"Oh, no!" Pidge gasped at the sight of the large object.

"Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there. Please tell me it's empty! Or full of space candy. One of those two. Either one is fine," Hunk begged.

"I don't think it's a piñata, Hunk," Lance said.

"What's this "piñata" you speak of?" Arcadia questioned the blue paladin as she landed beside Voltron. "I've never heard such a funny word even during my visit to Earth."

"Wait, you're serious?!" Hunk bellowed in shock.

"Girl, you're missing out!" Lance shouted.

Keith ignored the blue and yellow paladins as he glared at the contraption. "If it's the same kind of the monster that attacked us on Arus, we already know how to beat it."

"Hold your ground!" Shiro yelled. Arcadia flexed her wings and talons, readying herself for another fight. Her golden eyes narrowed as the pod opened with a loud hiss. Her tail snapped back and forth as she saw the monster that laid dormant within.

"It's not candy!" Hunk howls at the frightening sight.

"And it's not the same monster!" The blue paladin added, eyes wide with fear.

"We need to draw its fire away from the Balmera's surface!" Shiro said. Arcadia was already ahead of the black paladin as she flew toward the robeast.

"Arcadia!" Keith shouted.

"Just focus on trying to find a way to stop this thing! I'll be fine!"

Arcadia breathed fire on the creature as she saw it activate and come to life. It fired a laser out of its chest, its target being her. She dodged the attack easily and barreled toward the robeast. She roars thunderously as her body came in contact with the monster's. Before she could sink her teeth into its metal casing, its eyes radiated a green tint and fired lasers. The attack hit her right in the chest, sending her body sailing through the air. She crashed on the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a halt.

"Arcadia!" Keith and Pidge shout with worry.

"I'm fine." Arcadia tried to mask the pain, but the others heard it as clear as day.

"Arcadia, keep your distance until we figure something out," Shiro said, concern for the draconian dripping from every word. Distracted by the collapsed Arcadia, the monster took the advantage and fired its chest laser at Voltron. The dragon saw the incoming attack and tackled the giant robot to safety at the last second. "Thanks for the assist," Shiro said as Arcadia leaped off of them.

"I'll back you up. Just tell me what to do, Shiro."

"What if we distract it while Arcadia takes it by surprise?" Keith suggested.

"It's worth a shot."

"Alright, team. Let's draw its fire," Shiro said before looking at the draconian. "Arcadia, if you're unable to harm it, immediately drawback and regroup with us.

"Understood."

"Let's go!" Shiro guided Voltron toward the robeast, grabbing its full attention. Arcadia flew high above the two, waiting for the perfect opening. When the others had the robeast flying toward it, she swooped in from behind and tackled the beast. She acted quickly before it could fire any lasers and breathed fire directly in its face. When the flames averted, she saw her attack was useless. Arcadia's golden eyes widened as she promptly jumped off the monster and flew away. Lasers chased her through the sky as she dodged them left and right. Voltron raised its shield and jumped in front of the dragon to protect her.

"We can't hold out!" Lance yelled in fear as the laser slammed into Voltron's shield.

"My lion's weakening! If the shield sustains structural damage, we're done for!" Pidge shouted in concern.

"Pidge is right!" Keith bellowed.

"Oh, Pidge is right. I'm the one that said, "We can't hold out!"" Lance whined.

"Lance!" Arcadia scoldingly shouts at the blue paladin. "Not the time!"

"Lance, watch your footing!" Keith hisses.

Voltron slips, crashing to the ground beside Arcadia. She growled in annoyance, the recipient being the blue paladin himself. The dragon heard all of their groans over the comms as they recovered. "Okay, Team Voltron, disband! Everyone, evasive maneuvers! It can't shoot us all at once!" Shiro commands and Voltron disbands. The robeast reveals its many lasers on its arms, targeting everyone as they flew around to dodge. "Okay, it can do that, too. Keith, try to draw its fire! I'm coming in from above!"

"Roger!" Keith did as Shiro ordered while Arcadia flew between the green and blue lions.

