A lone figure rode high atop his favorite white horse, making way through the Arusian countryside. The long, hooded cloak that he wore served as contradiction to what was the end of a long, hot summer day, but anonymity didn’t have to be comfortable.
The village was only fifteen minutes by horseback from the castle, but an eternity if an emergency arose and he needed to get back. However unfortunate, it was a risk he had to take.
Keith escaped notice by taking the back route from the castle. He really had no desire to be questioned about where he was going and why, even if he could have easily lied about it. But he had left a note for Lance indicating that he had gone to the village…to meet with town leaders. It was something he did often enough that Lance wouldn’t think to question it.
A small drop of sweat trickled down his forehead from underneath the large, heavy hood. Was he sweating because he was hot…or nervous? Even he couldn’t tell which.
As he approached the outskirts of town, the already questionable dinner that Nanny prepared for that evening’s dinner began to churn in his belly as his apprehension increased.
The decision to meet with this so-called “Friend” was not one he was incredibly comfortable with. He was taking such a great risk by leaving the castle and putting himself out into the open, but seventeen years of not knowing what happened to his parents was a heavier burden. Aside from that, the meeting was to be in the open, public market and from what Keith could presently see, there were still a good number of people in the central square. Still, he would have to be cautious. As he dismounted, he took a quick, mental inventory of the various weapons he had strategically placed around his body and within the folds of his cloak. One could never be too careful, especially when there was a price on your head as big as Lotor’s ego.
Not wanting to be recognized, he opted to leave his hood up. The only way this Friend would notice him would be if he made it obvious that he was looking for someone, so Keith did just that. He aimlessly studied the surroundings, hoping that whoever this person was, they would come soon. Keith was quickly becoming anxious, beginning to regret that he had ever talked himself into coming in the first place.
“A little hot to be wearing such a heavy cloak, young man,” a soft, broken voice said.
Keith startled and turned around in ready.
A kindly-looking elderly gentleman stood before him, sporting a slim, toothless grin and a ratty old tunic. He couldn’t have been any taller than Pidge, and the feeble way in which he propped himself up with a roughly carved wooden cane, Keith thought a good wind might be able to blow him right over. He was probably older than Voltron himself, one of those who remembered the ancient days, that bliss proceeding the war. His face was kind and somehow familiar, and Keith allowed his guard to lower slightly. His eyes scanned the area for anything out of the ordinary, and finding the market presently clear, he softened his expression and offered a friendly smile to the aged man.
“Yes, it is a bit warm today,” Keith offered.
He took his eyes off the gentleman to search the passer-byes for his intended contact. He didn’t want to miss his “Friend” while he was busy chatting about the weather or the state of crop harvest in the nearby flatlands with some funny little man.
Keith felt a tug on his sleeve and turned his attention back to the aging gentleman.
“Care to give an old man a lift home? My wife will have my head if I’m not home for dinner, and I’m afraid that these old bones won’t make it home in this heat.”
Keith’s expression remained unchanged as he thought quickly. He really didn’t have a choice in the matter; he couldn’t just leave this poor, old man here to rot in this heat. Keith only hoped that it would be a fast trip, and he wouldn’t miss his appointment altogether.
Keith smiled and mounted his horse. Trying to conceal his slight irritation, he effortlessly reached down and eased the older gentleman up into position in front of him. Securing the man with his arms, Keith pulled on the reins to start his horse.
“Which direction, Sir?”
The man pointed due west, and as Keith pulled the horse slightly to the right, the horse began a moderately slow trot through the main street heading for the edge of town. As they left the market square, Keith glanced over his shoulder for any signs of Friend. As it was, the square was almost empty now as families headed home for their evening meals. Keith would almost certainly miss his appointment, but maybe it was just as well. Perhaps there are some things that one would rather not know.
The trek proved to be a long one. ‘No wonder he wanted a ride home,’ Keith thought.
“You might think about living a little closer to town, Sir.”
The man replied, his attention fixed somewhere ahead of them in the distance, “If it were up to me, I would, but the wife…she’s a little opinionated when it comes to moving. We raised our children in this house.”
“I guess you can’t argue with that,” Keith replied.
