arcadia up, hooking her arm around his neck. He walked her over to stand by Ryner and Sam. Just outside, they all witnessed the beast Voltron had been fighting roll into the city and aim its photon cannon at the tower they currently resides in. Everyone gasped in horror as the creature fired at them.

Just as the cannon was about to strike the tower, Voltron swooped down from the sky and used its shield to block it. Ryner, Sam, Matt, and Arcadia all sighed in relief after seeing they wouldn't be blown to smithereens. They watched it dismantle its shield and ram into the beast, pushing it to the outskirts of the city.

When they thought Voltron had the upper hand, the beast used its vine and wrapped them around the giant robot. It dragged it towards it in an attempt to absorb its metallic body and the paladins residing within.

Just when they though Voltron was going to be consumed, the red lion surged forward and fired its laser directly into the beast's open mouth. From the inside, the tree-like being was destroyed. Its body exploded and Voltron was free.

Witnessing the paladins' victory brought a delicate smile to Arcadia's face. The sight of Voltron was the last thing she saw before losing consciousness.

<—————————————<<<<<

When Arcadia came to, she was lying on her bed. She sat up, feeling much better than before. Climbing off her bed, she saw how late it was and figured everyone was asleep. She wanted to thank Matt, but didn't want to wake him. Looking down, she noticed the blood from her nose had tainted her clothes since she didn't even bother changing into her armor before leaving the castleship. Grimacing at the sight of the crimson liquid that stained the white of her clothes, she grabbed a spare set of clothes and headed to the bathroom to change.

Emerging from the bathroom a few minutes later, Arcadia was now in a new set of casual clothes.

(A/n: Credit goes to AlbinosDoll on deviant art/instagram. They've got some really amazing outfits! I know this is a dress, but I kinda images it as a tunic top.)

Arcadia adjusted the hem of her black shorts that reached her upper thigh before tugging at her knee-high black socks. She tapped the soles of her white flats against the floor to make sure her shoes were on. She then went over to her dresser and combed her hair. As she glanced at herself in the mirror, she saw her cheek was still red from where Shiro slapped her. It wasn't as swollen, but the skin was still irritated.

Exhaling a sigh, Arcadia finished combing her snowy locks and placed her brush down. As she did, her pointy ears twitched when she heard a strange sound from the hallway. Leaving her room, she wondered who it was and why they were wandering around the ship at such a late hour. She glanced down the hallway and saw no one. The sound she heard a couple minutes ago rung out again and heard it coming from a nearby vent.

Holding out her hand, flames engulfed her palm and fingers. Carefully, she approached the vent but stopped the moment the cover was gently removed. A person crawled out of the vent and pushed themselves to their feet. Her eyes widened when she recognized the armor and the crystal that hung around the person's neck. "Keith?"

Keith disabled the mask of his Blade of Marmora armor and pulled down the hood. "Is now a bad time?"

"No, but..." Arcadia lowered her hand, extinguishing the flames. She wondered how he infiltrated the castleship without being detected, but then remembered his bio-signature was saved in the ship's memory. She was still shocked to see him. "How did you get here?"

"My last mission was on a planet in the same system as Olkarion. I may have intercepted a transmission and heard you guys were here. So, one thing led to another and..." Keith was becoming embarrassed and tried to hide it behind his usual cool expression.

Arcadia saw the faint blush on his cheeks and decided to tease him. She plastered a fake expression of horror. "You can't be here! Didn't I say I don't want to encourage bad behavior?!" She was satisfied with her work when his eyes widened. Giggling, she smiled from ear to ear. "I'm just messing with you, Keith."

He was relieved she wasn't angry, but he wondered if she would really get mad if he told her the truth. "Hypothetically speaking... If I did sneak away to come see you, would you be angry?"

"Depends on if you tell Kolivan that I encouraged you to sneak away. Like I said, I do not want to encourage bad behavior and wind up getting an earful from him for enticing one of his agents."

