A/n: The reason Arcadia refers to the black lion as a "he" is because a pride has one primary male lion at the center while the others are all lionesses or lesser males. And since the black lion is the head/leader of Voltron, hence why Arcadia refers to it as a "he". Just wanted to explain that in case some of you are curios about that aspect of this story. Another small note...

ANOTHER LONG CHAPTER AHEAD!!!

I try to keep each chapter between 4,000 and 6,000 words, but the new ones have been around 8,500-9,200. Besides that, I hope you all enjoy! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
••••••••••••••••••••

The next day, everyone was gathered in the lounge wondering what all happened on the collector's ship. After much-needed hugs from Allura, Hunk, Coran, and Pidge, everyone had settled down on the couch to hear Arcadia's story. As she sat between Pidge and Keith, she explained what all transpired during her absence.

Once she reached the part where she and the collector fought on the frozen planet, everyone wondered what happened to the alien.

"So, where's the collector now?" Lance asked.

Keith already knew the answer after seeing the collector's lifeless body himself. He saw Arcadia look away from the others, clutching her hands tightly together in her lap. Looking into her eyes, he saw the fear in them. He knew she was frightened of their responses and reactions to the truth.

Before he could speak up for her, Arcadia bluntly replied, "Dead."

Everyone, except for Keith, gasped. She shrunk back, shoulders scrunched up as she leaned forward. She waited for their scolding responses and judgmental comments, but they never came. She looked around at them in confusion. "No insults, no lectures, no... nothing?"

"Why would we do any of that?" Pidge asked. "I think he got what he deserved. What he did was terrible."

"You've rid the universe of another threat, Arcadia," Allura stated calmly. "We heard from Helix of what all the collector did and am glad to know he will no longer be able to tear families apart for a twisted gain."

Arcadia sighed, her body releasing her tenseness and slumping forward with relief. "You've no idea how worried I was to hear your responses."

"That guy was big and creepy," Lance shuddered as his mind still kept a mental image of the collector.

"Before our fight, I saw who was under the mask," the alchemist stated.

"Was he galra?" Allura asked.

Arcadia already expected to hear the princess point her finger at the galra and wasn't fazed. "Not entirely."

"What do you mean?" Keith asked. He wasn't able to see the collector's face due to his body being partially buried in a mound of snow.

"He was a half-blood: half-galran, half-draconian."

"That's impossible!" Allura yelled. "You are the last remaining draconian!"

"I thought I was the only one to escape my planet's destruction, but I was wrong. More draconians escaped and formed a small colony on a planet not even the galra could find. Apparently, they lived peacefully for quite some time."

"Let's go see them," Keith said. "You want to see your own people again, right?"

"We can't." Arcadia looked away. A few tears formed in her eyes, but they didn't fall. "Lotor managed to find the colony and destroyed it. I truly am the last draconian. Once I'm gone, draconians will be extinct. The universe will forget about my people and there will be no trace of our society left behind. I knew this for years, but it's just now sinking in. I was... joyful when the collector told me more of my people survived. But that joy was quickly shattered when he told me Lotor destroyed them."

She placed her hands on her knees, squeezing them as she spoke. She didn't realize how tight she was squeezing until she pried her hands from her knees and saw the red marks. Before her tears could fall, she was grabbed in a pair of arms and pulled off the couch into a bear hug. It was Hunk who decided to hug her. "H-Hunk...!"

"No, no. Don't speak. The hug speaks loud enough," he said.

Arcadia closed her eyes with a smile as she enjoyed Hunk's hug. Out of everyone in the castle, he gave the best hugs. She would never admit it out loud because she knew a certain paladin would get jealous.

Once the hug ended and Arcadia was no longer the center of attention, they discussed how they would transport the aliens she saved back to their homes. They decided the black, yellow, red, and green lions would play a part in returning them to their homes while Allura remained at the castle to open wormholes for them. She knew it would exhaust her, but she was more than happy to help. With a plan formulated, they set out to execute it.

While Arcadia was waiting for Keith in the black lion's hangar, she was approached by Helix. "When I heard the stories about your people, I never dreamt I would've come across a draconian, let alone one who cared more about others than herself."

"I'm surprised that you actually talked to me," Arcadia rebuttals. "Most species run away in fear and avoid me at all cost after calling me a bloodthirsty monster or a murderer."

"I will make sure your name is known by my people. They'll know you transcended above your own people and will be seen as a hero, not a monster. Your name alone will change the face of all draconians."

Arcadia stared up at the black lion. "I hope you're right, Helix."

Keith arrived in his armor and boarded the black lion with Arcadia, Helix, and a few more aliens. They departed from the castle and headed to their first planet.

<———————<<<<<<

Hours passed by as the black lion flew from planet to planet. Arcadia noticed one of the aliens they transported was the one who turned on his own crew members. She was glad to see he made it safely to the escape pods before the ship exploded.

The only one left was Helix. The black lion entered the atmosphere of a planet that was covered in mostly desert. They landed on the outskirts of a small village located next to a beautiful oasis.

Keith, Arcadia, and Helix left the black lion and entered the village. The couple followed the reptilian alien to his house. While walking through the main fairway, they heard people muttering about the alchemist. She chose to ignore their hurtful words, knowing Helix would straighten everything out after seeing his family.

Once they arrived at Helix's house, he reached out to knock on the door. Before his knuckles could even graze the wood, he stopped.

Arcadia noticed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're scared, but this is your family. They've probably been devastated by your absence."

"She's right," Keith said. "Now's not the time to get cold feet."

"We'll be here if you need us," Arcadia reassures him.

Helix nods and knocks on the door. They heard scrambling and things dropping from the other side of the door. The three exchanged glances as the door flew wide open. "What do you—" A female lizard with red scales spat but stopped when her eyes landed on Helix.

