Everyone was gathered inside the bridge after traveling through a wormhole and to the other side of the galaxy to get away from Zarkon and his massive fleet. Allura sat on the small stairwell located on the central platform, her cerulean eyes downcast. "There's no point in debating this further. Zarkon is clearly tracking us through me."

"I highly doubt it, Allura," Arcadia stated. "He doesn't have a way to track you."

Pidge nodded in agreement. "She's right. That's not possible."

The princess lifted her gaze from the floor and glanced between Pidge and Arcadia with furrowed brows. "Why would that be so hard to believe? Zarkon's forces showed up on Arus only after I awoke."

Unlike Pidge and Arcadia, Lance was agreeing with Allura only in an attempt to flirt with her. "She's got a point. I would absolutely travel across the galaxy to find you."

Arcadia leaned over and tugged on the boy's ear, earning a whimper of pain. "You're not helping, Lance." He whimpered again when she tugged on his ear one last time before releasing him.

"It's not you, Princess Allura," Keith suddenly spoke up, grabbing everyone's attention. "It's me."

"Not you, too, Keith..." Arcadia sighed in disbelief. Between her best friend and boyfriend, she didn't believe either one of them was being tracked by Zarkon.

"I just think Zarkon must've imprinted on me during our fight or something," Keith said, adding reason to his own accusation.

Pidge shook her head, unable to believe either of them. "Look, the fact is, we don't know how Zarkon is tracking us. It could be through the black lion. Every time Zarkon gets close to it, Shiro has to fight him for control."

"That makes more sense because Zarkon was the original black paladin," Arcadia comments. "It's possible his bond with the lion is still strong."

"That's only when Zarkon is nearby. No paladin has ever been able to connect with a lion over a vast distance," Coran joins in on the conversation.

Hunk glanced around the room at his friends. "So what are we going to do?"

"Look," Shiro sighed, arms crossed over his chest. "It doesn't matter how he's tracking us because we're gonna take the fight to the galra soon enough. They've been chasing us from galaxy to galaxy. The last thing they expect is for us to come after them."

"The hunter becomes the hunted, hmm?" Lance hummed in satisfaction. "Awesome! That's the tag line from like six of my favorite movies."

Pidge sat in her seat and decided to show them what she invented, typing away on the keyboard. "As it happens, I took our list of recent galra attacks and analyzed it for both commonalities and anomalies among the attack sites. I was hoping to create an algorithm that would, within a statistically acceptable margin of error, provide a list of target-rich galra environments color-coded, of course, because what are we—animals?" An image appeared, revealing what she had been working on.

"What does color-coding have to do with animals?" Arcadia asked in confusion as she tried to listen to Pidge's explanation, but some of the words were jumbled up and out of order due to how fast the green paladin was speaking.

"Don't worry about it," Keith said to her before Lance expressed his own awe and confusion at what Pidge had just said.

"Cool! What is it again?" The brunette stared at the image in confusion.

"It's a galra finder?" Hunk pondered.

"Well, "finder" suggests that it locates the galra, whereas it would be more accurate to say that my model predicts their likeliest..." Pidge glanced at the others and saw the puzzled expressions on their faces. She groaned and gave up on her explanation. "Fine. It's a galra finder."

"So, where are the galra?" Lance inquired, unable to make sense of the radar.

"The nearest ones are right here." Pidge points to an image of a planet. "A planet called Taujeer."

"Then that's where we're headed. Everyone should get some sleep. Tomorrow, we'll find that galra fleet and take it out," Shiro said.

Allura, Coran, Lance, Hunk, and Pidge leave the bridge in order to rest. The only three who remained were Shiro, Keith, and Arcadia.

The alchemist busied herself with reading a few incantations from Draconia Coran managed to find in the castle's memory after finishing repairs. She figured they were from the time King Alfor visited her home planet many years before she was born. "Shadow and light spells... fascinating." She had heard her parents discuss such spells, but she'd never seen either of them try such incantations during her youth. She didn't even see any draconians use such elements during the war. Her people were more well-versed in the elements of lightning and fire, not shadow and light.

Arcadia was torn from her thoughts when she heard Shiro address Keith. "Is everything okay?" She heard the older boy ask. She turned and saw how the idea of Zarkon tracking them through him was eating at him by the look on his face.

Keith tried to hide his worry, especially when he spotted Arcadia watching him and Shiro. "Yeah. Why? "

"You just seem a bit anxious," Shiro responded.