The old man laughed. “Argue? With my wife? I’m a little too old, and a little too smart to do that.”
Keith joined in the man’s laughter. There was something about the man that was endearing…even charming. Keith found himself almost glad that he had stumbled upon this chance meeting. Maybe he would have to check in on this man and his wife again sometime soon.
“Right there.” The man pointed to a small, one-room cottage atop a small hill in the distance. It was nearly hidden from view by lush, green trees that encircled it. A dim light shown from within.
As they approached, Keith noted the unkempt exterior. The front garden was overgrown, and the brick walls needed washing. Over just beyond in the back, a mess of cut wood lay strewn about, and a pile of discarded items littered a patch of overgrown brush. Perhaps he would have to come back with Lance and help the couple out with some work. When you’re that old, Keith figured, you have the right to let your yard go to hell. And they didn’t seem to have any neighbors, so there was no one to impress…but still, he would come back.
Stopping at the bottom of the hill, Keith dismounted and offered a hand to the man. “I’ll help you inside.”
Accepting the help, the man struggled down. “You’re too kind…but then again, I should expect that from someone who works for the Princess.”
The remark startled Keith a little. “You recognize me?”
The old man looked thoughtfully up at him. “Well, you’re sort-of a hero to a lot of people around here. You’re hard NOT to miss, if you know what I mean.” He continued, “Besides, do you think I would let just anyone take me home?”
Keith smiled. It really didn’t bother him that he had been recognized. In fact, it was getting to the point that he was nearly used to it. Being a constant presence around the Princess, it was getting increasingly difficult to venture out without being semi-mobbed at times, especially by children (and certain types of women).
The old man’s fingers clumsily fiddled in his tunic pocket as they approached the door. He revealed a key, and admonished with amusement, “When you’re as old as I am, you’ll lock your door too.” He laughed and pushed the door open, motioning for Keith to follow him. “I can’t let you leave without my wife having had thanked you.”
“No thanks required,” Keith said, but he followed him in anyway.
Immediately upon entering, Keith noticed the smell - that telltale odor of old air, like that of a room that’s had its windows and doors closed up for quite a while. He also noticed something else - the large room was bare - no furniture, nothing on the walls. There existed only a small oil lantern in the middle of the floor which emitted a soft glow about the dank room. Short shadows danced in and out the damp light, and there was an eerie silence.
The peculiarity of the situation made Keith instantly nervous, but he still tried to keep an unaffected expression. After all, he didn’t want to come off as rude if this was the way this man and his wife cared to live.
“Where is your wife?” he asked casually.
The old man turned around and smiled broadly. “I’m afraid she’s not here right now. She’s gone to meet a friend.
The emphasis on the last word was not lost on Keith. His system suddenly pulsed alive with adrenaline, and all of his senses heightened in a panicked hurry, but before his next thought came, it was interrupted by a sudden, intense blow from behind. His head and body became heavy as he dropped to his knees and then onto his side.
As his head lay on the cold floor and the room began to spin, he forced his blurry vision to focus on where the man had been standing. Through the fog that was now filling his brain, Keith saw the man smiling wickedly as his appearance began to change. Keith’s eyelids gave up their fight as the blackness took him. He heard voices…and then there was nothing.
How long had it been? Keith forced his conscious mind awake. He was in danger. His head urged him to sleep, but he knew better. He tried to keep from passing out again by focusing in on the surroundings. The cold floor…the smell. He was still in the cottage (at least for the moment). As his eyes struggled to open, his ears picked up the voices.
“Cossack! You didn’t need to hit him so hard! Now what am I supposed to do?”
“Your Majesty… I apologize. I guess I don’t know my own strength.”
An old woman’s voice replied, “Cossack, how did you ever weasel your way into this job? We should have left you at home!”
“It’s not my fault! He must have a soft head. Look, he’s coming around. No big deal.”
“Stand him up.”
Keith then felt two sets of hands roughly pull his body from the floor, and he struggled to stand.
“Be careful,” Keith heard a deep voice say.
He managed to somehow balance himself against the bodies next to his and open his eyes, but he didn’t need to see to know where he was…or at least, who he was with. He had blindly walked head-first into a trap and was about to pay for it with his life.