"We need to find its blind spot!" Lance shouts, dodging a handful of lasers.

"I don't think this thing has a blind spot. It has a thousand eyes," Pidge responds.

"Not to mention, it has laser eyes that rotate three-sixty," Arcadia said.

"That, too," the green paladin said.

"Laser eyes! Laser eyes!" Hunk screams. Arcadia flew over to the yellow lion and pushed him out of the way and to safety. "Thanks for the save."

"You're welcome, Hunk."

Pidge stares at the monster as it opens its mouth, revealing rows of sharp teeth. "What do we do? Fighting this thing is like fighting an entire fleet at once!"

"I think we've got to aim for those laser eyes and take them out," Keith pointed out.

"We'll cover you from up here!" Allura said. The castleship hovers above, targeting the monster with its own firepower. Arcadia's golden gaze bounces between the lasers covering the robeast's arms before they focused on its chest. Remaining silent, she saw as Allura and Coran became the robeast's next target.

It ignored the lions and her, striking up an idea in her mind. She could hear Coran's frantic voice over the comms as she closed in on the robeast. "We've lost the spectral generator! Going to reserve! There's a fire in VIN bay three! Suppressors on! Suppressors out! Princess, the ship is being torn apart!"

"We're taking heavy fire up here! We're in trouble!" The princess' distraught voice rang in everyone's ears.

"Princess, pull back! Get out of its range, now!" Shiro saw Arcadia failed to listen as she was charging toward the robeast. "Arcadia, fall back!"

The draconian ignored the black paladin's command and everyone noticed. Keith gritted his teeth in anger as he saw she was flying head-first into danger. "What're you doing, Arcadia?!"

"Buying everyone time. Get out of range, Keith."

"I'm not leaving you alone with that thing!"

"I'll be right behind you. There's something I want to try."

The red paladin cooled his flaring temper and he respected her decision. "Alright. But if you aren't back in a few minutes, I'm going in after you."

"Alright."

Arcadia kept her flightpath the same as the monster's attention was glued to the fleeting lions and castleship. She flew as fast as she could and in seconds, her body collided with the robeast's. She pinned it to ground and delivered a shockwave to its system. The lasers littered across its body sparked, signaling they were disabled for the time being. Arcadia dismounted the monster and flew away.

"Nicely done, Arcadia. We still need to form a plan. Lions, to the mineshafts! It's the only place the monster can't get us," Shiro said.

"Roger that!" Pidge said, splitting up from the group with Lance and heading to a nearby mineshaft.

"Heading into orbit!" Allura reports, leaving the Balmera's atmosphere. As the lions descended into mineshafts, the robeast's lasers were operational.

Before Arcadia could follow the black, red, and yellow lions into the mineshaft, the robeast fired its chest laser and nailed her in the wing. She growled in pain as she was thrown off-balance and her body fell into the mineshaft. Her body collided with the numerous galra structures as she fell. Once she hit the bottom, she heard the sound of running. Then, she felt a hand on her snout. "You okay?"

Opening her eyes, she saw Keith's worried expression. Arcadia huffed, blinking slowly. "I'm fine." She examined her wing and saw the damage. "It'll heal soon."

Arcadia lifted her gaze and saw the balmerans staring at her with fear in their eyes. "What is this beast?" An elder balmeran asked.

"Don't worry. She's our friend and your ally, too," Hunk reassured them.

"What a strange creature," Rax stated. "If it is not you who is causing destruction, what is happening?"

"There's a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us," Keith explains, leaving the details of the robeast from the balmerans.

Shay gasped at the revelation. "A monster? Will Zarkon's savagery never abate? Perhaps our people were never meant to be free."

"Shay, don't give up. Zarkon's power grows with every planet he conquers, but he's weakened by every being that fights back."

Arcadia transformed back to her human self and stepped forward. "Hunk's right, Shay. You can't let Zarkon's corruption destroy your will to fight! It's the one thing that can destroy him and his empire."

Shay's eyes widened when she recognized Arcadia. "You're the alchemist from earlier."

