Voltron: Descendants (remake)

Episode 4: An Empty Throne

The palace on the inside is just as, if not more grand than it is from the outside. Isla looks around as they walk, starstruck, and Coran smiles at her reaction.
"Quite the place eh? My grandfather helped build it." He says, beaming with pride. Isla looks at him, almost more starstruck than before.
"Your grandfather did? It's amazing! It must have taken forever!"
"Not with my grandfather working on it! He was the best of the best, he built every palace on this planet. The ship your parents originally stayed in was actually a palace of sorts, which of course my grandfather also built."
"Woah! That's so cool!" She exclaims, pulling her arms to her chest excitedly. Coran smiles warmly, looking around himself. They arrive at a set of large doors, and Coran glances down at Isla. She notices the lack of door knobs.
"Oh! Right, I got this." She says, gently placing her hands on the doors. After a moment, the blue light appears and the doors slide open. Inside is a giant hall, decorated with large, ripped and battered curtains covering each window, the windows themselves going from the floor to the roof. Some have been shattered, and long flowering vines have crawled in from the openings and attached to the roof. The head of the hall, to their right, is a set of stairs leading up to three beautiful thrones, each with an intricate design on the back. To their left, a large table stretches the expanse of the hall horizontally, seemingly for catering. Isla gasps at the sight of it.
"This is amazing! I didn't think I'd ever see a castle, or a ballroom!" She says, wandering inside. Coran glances back before entering, and notices the other kids and Pidge on their way. He waves them over, and enters after Isla.
"This was where King Alfor held dances and large events. Him and the lovely queen sat atop those stairs, and little Allura used to mingle with the guests. Once she was around your age, she would remain in the smaller throne with her parents." He explains. Isla looks up at the thrones, and back at him for a second. She wanders towards the stairs, and Coran remains in the main part of the hall while the others walk in looking around.
"Woooah this is huge!" Erik exclaims, spinning around as he enters.
"Yeah, this is cool! Are those thrones? Dude look at those windows!" Abbey says, looking all around at a quick pace. Kade stops next to Coran.
"This... this is really amazing..." he says, jaw dropped.
"It really is quite the hall, I never thought I'd see a palace in real life." Evelyn says. Coran chuckles.
"Yes, Isla said the same thing when we entered. I never thought I'd be back here again." He responds, looking around at the kids wandering about. Up at the top of the stairs, Isla is examining the thrones closer. Each one has a specific design on it to reflect its owner. The queen's throne had beautiful swirls, hearts, and stars on it. Isla pictures her as a healer. The kings throne has a slew of different designs, ranging from many materials to different symbols. She wonders if it represents other species. She pictures someone very diplomatic. The last throne, a tad smaller than the other two, was adorned with juniberries and stars. Isla gently places a hand on one of them, tracing it and thinking about her species. Before she knows it, the other kids are behind her looking at the thrones as well.
"Oh! Hey, you guys caught up!" She says, startled by them.
"Yeah, no way we're letting you explore a castle without us." Abbey responds.
"So this is like, your moms throne?" Erik asks. Isla nods.
"Cool... the designs on them are so intricate..." Evelyn observes. Kade just looks quietly.
"Why not take a seat?" A voice from behind them asks. They turn and see Coran and Pidge climbing the stairs, and Coran continues.
"While it was your mothers throne, by this point in your lives she would have taken her late mothers throne. This one would be yours, and they would redo the work on the back to match you. Though, I can't picture it would change much." When he finishes talking, Isla looks back at the throne and considers it. Eventually, she carefully takes a seat and looks out at the others. Her face goes a little red.
"It's kind of... embarrassing..." she says sheepishly. Abbey chuckles and sits on the arm.
"How about now?" She asks, leaning back and crossing her arms. Isla laughs.
"Yeah it's way less embarrassing. It doesn't really feel real..."
"I mean it's kinda cool though. I mean I can literally tell people I'm friends with a princess." Erik says. Isla laughs again, face going more red. The group remains there for a little bit, chatting for a while and enjoying looking at the hall. Pidge finally addresses them.
"Hey, this has been really nice, and I hate to bring down the mood, but your parents must be really worried and I wanna sort out communications soon if that's good with you guys?"
"Oh! Right, you're right." Isla says. "We have been here for a while now. And I wanna talk to papa and dad..."
"Yeah, we had a little mental break from this at least so that was nice." Evelyn adds. They start down the stairs, until Abbey calls back.
"Isla? You coming?" The others look back, and Isla is still sitting.