He smiled at her, opening his arms. "Gilla, you haven't aged one bit," he chuckled.

Gilla's eyes overflow with tears as she hugs Helix. "It's been twenty deca-phoebs. I-I thought I would never see you again. When the collector took you, the village said you'd never return. No one escapes the collector. How did you...?"

Helix pulled away from Gilla and gestured to Arcadia. "She's the reason I am able to return to you and our children. She freed everyone aboard the collector's ship. He will no longer be an issue for us or anybody else."

Gilla looked at Arcadia, tracing her eyes across her body and noticing the horns and slitted eyes. "You're draconian. How is that possible?"

"Well, I—"

"I don't care," Gilla interrupted Arcadia. "All I do care about is you saved my husband and brought him back to me. I cannot thank you enough. What is your name, dear?"

"Arcadia."

"What a strange yet beautiful name," she smiled kindly at her. "How could I ever repay you?"

The alchemist held out a communicator. "Take this communicator. We still face a greater threat than the collector. If you ever need help, use this to contact Voltron. We'd be honored to have your people join the coalition."

Gilla and Helix exchange nods before accepting the communicator. "We will speak with our people and inform them of the good news. We've only heard stories of Voltron. It's good to know the mighty defender isn't just a story to tell," Gilla said. "I know our people will be happy to hear the news."

"I know how much you've missed each other so we'll get out of your hair," Arcadia smiled.

Helix held out his hand toward her. "It's been an honor, friend."

She stared wide-eyed at his hand before taking and shaking it. "We'll see each other again soon, Helix. Stay safe 'til then."

"I will."

Helix and Gilla entered their house, closing the door behind them. Keith and Arcadia heard them talking about their kids and how Helix missed their entire childhoods. It made the alchemist sad but it made her decision to end the collector's life the right one. "At least he's reunited with his family," she said as they walked through the village.

"I can't even imagine being gone that long from my family," Keith comments.

"Do you want a family?" Arcadia asked, catching the boy off guard.

Keith came to a halt in the middle of the street and stared at her. "I never really thought about it until now. But... yeah, I do."

She smiled widely at him. "Well, I'll make that dream come true one day." Without any other context, she darted off in the direction of the black lion.

Keith blinked rapidly with wide eyes as he watched her dash off. Her words rang in his head and he covered his face with his hand to hide his red cheeks. Out of all the times she's spontaneously spoken her thoughts out loud, this was the icing on the cake. He could no longer think clearly and took a few deep breaths before heading back to his lion.

<——————<<<<<<

While flying back to the castle, Keith couldn't even bring himself to talk to Arcadia. He knew the moment he'd open his mouth, he'd stumble over his words due to her earlier declaration and be a stuttering mess. His cheeks were still red, but his helmet was able to hide it. His palms were slightly sweaty as his eyes kept darting over to Arcadia, who was contacting Coran and Allura via video transmission.

Suddenly, the black lion came to a halt. Arcadia latched onto the seat to keep herself from falling from the sudden stop. She heard the lion growl inside her head and thought she heard a voice mixed in with it. "What's wrong?"

Keith looked over at her and realized she wasn't talking to him but his lion. He tried to move the mechanical feline forward, but it wouldn't budge. "What's going on?"

"I'm not sure. He won't say," Arcadia replied.

Then, the black lion turns around and heads in the opposite direction of the castle. "H-Hey, where are you taking us?!" Keith demanded.

"Why won't you tell me?" Arcadia muttered to the lion. Her bond was strong with the lions, but that didn't stop them from shutting her out every now and then.

The black lion activated its teleportation ability and took them somewhere. When the machine ceased moving, a small beeping was heard from the console. The couple looked down and saw the lion picked up a distress signal.

Arcadia peered out the eyes of the black lion and spotted a small spacecraft. "Black must've detected a distress signal and took us directly to it. We better help them."

Keith nodded in agreement and used the black lion's jaw to secure the ship. They left the cockpit and decided to check the spacecraft to see if anyone was aboard. What, or rather who, they found shocked both of them.

"Shiro?" Keith gasped.

Arcadia saw he was unconscious and placed a hand on his forehead, pushing away his long hair. She used a healing incantation before examining his body further. "He's fine, Keith. He's just unconscious."

The boy was relieved to hear this and helped Arcadia move him to the cockpit of the black lion. While he piloted them back to the castle, the young girl examined Shiro's body. When she placed a hand on his chest, a chill crept down her spine as a barrage of images flashed through her mind. When they passed, she was more confused than ever. She felt something was off, but she shook her head and refused to acknowledge the feeling.

<———————<<<<<<

"I can't believe you guys actually found him," Lance commented as he and the others stood beside Shiro's bed, staring down at their unconscious friend.

"We didn't," Keith said. "The black lion did."

"It doesn't matter who found him. All that does is he's back with us," Allura stated. "While he rests, we have another mission."

"What mission?" Pidge asked.

"Coran has located a few galra outposts in this quadrant. Our mission is to destroy them."

Arcadia's eyes widen in excitement. "Does that mean...?"

The princess couldn't help but smile at her exhilaration. "Yes. There's no holding back."

"What're we waiting for? Let's go!" Arcadia dashed out of the room, leaving the others behind.

"Never seen someone so happy to face the galra," Lance muttered.

"I don't think it's because she wants to face them," Pidge said. "I think it's because she's learned new spells and wants to try them out. What better target is there than the galra?"

"True..."

"Well then," Allura cleared her throat, gesturing to the door. "Shall we?"

They all nodded and left Shiro's room. The five paladins departed the castle in their lions and headed to the coordinates Coran sent them.

