I stroked Luna's head lovingly as I sat on my bed. It has been a while since I felt relaxed like this.
The others have been working like crazy to form coalitions around the universe, working together to bring down the Galra remains.
But one thing kept me busy. I spent most of my time thinking about those strange whispers in my head. Not to mention the 'Dark One' another voice told me to beware.
I still don't have a clue as to who the 'Dark One' is, but I'm going to stop until I figure it out.
"Palidans, we have recieved a request in the Fimm system. Please ready your lions." Allura announced through the speakers.
I stood up, changed into my armor and headed for my lion.
It took me only a few minutes to join the others, only, we were one short.
"Keith's not here again?" I asked, a little disappointed by his absence.
For a little while now, Keith has been back and forth between Voltron and the Blade of Marmora. I hardly got to see him, and when I could see him, we barely spent more than a few hours together.
"That darn mullet head! Leaving us like this is just wrong." Lance said annoyed.
"Well, whatever. Let's just get on with this mission and if he can, Keith will join us later." Pidge said.
After a little bit of flying, we made it to the Fimm system and latched our lions to some cargo ships. I sighed, grabbing my cargo ship and activating my boosters.
"You seem troubled, child. What is weighing on your mind?"
"I'm just worried about Keith."
"Is it his absence when working with Voltron bothering you?"
"Yeah. He's been working with the Blade of Marmora for a while and has barely worked with us. I'm afraid of what might happen if he decides to leave Voltron."
"The Black Lion Palidan is indeed handling two positions, but I can tell that his mind is split as well."
"I guess I'll talk to him later then."
Suddenly, the Black Lion came around and took one of the extra cargo ships.
"Well, look who decided to show up." Pidge mused annoyed by Keith's lateness.
"Yeah, are you even taking this seriously?" Lance asked.
"Sorry I'm late." Keith apologized.
I frowned, "Is there anything wrong, Keith?" I asked.
"No, no. Nothing's wrong. I was just held up for a little bit." He replied. I quietly sighed at his secrecy.
We delivered the cargo to a nearby space station. Keith and Shiro went somewhere private to talk.
"Were you able to speak to Kolivan about the intel yet?" Keith asked.
"I did, and we need to find oit all that we can about this quintessence." Shiro replied, "But more importantly, Voltron needs a strong leader."
"I know they do and it should be you.
"Keith, we've discussed this before. Besides, we both know that the Black Lion and Zurine have chosen you."
"You only tried once. You had a connection with the Black Lion and I know it's still there. If you just give it another shot--"
"Keith, we all have a part to play. This is mine now. I've come to terms with that. Now, you need to."
Keith was silent, looking down towards the unloading dock below.
"I support your decision to continue you Blade of Marmora training, but not at the expense of the team. Especially Zurine. They need you, Keith. They need you to be their leader. Not to mention a caring person for their love."
Keith sighed, "I know this is hurting Zurine. And I don't want her to be worried like this."
Shiro smiled and put his hand on Keith's shoulder.
"Zurine told a little while ago, that no matter how far, she'll be right by your side. Even though she's sad that you're gone, she respects and supports your choices. She understands that what you're doing is to better increase the chances of freedom in the universe."
Keith smiled, thinking of those words.
A few hours later, we all assembled in the bridge, where coran informed us of our next mission.
I sat on Luna's back while she lay sleeping on the ground, listening to Coran barely while thinking my own thoughts.
"Okay, everybody, today, we'll be heading to Reiphod, a planet recently liberated from Galra forces." Coran informed us.
Keith didn't like the idea of us showing off iur lions.
"This is embarrassing." He complained, "We're basically the grand marshal of a parade."
"Not a parade. A show of arms." Coran tried to correct.
"Whatever it is, this is the second one of these we've done this week. I'm not so sure Zurine can handle another one of those crystal, sparkle light shows of hers. Not to mention her being bombarded by people wanting to meet the Child of Sun and Moon." Pidge said looking down at me on Luna.
