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It started off as any other day. They ate breakfast, sparred, killed some bots. Listened to such motivating Allura's quotes on how "they have to get better or they will die".
Nothing new.
For Lance it was a little struggle, it was tougher than normal, but it was just his depression acting. He should really visit a therapist when they come back home eventually.
He was trying to focus on the talk, Coran was now explaining how the government and culture works on Albeiian, a planet they were supposed to visit today. From the overall picture it was a place with dull coloration, that looked similar to Earth, with breathable atmosphere and water. The most visible difference however was the sky that varieted in colors from orange to dark red, depending on the time of a day. It was actually the only thing which bring so much colors to the planet, everything else, because of poor pigmentation and the lack of access to natural resources, was rather dull and gray. So...bla, bla, bla...
" God, Lance, just try to focus! "
He was really trying to stay in touch with reality, but it seems like today just wasn't a day for it.
The truth is Lance was feeling really shitty today. He felt tired and bad...just bad. Did he even have a reason to feel all this emotions?
He was surely homesick, everyone knew that. Family meant everything to the boy, he was responsible for his younger siblings, he was supposed to be helping his mum. Even in Garrison, he still wrote them at least a letter each week. God, he loves them so much! A simple letter wasn't much, but he knew they wouldn't forgot him that way. But now... he couldn't. He was helpless.
It was something darker and more destructive than actual longing... he felt it eating up on him every day a little bit more. And Lance was scared. Universe is such a huge endless void, where he is just a small, meaningless human being.
He shot back into reality when Coran ended his speech enthusiastically. They should arrive there by sunset, so that they have all day remaining to venture out.
Great.
Maybe these aliens will have some nice drinks to offer? He would like to drink something good finally, not only food goo and artificial water. Maybe something similar to Earth things such as Cola or Apple Cider?
It would be nice.
Unfortunately, the whole lot of planets already visited didn't have anything even comparable to that. Maybe at least this time luck will be on their side?
Lance wondered, in what shade of red the sky will be? Will it be crimson just like some mornings on the Veradero Beach? A peach color of a rich sundown? Who knows? Maybe this trip will remind him of a home, a place he so desperately tries to keep alive in his memory. He really hopes so.
As they finally reached the soft atmosphere surrounding the planet, Blue Paladin was getting more and more excited. If he hasn't missed any of THAT important parts of Coran's speech, all should go well. It should be just fine. It's kinda nice to be excited about something once more, and not to react on autopilot as every other day. Lance felt chills run down his spine. He didn't sleep well today, but somehow managed to keep his persona stable and unruffled as always.
Pretty good actor he was.
Well, dammit, here we go. No complaining now..
They should appear as proud and dignified Paladins, not barely adults, children they actually are. It's too late to act like a child. Future of a whole universe depends on them now, they like it or not. Getting one more Allie surely won't hurt.
Get yourself together Lance!
The castle landed on the basic green spot without trees and bigger plants, the team's faces plastered to the windows.
God it was sick.
It was crazy.
The sky really was Crimson now, red as a blood. Surprisingly, as they stepped outside the air turned out colder than he expected. Well, it's no one's fault that reds and oranges are associated with rather warm things.
It's just a human thing I guess - Wondered Lance.
Allura on the lead, Paladins behind, all admired the beauty of the planet. A King ( Røben was it? Or Roghen? Shit, he didn't remember ), awaited them on the clearing, members of the council and royal family by his side. He was visibly impatient to get to meet famous Voltron Warriors.
Yeah, warriors. Rather kids in tight, rainbow armor, but let it go for now. They were already called saviors, and they will be called that some more if they got to beat Zarkon's ass. He should get comfortable around all this popularity while he still can. He should be happy they were still winning against the galra. Because by some unknown miracle, THEY were supposed to end the terror holding the Universe in fear and surrender for hundreds of years by now.
Them:
Seven creatures Vs the Emperor of the Evil and his merciless army.
Easy-Peasy.
Yeah.
What can possibly go wrong?
Allura bowed, he bowed, they all talked and... ughhh.
Gosh, brain, we are in the middle of the important meeting, PLEASE, pay enough attention to survive!
Easier said than done.