<———————<<<<<<

At the last outpost, Lance kneeled on a perch overlooking the interior. Looking through the scope of his rifle, he scanned the area. "All right, team, I've got my eye on the targets. I'll cover you from up he—" The sentry he set his sight on was destroyed by Keith, which angered him. "Hey, Keith, I had that guy!"

Keith ignored his shrill cry and slashed a few more sentries while he destroyed a few with his rifle. Hunk was being overwhelmed by sentries and having trouble keeping them at bay. More poured in through the door, alerting him. "They're still coming!"

"Incoming!" Arcadia shouted. The team was confused until a white dragon bursted through the ceiling. She crushed a few sentries with her paws and some fell victim to the falling debris. The paladins stepped back as she released a thunderous roar. Multiple sentries were impaled with crystalline spikes before exploding. The team used their shields to protect them from the shrapnel.

"Oh, wow! Do it again!" Pidge chanted, eyes gleaming as she watched the pieces of the sentries fly across the room in different directions. She had become distracted from her hacking, but she quickly realized and turned her focus back to the panel.

"Maybe later, Pidge," Arcadia laughed at her reaction.

While Arcadia's attack took out most of the sentries, there were still several left. They surrounded Allura, who easily took them all out with her whip. Lance had witnessed her astonishing skills through the scope of his rifle and was in awe. He laughs as he lowers his weapon. "Well, that was awesome!"

The destroyed sentries were quickly replaced with more. Arcadia growled in annoyance as she used her tail to bat away a handful that were closing in on Pidge. Hunk shot a few robots, sweating nervously as they kept coming. "Pidge, could you maybe hurry it up a little?"

Pidge always became irked when someone tried to rush her. Hacking took time and she wasn't a miracle worker. "Almost..." Her fingers danced across the keyboard as she worked as fast as she could. Finally, the screen lit up with a beep. "There!"

The power generator keeping the sentries operational deactivated. The paladins watch as all the robots clattered to the ground, the magenta glow from their helmets gone.

"Great job, Pidge," Keith praised, eyes focused on the lifeless machines scattered around him.

"That's the last outpost in this quadrant," Pidge informed the team.

"Call the Blade of Marmora. Let them know this base is cleared," Keith said.

Lance hopped down from his perch and threw his head back in exhaustion. "Now we've gotta walk all the way back to our lions. I wish I could sprout wings like Arcadia."

"I could carry two of you back to your lions and possibly a third," Arcadia informed the red paladin.

"Oh!" Pidge yelled, waving her hand in the air. "Pick me! Pick me!"

"All right. I'll take Pidge and Allura."

"I-I'd rather not," Allura spoke up with a nervous tone.

Arcadia lowered her head, staring at the princess. "Are you afraid of heights, Allura? You fly a robotic lion."

"I am not afraid of heights! It's the high possibility of falling that frightens me. The risk of falling out of the blue lion is absolute zero! On your back, the probability is much, much higher!"

"You don't trust me, Allura?" She asked, feigning a hurtful tone. "My own best friend doesn't trust me."

Allura quickly denied her accusation after not being able to detect her sarcasm. "No, it's not that!"

Arcadia lowered her head and nudged the princess with her muzzle. "I'm just messing with you, Allura. I understand." She lifted her head and looked between the three remaining paladins. "With Allura out of the question, it comes down to you three, gentlemen."

Hunk was the next to raise his hand. "I wanna ride!"

"Hunk's onboard. Now, which one of you will be my final passenger?"

Lance pushes Keith forward, causing him to crash into Arcadia's leg. "I'll walk back with Allura."

"You were the one complaining about walking," Keith remarks with a glare.

Unlike Keith, Arcadia was able to piece the puzzle together and accepted. "We'll see you two back at the lions, then." She lowered her body to the ground and allowed Pidge, Hunk, and Keith onto her back. They climbed on and sat in a row. It was a little crowded, but they were happy knowing they'd avoid the long trek back to their lions.

Pushing her body off the ground, Arcadia spread her wings and took to the sky.

<———————<<<<<<<

Back at the Castle of Lions, Arcadia and Keith went to check on Shiro. When they entered his room, they found him sitting up in bed. "How're you feeling?" The young girl asked as she sat on the edge of the bed.

"Confused, disoriented..." Shiro replied. "The last thing I remember was Zarkon trying to overtake the black lion. It told me to use my bayard. Then, just nothing. I woke up and I was back on a galra ship."

To Arcadia, the battle with Zarkon felt like a long time ago. But to Shiro, it felt as if it just happened yesterday.

"Well, you'd just unlocked the black lion's ability to teleport," Keith said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Could it have teleported you? Maybe it was trying to save you."

"By teleporting me into the hands of the galra?" Shiro questioned in disbelief at the possibility.

"Well, the lions haven't been used in over ten thousand years. It's possible they're still a little rusty. As for the teleportation ability, not even Zarkon was able to unlock it," Arcadia said, trying to find a good explanation as to why he found himself back in the hands of the galra.

"Or maybe Zarkon forced it to," Keith suggested. "He was trying to control the black lion up until the very last moment, right?"

"Yeah, maybe," Shiro muttered.

Arcadia shook her head. "Not possible. A paladin can connect with their lion, but in order to use its abilities, the lion must also grant access to said ability." She stood up and cleared her throat. "We'll leave it at that for today. I won't give you a lecture about the lions after you've just woken up. That's more or less Allura's job."

"Well," Keith began. "If you're feeling up to it, the rest of the team would be thrilled to see you up and around again. They need you, you know."

Shiro continued to stare down at the sheets. "Yeah, I'll try."

Arcadia placed a hand on his shoulder. "Don't push yourself, Shiro. Tell us if you need anything."

"We'll be on the bridge," Keith said.

He and Arcadia went to leave but stopped when Shiro called out to them. "Hey, Keith, Arcadia?"