I noticed her stare, as well as everyone else's eyes focusing on me. I gasped and smiled, "I'll be just fine. One or two more shows shouldn't hurt me. Besides, I help give hope to those believe in Voltron."
"Zurine is right. I know it's not exactly battling the Galra, but belief it or not, this helps us boost morale and strengthen alliances." Allura said.
"Right, right, strongholds, blah-dy, blah-dy, blah." Lance said in a slightly non caring tone, "Now, i say we go iver our lion choreography one more time. I don't want a repeat of last time, Hunk."
Hunk looked down in embarrassment, "I thought my lion had more room."
I laughed, "Stay calm, Lance, mistakes are common. And Hunk, just remember that practice makes perfect. You'll have plenty of time to correct your mistakes."
Hunk smiled at me, but our little moment was intterupted when Kolivan appeared on screen.
"Shiro, my apologies for interrupting, but this is an urgent matter. A Galra supply ship has been spotted passing through Quadrant Omega-Rayler-Six."
"What's it doing so far from the normal supply routes?" Shiro asked.
"We can't be certain, but taken together with the fact that Lotor hasn't been seen in quite some time and the mergence of this new form of quintessence, we feel compelled to investigate. Normally we would wait for better intel, but I believe we should act upon this now."
"I'll send Voltron to intercept." Shiro said.
"An infiltration mission makes more sense. We can plant a tracker and see just how far the supply route extends."
I sighed knowing exactly what Kolivan was planning to ask.
"You're going to need Keith, aren't you Kolivan?" I asked, standing up and walking towards Keith and grabbing his hand.
Kolivan frowned even more than he already was. His frown wasn't his usual commom anger. This time, it was a frown of sadness and the feeling of not wanting to take Keith away from me and the others.
"I'm sorry, Princess Zurine. But I indeed need Keith. With all the Galra activity as of late, my agents are spread thin."
I nodded, turnjng towards Keith who had a surprised and regretful expression plastered on his face.
"Keith, you must go." I said.
"Hey, what about our performance? We can't razzle dazzle the crown with just five lions." Lance whined.
"Lance!" I said, "With this mission, we could gather more information on something that might be a potential threat. Besides, I'll just put together an even more spectacular performance with my crystals. Keith should be allowed to go and help in his own way."
Everyone was silent for a tick, before Shiro sighed, "All right, how long will it take?"
"Not long, but we must act fast, we risk the ship jumping into hyperspace."
Shiro turned and faced Keith, "Go. But when you're done, meet us on Repiphod."
"Will do." Before Keith ran out of the room, he gave me a quick kiss on the forehead.
I smiled as he ran out of the room, it wasn't too long before we sped off to Reiphod.
I was sitting in the White Lion's hangar, talking to her a little before the show.
"Do you remember your parts for the performance?" I asked.
"Yes, Zurine. Have you remembered what you shall be doing during the performance?"
I chuckled, "Yes, I remember everything."
"I wish you good luck, Child if Sun and Moon. Your parents would be so proud of you."
"You've said it wrong." I teased.
"Yes, I'm sorry. Your parents always with you. They must be so proud of the great things you've been doing."
"Thank you, White."
I heard the white hangar doors open down the hall. It was almost time.
"I should probably get ready for the performance. Good luck, White." I said.
I ran back to my room and put on a white flowing gown with red and light blue beading and designs all over it.
I let my hair fall down my back and let out a relieved sigh before running outside of the castle.
The people of Reiphod srood in front of the castle, cheering and screaming as I walked to stand next to Shiro.
"Citizens of Reiphod." Coran said through the speakers, "On this day we honor you for your perseverance. Your refusal to bow down in the face of such adveristy is a testament to the fighting spirit of your people. You've put aside your differences and United to dispel the oppressive Galra regime, bringing freedom to all!"
The crowds cheered louder.
I smiled and walked up to Coran, who happily handed me the microphone.
I looked out at the happy faces of the people of Reiphod and started to speak.
"Thank for joining the coalition. Your bravery and support in this fight has brought us one step closer to victory over the Galra. Please look up to the sky as the Lions of Voltron emerge to defend the universe!"
