Fifty-Five

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"Trëd is deactivating the shield!"

Aneira nodded and dashed to the bay.

Keith clenched his jaw, gripping Lance's jacket tighter around himself. His eyes stayed glued to the screen, heart racing.

"Ship is launching from prison quadrant three. Preparing tracking launch." Coran's fingers flew across the panel.

Matthew stood beside Shiro's seat, gripping his shoulder.

Allura stood tense on her pedestal. "Aneira is launched and on her way to rescue Kolivan." She stated aloud, not even the mice on her shoulders any source of comfort.

"The ship is preparing for hyper drive!" Coran shouted, shipping at screens popping up over his dash.

"Launch the tracking drone!" Allura commanded and Coran immediately obeyed.

All intently watched the screen, Pidge sighed in relief as the green confirmation of activation popped up just before the battle cruiser vanished into hyper speed.

Keith curled up, watching the screen intently. He hugged his knees to his chest. "Is Lance really on that ship?"

Allura nodded. "He has to be. Trëd has no other reason to put the shield down. Aneira, you have one hundred-thirty-seven ticks left."

"Copy that, princess."

Shiro stared, waiting for the ship to stop.

"It's slowing down." Coran muttered, brows furrowing. "Hyper speed was cancelled and they're now traveling at normal speeds."

"Then we should go! Wormhole to them!" Keith shouted, sitting upright.

Allura shook her head, eyes on the screen. "We have to wait for Aneira. They also haven't landed yet."

"What if there's a fleet there waiting for us!? We can't fight a whole fleet in our current situation!" Keith snapped.

Shiro tilted his head to look back to the red paladin. "I know you're impatient. I know you want him back her as soon as possible, we all do. But we need to be patient. Lance is strong. He's held on this long, he can hold on for just a few more ticks. The moment Aneira and Kolivan are on board, we're going after Lance."

Keith clenched his jaw to keep his lip from trembling as his eyes stung. He nodded.

All of them looked up as Aneira's voice came over the speakers. "I've got Kolivan with me now! We're on our way back to the castle!"

Keith jumped as his panel flashed, then wilted as he heard Pike crying.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Pike sobbed.

Hunk leaned over. "I'll go get him before he wakes Rosie."

Keith shook his head and stood. "No, I'll get him... Tell me once we're on our way."

Allura nodded firmly to him, assuringly meeting his gaze.

~

Lance bellowed, charging again for the beast. The beast roared, swinging his mace. Lance skidded to the side, ducking under the blades. He swung around, grabbing onto the chains dangling over the beasts shoulders.

He yanked and pulled, clenching his jaw as the beast shrieked, thrashing and grabbing for his neck. Lance dug his heels into the dirt, gripping the chains tighter.

The beast fell to the ground in his struggle. Lance scurried over, throwing the chain to wrap once more around its neck and yanked back again. The beast jerked and gagged, eyes rolling back as it began to go limp.

Lance released the chain, slouching once it was completely still.

Rosályn cried from the cage and Lance pivoted. "Daddy!" She wailed, reaching through the bars.

"Rosályn!" He gasped, dashing for her as her cage was carted away. He screamed and thrashed as his arms were grabbed, halting him. "No! No, Rosie! Rosie, I'll get you out!" He shouted as she was taken through an exit. "Rosályn!"

"Daddy!"

Lance kicked and yanked, screaming at the guards as he was dragged back through.

"The blue paladin, everyone!" Lotor shouted, cheers roaring through the stadium. "My personal new favorite gladiator!"

~

Keith sat in his seat again, holding Pike and Rosályn both in his lap, Berrie wrapped over his shoulders while Pike played with her tail.

Rosályn kept her eyes on the screen like the rest of them. Pike busied himself with Berrie and his blanket.

Pidge typed on her laptop and her panel simultaneously, eyes flicking back and forth. "I'm in... So, the ship did drop off Lance and a few other guards, then left to throw us off just in case we were following. Smartasses forgot I'm on this side not theirs." She grumbled.

Keith chewed anxiously on his lip, squeezes the two in his arms.

"Oh my God!" Pidge abruptly cried, jerking back in her seat.

Everyone snapped their heads back to look at the green paladin.

"What?" Hunk gasped, hurrying to his feet and scrambling over.

The others all rushed over as she played a video.

The screen zoomed in on Lance yanking the beast to the ground. Keith sobbed and covered his mouth, tucking Pike's head into his shoulder. Matthew gently turned Rosályn away.

The blue paladin was almost unrecognizable. His hair was shaggy and unkempt, skin darker with dirt. His eyes were wide and wild, panicky, almost. Lance's arms were thicker with muscle, chest bigger. A scraggly, dirty beard grew on his face.

Lance yanked hard on the chains, pulling until the beast finally went still.

"He looks like he's about to collapse..." Pidge murmured, zooming in on a little blob near the wall that Lance had just turned to. "Oh... That's- that's Rosie! He thinks they have Rosie!"

"Me?" Rosályn tried peeking around Matthew.

Pidge zoomed back out as the cage was pulled away. She flinched, watching as Lance thrashed and shouted, three guards having to come out and drag him away. Pidge trembled, covering her mouth. "Oh God..."

"They're making him into a Gladiator..." Shiro muttered, gripping the back of the seat.

-----

942 words

Ooh, two updates in such a short time.

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