They turned to face him with questioning glances. "Yeah?" Keith asked.

"How many times are you both gonna have to save me before this is over?" He inquired, looking up at the couple. 

"As many times as it takes," Keith smiled.

"I mean, I haven't really done anything to save you," Arcadia mumbled, staring down at the floor as she fiddled with her fingers.

"Don't sell yourself short, Arcadia," Shiro exclaimed. "You've done more than you know. Could you also help me with something else?"

The alchemist looked up, nodding with a smile. "Of course."

Keith left while Arcadia helped Shiro. Once he was changed into a cleaner set of clothes, she guided him to her room and sat him down in front of the body-length mirror. With a pair of scissors, she went to snip the first strand of hair but stopped. "Are you really sure you want me to cut your hair? I'm not really qualified."

"It's fine. Just do your best. I'm not looking for anything special. I also asked you so I could get you away from Keith," Shiro said.

Arcadia snipped a few of his locks, making sure to keep everything even. "And why's that?"

"I wanted to ask how he's been. He's the black paladin now. I know it couldn't have been easy for him."

Arcadia looked into the mirror to meet Shiro's gaze. "It's been difficult every step of the way ever since you disappeared. He's been a mess, but I hope I've managed to keep him in one piece."

"By the looks of it, you're the only thing that's keeping him sane. And that goes from the moment we first came to the castle," Shiro stated, smiling at her in the mirror.

The girl combed her fingers through his locks, continuing to cut them carefully with a melancholic expression. "I'm just glad we were reunited, even though it wasn't on the greatest of terms. I feel like I've made him and the rest of you suffer more than anything by forcing you all to become paladins of Voltron."

"How long has this been bothering you?"

"A while. I haven't even told Keith about it."

"Listen, Arcadia. I'm only gonna say this once." Shiro met her golden gaze in the mirror with his gray one. "You didn't force us to do anything and I know the others would agree with me."

"Thank you, Shiro, but I'm afraid this is one time you or anyone else won't be able to cheer me up." She combed her hands through his now short hair to straighten it out. She set down the scissors and brushed his shoulders off to rid himself of any remnants of hair. "There. How does it look?" She chewed her bottom lip, awaiting his answer.

Shiro trailed his hands through his now short hair. He stared at the white tuff of hair before turning his head to get a better look. He smiled at her. "This is perfect, Arcadia. You sure you haven't done this before?"

"Positive. Last time I cut someone's hair, it was Allura's. She was furious. I've never seen her so red with anger before. It wasn't a terrible hair day, it was a terrible hair month for her," the young girl laughed wholeheartedly. "Now, let's go see the others." He nodded and they headed to the bridge.

When they walked in, all eyes were on Shiro. He looked around at the paladins, smiling at them. "Great job out there, everyone. You've really turned the tide in this war. I'm glad you never lost sight of the mission while I was gone."

Lance was relieved to see him up and about. "You're looking better. How are you feeling?"

"Good. Just trying to get rid of this weird headache," Shiro confesses, rubbing his temple.

"I might be able to help with that," Arcadia smiled. She stood in front of Shiro and placed both of her hands on his cheeks. As he stared into her eyes, he felt a familiar warmth engulf his body and the twitching pain in his head slowly dissipated. She stepped back, removing her hands from his cheeks. "How do you feel now?"

"Better," Shiro sighed in relief. "Thanks, Arcadia."

"Guys, I think I have something here!" Pidge suddenly shouted, startling the others. They gathered around her seat as she explained her findings. "So, I downloaded intel from the galra base we just defeated. I untied the quantum-folded encryption and I found something on Lotor."

Arcadia gripped the back of Pidge's seat when she heard the prince's name. She gritted her teeth, feeling her nails digging into the leather.

"Do you know where he is?" Keith asked.

"Well, not exactly, no, but the last three sightings of his command ship have been in the Va'Kar quadrant," she explained.

"Nice work, Pidge," Shiro complimented the green paladin. "Although, those quadrants are massive. How will we pinpoint his location?"

Hunk's eyes lit up as an idea struck him. "Hey, that comet is made from the same material as Voltron. Maybe I can scan the emission spectrum for Fraunhofer lines, like when I found the blue lion!"

"Uh, didn't Arcadia lead us to the blue lion?" Lance asked.

"Well, yes and no," said girl answered. "I gave Keith clues to its whereabouts and he just shared it with you all. The tracking was all Hunk's doing."

"You led me around in circles for a while with those vague clues," Keith remarked, crossing his arms.

"Oh, yes! I did that to buy myself more time to search for the other paladins. It was rather amusing watching you vent your frustration. You kicked a rock once and sprained your toes," she giggled at the memory.

"How did you know I sprained my toes?" He questioned curiously.

"How do you think they healed so quickly?" She responded with her own question, a smirk adorning her face.

"You... snuck into the shack while I was sleeping and healed me?"

She placed a finger on her nose, her smirk widening. "Bingo. That was when healing alchemy was completely new to me. I'm glad it was enough to heal your toes."

Lance cleared his throat, grabbing the couple's attention. "Listen, lovebirds, if you plan on making out, make sure it's not right here."

"Anyway..." Pidge started. "Back to what Hunk was saying. You know those emissions are subject to free induction decay. Those are exponential drop-offs."

"Yeah, but if you could find a way to amplify the sensors—no, there'd be way too much interference. What if, instead, we increase the SA magnitude?" Hunk asked the small girl.

"The spires of the castle!" She yelled excitedly.

"Genius!"

"And they're off in their own little world," Arcadia stated, smiling at the two paladins as they flew up and stormed out of the bridge. The door closed behind them and they disappeared out of sight.

"I have no idea what either of them just said," Lance confesses, looking at the others.