"I won't tell him and I doubt Ulrix and Detzan will, either."

"Ah!" Arcadia bellowed, poking his chest. "So you did sneak off!"

Keith realized he walked right into her trap and groaned. "Okay, I did. You want me to leave?"

"Of course not!" She grabbed his hand and tugged her towards her room. "It's late and you look exhausted."

"So do you..." He mumbled, following her down the hallway. "Why're you even up this late?"

"I fell unconscious after our mission today. I used too much magic," she explained as they entered her room. "I'm fine, though. I actually feel great."

"Does the mission have anything to do with why your cheek's red?" Keith questioned, leaning against the wall beside the door with folded arms.

Arcadia, having sat down on the edge of the bed, knew how much Keith admires and loves Shiro. They're practically family. Hanging her head, she came to a decision. She didn't want the image he's created of Shiro to shatter and lied. "Not at all. I accidentally let my guard down while training and the gladiator didn't hold back."

After having been together for only a few months, Keith could tell when Arcadia was lying. His brows furrowed in annoyance as he pushed himself off the wall. He stalked over to her, hooking his index finger under her chin and lifting her head. With hard eyes, he stared into her golden ones. "What really happened, Arcadia?"

She was shocked at him being able to detect her lie. Seeing no other choice, she prayed to Aethios he wouldn't think less of Shiro. "Earlier today, Shiro and I got into a heated argument. Before I knew it, he slapped me."

Keith's eyes widen in horror before narrowing in anger. He respected Shiro and loved him like a brother. How could he do something like that to the one girl Keith cherished oh-so dearly? "Shiro did this to you? Did he apologize?"

"No, but..."

"I'll make him apologize," Keith growled. He released her chin and went to storm out of the room to confront Shiro. He didn't make it two steps before a pair of arms wound around his waist from behind. He felt Arcadia bury her face between his shoulder blades as she held him tightly.

"Please, don't go," she begged, her voice shaky as the built-up stress from the day was finally slipping out. "Forget about Shiro and stay with me. I don't want to be alone right now..."

Keith's heart ached at hearing her trembling, weak voice. She was the strongest person he knew and hearing her hit rock bottom was enough to cause him to push aside everything else. What made him snap was feeling her body beginning to tremble against his back. He unwound her arms from around his waist and turned around, promptly scooping her up into his arms and carrying her to the bed. He placed her on the mattress before climbing onto the bed beside her.

Arcadia and Keith laid on the bed, laying on their sides and facing one another. She reached out her hand, wrapping it around the crystal necklace she made for him. "You wore it..."

"I never take it off," Keith confessed. "It means a lot to me not only because it's the first gift I've gotten from someone, but because it's from you. I also saw you wearing the hair clip earlier today."

"If I could wear it everywhere, I would," she smiled. "But I don't want to lose it. Just like the necklace means a lot to you, the hair clip means a lot to me. Allura has given me plenty of presents over the years, but there's something really special about the gifts you receive from the person you love the most."

Keith gazes lovingly into her golden eyes. He lifted his hand, placing it on her uninjured cheek. His thumb caressed her soft, porcelain skin as she leans into his gentle touch. He scooted closer to her, resting his forehead against hers. "I know I don't say it often, but...I love you, Arcadia."

She giggled, which was a melodic sound to him. "You may not say it often, but you show it. I do believe actions speak louder than words. Even if you don't say it, I can feel and see it in what you do." She fell silent for a second before asking, "Do you think you could stay the night? I can sleep better knowing you're beside me."

"That was the plan," he confessed.

Arcadia places a gentle, loving kiss on his lips. "Thank you, Keith."

He placed a hand on the small of her back and pulled her closer until there was only an inch of space left between them. He pecked her on the lips, moving his hand from her back to her waist where he absentmindedly traced random, nonsensical shapes.

Eventually, the couple fell asleep.

By the time Arcadia woke up the next morning, Keith was gone.