"I'm fine. Just tired," the sable-haired boy replied with a heavy sigh. "Like you said, I should get some sleep." Before Shiro or Arcadia could reply, he left.

Shiro and Arcadia exchanges worried glances. The girl deactivated the castle's memory with a sigh. "It doesn't make sense. I was fighting alongside him when he decided to face Zarkon. He doesn't know any spells and there's no way he could be tracking us through Keith. It would make more sense if Zarkon was tracking me due to my high mana signature. He's not only after Voltron, he's after me as well. I'm worried Keith's overthinking it."

He placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "We'll get to the bottom of this. I agree with you and Pidge—there's no way Zarkon is tracking us through Keith or Allura."

"I'm gonna go check on him. You should get some rest, too, Shiro," Arcadia smiled at him.

"You, too. Don't push yourself too hard. You're still pale." Shiro turned to leave, but he suddenly came to a halt and faced the white-haired girl. "You've done so much for him. Thank you for that, Arcadia. He's changed thanks to you—in a good way, that is."

"He's changed me just as much and I'm grateful for that," her smile widened. "I've dreamt of meeting the perfect boy, but I never expected that dream to come true with my life already being preordained by my parents. I'm glad my destiny has changed."

Shiro beamed happily at her. "You should tell him that. Sleep well, Arcadia."

"You, too, Shiro."

Once the black paladin was gone, Arcadia huffed out a sigh and decided to check on Keith. She assumed he was already asleep, but she still wanted to see how he was doing. She left the bridge and headed to his room.

The door slid open with a low hiss and Arcadia stepped into Keith's room. She kept the lights off due to the fact he was asleep and she could see well in the dark. At his bedside, she peered down at him and saw the tense look on his face. She heard him mumbling incoherently as he turned over repeatedly with a few drops of sweat on his forehead.

Worried for him, Arcadia sat on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on his forehead. She used a small healing spell in hopes to soothe his mind and change the haunting nightmare into a pleasant dream.

When Keith's eyes flew open and he gasped as he flew up into a sitting position, he startled the girl and caused her to remove her hand from his forehead. She moved her hand to his cheek as he panted. "Just breathe, Keith."

The boy saw her golden eyes glowing in the darkness of his room, which was something he wasn't used to yet. He managed to get his breathing under control before speaking. "It was just a nightmare?"

Arcadia nodded. "Yes." She brushed a few strands of hair out of his face. "How're you feeling now?"

"Terrible..." He grumbled.

The alchemist knew exactly what caused his nightmare. She sighed and stroked his cheek with her thumb. "Keith, Zarkon isn't tracking you."

"How would you know?!" He shouted, causing her to flinch. She was taken aback at him snapping at her so easily.

"Keith, I—"

"You don't know anything, okay?!"

Arcadia's eyes widened in shock. She never expected him to act like this toward her. Her heart aches at hearing such words. She inhaled a shaky breath before removing her hand from his cheek and sighing. All she did was try to comfort him, but all she received in return was a knife through the heart. She stood to leave, feeling tears forming in her eyes from his hurtful words. "Yeah..." She confesses, her voice hoarse from her trying to keep herself from crying. "Guess you're right. I don't know anything. Guess that also includes you, too."

Keith finally was able to calm down and realize what he said. "W-Wait, Arcadia—" He tried to grab her hand, but she stepped out of his reach.

"I guess I truly am useless..." She mumbled sorrowfully, her back facing the boy.

"No, I-I didn't—"

"You should get some more rest." She walks out of his room before he could explain, the door closing behind her.

"Arcadia, wait!" Keith scrambles out of bed and chases after her. When he entered the hallway, he'd already lost sight of where she went. He slammed his fist against the wall, anger and sorrow consuming him. "Why did I say that...?"

"What's going on out here?" Pidge asked with a yawn as she walked up to the boy. "I heard yelling."

Keith lifted his head and looked at the small girl. "Did you see which way Arcadia went?"

"Uh," the green paladin started. "She said something about the bridge."

"Thanks, Pidge." Keith stormed down the corridor and to the bridge. When he reached his destination, he found the girl standing on the center platform, staring at the stars. He didn't say a word and quietly approached her. He knew about her sensitive hearing, but he wasn't sure if she was deep in thought and couldn't hear him or she knew and was ignoring him.

