Katie (Pidge): age six
Lance: age eight
Hunk: age seven
Keith: age five
Allura: age thirteen
Shiro: age twenty-five
Coran: age thirty-five
Lotor: age sixteen (please don't yell at me with Lotor and Keith's age difference, I know it a lot, but I wanted him to be a little older than Allura)
I know, everyone other than Allura, Shiro and Coran are actually younger than Keith, but for the sake of this story, I am making Keith the youngest.
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Keith's POV:
It was my fifth birthday and we were having a party for it. All of the kingdoms were invited, meaning more people than I would like. My nurse was trying to get my suit on me, but I was not having it. "Keith, stop. You know how your brother would react if you show up late to your own party AND not wearing a suit. Please work with me." I shook my head, making faces at Katie, her daughter who was a year older than me. Katie was laughing at me and her mom said "Katherine Holt, do not encourage him, he needs to get his suit on or Shiro will have my head."
After a few more minutes of struggling, my nurse finally got the suit on, much to my dismay. Katie was now fidgeting with her laptop and her mother turned to her. "Now, young lady, it is your turn. I need to get you in your gown before we can leave this room." Katie looked up at her with a pout as I started laughing. "Keith, that does not mean you get to give me any trouble while I am trying to get Katie into her gown. You will sit there and be still."
Katie started struggling with her mother "Mom, I don't want to wear a dress. This isn't a party for me. It's for Keith, why do I have to be torchered?" She complained. "Because you're like my sister and you love me and you don't want me to suffer on my own." I stated, laughing at her. "Sometimes I wonder about that Keith, I really do." She tells me as her mother finally gets the dress over her head. Katie pouts at her mother who says, "Now, let us go, the party has already started and frankly, I would rather not have to deal with the two of you running around this room as I inform your brother that you are ready, Keith." I huffed and nodded. Katie came up to me and looped our arms together, making me smile as we skipped down the hallway towards the ballroom.
I could have sworn I heard Katie's mom mutter something that sounded like, "What am I going to do with them?"
Katie and I barged into the ballroom and everything went quiet. "Um... Keith, I think we made a GREAT ENTRANCE!" Katie whisper-yelled in my ear. I nodded and looked at all the faces staring at us. "Come on, let's go to the farthest wall from all the people. Please Katie?" I whispered back to her, she nodded and we walked to the wall and just stood there talking. "Keith, Katie, why are you two late, and why did you barge into the room like that? Keith, you need to keep up a reputation as the prince of this kingdom. I can not have you running around this castle like this." Shiro scolded as soon as he saw us.
"Lighten up, will you Shiro? The boy is only five years old." A familiar voice spoke. "Uncle Coran!" I yelled over the music. I ran up to him to hug him, forgetting my arm was linked with Katie's. "Keith, stop trying to tear my arm out of the socket!" Katie yelled at me. I looked at her sheepishly "Sorry Katie, but Uncle Coran, I thought you were supposed to be across the world?" I asked. My uncle gave me a small smile. "Well, I couldn't miss my nephew's fifth birthday, now could I?" I nodded and gave him a hug, letting go of Katie this time. "Now, how about you go enjoy your birthday with your friend and maybe make some new ones." Coran said.
Katie and I walked off and Katie saw three people on the opposite side of the room. "Hey Keith, I thought your brother hated the McClains?" I looked at her in confusion. "He does, why?" She pointed at the three people. "Because that is Princess Allura and Prince Lance, but I don't know who the other one is." My eyes widened. "Come on, let's go talk to them!" Katie yelled, yanking me with her. "I don't think that's such a good idea, Katie. If Shiro hates them, there must be a reason. What if they are a kingdom of murderers, or worse, they want to take down my brother in order to claim his throne and rule our kingdom?" Katie shook her head. "You and your conspiracies. I highly doubt a thirteen year old and an eight year old would be able to over throw your brother, Keithy." She then pulled me to them. I hid behind her as she introduced herself. "Hi! I'm Katie! I live here! Who are you?" She asked, pointing to the third person with the prince and princess.
Lance's POV
I was talking to my sister and best friend, Hunk, at a birthday party for the youngest of my father's rival, Thace, when we heard a voice. "Hi! I'm Katie! I live here! Who are you?" The three of us turn around and she's pointing at Hunk. "Oh, I'm Hunk. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Katie." Hunk said bowing. "Oh, you don't have to bow to me, I only live here with my mom who works for the king's son, who happens to be my best friend. OH! This is Keith." She says, pointing to the air behind her. "Um... not to be rude or anything, but there isn't anyone there." I say, slightly confused as to what she was pointing at.
Katie looked confused, then turned around. "KEITH YORAK KOGANE! GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE OR I'LL TELL MY MOM YOU LEFT ME ALONE WITH STRANGERS!" She screeched. A little boy came running over to her, shaking his head "Nooo please don't! She'll have my head! Literally! You know how your mom is!" He said. Then he looked behind her and froze. He started to back up and went to run away when Katie grabbed his arm, holding him in place. "Keith, be nice. They are here for your birthday, so you have to greet them." She said.