"My people destroyed their home because of their own thirst for power. I may have only met your people today, but I can already tell how much you care for your home. Don't let Zarkon take it from you. You must fight back for your people and the Balmera!"

"Fight back against a monster like that? How?" Shay questioned the paladins and the draconian.

"I don't know, but we can beat it. Tell her, Keith." Hunk glanced at the red paladin, who had a stoic expression on his face.

"Can we?" Keith asked, unsure they could win this battle. Arcadia glared at him as she elbowed him in the side.

"Yes, we can! Hunk and Arcadia are right. This is our first mission and we're not going to fail. We can beat it. We just need some time to come up with a plan," Shiro said.

"See?" The yellow paladin smiled at Shay. "Told you we can. Thanks, Shiro, Arcadia."

The draconian suddenly felt a strange warmth and looked down at her feet. The ground below her radiated a light blue and she wondered why the Balmera was reacting to her. Shay noticed the blue glow and smiled at Arcadia. "The Balmera is feeding off your energy."

"Energy? How is that possible?" Shiro asked.

"My strong connect to elements. Is that it?" Arcadia questioned.

Shay nodded. "Yes. Do not worry. The Balmera will not deplete you of your energy. It is simply feeding off the remnants of your magic and using it to heal. Sadly, it won't be enough if this monster is not dealt with."

The glowing underneath Arcadia ceases when the Balmera moaned painfully. The tremor caused the ground to shake and Hunk contacted Pidge and Lance. "Did you guys feel that over there?"

"Yeah, we feel it," Lance responds.

"It's that sound again. What is that?" Pidge asked.

"I heard it in the mines when we were heading to the core. It's the Balmera, isn't it?" Arcadia met Rax's gaze.

The balmeran nodded toward her. "Yes. That great noise comes from the Balmera itself. Our home crumbles beneath our feet. The Balmera is dying."

Shiro contacted the princess and her advisor as her image appeared beside Lance's and Pidge's. "Coran, Allura, are you there?"

Allura picked up immediately. "Shiro, we're here."

"The Balmera—"

"We already know. Our scanners are showing the life energy draining from the Balmera, but it did spike for a moment," Coran responds.

"How does that happen?" The green paladin inquired.

"Removing crystals from a Balmera is like removing a vital part of the mighty beast. The Balmera needs time to regenerate itself to stay healthy, but the galra's greed may have cost this noble Balmera its life. We're unsure of the random spike a few doboshes ago."

"The spike must've been from when the Balmera was feeding off Arcadia's residual magic," Keith said.

"So, what's going to happen?" Hunk asked.

"Its core will collapse, destabilizing the entire skeletal structure. Anything or anyone remaining on the Balmera at that point will be crushed into dust," the altean advisor explained.

"How long before its core collapses?" The black paladin asked.

"Probably a matter of hours. The mighty organism willingly gives itself to all, but not all return its kindness."

"Then our time is short. We'll evacuate the planet. We need to get all the balmerans to the Castle of Lions before the planet implodes," Allura said.

Hunk expressed his doubts about the plan. "Okay, that sounds like a good plan, but how on earth do you plan on landing the castle with that monster—thingy on the surface?"

"You'll need a distraction," Pidge told the princess.

Arcadia placed a hand under her chin as she tried to come up with an idea. Keith glanced at her in silence and saw she was deep in thought. Shiro saw, as well, and spoke to Allura. "We'll engage the robeast in our lions. With it distracted, Allura and Coran will land the castle and load all of its citizens."

Lance interrupted as he pushed his face in front of the screen. "Or we could load balmerans into our lions a few at a time and shuttle them to the ship. Even Arcadia could fly a few balmerans on her back to the castle. Y'know, no engaging ferocious laser-eye guy. How long would that take?"

"Even with Arcadia's speed—days? Weeks?" Coran pondered.

"We only have hours," the red paladin stated.

"Look, we don't need to beat this thing. We just need to bait it away from the ship. Provoke and evade," Shiro exclaimed.

