You were walking in the hallway of the castle. You had just come back from Voltron training and were still wearing your armour. Coran had asked you all to meet him in the dining room when you got back. It worried you, cause you never knew what Coran had up his sleeve.

"(Y/N)!" Someone called you from behind. You turned around to see Pidge running after you. "Could you let Coran know I won't be coming." Pidge said with a troubled expression. "Why?" You asked her. "I'm going to go see the prisoners. They should start waking up soon." Pidge explained, talking about the prisoners she and Shiro had saved from the Galra ship.

You knew Pidge wanted information they might have. She hoped that they would have some answers about her father and brother. You could see that she was worried. And you felt yourself helpless as you couldn't do anything to ease her mind.

"You want some company?" You put your hand on her shoulder. But she just shook her head. "No, no. It's fine. I'll just try talking to them." She tried smiling at you, even though you could see that it was fake.

"I hope they know something." You squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. "Me too." She gave you a quick hug and walked away, like she was in a rush. And as you looked after her, you felt worried.

Even though she was one of those persons that could handle themselves well, you still felt the need to protect her from the world. And even though you were different age, from different backgrounds and different views on the world, she was still your best friend. Without her, you probably wouldn't even be there. She had changed your life.

But for now, you decided to trust her to handle herself and continued your way to the dining room. And as you entered it, you sat around the dining table and looked around at everyone. Your Voltron training had started to flow pretty well. You had learned to work better as a team. That mornings training with Keith had also left you feeling energetic. It had made you feel something that you hadn't felt in ages. You felt carefree.

And it seemed like everyone else were feeling really good too. "Great job training today. We're really getting the hang of Voltron." Shiro thanked everyone. "Seriously, how far do you think my Lion kicked that broken alien ship? Must have been like a mile!" Lance spoke enthusiastically.

"Yeah, that'll come in handy when the Galra challenges Voltron to a soccer match." Keith replied to him sarcastically. "Hey, I did something cool and you can't handle it. I get it." Lance smirked at Keith, trying to challenge him. And you rolled your eyes. There they go again. And you had almost started to think that they were getting along.

"Your kick ruined our balance. We fell!" Keith raised his voice as he spread his arms. And Lance looked back at him with a piercing glare. That's when you intervened.

"Alright, alright, we get it. You disagree. Let's leave it at that." You stopped them with a slight smile. Keith looked like he wanted to say something, but decided to keep quiet. And just then Coran rushed in.

"Hello guys, and gal! How was the Voltron workout?" Coran came to you with a covered plate. And you immediately had a bad feeling. When it came to Coran, you never knew what he would do. Those Alteans were different than humans. You thought that you could read them, but they surprised you every time.

"Are you and Allura almost done fixing the castle so we can leave this planet? I feel like we're sitting ducks here on Arus." Shiro asked Coran, changing the subject.

"Just about. In the meantime, to get your minds off those duck seats you're so worried about, I made you authentic ancient Paladin lunch." Coran put the plate on the table and revealed what was inside.

You immediately groaned as the smell got to you. It was so bad. And suddenly everyone started to look nauseous. "Coran, you just got me hooked on the goo and now you're switching it up?" Hunk groaned, sounding way too desperate.

And you let out a deep sigh. You were already so fed up with this Altean cuisine. The green goo started to be tolerable already, but that new stuff just looked too awful. You all could easily adapt to pretty much anything, but still you kept fantasizing about all the Earth foods you missed.

Hunk leaned towards the food on the table, taking a sniff. "Oh, it smells disgusting!" He yelled in distaste. And if Hunk said so, then you believed it. And that was it, Coran broke Hunk. He suddenly stormed out of the room mumbling something about spicing things up. And everyone went quiet. Coran was left speechless as his dinner didn't go down as well as he expected.

"I miss Earth food." You sighed leaning on your hand. "I know." Keith, who looked a bit nauseous too, said quietly. "Why is everything here some sort of goo?" You asked out loud. And Coran seemed to get a bit offended by that. "Don't you guys have a sense of smell!?" Lance protested about the smell while holding his nose.