I raised my hand to the sky and shot up a crystal. It exploded and rqined down sparkles onto the people as the five lions we had flew through them.
I watched as the five lions flew together perfectly. All the while, I was shooting off crystals at certain parts, occasionally changing into my moon and sund forms for a little extra flare.
I was saddened to see that Keith was not there to help, but I understood his reasons.
The five lions flew around the castle, over the people.
"By joining the coalition, you are joining the Defenders of the universe, who will do whatever it takes to spread peace and freed to every galaxy." Coran announced.
I laughed and smiled brightly as the lions flipped and spun.
"And just as Voltron has shown what can be done when six idividuals combine together, so, too, can we combine our powers with those on Planet Reiphod and grow ever stronger. For it is the individual willing to take up arms that strengthens the whole. And with that strength, we are unstoppable!" I smiled and laughed at Coran's exaggerated movements, but winced at his miscount.
At this point, Voltron was supposed to formed and lresent his sword, but since the Black Lion was not manned, Voltron was not present.
Suddenly, I got an idea. I stepped forward, right to the edge of the stage. I bowed towards the silent people, smiling sweetly.
"Although Voltron is not here at the moment, I do hope that you will continue to believe in this might warrior." I closed my eyes, creating one of the largest crystals I have ever made.
The amazed gasps of the people in front of me echoed in my ears as the crystal continued to grow.
When I opened my eyes, even I was amazed at my work. A large crystal was in front of me, hovering as the colors of the Voltron Lions swirled around.
"May we achieve the peace and freedom we all so do deserve! Join us in the coalition to defeat the Galra! Join us.... In the fight for Freedom!"
The crystal shot into the air before exploding and forming the shape of Voltron.
The people cheered and screamed at my extra performance.
I sighed, Shiro placed a hand on my shoulder, and I couldn't help but shuver under his touch. This man was not Shiro, but I had to keep uo this charade until I know more about this fake.
So I smiled as he congratulated me on my performance.
After the show, I went to my room and as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.
Early the next morning, I awoke to the sounds of voices outside my door.
I shook Luna off my legs and leaned against the door to hear better.
"I said I didn't want a lecture." It was Keith. And I had to guess that it was Allura he was talking to.
"Keith, since our battle with Zarkon, we've been able to bolster our forces by uniting those previously ruled by the Galra under a common symbol, Voltron. It's so much more than a weapon. It's become a symbol of freedom and hope for the oppressed to rally around. I suppose what I'm trying to say is, the Marmora can go on without you. They have for thousands of years. Voltron cannot. We cannot. Zurine cannot."
I heard footsteps walk away, then nothing but silence.
We continued our work on bringing in more allies to our coalition. Soon, we even managed to create a small base. I was so happy to see so many gather around and help in one common goal.
Unfortunately, Keith was always on missions with the Blades of Marmora. And so, we barely ever got to see him.
I would be lying if I had saud I wasn't lonely without him, but because of my love for him, I had to let him follow what he thought was right.
For the most part, I would spend my free time with the elderly and children, taking care of the sick and healing the injured. I found myself calm and happy when I'm around there people.
While I was playing with the children, Allura contacted me.
"Allura, what's the matter?" I asked.
"Coran has picked up a distress signal. One of our convoys has been ambushed by a squadron of Galra cruisers. You must hurry and meet your team there."
I looked down at my communicator and saw that the convoys were our medical supplies. I wasted no time, quickly saying goodbye to the children and rushing to my lion.
When I finally caught up with the rest of the crew, the Black Lion wasn't there, and our ship was in a tractor beam.
Hunk sped off to try and ram it out, while we covered him from the back.
Suddenly, a small fleet of cruisers came out of the larger ship.
"Never mind! There's too many! I can't ram that many!" Hunk shouted as he dodged the cruisers.
In that instant, another large cruiser came out of hyperspace. White shot out a few lasers and knocked out at least fifty smaller cruisers, but I had to stay on my toes.
A sudden pain in my head caused me to lose focus for a tick, my pause caused me to be shot multiple times.