"If I may?" Arcadia spoke up. Everyone turned and faced her, Pidge and Lance looking at her through the projection. "If the lions could grab the robeast's attention, I could use my alchemy. With enough energy, I could form an electrical cage around myself. The electricity will deflect the lasers and I could provide a steady source of energy output for the Balmera to absorb. It won't be enough to heal the planet, but it should provide enough as a stitch to keep the planet from falling apart for a short amount of time."

"That's a brilliant idea, Arcadia!" Pidge cheered. "Although, how would the electricity protect you?"

"Simple: it'll cancel out the lasers. With enough intensity behind the electricity, it can suppress the laser and extinguish it."

"And how much will this take out of you?" Keith asked.

"A lot," Arcadia answers honestly.

Hunk intervened and changed the subject back to the mission. "Okay, here's the thing. I'm worried that we're going to be really, really good at the provoking part, and then like really bad at the evading part. But if—if this is what it takes to save Shay and everyone on the planet, then I'm in."

Keith glanced at Shay with questioning lilac eyes. "Can you contact the other balmerans?"

"I can, but I know not what they'll say. Leave the planet? Our home?" Shay felt tears threaten to fall.

Allura felt Shay's pain, but she pushed through it. "It's the only option. I'm coming down."

"Princess, no! It's too dangerous!" Coran shouts worriedly.

"We'll make sure Allura isn't spotted, Coran," Arcadia reassures the older altean. She faced her friends and gestured to their lions. "Shall we, gentlemen?"

"We've got your back, Arcadia," Shiro smiled at the draconian.

"Then let's take to the sky." She transformed and flew out of the mineshaft with the three lions on her tail. The robeast spots them the moment they emerge from their hiding spot and shoots its eye lasers. The four dodge with ease and circle around for another round of evading. "I need a place to land so I can cast the spell."

"Alright. You heard her, team. Protect Arcadia at all costs until she can cast the spell," Shiro said as the green and blue lions join them.

"I've gotcha covered, beautiful!" Lance yells excitedly.

"We all got you covered," Keith corrects the blue paladin.

"I'm counting on you all."

"We won't let you down!" Pidge cheers.

Arcadia found a perfect spot to cast her spell and she landed. Keith and Hunk were by her side as she transformed. "Alright, let's begin." Sticking her hands out, she closed her eyes and felt the mana flow through her body. A casting circle appeared under her as electricity zapped through her skin and reached her fingertips. As the shock grew larger and larger, the static electricity in the air rose. It caused the robeast's attention to fall on her and she heard Hunk scream over the comms as he took a hit and his lion was sent flying.

Arcadia nearly lost her concentration because she was worried about her friend, but she was able to hold herself in position. Opening her eyes, she saw the red lion stood protectively in front of her with its claws dug into the ground. The monster fires its chest laser and Keith suffers a direct hit. He grunts in pain and his lion didn't budge from the spot as its metal claws were buried in the ground.

Another laser collided with the red lion, earning another painful cry from Keith. Arcadia's eyes flew open, but she kept the spell alive. "Keith, move!"

"No! I'm not moving and letting this thing touch you!" He shouts, determines to protect Arcadia. His words put a smile on her face and she was able to finish the spell. A cage of electricity surrounded her body, protecting her from any outside forces. Keith turned his lion's head to see she successfully casted the spell. The boy sighed in relief and joined the other lions in the sky.

Now all Arcadia needed to do was maintain the spell to keep the Balmera in one piece to grant the balmerans time to reach the castle. As the ground below her illuminated a familiar blue glow, she could hear the princess' voice inside her head. "Balmerans, this is Princess Allura. You don't know me, but I am here to help. I know what it's like to watch your home planet die. For I come from planet Altea, a planet that has long been destroyed by the galra. But I refused to give up. And now, you all have the same choice. You can decide now to devote your lives to making sure this never happens to another planet. I am eternally sorry for what has happened to the Balmera, but I beg you, do not let its dying be in vain. Honor the Balmera's death by refusing to give up. Join me in my fight against the galra."