Regardless of which option it was, Keith didn't stop his advances. When he reached her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and hugged her tightly. He apologized profusely as he nuzzled his nose into the crook of her neck. "I didn't mean any of that. My anger got the better of me and I lashed out at you."

Arcadia kept her gaze forward, not budging from her spot as she listened to him. "I know you're a hothead, but I feel like there's truth in your words."

"What—no! You're not useless! You've done so much for me and this team! I'm sorry," his voice cracked. "I'm the reason you feel like this and I hate it."

"Keith—"

"Please," he begged, squeezing her in his arms. "Don't say you're useless because you're far from it. You're the only reason I was able to stay sane when Shiro disappeared. Those three months you spent with me on Earth were everything to me. You've no idea how happy I was when I figured out you were the girl from back then."

Arcadia had never heard Keith spill so much honesty at once. She was baffled and moved at his words. She felt her anxiety was eased and couldn't help but relax in his embrace. She sighed, her mood enlightened. "Even for someone who claims they're not good at comforting other, you've put my mind at ease."

Keith lifted his head from her shoulder as she turned around in his arms. "Does this mean...?"

"Yes," she smiles. "I'd be lying if I did say I felt a hundred percent better, but I forgive you. In all honesty, I find it difficult to stay mad at you."

The paladin still felt guilty, but he was overjoyed to know she forgives him. He kept his arms wrapped loosely around Arcadia as she finally reciprocated the hug, winding her arms around his neck. She looked to her right and gazed out at the stars with a yawn. "As much as I would love to stay here with you and watch the stars, we better get some rest."

The couple left the bridge and decided to sleep in Keith's room.

<———————<<<<<<<

A few hours passed and Keith had yet to fall back asleep. Arcadia didn't have any issues falling asleep due to her exhaustion. She was curled up against him, their hands latched together. He stared at her peaceful face as he was reminded of the nightmare. Unconsciously, he squeezed her hand.

"I'm sorry," Keith whispered. He pried their hands apart and climbed out of bed. It had only been hours after their first fall-through in their relationship, but now he felt he was going to ruin the relationship entirely. He packed up his duffle bag with his belongings, guilt being the only feeling he could feel. "It's for her protection and the others," he kept muttering to himself as he packed in hopes it would wipe away the guilt.

Morosely, it did not.

Once completely packed and changed, Keith glanced at Arcadia one last time before leaving. He slung the bag over his shoulder and headed to the pod bay. When he arrived, he spotted Allura peering into one of the many pods. "Princess, what are you doing here?"

Frightened, Allura lost her balance and fell. She fell into his arms and quickly hopped out of his hold, answering his question with her own suspicions. "Oh. I might ask you the same thing."

"Nothing. Just walking. Late at night. Near the pods." Keith looked around the room, trying to act innocent.

Allura didn't believe the boy for one second. She eyed his armor and the bag slung across his shoulder. "In full paladin armor, with a bag of your belongings?"

Keith sighed, giving up on trying to lie to the princess. "I have to know if Zarkon is tracking me. This is the only way. If I can protect Arcadia by doing this, I will. Don't try to stop me."

"I'm not going to stop you. I'm going to join you," Allura replied.

<———————<<<<<<<

When Arcadia woke up, she was slightly shocked to find Keith's side of the bed vacant and cold. She decided to think nothing of it, knowing he was fond of waking up early and training on the training deck. She hopped out of bed and headed to her room to clean herself up before heading to the bridge. Everyone was there except for Keith and Allura.

"We should be entering Taujeer's orbit soon," Coran informed the others.

"Raise the particle barrier. Scan for galra," Shiro commanded. He looked around the bridge and noticed the same two faces missing. "Where are Keith and Allura?"

Coran was typing on the console when he discovered something. "It appears that one of the pods launched in the middle of the night."

"Wait a minute, Keith and Allura? In the middle of the night? You don't think they're sittin' in a tree?" Lance asked.

Arcadia remained silent, already knowing Keith and Allura wouldn't do that to her. Pidge smacked Lance for saying such an insensitive thing in front the alchemist.

"Contact the pod," Shiro's demanded.

"Yes! Contact that pod!" Lance reiterated in irritation, earning another smack from Pidge before the two head to their respected seats.

Coran patches them through to the pod to contact the princess and paladin. "Princess, Keith, where are you?"

"Exactly where we should be, far away from the castle," Allura responded.