"But Katie... Shiro said no." He pouted. "Then Shiro doesn't have to know about this. I wont tell if you wont." With that, she stuck her pinky out at him and he hesitantly connected their pinkies. "Ok, but you can't tell your mom either." Katie nodded then turned back around to face Hunk, Allura and I. "So, as I was saying, this is my best friend, Keith." Keith waved at us from behind Katie. "So, you are King Thace's youngest son?" Allura asked, giving him a dirty look. He squeaked and hid behind Katie even more. "Hey. Leave him alone, princess. One, it's his birthday and two, he's only five." Katie said. Then Hunk joined in. "Yeah Princess Allura, what's with the look? He hasn't done anything to you, or anyone for that matter." I jumped in at the end. "Sis, look, you're scaring him. Give the kid a break, will you? He's only five years old."
My sister looked at me with disgust. "You're defending him? The enemy? Have you forgotten what his people did to ours? His people killed our whole kingdom and took it over!" I shook my head at her. "Allura, that was years ago. He was not part of that. In fact, if I remember correctly, he isn't even old enough to be in school yet. Also, our kingdom did worse to his. I mean, father did murder his father." I then caught what I had just said. I looked at Keith. He was looking at me with tears in his eyes. "Y-your dad killed m-mine? K-Katie, why d-didn't you tell me? N-no wonder Shiro h-hates them! They're murderers!" He cried. He ran away from our group, Katie looking at me saying, "I hope to see you around here again, Keith was really happy, even if he didn't show it. He wants to be your friend, but doesn't know how to react. Please come back in a few years." and then running after him.
Crap, I think I just messed up my chances. "Hunk, can I- can I talk to you for a moment?" Hunk nodded and followed me to a corner of the room. "What did you need buddy?" He asked. I sighed. "I-I think I like Keith, Hunk. And what I said to him, it probably messed up any chances I had." Hunk looked at me wide-eyed. "Lance, buddy, you just met the kid, and he's five years old. How do you know this and I don't think what your father did reflects onto you." I sighed again. "I don't know how I know this, Hunk, I just do. I know he's only five, but I'm not that much older than him. I'm only three years older than him, but I just, I don't know, I just feel like we were meant to be, you know?" Hunk sighed but nodded. "Yes, I understand, but you have to give him a while, he might feel the same way towards you, but is just confused since he is so young and interprets it with fear." I nodded and we walked back to my sister. "Come on, Allura, let's leave."
Keith's POV:
After I had run from the group, I found my brother speaking with one of the kings of a kingdom far away, Zarkon. There was a boy who looked about sixteen next to him. "S-Shiro? Who is he?" I asked quietly. My brother looked up at me and smiled. "Keith, this is Zarkon, and his son, Lotor." I looked at him confused and he continued. "Zarkon and I have decided to arrange for you and Lotor to get married when you are of age." My smile dropped. "W-what? No! I don't want to! I refuse!" I then ran off again.
I ran until I got to the staircase of the palace. There I saw Prince Lance, Princess Allura and Hunk. "L-Lance!" I cried. Lance turned around and saw me. He quickly ran over to me. "What's wrong Keith? What happened?" I tried to speak through the tears, but couldn't. "Hunk, go get Katie! Maybe she knows how to calm him down!" Lance yelled. Hunk ran off and soon came back with an out of breath Katie. "What? What's going on?" Katie looked at me and instantly took me from Lance. "Shhhh. It's okay Keith. Calm down." She spoke softly, just like her mother would when I woke up from a nightmare. I calmed down after a little bit. "Alright, Keith. Tell me, what happened? Why were you crying?" Katie asked. I sniffed."S-Shiro..." I spoke softly. "What happened with Shiro, Keith?" Lance spoke up. "H-he said I-I had to marry L-Lotor." I said. Hunk and Lance looked surprised. "Wait. Lotor? My cousin Lotor?" Hunk asked. I looked at Hunk. "L-Lotor is y-your cousin?" Hunk nodded.
"Don't worry, Keith, I'll make sure Lotor doesn't get a chance to lay a hand on you." Lance said. I looked at him, smiled and then hugged him, tearing up again. "Th-thank you, Lance. I-I think we w-will be r-really good friends. A-at least, I h-hope so." I smiled up at him. Lance nodded, then let go and walked away. "I have to go now, but we will see each other again. Goodbye, Prince Keith." I looked at him with tears in my eyes. "PROMISE!" I yelled to him. Lance looked back at me. "YOU HAVE TO PROMISE YOU WILL COME BACK TO ME!" Lance nodded and said "I promise I will come back to you, Keith, but I must go now."
When they left, I turned to Katie. "Katie, I have a weird feeling when around Lance" Katie looked. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I-I don't know. I just, I feel like I should have followed him." I looked at her, clearly confused. "I don't know, Keith. Maybe we should ask my mom." I shook my head. "We can't tell your mom, she'll tell Shiro. I'm sure it's nothing and I'm just happy to have another friend." Katie nodded and we walked back into the ballroom.