"Allura," Arcadia muttered, tears brimming in her eyes as the beautiful speech seeped into her heart. She wiped the tears away and smiled, causing her mana output to increase. Lightning branched out, targeting the robeast. Over the comm, she hear Coran. "Paladins, Arcadia, how are you holding up?"

"I think we've got him pretty distracted and Arcadia's still maintaining the spell. Are the balmerans in position?" Keith asked.

"They're making their way to the top," Allura responded.

Arcadia kept up her strength as she felt her body weakening. She saw the paladins were being targeting by the monster and sent a shock its way. Then, the Balmera moaned in pain and the ground shook. The magnitude was higher than earlier tremors and Arcadia nearly lost her footing. She heard Hunk over the link and heard the worry in his voice. "Every hit weakens the Balmera. Have you evacuated yet? What's happening?"

"The balmerans are trapped. Just keep distracting that beast!" Coran bellowed.

"What?" Arcadia gasped, causing a dangerous flux in her spell. Branches of lightning nearly struck the paladins and she quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry!"

"Uh, do you want us to distract it by dying or being zapped to a crisp by Arcadia? Because one of those is what's going to happen!" Hunk shouted as he dodged the shock.

"Guys, remember when I said we didn't have to beat it?" Shiro asked his comrades.

"Yes, I remember that," Hunk stated.

"Well, we might have to beat it."

"This robeast wouldn't be so tough without its lasers. Any ideas? I've already tried my spell, but it only disables them for a short time," Arcadia informed the others.

"Arcadia's right. We'll never take this beast down in our lions or with her spells," Keith said.

"Well, forming Voltron didn't work, either," Pidge stated.

Lance sighed in dismay. "Not without some way to shoot all those laser eyes at once."

Then, the yellow paladin's shouts filled the comms. "Guys! Guys, something's happening here! I-I think there's a way to take down all those laser eyes at once."

"Well, what is it?" Pidge eagerly asked Hunk.

"Do you remember how Voltron formed that sword with Keith's bayard? I think my lion's telling me I can do the same thing with my bayard."

"Are you sure?" The red paladin inquired.

"Let's find out. Form thingy!" By the sound Arcadia heard, she knew Hunk tried to push his bayard into his dash. "It didn't work!"

"Because we didn't form Voltron yet," Shiro stated the obvious as if it were a snake about to bite Hunk on the nose.

"Oh, right. Yeah, I know," Hunk grumbles.

"Guys, whatever we're planning, let's hurry up and do it. I don't know how much longer Arcadia can keep casting. She's beginning to look pale," Pidge worriedly said, examining the image of the draconian on her dash.

"I'll be fine for a few more minutes," Arcadia said, her voice weak and her breathing shallow. Keith saw the same image and felt his heart ache at the sight. His grip on the controls tightened, seeing as she was sickeningly pale.

Suddenly, the robeast directed its gaze to the castle and prepared to attack. Shiro knew what needed to be done and shouted his commands. "We've got to defend the castle! Everyone, follow me. Form Voltron!"

With the successful transformation, Voltron drew the monster away from the castle. As she watched her friends fight, Arcadia felt a pain rush through her body. She bit her bottom lip, trying to not yell out and cause everyone more worry. Her breathing was shallow and it felt like she couldn't breathe properly. The pain only worsened as mere seconds went by. She placed a hand against her heart, feeling a sharp pain emit from it. She gasped and whispered between pants as she tried to ignore the pain. The link became mumbled and jumbled as she couldn't make sense of what the paladins were saying. Their words were a mishmash of garble and she couldn't even tell who was talking.

Arcadia heard the robeast cry out in pain, which grabbed her attention. She saw Voltron destroy the monster's lasers and watched as its body collapsed. From where she was, she saw the life leave its eyes. Finally, she released the spell and the pain was unbearable. She crashed to her knees, placing her hands on the ground to keep her upper body up. She panted as if she had ran miles and miles without taking a single break. Slowly but surely, she regained her breath and calmed her racing heart. The waves of pain subsided and she sighed heavily.