"What? Why?" Shiro was bewildered at her reply.

"We must know if we are the ones Zarkon is tracking."

"They're isolating the variable. Well, isolating two variables," Pidge stated in her usual, whimsical way.

"In English, please?" Lance groaned, unable to understand the petite girl.

"In order to test a hypothesis-"

"I said English!"

"Argh! Never mind!"

"Pidge is right," Allura exclaimed. "If Zarkon finds you despite my absence, we will know with total certainty that we are not the ones he is tracking."

"Splitting up the group makes us far more vulnerable. Come back to the castle immediately," Shiro instructed, dissatisfied by how Allura and Keith decided to leave without consulting him and the others.

"I'm sorry, Shiro, I cannot do that," the princess answers.

"If Zarkon does find us, I can pilot us to safety. We're in wide-open space with plenty of room to maneuver. Plus, we'd be able to outrun him. Pidge added that booster rocket." Keith's words didn't ease anyone. They were still worried about him and Allura.

"That thing's still on there?!" Coran referred to the rocket attached to the pod.

"We need both of you back here now!" Shiro bellowed.

All of a sudden, the castle's alarms were triggered. Arcadia spotted large debris floating by. "What is this?"

"We're in some sort of debris field," Hunk said from his seat, scanning the vicinity.

"I believe it's coming from Taujeer." Coran took a closer look and gasped. "Correction: I think it is Taujeer!"

Allura overheard their conversation. "Coran, what's going on?" Her voice was static and broke up before the transmission ended.

"Some kind of radiation from the planet is interfering with communications!" Coran yelled worriedly.

Shiro took his position as leader and yelled out a command. "Move the castle away from the planet and reestablish the link. Everyone else, get to your lions."

With Keith out of the picture at the moment, Arcadia decided to ride with Pidge in the green lion. As they flew toward Taujeer and avoided the debris, the smaller girl spared a glance at the draconian. "Hey, are you okay?"

The white-haired girl chose silence before groaning and giving in, knowing she didn't want to ignore Pidge's concern. "I'm fine. Just a little hurt that Keith didn't say anything about leaving, especially after our small argument last night."

"This is the first I'm hearing this. What happened?" She asked.

"Well..." Arcadia explained all that happened the previous night. She didn't realize how much she wanted to tell somebody until Pidge offered to listen.

Once she finished explaining, the green paladin offered a sympathetic smile. "Wow. You had an eventful night. And now Keith goes off without saying a word to you."

Arcadia sighed, nibbling on her bottom lip. "You can say that again..." She pauses before revealing her true feelings about Keith's sudden departure. "But in all honesty, I'm not mad at him or Allura for leaving."

"If I were you, I'd be furious."

The alchemist patted Pidge on the top of her helmet with a smile. "I'll let you handle the fury."

Hunk suddenly spoke up, interrupting the girl's chat as they entered Taujeer's atmosphere. "I don't see any galra."

Lance looked around and saw no sign of the enemies. "Looks like that fancy galra finder doesn't work. Nice try, Pidge."

The four lions landed on the deteriorating planet and Shiro approached a single taujeerian when he exited the black lion's mouth. The alien cheered as he stood in front of the black paladin. "Thank goodness you're here! I am Baujal, the leader of the taujeerians. The galra just destroyed our ship's engines and left."

"So the galra were here, Lance," Pidge snickered with a triumphant grin.

Lance rolled his eyes with a defeated hum. "Mmm."

Baujal explained the hardships him and his people had gone through with the galra. "They've taken everything. We must get everyone off the planet before it dissolves completely! Please, help us!"

"How long do we have?" Shiro inquired. At the paladin's question, the ground shook and large cracks formed in what remained of the planet's surface. Acid seeped through the crevices, threatening to destroy everything.

"Unfortunately, not long," Arcadia responds at seeing the green liquid ooze through the cracks and bubble up.

"How did this happen?" The black paladin questioned the taujeerian leader.

"We've known for years that our planet would eventually lose its outer layer," Baujal explained.

"Like a snake shedding its skin?" Lance raised a brow.

Hunk nodded. "Yeah, yeah, that doesn't sound so bad. Beneath that old skin is a new, healthy layer, right?"

Glancing down at what was below the surface, acid boiled and bubbles popped, spurting the hot liquid in different direction. Pidge shook her head. "Nope. No, I think the next layer is acid."