"Yeah... I just wanted to look at the hall from here for another second. It's really nice... feeling kind of important..." She sighs, then goes to get up before Coran walks back up and puts a hand out. She tilts her head.
"Please, Princess. Allow me to help you!" He says, still holding his hand out and smiling. Isla beams, and takes his hand dramatically.
"If you insist, kind sir!" He helps her up, and she hops down the stairs giggling, the others following in tow.
"Oh your highness, this ball is absolutely exquisite!" Abbey says mockingly, spinning as though she's wearing a gown.
"Yes quite. I must say the chefs absolutely outdid themselves." Erik adds, making an 'okay' sign with his hand and sticking his nose up. Isla laughs more with every joke they make. They dance dramatically through the hall together, giggling and joking. Pidge can't help but sigh happily watching them.
"I'm just glad they're all close already... and they can handle a situation like this so well. We definitely had a rough time getting it together as a team, but... I have a feeling these kids will be okay." She says to Coran while they walk behind the kids. Coran nods.
"Yes, I remember it well! The lot of you were quite a mess in the beginning. It was a miracle you formed Voltron the first time. These kids are close already as you say, which I'm sure is a great help in keeping them calm." He responds. They continue through the palace, stopping here and there to hear an explanation from Coran about different rooms. Finally they reach a type of hub, and step inside following Coran.
"This is the room we were really looking for! This, is the center of communications. It's where king Alfor held long distance meetings between the planets within his circle! Any technology best for working on communications should be in here." He explains. Pidge and Evelyn look around excitedly.
"Oh sweet! Evelyn come check this out!" Pidge says, she's already got a panel open and is digging around. While Evelyn and Pidge fish around the place for pieces to use, the others explore the general space. Isla and Abbey come upon the central platform, and Coran walks over to them.
"This here is where King Alfor stood while in communication. These two structures on either side of you-" he holds a hand out to each- "are what we use to control everything in here. You place a hand on each one, and put your quintessence through it to power it." He explains. Abbey jokingly tries to do it, and Isla giggles.
"Sucks man. I better get like radiated or something out here so I can get cool powers too." She says, half joking this time.
"Don't worry Abbey, I bet auntie Pidge could make you some really cool gear and you'll get to do whatever you want! And plus, you're gonna be the best fighter out of all of us cause you're so skilled already!" She says excitedly. Abbey smiles proudly and crosses her arms.
"Well, I guess I am pretty skilled. Dude if I had alien powers? I'd be unstoppable, nobody could beat me in a battle. I'll have to think of something cool to ask Pidge to make for me..." she starts plotting, and Isla smiles. Coran sighs with joking concern. Erik and Kade wander up on the platform as well.
"So, as freaky as this is we all agree this is kinda fun right? Like I can't be the only one having a good time exploring." Erik says. They all look at each other, and eventually nod.
"Yeah, that landing was rough and like- I feel kinda guilty about disappearing with the lions and all that but I never thought I'd get to be on an alien planet. Or fly a ship of any kind for that matter." Abbey adds. Kade sighs.
"Yeah... I'm a little worried. But honestly I agree, I would be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying myself." Kade says, leaning on the guard rail that circles the platform.
"It's been nice... I never really knew what to ask about mom since... I didn't really know about any of this stuff. So all I knew was that she was a princess of an alien race that didn't exist anymore, and that she was also part of voltron. It's just been really fun seeing all this stuff she probably used to know so well... but I also miss papa and dad, I wanna see them as soon as possible..." she finishes, crossing her arms over her torso and sighing. It's suddenly obvious to the others how tired she looks, and Kade very gently moves over to her, placing a hand softly on her shoulder.
"Don't worry Isla, we'll see them soon. We've found plenty of communications tech for Pidge to use, and she'll sort it out in no time. I bet our parents are just waiting to hear from us. Then we can figure out where to go from here safely." He says in a calm, reassuring tone. Isla smiles.
"Yeah... you're right. I don't think I've ever been this far from papa though. I guess it just makes me anxious..." she adds. Kade gives her a little hug and pats her head.
"Don't worry, I promise we'll all be keeping each other safe. Right guys?"
"Duh. Not gonna let some bad guys get the jump on me, I'll have them on the ground before they can say quiznack." Abbey says confidently.
"Yeah, I mean look at us! We're like, paladins or whatever like our parents were, which means we're a team. I scratch your back, you scratch mine!" Erik adds.
"Uh yeah, plus you've got two geniuses here. If anything goes wrong it'll be fixed in no time!" Evelyn calls from the panel that she's sitting in front of. She now has a slew of wires and crystals at her feet, and a few pieces of metal.