"Let's set a course for the Va'Kar quadrant while they get started on that detector. We need to work fast," Shiro said. "Who knows what Lotor has planned for that comet."

Just hearing the prince's name made Arcadia angry. Deciding to hide her emotions, she left the bridge. She didn't make it far before a hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her in the opposite direction she was heading. "H-Hey!" She cries out as Keith tugged her toward his room.

The door opened and he pulled her inside. It sealed behind them as he forced her to sit down on his bed. She glared up at him, crossing her arms. "Why'd you drag me here?"

"So you could calm down. I saw how you reacted when Pidge and Shiro mentioned Lotor. It's because of what the collector told you, isn't it?" Keith asked, sitting beside her.

Arcadia looked away, uncrossing her arms and laying her hands in her lap. Her emotions tore her in two directions—one of sorrow and one of anger. "Yes. I was so happy to hear some of my people were alive and learned to live in peace, but... that happiness was quickly dashed when he told me Lotor destroyed them." She gripped the hem of her shirt, scrunching the fabric up in her hands. "When I see him, I'm gonna... I'm gonna—!"

Someone knocked on the door, silencing Arcadia's rage. Keith looks over at the door as it slid open to reveal Lance. "Yeah?"

"Hey, man," the Cuban boy stepped into the room. He pointed at the couple. "Hope I'm not interrupting anything. I just wanted to talk with you because... well, because I've been worrying about something."

"And you come to Keith?" Arcadia asked, puzzled. "The planets must be miraculously aligning."

"Must really be bothering you if you're coming to talk to me," Keith added.

"Well, I mean, you're the leader now, right?" Lance inquired.

Keith was a little unsure how to answer with Shiro's return. "I guess."

"I've been doing some math..."

"Uh-oh..." Arcadia grinned as she teased him.

Lance ignored her muttering. "With Shiro back, that makes six paladins, but there are only five lions and if I'm right, that's one paladin too many."

"Solid math," Keith comments.

"Look, when Shiro takes over the black lion, you're going to want your red lion back. If I get a lion, I'd have to take Blue from Allura. But she's progressed a lot faster than any of us did. She might even be able to unlock powers we don't know of."

"That's true."

"So, maybe the best thing I can do for the team is step aside."

"Hold it, space cowboy!" Arcadia flew to her feet, standing between the two boys. They were more shocked at the fact she knew about cowboys than her sudden outburst. "Before this conversation goes any further, there is no way the paladin line-up is changing again without me knowing first. The lions were chatty and uneasy during the first line-up change. There's nothing to worry about, Lance."

"Yeah. Stop worrying about who flies what and just focus on your missions," Keith added. "Things will work themselves out."

Lance looked between the two, his sad expression evaporating. "Okay. Thanks."

He turned to leave but stopped when Keith called out to him, a faint smile on his face. "And, Lance, leave the math to Pidge and the lions to Arcadia."

The red paladin left with a smile on his face, his sorrows put to bed thanks to Keith and Arcadia.

They watched him leave before their conversation reverted back to the one prior before Lance's arrival. "But seriously, when we come face-to-face with Lotor, I'm taking him down myself for what he did to my people." Arcadia sat back down on the edge of Keith's bed, staring down at the floor. "Peaceful draconians... I never thought I would've heard those two words side-by-side or in the same sentence ever. I can't believe I'll never get to see them."

"We will stop Lotor, Arcadia," Keith proclaimed.

She looked up at him with determination. "I know we will."

Out of the blue, Pidge's voice came through the castle's intercom. "Uh, guys! Guys, I found the comet, but it's booking it away from us! Coran? Allura? Can someone altean come move this castle?"

Keith and Arcadia glance at one another before storming out of the room and to the bridge. They ran as fast as they could, knowing how critical this mission was.

Arriving on the bridge, they heard Hunk say, "Okay, we're gaining on it."

"Make sure we stay far back enough to be undetected," Shiro commanded, eyes focused on the main screen. The paladins sat in their chairs while Shiro stood behind the seat he once sat in. Arcadia walked over to stand beside Pidge, eyes drifting to Shiro. As she stared at his back, she heard the black lion growl and what sounded like a voice mixed together. Her head snapped around to the door, eyes narrowed in confusion.

Pidge noticed her attention was somewhere else and wondered if there was a problem. "Is everything okay, Arcadia?"

The alchemist snapped her head back around and peered down at her with an uncertain glance. "Um, yeah. The black lion seems to be acting strange. That's all."

"Could it be because of Shiro's return?" The bespectacled girl asked.

"I'm not sure, but it's possible."

The two girls heard beeping and looked down at the screen. "Looks like the signal stopped in the Ulippa System," Pidge said. "Activating long-range scanners."

A planet appeared on the main screen as the green paladin activated the scanners. It detected the comet and searched the planet until it zoomed in on a base located on the surface. A galra cruiser landed on a platform connected to base.

"That's not Lotor's ship," Keith said, standing up from his seat.

Another beep was heard and Hunk looked at Keith. "But the comet is in there."

"Okay, team, we need to get that—"

"Here's the plan, everyone."

Keith and Shiro glance at one another after both speaking up at the same time. Arcadia glanced between the two, her shoulders tensing slightly. She saw a sorrowful glint in her boyfriend's eyes as he decided to be the one to step down. "Oh, I'm sorry. Go ahead, Shiro."

She placed a hand over her heart, feeling it ache. Just as he was getting used to being the leader, Shiro returns. She knew he didn't want to be the leader, but she thought he was learning and becoming an exceptional leader. It saddened her to know with Shiro's return, his determination to be the leader has waver and he would try to step down. "Maybe that's why the black lion's been rowdy..." She muttered to herself.

Arcadia looked at Shiro as he gave the orders. "We need to get that comet. They must be transporting it into that base. It'll be vulnerable during the transfer.
That's the best time to strike."