- Great Paladins of Voltron! We are glad than you considered us worthy to become a part of the coalition! We are yet to head to the castle, but before that I'm happy to inform you, that our planet accepted you and we Welcome you with our arms wide open. You were all assesed and passed the test possitevely. You are all so different, yet so strong and devoted. I'm once more honored to meet you. Now come, please.
And as they began to walk Lance thought, he surely hallucinated or so, because wait, were Allura's footsteps... glowing?
Oh my gosh, they were. They were fucking glowing, in a light violet. What's going on ?!
- Pidge, do you see...? - Started the boy.
- Oh, yeah, Coran mentioned it this morning, don't you remember? Planet reads you and reflects your charakter, your mood and feelings... and each colour symbolise something else!
Now, wasn't it great?
No.
The problem is, it wasn't great.
Not at all.
Because Lance doesn't feel good today, and he highly doubts that his faltering smile can cover the truth here.
He snickered.
- Nice joke Universe. Nice joke.
- What? - Pidge raised her head up.
- Nothing Pidgey, sorry. I'm just mumbling to myself.
- Pfft...
In the next moments a lot of events occured.
They entered the city filled with Albeiians, excited to see the saviours of the Universe. They cheered at them and waved, so Lance politely waved back.
It reminded him of his hometown, of his neighbours and friends he left behind.
Do they even know, that Lance is missing? Or were they fed some lies the Garrison created? Knowing the place, they would not let another failure slip to the public information. So they were probably stated as ''missing''.
Oh right.
Actually, they were probably assumed dead.
God you have to spiral downwards on the only planet which can read emotions? You can't wait with it, right? You pathetic looser.
No, Lance's thoughts were not nice. Not at all.
He sighed and kept walking, because let's be honest, what could he do about it?
NOTHING.
Oh God, they were still in the middle of the conversation. And here he is, not paying attention again.
- As you can see, our planet started visualising your emotions openly. I'm glad to see that you are all...
The King's gaze jumped from one person to another, holding onto Lance a bit longer, while he stopped mid-sentence.
- That we are all...what, Your Majesty? - Shiro broke the silence.
Lance already had a suspition of what happened. He shot his gaze to the ground, to be met with a set of colourful footprints that radiated brightly. Lance's included. It was only that...
The King spoke aloud adressing them to stop.
- As I already said, Albeiian accepted you. All seven. And now, it is in my responsibility to inform you what the colors mean.
He approach them.
- Please state your name and function.
Allura cleare her throat.
- I'm Allura, princess of Altea and daughter of King Alfor,
Røben nodded.
- Your steps shine with pink and violet. It symbolises love, care, compassion and good heart of yours. I'm happy that you are okay.
And the King bowed.
- It's a great moment when a team gets to know each other. We are honored, that we can participate in that process.
He walked to the next Paladin.
- And who are you?
- I'm Keith, pilot of the Red Lion.
- Your footprints are red. It tells that you are passionate, brave but a little impulsive too. You have a big heart that aim for greatness.
Lance started to feel uneasy as fuck.
- State your name please?
- Coran, a royal advisor from Altea.
Røben smiled.
- Your aura is green. It stands for happiness, strength and creativity. You are a good and loyal friend.
-Thank you, king Røben.
- Now you.
Shiro raised his head up high.
- Your color is grey. You carry a little sadness in yourself, but aside from that, it means tranquility, peace of mind, stabilization and protection. I'm sure that with these values you are the best suited one for the role of the leader.
- Thank you sir for the kind words - Replied the Black Paladin.
- It's just a truth.
Next was Hunk.
- My name is Hunk and I fly the Yellow Lion.
- A pleasure to meet you. Your color is yellow as well. It stands for optimism, happiness and warmth. You still might posses a heart of a child, but it just means being a ray of sunshine for others.
- Wow, that's.. that's nice.
King approached Pidge then.
- I thought my steps would be green since I'm the Green Paladin but...
Røben laughed.
- It's not working like that I'm afraid. Your color is orange. It signs that you are energetic, yoothfull and independent. You are creative and friendly. It's also a color of bravery.
- Cool - Said Pidge happily.
Lastly, King's eyes turned to Lance who smiled sadly.
Røben sighed deeply.
- And who are you?
Yea, who might you be?
What mask will you wear today?
Will you keep this act ongoing?
- I'm Lance, the Blue Paladin of Voltron.
Did he even believe his own words?