Just then Shiro raised his voice. "Where is Pidge?" He asked while looking around. "Yes sorry, I was going to tell you. Pidge is with the prisoners." You told him. And suddenly Shiro seemed to get serious. He left the room without saying anything. But you knew that he was connected to Pidge's father and brother too. So it wasn't a wonder that he wanted to talk to the prisoners too.

And just when Shiro left, Hunk rushed back in. He put bowls full of delicious looking food in front of you all. And you looked at the food amazed. To your wonder, it resembled Earth food. Hunk was definitely some kind of a wizard. "These look amazing Hunk!" You gasped.

Lance grabbed one of the bowls in a flash and started gulping down the food. Keith followed soon after. And they were eating like they hadn't had food in ages. "Oh Hunk, you genius, gorgeous man!" Lance yelled in delight. "Hunk, this is so good." Keith joined in.

You didn't hesitate either and took one of the bowls. Carefully you inspected it, and it smelled pretty good. You tasted it and felt like you could burst with joy. "Oh Hunk, I love you!" You sighed excited.

Hunk glanced at you and smiled the worlds most adorable smile, seemingly delighted. Keith just glanced at you between his eating, but Lance almost choked on his food. "Love!? What haven't you been telling me Hunk!?" He spoke with his mouth full of food.

"Come on Lance, what are we? Seven?" You looked at him not amused. "Well, I think you're ten." Lance responded with a grin. And you rolled your eyes.

Just then Allura entered the dining room. And as she saw you all eating with delight, she clasped her hands together happily. "They like the Paladin lunch!" She stated overjoyed. But Coran just groaned while looking away. "I don't want to talk about it."

"I just got the final booster working. We should be able to leave soon and take the fight to Zarkon." Allura told you proudly. But you weren't paying her much attention as you were concentrating on your food. And at that point you were so happy that Hunk was there with you. The feeling of finally eating something decent was heavenly.

But soon you were interrupted by blaring alarms. And everyone stopped eating. Allura immediately opened up a holographic screen showing an image from the entrance of the castle. And there you saw a small creature with horns. It was yelling something at the door before running away to hide.

Keith suddenly stood up as if he was ready to go that instant. "What is that?" He asked frowning. "I don't know what it is. Maybe it's a local Arusian." Allura looked at the creature. You had never seen anything like that, but it was really cute as it again emerged from the hiding and yelled something at the front door.

"Doesn't look too dangerous." Lance said with a delighted smile on his face. "It seems scared." You said while looking at the small creature. "And he's so cute!" Hunk held his cheeks in awe.

"You never know." Keith said while taking out his bayard just in case. And you realised that he had tensed up. Why was he so guarded when everyone else felt relaxed? "No. Alteans believe in peace first. Let's go welcome them." Allura stated strictly, looking at Keith.

And that's what you did. You went to welcome the small creature. But as you arrived to the front door of the castle, you didn't see the creature anywhere. Trying to look more closely, you finally spotted the creature hiding in a bush. And it seemed scared and defiant at the same time.

"Greetings. We know you're there." Allura stated in a friendly tone. But when it seemed like the creature wasn't coming out, you looked at Allura. And she nodded at you. Like she had said before, you had a knack for reading living beings. So you decided to try.

You carefully approached the bush where the creature was in. You walked silently, not to scare it. "No harm will come to you. You can come out." You said with a soft and soothing tone, trying to make the creature relax.

But the creature jumped out of the bush, pointing a sword at you. "Wait. He could be dangerous. Drop your weapon!" Keith rushed next to you and tried to block the creature from getting to you. You flinched a bit but immediately put your hand on Keith's chest, trying to stop him.

"Don't. It's okay." You said to Keith, as calm as before. He looked at the creature, and then you. And he seemed to calm down a bit. You looked at him when you realised that you still had your hand on his chest. And you quickly took it away, feeling slightly bashful.

And when Keith finally moved back, the creature opened his mouth. "I am Klaizap, bravest of our warriors. Our village is over Gazrel Hill. I come seeking answers as to why the Lion Goddess is angered with her followers." The creature yelled defiantly.