Before anyone could move, the cruiser came to life and began destroying the base. Everyone was baffled at seeing the galra spacecraft attacking one of its own bases.

"Who the heck are these guys?" Lance asked, watching as the cruiser fired upon the base.

"I don't think they're moving the comet to that base," Shiro said after witnessing the cruiser destroy the base. "We need more information."

Keith nodded in agreement with Shiro. "You're right. You take the black lion. I'll stay with Coran in the castle and provide support."

Arcadia's eyes widen in disbelief. She tried to speak up, but no words slipped from her lips.

"Keith, are you sure?" Shiro asked with uncertainty.

The younger boy nodded. "I'm sure."

"H-Hold on." Arcadia abhorred how her voice shook and cleared her throat before speaking again. "Black has been rowdy, but Keith, you are still his pilot."

"Arcadia..." Said boy sighed. "Shiro's the real black paladin, not me."

The girl shook her head. "No! Right now, you're Black's pilot!" She realized she had yelled and quickly apologized. "I-I'm sorry for shouting."

Keith still refuses to be the leader with Shiro around. He tore his gaze from his girlfriend and looked at him. "Shiro, the team needs you."

Arcadia's chest rises and falls rapidly. She kept her lips sealed as a few tears formed in her eyes. She was wounded because Keith didn't believe in her or himself. "You don't believe me, huh? Fine."

As Keith's gaze falls upon Arcadia, he noticed a single tear trailing down her cheek. He tried to grab her, but she turns her back to him and walked away before he could. She followed Hunk, Pidge, Lance, and Allura out of the bridge in silence, not even sparing him a single glance. He stared with wide eyes at her back as she disappears. He knew the lions spoke to her on a regular basis and she wouldn't lie about who was the black lion's pilot, but he felt the team needed Shiro, not him. Now, he felt horrible after seeing the anger and hurt in Arcadia's expression that he caused before she left.

Shiro placed a hand on his shoulder. He smiled reassuring at Keith before leaving to see if he could pilot the black lion.

From the bridge, Keith watched all the lions except for the black one leave the castle. He crossed his arms, waiting for the final lion. He then heard Lance's voice over the comms. "Shiro, where are you? We need you right now!"

Shiro sighs as he contacts the sable-haired boy. "Keith, I'm gonna need you to lead this mission."

"What? What is it? What's wrong?" Keith asked.

"The black lion isn't responding to me. Arcadia was right. It looks like you're its true paladin now."

Keith felt even more guilty for not trusting Arcadia once he heard it from Shiro himself. "I'm coming down."

Meanwhile in the green lion, Arcadia was utterly silent. Pidge was worried about her after the small fiasco with Keith on the bridge. She knew she was hurting but refused to bring the subject up.

When the two girls saw the black lion join them, they stared at it and knew exactly who was in the cockpit. Arcadia gripped the back of Pidge's seat in anger and sorrow. Her emotions were a mess and was trying to convince herself it was nothing. But she couldn't get over the fact Keith thought she was lying about who was the black lion's pilot just for his sake. She shook her head, forcing herself to push Keith into the back of her mind in order to focus on the mission.

The lions entered the planet's atmosphere and landed a safe distance from the base. They left their lions, riding in their speeders toward the base. Arcadia used her wings since there wasn't enough room inside the vehicles for two people.

"The most important thing is for you to get eyes on that comet," Shiro informed the team. "Second is figuring out who we're dealing with."

The paladins leave their speeders, continuing on foot toward the ship. Arcadia retracted her wings and ran beside Pidge, who was the farthest from Keith. They managed to slip onboard without alerting anyone. "Shiro, we've just boarded the ship," Keith informed the older boy. "There's no crew in sight. Moving forward with the search."

As they passed through the door Pidge opened, they continued deeper into the cruiser. As they rushed down the corridor, Arcadia could feel eyes on her back and knew exactly who it was. She decided to ignore Keith and focus on finding the comet.

The device in Hunk's hands begins beeping rapidly when they reach a certain point. "This way."

With Hunk taking the lead, the team ran down the long hallway. While there were no enemies aboard the cruiser, they remained on high-alert in case the ship was to be boarded any second. While continuing down the hall, they heard everything go quiet. "Sounds like the fight next door is over," Keith said. "Let's hurry."

The paladins and Arcadia continued toward the end of the hallway, where the device's rapid beeping escalates. They enter a large room with a strange ship. Arcadia felt a chill shoot down her spine as she felt a familiar energy.

"The comet should be in here," Hunk stated, eyes glued to the device he was holding as the beeping continued. "Like, right here."

"Where's the comet? Is it in that ship?" Lance questioned.

Arcadia stepped forward, glaring at the ship. "The comet is the ship. It's resonating the same energy as the lions. I recognize that energy signature from anywhere."

"No, it can't be!" Allura gasped in horror. "He's already made a ship from the comet's ore?"

"Oh, this is bad," Lance grumbled.

"More like horrible," Pidge corrects.

As the group was staring at the ship, they received a transmission from Shiro. "Guys, there's a piece of the teludav inside the galra base."

"The one we used to wormhole Zarkon's ship?" Lance inquired.

"But they would never be able to operate it without an altean." Allura then gasps in realization as she recalls the battle with Haggar. "Zarkon's witch! She had altean markings."

"That would explain the usage of dark alchemy during the battle with Zarkon," Arcadia stated.

"What's the difference between that and the alchemy you use?" Pidge asked.

"Dark alchemy is only achieved through corruption of the mind. My people refused to adopt such ideals and only relied on the six elements."

"Last time I checked, there are only four elements," Lance retorts. "Y'know—fire, water, earth, and air."

