The Silver Lion (On Hold)

Chapter five

Naida’s P.O.V.

I drifted in and out of sleep, in and out of horrific nightmares. The most vivid one was where I stood in a pitch-black room. When I tried to speak, my voice sounded like it came from all directions. “Hello?”
Then Haggar appeared in front of me, cackling. “You don’t scare me, witch!” I exclaimed, glaring fiercely.
“You really think you’ll be safe with the Paladins of Voltron? I will find you. There’s nowhere you can hide.”
“What are you talking about, you psychopath? Voltron doesn’t even exist! It’s not real!”
Then Haggar disappeared. Her menacing cackles echoed off the walls. “You think that, little girl, but you are mistaken.”
It was like she was all around me. I drew my bayard, swinging it in all directions. Then, as I turned I saw two people standing in front of me. One was a beautiful elf woman, the other a galra man. I recognized them instantly.
“Mom?” I whispered, coming closer. “Dad?”
Dad smiled sadly. “Oh, Naida. Why have you run so far from home?”
I stepped back again. “What home? The one that’s nonexistent?”
“But you do have a home,” Mom said. “The Empire.”
I saw through Haggar’s lies then.
My hands were shaking. “No. You’re lying. You’re both lying. Quit messing with my head!”
I put my bayard away, clutching my head in my hands. I felt both parents put their arms around me.
“Naida,” Mom said softly. “Come home.”
I started to cry, because I knew none of it was real. “The galra destroyed everything! Including you. You’re not real. My home isn’t real. None of this is real!”
I brought out my bayard, slashing it through my fake parents. They shattered into a million pieces, like how I felt right then.
I put my bayard away again, staring at the shattered glass. “It’s not real,” I whispered.
The darkness enclosed all around me, shutting out the world...

My eyes flew open, and I gasped for breath. I looked around frantically, trying to remember where I was.
Everything had a sort of glassy tint to it. I was in some white suit, and surrounded by beeping mechanics. Looking through the glass, I saw seven people staring at me. Some of them looked familiar, though I couldn’t figure out why.
I banged on the glass. “Let me out NOW!”
To my surprise, they opened the glass door. I flipped over the chamber and landed in a fighting stance.
“Hey, easy,” the one dressed in black said to me. “We aren’t here to hurt you.”
“Oh yeah?” I held up my fists. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t just-“ I reached for my bayard, but it wasn’t there. “What?! What have you done with my weapons?”
“Your bayard has been confiscated for a time,” a tall, royal-looking woman said to me. “And for good reason, I see.” She pointed to my balled-up fists.
“Fine, I don’t need my bayard to put you through a world full of hurt.” I lunged at the nearest one, the one dressed in blue. I raised my fist to knock his lights out, but then I recognized him. “Hey! You’re the one who shot me earlier!”
“For the record, you shot me too!” He yelled, trying to punch me back.
I got him into a headlock with my good arm. “Well, were you already injured when you got hit?”
“Well-“ he tried to get out of my grasp.
“Don’t struggle, or you’ll just end up hurting yourself.” I lifted my arm up and he fell to the floor.
“Guys!” The red one came over this time. “You, if you want to be on our good side, stop attacking the teammates,” he said, pointing at me. “And Lance, quit being stupid. We all know a girl could beat you any day.”
Lance glared at him.
I grinned. “You know he’s right.” Suddenly I got a hold of myself. “But I’m not about to become a prisoner again.” I glared at the woman, the one I figured was in charge.
“Again?” She raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, well I’m assuming you’ve never been a galra prisoner half your life, and you’ve never been forced to be a weapon, or have some random silver lion-looking-thing save your life, and then actually be able to fly it, and then be on the run from the galra, and then be kidnapped again!” I pointed to the glass chamber thing.

“Kidnapped?- oh, I see.” Realization dawned on her face.
“Look,” the black one said, “I can see where there was confusion, but we aren’t trying to hurt you. We aren’t with the galra. You’re safe here.”
“But- didn’t you guys try to kill me earlier?”
“That was Lance,” the red one said. Lance kicked him. “It wasn’t just me. You tried to attack her, too.”
He ignored him. “That was before we knew who you were. You can trust us.”
I was still confused. “Who are you, anyway?”
“We are the Paladins of Voltron,” the black one said.
I gasped. I suddenly remembered my vision, where Haggar had said that I wouldn’t be safe with the Paladins of Voltron. I knew that this must be another trick.
“Voltron isn’t real,” I said, glaring at them. “I know you’re just illusions made by Haggar.”