"Arcadia!" She heard someone shout. Looking up, she saw it was Keith, followed by the other four paladins. She smiled as she saw the frantic and worried expression on his face as he dashed over. The moment he reached her, she collapsed. Keith kneeled beside Arcadia and pulled her body into his arms. She laughed and stared into his lilac eyes. "We've gotta stop meeting like this."

Keith chuckled before picking her up in her arms. He watched as her golden eyes slowly closed and her breathing became shallow. Shiro, Lance, Pidge, and Hunk peered over the red paladin's shoulder to see Arcadia. "Is she okay?" Hunk asked.

"She's asleep," Keith answered.

Pidge stepped in front of Keith to examine Arcadia. She touched her skin and took note of how pale it truly was. "She's gonna need a lot of rest."

"Without her help, the Balmera would've fallen apart hours ago," Lance said with a smile of admiration.

Keith carried Arcadia in his arms as they regrouped with Coran and Allura. The princess was also feeling unwell as the altean advisor held her close. Allura's blue eyes opened just as everyone heard the robeast snarl. "No!"

"No way," Hunk gaped as the robeast got to its feet. Keith's hold on Arcadia tightened as the green tint returned to the monster's eyes. The others were ready to rush back to their lions and attack, but were speechless as crystals consumed the robeast's body. One crystal pierced through its chest, destroying its laser component. The creature's body was completely encased within the crystal, shocking everyone to the core.

"The Balmera just saved us," Coran gasped.

Then, crystals began growing all across the Balmera. "Look at the crystals!" Allura yelled, her eyes holding a familiar sparkle.

"Oh, who's a good Balmera? You are. Who ate the big monster? You did. Yes, you did. Yes, you did." Hunk was on the ground, scratching and rubbing the ground beside his feet.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Keith asked, puzzled at the yellow paladin's actions.

"What? It's alive, and it wuvs my scwatches," Hunk chuckled, continuing to "pet" the Balmera. Keith rolled his eyes before heading into the castle and to Arcadia's room. He laid her on the bed and unconsciously began messing with a few snowy strands that had fallen from her ponytail. Before long, he found himself lulled into a peaceful slumber.

<——————<<<<<<<

Arcadia awoke with a yawn, spotting Keith as she went to climb off her bed. He was fast asleep with his head resting on the sheets with his body hunched over in the chair beside the bed. She ran a gentle hand through his black locks before leaving her room and meandering out of the castle. She saw Shay and Hunk were watching the setting sun descending beyond the horizon. Deciding to leave the two alone, Arcadia waltzed a little ways from the castle.

From a plateau that overlooked a mineshaft, she saw happy and cheerful balmerans celebrating. She smiled at the beautiful sight and sighed deeply, releasing the stresses of the mission. A few balmeran children were running and chasing one another close by. She laughed at the scene, grabbing their attention. The children made their way up to the plateau and dashed over to her. "You are the one Rax mentioned!"

Confused at their words, she kneeled in front of them. "Rax mentioned me?"

The children nod with grand smiles. "Yes! He said their's a lady with white hair and golden eyes that carries a special gift!" The little girl chants.

"And what is this gift, if I may ask?"

"You can change into a magnificent beast in a blink of an eye! Can we see, please?" One of the boys begs. 

Still worn out from the previous events, she wanted to deny the balmeran children. Alas, Arcadia couldn't deny them of a spectacle they wish to see, especially since they wouldn't return to the Balmera for quite a while or for an emergency. "Alright, I'll show you. Do take a few steps back."

"Yay!" The children cheered and backed away at the draconian's command. Arcadia transformed and laid her scaly body down. The balmeran children awed at the sight and were slightly frightened. Seeing as they wouldn't be able to hear her thoughts, she lowers her head and rested it on the ground.

The children slowly approach and place their hands on her white scales. "Rax was right!" The little girl giggled, running her hand over Arcadia's scales. One of the boys climbed onto her back while the other chased her tail as it flicked back and forth. The girl continued to stroke Arcadia, amazed at the pure white scales.

"Arcadia? Arcadia!" Said girl heard Keith's worried voice from her comms.