"The plan was to evacuate the population to our nearest moon, where we have built a colony to wait out the shedding process. So we relocated to higher ground and constructed that ark." Baujal gestured to the large ship a few yards away.

"What happened?" Lance asked curiously.

"The galra attacked, led by a vile commander named Morvok. He robbed us of vital resources and left us with only one operational engine, stranding us here."

Arcadia glanced at the ark and wondered how they could help the taujeerians off their planet. She exited the green lion to examine the ship and before she could transform, she heard Baujal cry out. She looked up and saw the alien looking at her, backing away in fear. His frightened wail rang in her ears and she stepped away, trying to cover her horns and pointy ears in the process. She felt wounded by the alien's reaction and couldn't hide her sorrowful expression. Her shoulders scrunched up as she continued to back away from Shiro and Baujal.

Shiro saw and frowned in despair. He walked over to her and as he did, only one thought crossed his mind.

If only Keith were here.

He pried her hands away from her horns and ears before escorting her closer to the leader of the taujeerians. He could feel in her reluctant steps that she didn't want to do this, but he wanted to show Baujal she wasn't a danger to him or his people. "This is Arcadia, our ally and our friend. She's been a major part of our team in liberating many from the galra's control."

Baujal was hesitant, but he decided to try his best to greet the girl. "Y-You are a draconian."

"I-If you feel uncomfortable, I can—!"

"If Voltron trusts you, so will I," Baujal stated in a somewhat happy but forceful tone. He tore his glance from the girl and looked toward the lions. "Wait, wait. I count only four of you plus the draconian. Are you not Voltron?"

"Uh, almost?" Lance shrugs his shoulders.

"Where is the fifth paladin?" The elder taujeerian asked.

"The red paladin is currently... in dispose at the moment," Arcadia replied. "But there's no need to fear. The four paladins and myself will help your people."

"I would feel more comfortable with all five paladins." The paladins and alchemist could hear the uncertainty in his tone due to their team missing one person.

"Duly noted." Shiro turned to the green and yellow lions. "Pidge, Hunk, take a look at the ark and see what we're dealing with."

"Piece of cake. We'll get it flying in no time," Hunk responded with confidence before it was slightly shattered when the ground shook violently and the legs holding the ark up snapped off. "Would you settle for upright?"

"Let's make this fast." Arcadia transformed, which startled Baujal.

Shiro glanced at the leader of the taujeerians with a confidant and reassuring smile. "Arcadia's the last of her kind, but she's dedicated all her efforts to aid Voltron and use her alchemy to save many. Trust in her like you do Voltron."

"Yes, well, draconians have a tarnished reputation," Baujal explained. "Just keep her away from the ship. I fear my people will be frightened of her."

Before Shiro could respond, Baujal returned to the ark. He looked up at Arcadia and saw the hurt in her golden eyes. She lowered her head at his command and he placed a hand on her snout. "Don't listen to him, Arcadia. Dow whatever you need to do in order to save these people."

"Thank you, Shiro." She nudged him with her snout before joining Pidge and Hunk. She flew a safe distance from the ark so the taujeerians aboard wouldn't see her just yet. "Any good news, Hunk, Pidge?"

"Assuming we can get it back up, the repairs will still take time," the green paladin responded.

"Even with my alchemy?"

"Sadly, yes. Time is really not on our side at the moment."

"We need to slow down the shedding," Shiro said as the black lion appeared.

Pidge was puzzled at their leader's words. "How do you stop a planet that's coming apart at the seams?"

"By sewing it back together!" Hunk yelled with a grin.

"What do you mean?" Now Shiro was the one confused.

"That new green lion weapon causes vegetation to grow, right? And remember when Arcadia stopped the Balmera from falling apart for a short time? Well, I was thinking that if you aim the weapon at the cracks in the planet the vines could act like stitches while Arcadia used her alchemy to heal the pieces that remain."

"Good plan, but there's one flaw: the vines will burn due to the acid. They'll only last for a few seconds," Arcadia states matter-of-factly.

"The stitches might hold longer if they're frozen," Pidge spoke up.

The dragon eyed the blue lion. "Looks like you'll be using your freeze ray, Lance."

Said boy cheered. "Alright!"

Shiro agreed with the strategy and was proud at how his team was dealing in the current crisis. "It's a plan. Hunk, you and I will take our lions and get this ark upright while Pidge and Lance buy us some time. Arcadia, use your healing alchemy on the planet to see how much time you can buy us."