“My apologies, Commander. I’m afraid I am surrounded by idiots, but you are just a bit too dangerous to handle under normal circumstances.”
Keith’s vision was beginning to clear, albeit in double. As a trained soldier, his instincts urged him to scope his surroundings for means of escape. Two guards held him, Cossack stood by the door, three closed windows, and Haggar and Zarkon against the far wall. His intentions did not go unnoticed.
“Captain, there is no escape. Even if you somehow manage to get past all five of us, several guards are waiting outside as we speak.”
Keith’s gaze unwittingly dropped to the floor as he heard footsteps approach.
Zarkon continued, “Besides, in your present condition, we both know you’re not going anywhere. And your weapons - I assure you that they are no longer at your disposal. Therefore, I suggest that everyone just relax.”
Trying desperately to keep his head and gaze steady, Keith suddenly found himself unable to keep from laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Here he was, about to die, and he was laughing…because it was all his own stupid fault. He who had always prided himself on never doing anything ill-advised was going to die without so much as a fight.
He heard a voice from the direction of the door say, “I guess he’s delirious or something.”
Keith steadied himself as best as he could, planting his feet firmly on the ground as to stand on his own power. Lifting his gaze to the face before him, he stated firmly, “Let’s just get this over with.”
Zarkon smiled. It’s what he would have expected from a soldier…a good one, anyway. Nobility was a characteristic sorely missing on planet Doom.
“If I wanted to kill you, Captain, you would be dead already.”
Keith watched helplessly as Zarkon stepped toward him. Zarkon’s demeanor was eerily casual, and Keith had to struggle to keep from flinching. Until now, he had never seen Zarkon in person. He was much taller and larger than his son and carried a presence that was so much more imposing. He looked the part of a man who sought to conquer the galaxy.
The Great King continued speaking evenly, “I’m sorry that Haggar and I had to fool you with my little disguise, but I doubt you would have come had I sent a dinner invitation.” He paused for a moment before starting again. “I’m here as an Ambassador of sorts. I have a diplomatic offer for you to consider; a deal, if you will.”
Keith was slowly regaining his senses, and he returned a cold stare. “The Galaxy Alliance does not deal in a hostage situation.”
“But my offer is not with the Galaxy Alliance.”
Keith repeated himself in military fashion, “The Galaxy Alliance does not deal in a hostage situation.”
“But my young, naïve Captain; it is only a hostage situation if I don’t let you go…which I soon will.”
“What do you want, Zarkon?” Keith’s anger was now penetrating through his hazed, assaulted mind.
“Commander, this silly war is not good for either of us. I’m sure we can at least agree that this petty struggle between our two planets is going no where. It is destroying Arus, and it’s taking up way too much of my time. I have a deal for you to end all military action against Arus.”
Keith rolled his eyes in obvious fashion.
“Before you judge my intentions, I would request that you hear me out,” Zarkon said quickly. He turned toward his witch. “You can wait outside. This won’t take long.”
Haggar cocked a questioning eyebrow but obliged the order. She motioned for the other three in the room to follow.
A protest came from one near the door. “But Sire! He’ll get away!”
Zarkon ignored the plea, but as she left, Haggar was careful to answer in Keith’s direction, “Don’t worry, he couldn’t get away if he tried.”
Keith let his gaze with Zarkon break for a moment as he gave his best menacing glare to the old witch brushing past him.
Zarkon chuckled through gnarled teeth. “Don’t worry. She’s not bad once you get to know her.”
When the door closed, Keith brought his full attention back to the man who had killed his dear friend’s father. “Does all of this have a point? Because I’m seeing right through your crap, Your Highness.” He all but spat the last two words.
Zarkon continued speaking evenly, “The goals of my operation have changed as of late.” A small grin spread across his evil face. “I no longer have need to add Arus to my empire. Arus is too far out of the way to be of any use. Its only resource is the people, and my slave empire has grown almost too large to be governed effectively.”
“That’s something to brag about.”
Zarkon ignored the sarcasm. “From this moment on, Arus is free to live in peace…on one condition.”
“Being?”