"Thanks guys... I'm sorry. I think I'm getting a little used to being away from home... I'm sure I'll be okay with all this stuff in no time, especially with you guys always cheering me up!" Isla says, now putting on a rather cheerful face. Kade notices Coran giving him a smirk with a raised eyebrow.
"Uh... Coran? Something the matter..?" He asks, nervous all of a sudden.
"Oh no, not at all! Just thinking about your lions is all!"
"Our... lions?" He asks. Coran nods.
"Yes, you see each lion portrays a specific set of traits for its chosen paladin. I'm just beginning to see why each of you were chosen for your lions. Especially you, Kade. Black has chosen you as its paladin, and black takes on the role of leader." He explains. Kades eyes widen at the word 'leader.'
"L-leader? Me??"
"Absolutely!"
"But... um... are you sure? I don't know... a leader? You know I always kinda figured it would be Abbey since she's the most confident..." he protests. Coran shakes his head.
"Just now, and even earlier, you portrayed the true mark of a leader. Perhaps I should let you learn for yourself what that means..." he thinks. Kade just sighs.
"Don't get me all anxious if you're not even gonna tell me..." he says, lowering his head in defeat. Abbey chuckles and pats him on the back.
"Don't worry about it dude, we can work out the 'leader' stuff later. If you really want I can be the leader for a while, but if what Coran says is true about the lions then maybe I'll have to give you some lessons in confidence?" She says. Kade sighs again.
"Uh- maybe. We can work that out after we sort all this out..." he suggests. Abbey just shrugs and wanders over to Pidge.
"So, do you have what you need Auntie Pidge?"
"Just about, yeah. Once I've got all this together we can head back to the lions and I'll start working on it." She responds. Evelyn helps her pack up all the pieces they gathered, and they get ready to go.
"So are we gonna like... sleep in the lions?" Erik asks while they walk back. Pidge thinks.
"I guess? For now anyways, it'll only be until we can figure out getting home and all that. I'd feel... disrespectful, using any rooms here." She gestures to the ghost town. They all nod.
"Makes sense, I don't really mind sleeping in the lions. I mean we planned to basically camp out tonight anyways, the lions will be arguably more comfortable than sleeping on the ground." Abbey adds. They agree to the idea, and start to settle into their lions while Pidge works away outside, Coran helping her out.
"Can... can you guys hear me?" A little voice comes from blue over the intercoms.
"Yep. What's up little blue?" Erik responds from yellow. The nickname earns a few laughs.
"If we're gonna give lion-based nicknames I'm gonna start calling you dump truck or something." Abbey jokes.
"Ugh. I think my lion just actually gagged at that." He says in a grossed out tone. There's another round of laughter before Kade speaks.
"It's nice that we can like... chat. From afar that is, like if we're flying these? We can talk still and hear from each other..."
"That's what I was thinking... I kinda just wanted to talk until we fall asleep... um- if that's okay?" Isla responds.
"I don't see why not. To be honest I'm a little anxious. Like... what's going on back on earth right now? Our parents must be freaked..." Evelyn adds. There's a moment of silence.
"I was supposed to come to space at some point. With my mom and dad." Erik breaks the moment of quiet. "Cause... mom wanted to show me the planet she grew up on. And apparently dad played a huge role in like, saving the whole planet once, back when they were enslaved by the Galra. Dad made a promise to mom to save them, and then when he fulfilled his promise and they helped the planet survive, that's when they fell in love. That's what they told me anyways. I'm wondering if like... maybe we'll see moms planet on the way home..." he finishes. There's another moment of silence.
"Me too." Kade says quietly. "I was... also supposed to go to space. Really soon. Like... we were planning it two nights ago kind of soon. I'm supposed to be able to do stuff with the elements. My species apparently does a 'coming of age' ceremony that dad only recently told me about. It like gives us a connection to the elements or something through our planet, and we can bend them how we want. I was super excited... I was gonna keep it a secret from you guys and surprise you, but I'm not sure if I'll be doing that ceremony anytime soon..." he trails off.
"I don't get any cool alien powers but dad was gonna take me to train with the blade someday. I think I'm ready but he wants to wait until I'm older. Probably should have taken me already considering this situation." Abbey adds in. They continue talking about their plans, and how things have changed regarding them, and what they might do instead now that they're so far into space. Eventually, they slowly quiet down until all of them are sleeping peacefully. Outside, Pidge and Coran finish up the project and head into the lions, Pidge joins Evelyn in green and Coran joins Isla in blue. They rest as well, preparing for a long day ahead.