"On it." Arcadia landed a few yards from the ark and used her healing alchemy on the planet. The vibrations ceased, which was a victory in her book. Pieces of the planet melded back together, but it wouldn't last for long. "I won't be able to keep this up for long."

"You're doing great, Arcadia. Hunk and I almost have the ark upright," Shiro said in encouragement, knowing what Baujal said earlier was still bothering her.

"Will do, Shiro."

Hunk managed to get one side of the ark stable after a few powerful pushes from his lion and announced his minuscule victory. "My side's clear, Shiro."

"Almost done." Shiro used the powerful thrusters on the black lion to raise up the other side of the ark. Once the ark was level, the black and yellow lions hovered overhead.

Pidge and Lance were busy stitching up the large crevasses with vines and ice to grant them even more time to help the taujeerians escape their shedding planet. "Yes! It worked!" Pidge chanted happily before noting the pieces of the planet that were mending due to Arcadia's healing incantation. "Between the stitches and Arcadia's spell, I think we've bought enough time to get the ark off the ground."

"Good work, team," Shiro complements his friends. "Hunk, let's start working on those engines."

Using the laser built in to the yellow lion's tail, Hunk was able to meld the engines back onto the ark. He sighed in relief and smiled as the patch job was complete. "Well, it ain't pretty, but it should get you airborne."

Arcadia ceases her healing when she heard Hunk. She flew over to the lions and watched as the ark took to the sky.

Out of the blue, a laser struck the ark and sent it back to the ground. Pidge gasped in shock and looked around. "What was that?"

"Nothing is ever easy," Arcadia sighed in annoyance as a fleet of galra ships entered Taujeer's atmosphere. The slab of land the ark crashed on was sinking on one side, causing the ship to slowly descend into the acid.

"Hunk! Take the yellow lion and hold up the ark. If it falls into the acid, the taujeerians are doomed," Shiro commanded.

"Not to mention the guy beneath them. Which would be me, in this particular scenario," Hunk retorts as he navigates his lion to the side of the ark. He uses the lion's strong and large frame to slow down the ark's descent.

Seeing Hunk needed help in supporting the ark and keeping it from diving into the acid, Arcadia flew over and supported the side of the ark with her own body. She wasn't as big as the yellow lion, but her strength was just enough to halt the ark's descent entirely. "Thanks for the assist, space dragon!" Hunk chanted.

Arcadia wouldn't admit it, but she was starting to enjoy the nickname Hunk had gifted her during their escape from Earth. "Don't thank me until we get these taujeerians safely off this planet."

"Lance, Pidge, we've got to draw the cruiser's fire. Coran, we need you here now. Attack the galra cruiser! " Arcadia heard Shiro shout over he comms.

"I'm on my way!" Coran responded only seconds laters.

From her position under the ark, Arcadia looked up and saw the galra cruiser slowly turning and aiming its ion cannon at the ship. "Oh, no..."

"Oh, no? What's "oh, no"? That's never good!" Hunk panicked.

"They're aiming the ion cannon at the ark!" Shiro yelled, answering the boy's question. "Lance! Pidge! Attack the ship with your jaw blades!"

The green and blue lions did so, but both Arcadia and Hunk knew the three lions were going to need more help. "I've got the ark. You go help the others," Hunk said.

"If I leave, the ark will continue its descent," the dragon stated. "I can't let you do this all alone, Hunk."

"Aw, thanks, space dragon. But really, I'll be fine."

Arcadia mentally sighed and removed her body from under the ark. "Alright, I'll help the others." She flew away from the ark and to the battle cruiser. She flew past the black and green lions as she targeted the ion cannon. With a thunderous roar, a ball of light encased the ion cannon before it could fire. The sphere of light shrunk and crushed the powerful weapon once the it fired, the laser unable to break through the sphere encasing it. A loud explosion filled the air as the ion cannon exploded once the small sphere of light detonated just as Coran fires the castle's laser at the hull of the ship. The cruiser tilted on its side from the explosion, throwing its trajectory off course.

"Great job, Arcadia," Shiro's complimented the girl's quick and skillful thinking.

"Yeah, but there's still too many fighters and the castle's being overwhelmed!" Lance shouted. "And the ark's about to take a dive into hot acid!"

"We need Voltron!" Pidge added.