But you kneeled down calmly and looked at the Arusian. "Hello Klaizap, I am (Y/N), a Paladin of Voltron. Nice to meet you brave warrior." You smiled at the creature, who seemed a bit confused as it went quiet. Unlike the others behind you. "Followers?" Coran asked. "The Lion Goddess?" Hunk asked.

That's when Klaizap turned towards a Lion statue carved from an ancient rock, next to the castle. "The one the ancients spoke of." Klaizap stated proudly, pointing at the statue. "And what makes you think she's angered?" You asked calmly.

"Destruction is everywhere. In the past few suns, fire has rained from the heavens and a giant has danced in the sky." Klaizap explained terrified. And you looked at him sympathetically. "Don't be afraid. You have not angered the Lion Goddess." You explained to Klaizap who still seemed confused. Then you pointed at Allura. "That is Princess Allura, and this is her castle."

"Lion Goddess!" Klaizap immediately gasped, starting to bow at Allura. And she got a bit confused of the sudden attention. "Please stand, and let us meet your village, brave soldier." Allura stated in a very royal manner. But Keith cut her off. "What about our mission to get off this planet and fight Zarkon?" He asked frustrated. You glanced at him, trying to shut him up. But you were too late.

Klaizap looked at Keith and tensed up again. And as you saw that, you immediately tried to make him feel at ease again. "It's alright. He is our brave warrior, but he would never do anything bad to you, or your village." You explained, trying to make him calm down. And that seemed to do the trick.

"Good to meet another brave warrior." Klaizap then smiled at Keith. "Part of Paladins mission is to spread peace and diplomacy. Arus has been our host for 10,000 years. These people deserve our thanks." Allura said quietly and firmly to Keith, who just crossed his arms and sighed.

Soon you ended up following Klaipaz to his village. And what a cute village it was. All of the Arusians were so welcoming. They swarmed around you all. And you had a small meltdown because of the cuteness overload. They were just too cute.

Then an Arusian with a cape and a big horn showed up in front of you. "Oh Lion Goddess. I, King of the Arusians, formally beg your forgiveness. Please have mercy on us and accept our traditional Dance of Apology as atonement for our wrongdoings." The King bowed politely.

Allura was a bit confused, but still kept her poise. And when she didn't decline, the King clapped twice and a female Arusian showed up. "Commence Dance of Apology! Hoorah!" The King cheered. And the female started to dance. And she danced like her life depended on it while an uptempo music was playing.

And while all the Arusians were cheering, Allura became bothered instead. "There's no need for this." She tried to explain. And that's when the music stopped immediately. "The Goddess has refused the apology. Start the sacrificial fire. We must throw ourselves in!" The King suddenly commenced. And everyone gasped as the Arusians really were starting a fire.

"No! No sacrifices!" Allura yelled aloud, trying to stop them. "So, we may proceed with the dance?" The King looked back at Allura, asking for her permission. And she agreed. "That's a better alternative." She almost sighed in relief when the Arusians stopped with the fire.

And when the dance continued again, you remembered how you and your roommate May sometimes put the music on loud and danced to your heart's content back at the Garrison. It was always so much fun. And you wondered what she thought when you had just left all of a sudden. Did she think you had gone missing? And was Earth still safe?

When the dance was over, Allura told the Arusians about Voltron, and how you would protect their village. "Let it be known that Voltron will protect every innocent being throughout the universe!" Allura mightily announced. And the Arusians cheered happily and started to surround you all. You petted one's head and smiled. They were just too cute.

Then you saw Klaizap coming towards you. And you kneeled down. "Hello there, brave warrior." You said to him smiling. And that stopped Klaizap. And for some reason he seemed a bit flustered. And then he started to stutter a bit. "Hello. Do you...umm, would you...do me the honor and come with me to the lake?" He asked while shyly looking away.

"A lake?" You asked puzzled. "It's a place where we take the ones we want to court." Klaizap still asked while slightly averting his gaze. And your eyes widened in surprise. You heard as Lance, Hunk and Keith gasped behind you. They were as puzzled by the turn of events as you were.