I screamed as the attacks affected me in the pilot chamber.
"Zurine, are you okay?" Allura asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." I graoned in pain.
"There's no way we can beat all these fighters with just five lions!" Hunk shouted.
"You don't have to!" Shiro said. I looked behind me and saw the Black Lion flying towards us.
"Black Lion, why are you here? Is Keith acting as your pilot?"
"No, Princess. Shiro is in my pilot chamber. But you must understand, this is an important cargo ship, and all of your screaming gave me no choice but to let this Shiro pilot me."
"There is no need to explain yourself. You're doing the right thing. I need to medical supplies to help the injured. We must form Voltron."
Within seconds, Votlron was formed, but the normal warm feeling was no longer there. Instead, it was replaced by a cold and uncomfortable feeling.
The fighters and cruisers were quickly defeated and the cargo ship was safe.
After we escorted them to Olkarion, we stubbornly waited for Keith to show up.
I stood next to Allura in the back, a saddened expression not noticed by the angry looks of my friends.
A minute later, Keith walked through the door, his face littered with sadness and regret.
"Guys, I-" he said stopping to look at everyone's disappointed faces. Then he looked at mine, and his heart stopped for a second.
"I heard what happened. I'm sorry I wasn't there to help." He said.
"You keep saying you're sorry, but your actions say otherwise." Allura said angrily, "Do yoy realize that your absence put the team in jeopardy?"
"And not just the team, the refugees as well." Lance added.
"Matter of fact, the entire qaudrant was in danger." Pidge added.
Keith looked away, "This is not now I wanted it to happen, but, if there's a bright side to any of this, it's that my absence allowed Shiro to reestablish his bond with the Black Lion. He can finally be the leader I was unable to be. I'm not meant to pilot the Black Lion."
"Is that why you've been pulling away from us?" Allura asked.
"Yeah. I suppose that's part of it." Keith answered.
"Part of it? What's the other part?" Hunk asked.
"The Blades have been making real headway tracking the source of this new quintessence. They've been able to piece together a large network of hidden supply lines that have been secretly transporting it for who knows how long. And there's good reason to believe it could lead us directly to Lotor. A mission is being planned to infiltrate the supply line."
I sighed, looking up to face the man I love.
"How long will you be gone?" I asked, seeing his sad eyes looking directly at me.
"It could take weeks, maybe even months to pull off, but... if there is a chance... we have... I have to take it." He answered.
I walked up to him, grabbed his hands, and smiled sweetly at him.
"I understand completely, Keith." I said.
He smiled at me and looked back at our team.
"Shiro, you are the rightful leader of this team, and you proved it today by reconnecting with the Black Lion. It was always meant to be yours."
Shiro walked up to us and put his hand on Keith's shoulder.
"Keith," he said, "if this is what you feel is right, then we won't try to stop you. Just know that we're here for you whenever you need us."
"Especially me, Keith." I said.
Keith smiled, saying no words as Shiro oulled us both into a hug.
"I can't be left out of this." Hunk cried as everyone gathered for a giant group hug, some of them sobbing.
"We're really gonna miss you." Pidge sobbed.
"Yeah, who am I gonna make fun of?" Lance joked.
"I'll know you'll make us proud." Allura said.
We pulled apart, but I kept a firm grip on Keith's hand. I decided to walk him out. This will be the last time I'll see him for a long time.
As we made it to the main door, he turned ariund and pulled me into one last hug.
"I'm really gonna miss you, Zurine." He said. I held him tighter, burying my head in his chest.
"I will too. But just remember, I'll always be with you." We pulled apart, staring into each other's eyes and leaning forward.
The space between us became less and less, until finally, I closed my eyes and felt his soft lips touch mine.
It was only for a minute or two, but to me it felt like an eternity before we pulled apart.
He smiled at me before turning away and saying one final thing.
"I love you, Zurine. And I'll always cone back to you. Remember that." He said.
I gasped at his statement, tears falling down my cheeks as he smiled at me one more time.
I smiled back as I wiped away the tears, watching his form become smaller and smaller.