"Without Keith, there is no Voltron," Arcadia said. After saying the paladin's name, she heard a roar and saw the red lion flying out of the castle. Her eyes narrowed in confusion as to why the mechanical beast was operational without Keith.

"I can't hold it any longer!" Hunk's voice rang through the comms in a frightened shriek.

"Hunk, you have to! If you let go, the taujeerians will die!" Shiro yelled as a warning.

Hunk took a deep breath and trusted in his lion. Its yellow eyes flashed before roaring. The lion's claws and frame expanded, allowing the paladin to grip the ground and support the entirety of the ark's weight. "Oh, whoa! Armor claws!" He activated the yellow lion's boosters and was able to stop him, his lion, and the ark from falling over the ledge. "Guys, I can keep this thing from falling any farther but I need your help to get it back up."

Arcadia felt a tingling sensation and looked up at the battle cruiser. She was stunned in silence when she saw they already had the ion cannon repaired and ready to fire in such a short amount of time. She couldn't believe her spell wasn't enough to destroy the entirety of the cannon.

Before the ion cannon could fire, the red lion appeared out of nowhere and sliced through the metal, separating the weapon from the rest of the ship and sinking into the pool of hot acid below. Pidge and Lance cheered while Shiro smiled at the sight of the red lion. "Good to have you back, Keith."

"Good to be back," Keith smiled. He glanced at Arcadia, who was gazing at him in her dragon form as she hovered a few yards away. His smile fell when he couldn't read her expression. She turned her back to him and took off to help Hunk.

"Is the princess with you?" Lance raised an eyebrow, his tone laced with skepticism.

"Yes," Keith blandly responds.

"Like "with you" with you, or—"

"Uh, Keith? Little help?" Hunk whimpered from the comms.

"On my way, buddy." The red lion dashed through the sky toward the ark. He, Hunk, and Arcadia were able to push the ark to safety and away from the ledge.

By accident, Arcadia flew too close to the windows of the ark. Even through the thick glass, she could hear many of the taujeerians shout in fear. When one yelled "monster," she quickly flew as far away from the ark as possible.

Keith was the first to notice her quick retreat from the ark and contacted her. "Arcadia, what's wrong?"

No response.

The boy tried again in case she didn't hear him the first time, but he figured she was ignoring him. He didn't blame her for giving him the cold shoulder, especially after their dispute only hours before he left the castle without a word. Before he could talk to her again, Shiro's voice filled the comms. "Alright, everybody. No time to relax. Let's show them what they're dealing with. Form Voltron!"

The mighty defender was formed and ready to fight. The galra battle cruiser, with no heavy artillery left, opted to use their own ship as a weapon.

"They're heading for the ark!" Pidge shrieks.

"They're gonna ram it!" Hunk yelled.

"We'll have to meet them head-on. Form sword!" Shiro instructed. Keith places his bayard into the indenture in the console and turned it, forming Voltron's sword. The giant robot flew toward the ship, ready to attack.

"Will the sword be able to cut through an entire battle cruiser?" Lance asked unsurely.

"It'll have to," Shiro answered.

Then, four lions growled and contacted their paladins.

"Guys, I think my lion is telling me something," Keith said.

Lance nodded. "Yeah. Mine, too."

"I can feel it, too," Pidge stated.

"Same here," Hunk spoke up.

Shiro was left out of the loop, but he knew what the others had to do. "Then do it!"

The four paladins used their bayards in sync. From a distance, Arcadia watched in awe as Voltron's sword radiated with a blue hue before transforming. Unlike the original sword, this one was longer and the blade was much sharper. Voltron targeted the battle cruiser and flew as fast as they could. With the upgraded sword, the paladins were able to slice the ship in half with no resistance. The battle cruiser exploded, the myriads of pieces raining down and landing in the pools of acid. 

"Now let's get the taujeerians to safety," Shiro said, guiding Voltron to the ark.

With help from Arcadia, they were able to lift the ark and carry it out of the planet's atmosphere and toward the moon that revolves around Taujeer. They could hear the aliens aboard the ship cheer loudly for them once they were safe. The draconian was the first to head back to the castle in silence followed by Voltron disbanding and the five lions flying to their hangars.

<————————<<<<<<<

On the bridge, Allura and Keith apologized for their unannounced departure.

"I'm so sorry for leaving," Allura said, her guilt for leaving showing on her face and in her tone.