"Those may be the elements you are familiar with, but those found in alchemy are different. In alchemy, there are six—ice, ground, lightning, fire, light, and shadow." Arcadia shook her head, realizing she was about to give the paladins an entire alchemy lesson. "Okay, that's not the point right now. If this ship is the comet..."

"Lotor must be nearby," Keith finished her sentence. "We need to find him and take him out for good."

"Team, you cannot let Lotor get that ship," Shiro stated firmly. "You need to get back to your lions. You need Voltron!"

"Why take out one ship when we can stop all of this by taking out Lotor himself? We can't let him keep outsmarting us," Keith said.

"Even though I'm mad at him right now, I agree," Arcadia proclaimed, crossing her arms. "End Lotor now and we no longer have to run around in circles."

"No, Arcadia. I know what Lotor did to your people, but now is not the time for vengeance. We can't risk letting Lotor have that ship. This is too important," Shiro replied.

Arcadia's eyes narrow in confusion. "I never..." Then, they widened. "Coran!" She heard the altean yelp in the background after yelling his name.

"Arcadia, Keith, I want to stop Lotor just as badly as you, but Shiro has a point," Allura said, glancing at the couple.

Keith was silent before responding. "Okay, you guys go back to the lions. Arcadia and I are gonna search the ship for Lotor."

"Keith, Arcadia, you need to stick together with the others," Shiro scoldingly stated.

"Yeah, I'm with Shiro on this one," Lance said.

"As am I," Allura spoke up.

"Me, too," Pidge chimed in.

"Yeah, man," Hunk stated before looking at Arcadia with a regretful frown. "Sorry, space dragon."

"Fine," Keith growled. "Let's move."

"I'm going to find Lotor myself, then," Arcadia proclaimed, turning to leave. As she reached the door, it opened and revealed four figures adorned in matching suits. The paladins all gasped while Arcadia glared sharply at the four aliens.

The largest one in the group, Zethrid, grinned and lunged forward, swinging her fist at the alchemist. She sidestepped, which caused the assailant to fall forward due to how hard she swung. She quickly regained her balance and went for another punch. Before she could swing her fist, Allura's whip wrapped around her wrist and pulled her away from Arcadia.

Lance faced off against Acxa, Pidge and Hunk pitted against Narti, and Keith battling against Ezor. While they struggled against their opponents, Arcadia and Allura were able to handle Zethrid. The large adversary grinned while yanking on the princess' whip. "It's been a long time since I've faced worthy opponents." Using her other hand, she grabbed her gun and fired at Allura. She nipped the paladin in the side. Zethrid reached out, grabbed the princess, and threw her. With Allura out of the way, she focused on Arcadia. "I'm going to enjoy crushing you, draconian."

"We'll see about that," Arcadia murmured, glaring daggers at the enemy. Zethrid fires her gun multiple times, but the young girl acted quick and placed a barrier around her to protect herself from the gunfire. Once the gun was overheated and needed time to cool down, she dispelled the barrier and charged at the galra.

With fiery fists, Arcadia punches Zethrid. The alien was able to block her punches, but she was too occupied with blocking the alchemist's attacks that she couldn't perform any of her own. Eventually, the galra grabbed the draconian's wrists and tossed her across the room with all her strength.

Arcadia screamed as she flew past the others and smashed into the wall, creating a large dent. She heard the others cry out her name as she pushed herself from the alcove her body created in the metal wall and back onto her feet. Her anger began to blind her as she watched her friends struggle against the other three galrans. Before she knew it, her body was engulfed in shadows and her eyes were a deep, menacing crimson.

After Lance saved Keith from a incoming blade, he suddenly felt a chill in the air. He looked around, spotting the snowy-haired girl enshrouded in shadows and sable tendrils protruding from her back. He swallowed fearfully as she slowly made her way over to them. "U-Um, Keith? Is Arcadia okay?"

Keith turned his attention from the battle after hearing Lance's shaky voice. He followed his line of sight and saw the state Arcadia was in. The four assailants also saw her approaching and the fight between them and the paladins ceased. They were frozen in their spots as they watched her closely.

Keith remembered seeing Arcadia like this as she killed the collector. He ordered his team to step back, unsure if the girl was in control.

The tendrils lashed out, wrapping around the galras' bodies and hoisting them up into the air as Arcadia sauntered over to the paladins. They were frightened of her and kept backing away. She suddenly stopped a few feet from them once noticing their behavior. Turning her head, her crimson eyes focused on them. "Head to your lions," she spoke, her voice wispy and demonic. "I will keep them occupied."

Keith stares into her eyes and nodded. "All right, but don't do anything reckless."

"I'll rejoin you all shortly."

The paladins escaped while the galrans were tangled up at the moment. Once she heard the lions growl inside her head, she knew her friends made it safely out. She tossed the four adversaries across the room, their bodies slamming against the ship. She was able to contain her anger and run out of the room as the galrans groaned in pain.

<———————<<<<<<<

After forming Voltron and leaving the planet's atmosphere, the paladins saw the castle being attacked by the cruiser they saw in the hangar. Voltron fires upon the ship, but it easily dodges the laser. While pursuing the spacecraft, they spotted Arcadia flying toward it. They formed the sword just as the dragon released a powerful shockwave. Unfortunately, the ship was unaffected.

Voltron swung its blade at the spacecraft, but it was much quicker. They couldn't land a single blow due to its speed. "It's too quick!" Keith growled in frustration.

"Guys, the cargo ship is escaping with the teludav inside of it," Shiro informed the team with an irritated tone.

"I thought taking down the ship made from the comet was the most important thing," the black paladin rebuttals.

"We still can't let Lotor get away with the teludav."

"Shiro's right," Allura said. "We need to destroy it."

"But the comet is right here! We need to take it down!" Keith bellowed.