He didn't feel worthy of being a Paladin.
He just felt so out of it all.
- Hmm -Røben hummed -It's been some time since we saw your color here. Are you fine?
- I am, as much as conditions allow me.
Røben nodded.
Lance's voice echoed much more resigned that he was actually feeling. Much more... defeated. Much smaller.
- I see - He took a deep breath - Your color is Blue. It stands for trust, loyalty and calmless. You are smart and inspiring. Unfortunately, which I sense you are aware of, it symbolises also cold and loneliness. It represents a great sadness that flows inside you, and it slowly eats up on you. There.. there are very few people who I saw standing as tall and proud as you in this condition. In our society, it is a great experience to meet someone with your shade of blue. You bear so much on your shoulders... you feel so strongly in this foul world, you care more about others than about yourself...you sacrifice your own happiness for greater needs. There are not many who are able to live up to that color, not many who can survive this sadness. Your soul is tired, but it shines beautifully.
Lance smiled with understanding.
-Thank you Your Majesty.
Lance bowed calmly, and as he had done so, a few gasps erupted around him. Røben was standing in front of him, bowing too, even lower than Lance himself.
- Paladins, Pincess, let's talk about joining the coalition, shall we?
***
The negotiations went smoothly and soon the Alliance was created.
Say it, point it, name it - Lance wasn't paying attention at all. He was aware of concerned looks his team was giving him throughout the meeting, of Shiro's hand on his shoulder when it ended. But he just... shrugged it off, it wasn't nor the time, nor the place for the talk.
He slipped from the afterparty as soon as it started, not giving a fuck about alcohol really. Lance was glad Albeiians decided to help them in the fight against Galra Empire.He was. It was just his emotions that were off, and he didn't find it in himself to care anymore.
Shit, it was in particular just a bad day, and nothing, NOTHING could make it better. So he excused himself from the crowd and ended up on the balcony, finally able to let out a breath he didn't even noticed he was holding.
The air was colder here, and beautifully dark crimson sky stood out, calming the senses. Lance sat down on the balcony, legs hanging off the edge, his gaze directed at the vast space above him.
- Mind if I join you?
A friendly, familiar voice called out to him from the entrance. And Lance welcomed the King as his own brother, enjoying the understanding company.
- I, too, had a blue aura once - said Røben calmly.
Lance tilted his head at that statement.
- It was long time ago, back in the days I wasn't even a king yet. Our people value and respect the knowledge which comes with our color, so the stronger you feel, the more influence you have on others. But I know better - He cleared his throat - You are not in the good place now, Blue Paladin. And it's probably only getting worse.
Lance hummed at that. He might have got a liking to this planet and it's people more than he suspected. They were good and undemanding to him, unlike many others met along the way.
- How did you get out ? - Asked the boy with curiosity. - How is it, that you were not swallen by this void ?
- I never said I wasn't - Answered the King to his surprise - I just happened to have more friends than my own demons. They helped me to conquer the darkness, and got me back to the light. But the dark never left. We both know, that you can't beat this darkness - it's always there, however humble. Waiting to reappear when the time will come. And we, practically as separate species created with fear, sadness and demise, are the only ones who can truly understand the horror of being alive. We experience a personal end of the world every day, and it requiers unimaginable amount of strength to keep fighting in this sick game. Now tell me - your friends are good to you, are they not?
Lance shrugged.
- I guess they are.
- You should keep them close. Talk with them openly. Let them help you. - He streched a hand with a cup - Here. Take it.
The Blue Paladin furrowed his brows.
- What is it?
- Water. Just water. It might help to clear your thoughts - He smiled - I must go brave Paladin Lance, but I won't forget our talk. I hope for better days for you to come in the future. Let the stars shine upon you, and lead you back home safely. Take care.
As the King's shadow dissapeared in the crowd Lance got lost in his thoughts again. It was a cold breeze which made him come inside the castle. There he was met with his team, clearly waiting for him as they offered him a weak smile.
It was only his decision to make, and maybe the time to act has finally come. If not now, then when?
- Hi guys -He said shyly - I think we should have a talk.
The stars shined brighter than ever that night.
The tender heart shared a burden, that was so long carried alone.
At the end Blue felt that he could soar in the sky maybe a little longer.
Couse he felt loved and needed and heared.
And that was all that mattered for now.