"Me, too." Keith looked away for a second before gazing at everyone. "We thought we were doing the right thing."

"But clearly you were correct, Shiro. We are always stronger together."

Keith's eyes focused on Arcadia, who had yet to say a word since he and Allura returned. She met his gaze, silently staring at him with a stoic expression. The boy built up his courage and approached her. "Hey, um... can we talk?"

She simply nodded and followed him out of the bridge. They walked down the hallway a little ways before coming to a stop. Keith turned and faced her. "Listen, I'm sorry for leaving without telling you and I don't blame you for being mad at me. I just wanted to—"

Arcadia raised her hand and silenced him. "You think I'm mad at you?"

"Um..." His eyes bounced around before settling back on her. "Yes?"

She couldn't help but giggle at his innocent, shy reply. "I'm not mad, Keith. What you did was careless, but I know you did it with a noble cause. You did it to protect us. Unless you want me to be mad. I can try, but no promises."

Keith wanted to smile, but he couldn't because he knew something was bothering her. "Then, what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" She asked in confusion.

"You've been acting strange ever since I came back. If you're not mad at me, what's wrong?"

"Oh, um..."

Monster!

"It's nothing. Guess I keep spacing out without noticing. Sorry to worry you, Keith." She lies through her teeth. That one word now haunted her and it was all she could think of. She couldn't purge the word from her mind and didn't want to hassle Keith with her insecurities. "We should go back to the bridge." She turned on her heels, not waiting to hear his response.

Keith watched her disappear behind the door, unconvinced that she was telling the truth. He wondered what happened before he arrived on Taujeer so he could figure out why she was acting so distant all of a sudden. He decided to confront the others later and joined his companions back on the bridge.

"At least we learned that Zarkon isn't tracking us through you two," Lance said once Keith arrived, folding his arms over his chest.

"Plus, I learned that my lion can grow armor and extend its claws like that..." Hunk held up his fingers and curled them to signify the claws he was mentioning. "Ting! Which will come in handy if we ever needed to, say, I don't know, slice up a giant steak while getting beat up." He looked around at his friends and saw the disapproval in their faces at his words. "Or fight evil and save innocent people. That, too. That would work."

"The fact that the red lion came to help Keith from so far away is a vital piece of information. We now have proof that a lion and a paladin can, in fact, connect over a far greater distance than we realized. Which means we finally know how Zarkon is tracking us. It's through the black lion," Shiro explained.

"At least we know the source now. So no more running off, you two." Arcadia looked at Keith and Allura with a forced smile. "I'm going to my room to rest."

The group watch her leave. They all wore the same concerned expression. Pidge was the first to break the silence. "Is she okay?"

"She's been acting weird ever since we left Taujeer. Did something happen?" Lance asked.

Keith saw how Shiro looked away for a split second and confronted him. "What happened down there, Shiro?"

The black paladin sighed sorrowfully, knowing he couldn't keep any of them in the dark. "When Arcadia was spotted by the leader of the taujeerians, he was frightened of her. I think that's why she's acting so distance."

"Why would they be scared of her? She's really nice and funny," Hunk said.

"Draconians have been feared by others for decaphoebes due to their powerful alchemy and transformation ability. Now with Draconia destroyed because of its own people, they're feared even more in death," Coran stated with a melancholic gaze.

"Oh..." Hunk muttered after remembering what Arcadia had told him and the others about her people.

"Poor Arcadia," Pidge mumbled with a frown. "I can't even imagine being in her shoes."

"To be defined by the actions of others is horrible. Many alteans slandered her when she arrived on Altea and some even threatened to kill her, but my father, mother, and I wouldn't allow it. With Arcadia fighting alongside Voltron, the universe will know not all draconians are hungry for power and destruction," Allura said.

Keith clenched his fists at his sides. "I swear, if I hear—!

"Whoa!" Lance yelled over the boy. "Dude, calm down. We all care about Arcadia, but you can't just go around and punch everyone who insults her."

"You're right," Pidge said. "But we can punch a few, right?" Everyone was shocked to hear those words leave the girl's mouth. She looked around and analyzed their faces. "What? Arcadia's my friend and family, too! I'm with Keith on this one!"

"No punching," Shiro said in a stern tone.

"But Shiro—!"

"Not until I get the first punch."

Allura shouted in a scolding tone after hearing his childish response. "Shiro!"