"Keith, the cargo ship is getting away!" Shiro yelled. Voltron ceases pursuing the spacecraft and turned to face the cargo ship with the piece of teludav. Lotor's ship fired at them, forcing Pidge to activate the shield. Even knowing the danger they were in, Keith was having difficulty choosing between Lotor and the teludav fragment.

"Guys, the teludav's getting away," Hunk stated.

"Keith, what should we do?" Lance asked.

"You're going to have to lower your shield, shoot the cargo ship, and deal with the consequences," Shiro commanded.

"We can beat this ship first and then get the cargo ship," Keith spoke up.

"There's not enough time! You need to make a decision!" Shiro shouted.

"Go after the cargo ship. I'll deal with Lotor," Arcadia spoke up after listening to Shiro's and Keith's frustration.

The black paladin looked in Arcadia's direction as she hovered a few yards from them. "All right. Arcadia'll handle Lotor while we deal with the cargo ship. Hunk, get your bayard ready. On my cue, we're gonna lower the shield and shoot the cargo ship."

"I'll keep Lotor from firing his lasers." Arcadia flew after the ship. As she expected, he was waiting for Voltron to lower its shield to shoot. While distracted by the mighty defender, he failed to notice the dragon quickly approaching.

The dragon latched onto the ship, digging her claws into it. Her large forn blocked their view and her weight caused them to tilt. Unlatching one of her claws, she dragged them across the glass. She desperately wanted Lotor to pay for what he did to her people, but her chance was shattered when she heard Shiro yelling at her to return to the castle. The second she released the ship, it fled. Shiro yelled at her again, but she remained silent as she stared at the fleeing spacecraft. Once it was out of sight, she headed back to the castle.

Arcadia landed in the black lion's hangar and decided to be alone for a while. She sat down in front of the mechanical beast, hugging her knees and staring up at it. She heard a growl inside her head and knew it was the black lion. "I know, right? It's like Shiro's changed. I've never heard him raise his voice once with me or the others. What're your thoughts on it, Black?"

He growled lowly, which Arcadia understood perfectly.

"Yeah," she sighs. "You're right. I should just leave it alone for the time being."

"Uh..." Arcadia turned her head when she heard someone behind her. It was Pidge. "Who're you talking to?"

"Black," Arcadia replied, gesturing to the metallic feline in front of her.

Pidge sat down on the floor beside the alchemist. "So when you talk to the lions, do they... respond?"

She nodded. "Most of the time. Sometimes they get moody and choose to ignore me. Ever since returning from Earth, I haven't really talked to them much. Maybe a few times here and there, but that's it." She hugged her knees tighter, deciding to give her next question to Pidge. "Do you think I overreacted earlier?"

Pidge adjusted her glasses, lips pursed slightly as she thought for a few seconds before answering. "I mean, you and Keith are a couple. I can't see why he would think you'd lie about him being the black lion's paladin. In my opinion, no. I've never seen you so angry before, but I thought that shadow stuff you were doing earlier was amazing! Scary, but amazing!"

"In all honesty, I can't seem to stay mad at him. I might be too forgiving..."

"You also kinda cry a lot, but I think it's because you're one of those people who cry when they get angry."

"Yeah," she huffed with laughter. "I noticed that, too. Maybe I should go talk to him and apologize."

"Whoa, hold it!" Pidge shouted, tugging on the alchemist's suit. "You've nothing to apologize for! Just go talk to him and don't apologize. He's the one who didn't believe you, not the other way around."

"Okay, I'll talk to him but not apologize. Hopefully I can keep my tears in check." Arcadia stood up and left.

Pidge waved at her before she was out of sight. "Good luck!"

<———————<<<<<<

When Arcadia found Keith, he was on the bridge with Shiro. The two were talking and she felt as if she would be more of a nuisance than anything else. She spun on her heels and headed to the door, but she stopped when her boyfriend called out to her. "Arcadia?"

She spun back around, hands clasped behind her back as she forced a smile. "I'll come back later. I don't want to interrupt your conversation."

Keith looked at Shiro before back at her. "It's fine. I was, uh... just about to go look for you." He rubbed the back of his neck with a sorrowful gleam in his lilac eyes.

"I'll leave so you both can talk," Shiro said. He left the bridge, leaving the couple alone.

They refused to look at one another as they sank in awkward silence. Arcadia tapped her foot against the floor before she swallowed the lump in her throat and decided to speak.

"I'm sorry."

"I wanted to—"

They both spoke up at the same time, which caused them to smile. Arcadia giggled and asked him to go first.

Keith looked away for a brief second before meeting her golden gaze. He feared what he had to say might even make her more angry at him. "I'm sorry about earlier. It's just... with Shiro back, I feel like the team needs him more than me. It wasn't that I didn't believe you, I just thought Shiro should be the black paladin. With him here, I'm no longer needed. Lance has the red lion and Allura has the blue. I don't see where I fit in here anymore."

"Is there something else you're not telling me?" She asked. "I sense you're hiding something."

Keith inhaled deeply before exhaling. "I plan on training and helping the Blade of Marmora. I feel like if I do, I might find my mom. I know you'll probably be angry with me because of this decision, but—"

"Angry?" She scoffed. "I'm not angry. You want to find your mother. How could I be angry at that? You want Black to choose Shiro, don't you?"

The boy was shocked at how quickly she caught on. Since she was able to discover the truth by herself, he decided to no longer hide his true intentions. "Yeah, I do. I know I'm still the black paladin, but I'll try to balance my duties between the Blade and being a paladin."

"Just don't push yourself. That's all I ask of you," she smiled gently at him.

Keith walked up to her and pulled her into a tight embrace. He rested his head atop hers. "Does this mean you're no longer mad at me?"

Arcadia laughed. "Like I said during our last argument, it's difficult to stay mad at you."