The Forgotten Paladin

Chapter 11: Corruption, mind and castle

Ever since the gladiator incident, we've been working non stop to get the castle back in order. We can't defend the universe if the castle stops working. I feel the power surging through my veins 24/7, I'm worried one day my power will erupt and I won't be able to protect my team from myself. It's been two days since Keith fought the gladiator, he's healed and I haven't anymore visions. Just a sudden, sporadic feeling of pain and sorrow. I don't know what it stems from but it's made me question myself, who I am, where I come from. 

We've tried our best to fix the castle, but some things don't seem to have a centre of the problem, we've tried every technological, magical, science-ey, out of this world explanation that we can, but nothing has worked. The castle is 10,000+ years old, so it makes sense but something had felt off about it. Shivers get sent down my spine every time I enter the bridge, or the place where Sendak is being held captive. Nothing feels... normal? Not that anything was necessarily normal to begin with. 

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The detainment room tenses as we watch wires hooked up to Sendak's very brain, the thought of the answers flooding into our very hands makes us shudder with excitement and anxiety. 

CORAN: "Okay, guys, Sendak's almost all hooked up. But, look, I have to warn you, this technology was used to keep Altean memories alive, not to interrogate prisoners. "

SHIRO: "Coran, we understand this isn't what the technology was meant for, but if we can extract Sendak's memories, we may gain valuable intelligence on Zarkon's troop locations."

LANCE: "Yeah, and then we can just be like, 'knock knock'. 'Who's there?' The avenging fury of Voltron, son!" He seems satisfied with his joke but an uneasy memory sets in my mind. 

Y/N: "I don't feel comfortable keeping this monster in the castle. He's evil." 

SHIRO: "We have to do whatever we can to stop this war, Y/N." 

The memory of his hot breath on my icy neck shivers through me, his rough hands restraining my arms as I stare into the darkness of my blindfold. Shame floods over me, rage envelops my emotions as power threatens to burst from my veins. 

Y/N: "If he's here, then I'm not." I storm out of the detainment room, power and fear swirling creating a storm of memories. I can hear someone calling out my name but I speed up, one foot after the other until I'm far enough to let my shaking knees collapse. I fall to the floor, becoming enveloped in my own mind. Scenes from my past crawling from corners of my mind I didn't know existed. It's as if I'm back on that gulra cruiser, that evil monster violating my innocence, leaving shame to crawl over my skin leaving me vulnerable. Bruises and cuts spilling over as my tear ridden face remains still as ever; the darkness shrouding my eyes and emotions welling in my frail heart.

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Hours later embarrassment is all I can feel.

I shouldn't have stormed out like that, who knows what they all think of me now... I let my emotions take control...

In the distance I can yelling and crashing of swords, before I can think my feet lurch towards the noises. Keith's usually gentle voice echoing through the halls, rage and fear written through the words. 

LANCE: "Help! Help! Help!" I slide to a halt, craning my neck to see a terrified Lance banging on the door, the airlock threatening to open. Red lights flashing over him. I rush to the button to open it but a sword lunged right beside my head. I gasp rolling away before I can save Lance. 

KEITH: "What are you doing in there?!" 

LANCE: "I need help! Because if one of you doesn't get me out of here right now, I'm going to be sucked out into space!" 

Keith struggles to keep his balance against the gladiator, his other arm wrapped around my waist, keeping me from the swords slashing. 

COMPUTER: "Doors opening."

LANCE: "I'm getting sucked out into space!!!!!" 

Y/N: "I'm coming!!"  I break from Keith's protective grasp reaching quickly for the button, I press it, before the door opens the gladiator slashes my neck. I wince but grab Lance's hand, hauling him from space. Keith wraps his hands around my back as we manage to save Lance from the vacuum of space. 

We fall heaving to the ground. It's comforting steadiness hugging all three of us in a warming embrace. 

KEITH: "What were you doing out there?" 

LANCE: "Who was that guy?" 

KEITH: "He was trying to kill us!" Something flashes in Keith's mind, realisation.

LANCE: "Well is it the castle? Because that's who's trying to kill me?" 

Lance speeds down the hall so fast we can't even say Quiznak. 

I begin to stand up, forgetting that blood is streaming, hot and red from my neck. Before I can fully stand a hand grabs my hand, pulling me back to the floor. 

KEITH:" Your neck, did the gladiator do that?" 

Y/N: "Huh? Oh, yeah. It's okay though, just a little cut." 

KEITH: "It's pretty deep, come on, I'll wrap it for you." 

Before I can deny his offer, he's pulling me to the medical room and putting me on the stretcher inside the white, hospital-like room. Pidge told me about those. 

KEITH:" I'll wrap it in plasters, it might hurt a bit though." I nod, supressing the blush threatening my cheeks. 

He searches a few cupboards before finding plasters, he comes over to me, unwrapping the plasters. 

His steady breath is hot on my neck as he leans closer to ease the bleeding. He's so close I can feel my face prickling with red. I stare at his focused face, my eyes falling to his soft lips. 

I quickly avert my gaze as I see his eyes follow up to my face. I look back warily as a smirk spreads across his perfect... lips...

KEITH: "Am I that attractive?" He says smugly, never moving his calm eyes from mine. 

I feel heat spread over my face as he straightens his back to move closer to my face. He angles his head slightly to look at mine. He leans even closer to me and I feel my heart beating so hard I thought it would explode.

What is this feeling?  Hunk explained some emotions to me, but never one like this...

He pulls away, I see the same red flush over his skin, just like mine.

KEITH: "L-looks like you're all better. I-I'll be going now..."

Y/N: "Wait-" I don't know why I said that, but I did. 

KEITH: "Y-Yes?" 

Y/N: "I don't know why, but my heart..." 

KEITH: "Your heart?" 

Y/N: "It's beating so fast, I- I don't know what to think..." 

He smiles, a little shocked at what I said. I wait for an answer but all that comes is the brightest smile I've ever seen on his calm face. His eyes meet mine and they look, less sad... more happy. 

I can't help but grin, so wide I want it to embrace everything. Happiness...