The children heard and glanced at the golden bands located at the base of Arcadia's horns. "Did your horns just talk?" She mentally chuckled, but she regretted it as Keith heard her.

"Where are you?" He demanded with a hint of anger.

"Outside the castle playing with balmeran children. I'll be back shortly, Keith."

"I'm on my way."

Arcadia mentally groaned at his stubborn attitude and continued to play with the balmerans. She could hear their joyful laughter as they continued to mess with her. The child that was chasing her tail wore himself out and she laid the appendage down so he could catch it.

As promised, Keith arrived and saw the children crawling all over her body. He was baffled at the sight as he joined Arcadia on the plateau. Crossing his arms, he sent a glare her way. She noticed he had his helmet on and contacted him. "Aw, that grumpy look doesn't suit you, Keith."

"Why aren't you in your room? You need to rest!" He retorted. The balmerans glanced at Keith, wondering who he was talking to.

"Can't I have a little fun? I may have spent five years on Earth, but I was too busy searching for the next paladins of Voltron that I rarely made time for myself."

"You can have fun after you're feeling better."

"Who are you talking to?" The little balmeran girl asked the red paladin.

"Uh..." Keith realized he made himself appear almost insane. "You three should head home."

The children respected Keith's wish and headed home. Arcadia trained her golden eyes on the boy in boredom. "You're no fun..."

Keith sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can you change back?"

"What if I wanna stay like this?" Arcadia stood up and paced around the paladin. She nudged Keith with her tail before seeing the serious expression on his face. She closed her eyes with a sigh. "Fine." A few seconds later, the draconian was back to her normal self.

Keith stood in silence as he watched Arcadia move to the plateau's edge and sat down, dangling her legs over the ledge. She stared down at the balmerans below, watching as the many families hugged one another. "What's it like having a family growing up?"

Keith was surprised at her sudden melancholic question. He sat down beside her and took his helmet off. "Didn't you grow up with Allura?"

"I mean, with your biological family," Arcadia corrected herself.

"Well," Keith began. "I only knew my dad. I didn't even get to know my mom."

Arcadia regretted the question and slumped forward. "I'm sorry, Keith. I really shouldn't have asked."

"It's fine. All I have left from him is a blade." Keith glanced at Arcadia with curiosity. "What about your real parents?"

"Well, I told you how they were horrible, but... I want to think at one time, they did love me." The girl pulled her legs up and hugged her knees. "Or maybe I'm just deluding myself."

"Arcadia," Keith mumbled the draconian's name sorrowfully.

She shook her head and cleared her thoughts. "Let's change the subject. What is it that you wanted to tell me on the moon?"

Keith's sorrow was replaced with embarrassment at remembering his failed confession on the moon. "It was... nothing important."

Arcadia knew he was lying and peered into his face. Keith quickly averted his gaze and turned his head so she couldn't see his face. The snowy-haired girl leaned in closer, reaching a hand out and placing it on his cheek. She forced him to look at her as she stared into his lilac eyes. "If you didn't think it was important, then I do. Something's been bugging you since our encounter with Rolo and Nyma, but you won't tell anyone. That's what I'm here for. When I was growing up with Allura, I listened to all her worries to see if I could help. The problem is, I can't help if you won't talk to me, Keith."

Seeing how close her face was, Keith couldn't hold back any longer. He pressed his lips against hers, shocking Arcadia to the core. Due to their current position, the intensity of the kiss nearly sent the girl over the edge of the plateau. She quickly latched onto the collar of his armor, resulting in the kiss becoming more deep and sentimental. The two were lost in one another's world and prolonged the intimate moment.

After breaking away from the kiss, Keith peered into Arcadia's dazed, golden eyes. "You do know what a kiss means, right?"

The draconian bursted into laughter and placed a kiss on the paladin's cheek. "Of course! Though, I am still curious of this "piñata" Lance mentioned during the battle."

Keith chuckled and scooted closer to her, resulting in Arcadia resting her head on his shoulder. "It's nothing special."

"I still wanna know what it is! It's got a funny and strange name."

Keith sighed with a small smile. "I'll tell you over dinner."