"Ummmm..." You didn't know what to say as you turned to look at the others. You were totally baffled. And the others were just looking at you silently, wondering what you would do.

You tried to gather your thoughts as you turned to Klaizap again. And you saw his big eyes looking back at you. "Listen, Klaizap. We are about to leave this planet. I might not ever come back here." You tried to explain calmly.

Klaizap seemed a bit disappointed but still continued. "What if you come back?" He asked earnestly. And it just made you feel more uneasy. "I probably won't, and..." You tried desperately to think of something. And the first thing that came to your mind was your Lion. "...and I'm kinda bonded already." You hesitantly said since you didn't want to offend the Arusian.

Klaizap seemed to frown as he first looked at you and then the others behind you. Then he suddenly pointed at Keith angrily. "Is it that brave warrior? I can fight him!" He said defiantly. And you immediately waved your hands in denial. "No, no." You corrected Klaizap as you looked back to see Keith flustered.

That's when Lance realised you were struggling and decided to help. He suddenly came to your side and put his arm around you. "It's me!" Lance said proudly and smirked to Klaizap.

You felt a bit flustered but gladly accepted his help. Or so you thought before Lance started to overdo it. "Yes. We are together. This here is my girl! So don't you try anything, mister." Lance looked at Klaizap defiantly while tightening the hold he had on you. You tried to glare at Lance to make him stop, but just then, he suddenly put his lips on yours and kissed you. And you heard Hunk and Keith gasping behind you.

Your eyes widened from the surprise. You didn't expect Lance to do anything like that. And you quickly pulled away, glaring at him angrily. But he just smiled the most widest smile he probably had. "Lance! What are you doing?" Keith commented from behind. "Can't you see? Kissing my girlfriend!" Lance commented back while looking at Keith victoriously.

You tried to gather your thoughts quickly as you kneeled down again. You looked at Klaizap, who seemed a bit confused from all the hassle going on. "You see. But if I wasn't...with him, you would be my first choice." You said while mentally slapping yourself for the poor choice of words.

Then you put your hand on Klaizap's face and stroked it gently. He looked at you quite happily from the touch. "That is a shame. But if you ever chance your mind, you know where to find me." Klaizap still said to you before leaving.

After Klaizap was gone, you took a deep breath. Then you got up and turned to Lance. "What the hell Lance!?" You punched his side with your fist. "Ouch!" He yelped. "Thanks for helping me, but you didn't have to go so overboard!" You looked at him straight in they eyes, trying to get your point through.

"It had to be believable." Lance just smirked back. "Shut up Lance!" You still hissed at him angrily. And as you glanced at the others, you saw Hunk smiling while Keith just averted his gaze.

"I thought you looked cute together." Hunk said. And you immediately punched his side too. "Shut up!" You said as you started walking away. You were so pissed. And you knew that everyone was staring at you while you stormed away, but you didn't care.

You went to sit further from everyone. You were so angry. What the hell Lance? That stupid idiot. You knew he was trying to help, but at the same time he loved to get reactions out of people. You knew that Lance would start to feel like a good friend over time. You liked his company, he made you feel carefree. But you still didn't want him to kiss you. And you didn't want your personal space intruded like that, without your consent. It just made you crawl back into your shell.

You let out a deep sigh. You tried to calm yourself down, but it was hard. And suddenly you missed Pidge. She would have loved that village and those cute Arusians.

And just then, all of a sudden, you felt the ground starting to shake. You heard a rumbling sound coming from up above and saw something breaking through the atmosphere. You quickly got up. What was that?

You looked up with wide eyes. Something was falling down with immense speed. And that couldn't be anything good. The Arusians started to scream and run everywhere, scared of what was coming.

"We got to get to our Lions!" You heard Keith shouting a bit further away. And you immediately started to run back to the castle as fast as you could. You had to help the village from whatever would come. You had promised the villagers to protect them. That was your job as a Paladin of Voltron.