“I need someone to help me with things. It seems I am surrounded by idiots and traitors who seek only to serve their own needs and not that of the good of the Empire.”
“Poor you.”
Zarkon had been wandering about the room, but he suddenly turned his full attention back to his prey, a strange expression coming over his face. “I need someone to assist in bringing about a series of changes within my organization.” There was a long pause as he met the Captain’s cool stare with ease. “In exchange for your assistance, I’ll immediately cease all attacks on Arus and Pollux.”
Keith had to repeat to himself what he had just heard. It was ludicrous! Did Zarkon expect him to believe such a blatant lie? What kind of fool did he take him for? “Ridiculous.”
“Is it? Then why haven’t I killed you?”
Keith thought about that for a moment. He wasn’t about to take Zarkon seriously, but it didn’t quite make sense why he wasn’t already dead. “You’ll just use what I know to destroy Voltron, and then kill me. That’s some deal.”
Zarkon frowned. He had anticipated such assumptions, but he grew weary of this conversation. The more time he spent on Arus, the more likely that his party would be discovered. “Captain, as said in the letter, I am putting myself at great risk to talk with you tonight. Ask yourself why I would go through all of this trouble if I could merely destroy Voltron right now by putting a gun to your head.”
Keith pondered the thought, all the while still trying not to stumble over from aftereffects of being clocked on the head. This conversation was becoming increasingly difficult to carry on. For a brief instant, Keith thought he might be dreaming the whole thing, but the reality of it hit as the pressure in the back of his head began to mount. He crossed his arms and fought the urge to pace, a nervous habit he had developed sometime back at the Academy. “What makes you think that I would just drop everything and enslave planets in the name of the Doom Empire? I always thought you were crazy, Zarkon, but now I think you’re completely insane. We both know that I would rather die than associate with you.”
Zarkon stopped wandering the room and leaned back against the far wall, still looking ever so serious. “Remember, I don’t need any more slaves at the moment…and Cossack would handle daily operations. I need you for other, more organizational ventures.” Zarkon smiled. “Besides, I wouldn’t trust you quite yet with my planets. I fear that you might do something rash, like attempt to free them."
“No, really?”
“But don’t get me wrong; Cossack would answer to you, and you would answer to me.”
Keith needed to lie down. Every bit of energy was going into keeping himself from faltering in the presence of his enemy, and this conversation was bleeding him of his strength…quickly. “Okay, Zarkon - I’ll play devil’s advocate to myself for a second. Assuming I needed a new job, I would never, ever, in this lifetime or any other, work for that pathetic excuse of a son of yours.”
Zarkon continued, “That’s another thing…”
Keith abruptly cut him off and make a motion to leave. “Zarkon, I’ve had enough of this bullshit. I’m not sure what you’re on, but I’m leaving…and so should you before the Lions show up, which they will soon.”
“Leave if you must, but if you do, I’m afraid the consequences will be quite severe.”
Undaunted by the idle threat, Keith reached for the door.
“Keep that pretty Princess of yours indoors. It can be pretty dangerous out there.”
Keith’s mind grew numb as he felt the sockets of his eyes come alive with a barely controlled rage. His face flushed with anger, and he didn’t try to hide it. Keith was suddenly overcome by the urge to kill, and he searched the empty room for anything to use as a weapon.
Zarkon studied the curious reaction with a look of amusement. “There’s the pressure point,” he mused aloud, reveling in having thrown Keith off his focus.
Keith kept his voice low. “If you EVER hurt her, I will move heaven and hell to make your life and afterlife more painful than anything you could ever imagine.”
Zarkon stood tall and took a few steps toward him, making sure to express his lack of concern. “I’ll be honest, Captain - she’s alive because I’ve willed it so…and actually, you have Lotor to thank for that. I’ve found it very amusing, the way he pines after her. Until very recently, I’ve spared the Princess to pacify him…but making Lotor happy is no longer a priority of mine.”
“You’ll never get to her.”
“Oh, I won’t? Commander, she runs around that planet like an average citizen, making herself quite the easy target. And one can not help but notice those speeches she likes to give to her subjects from the front castle balcony. It would be so easy to place one of my sharp shooters in the crowd and, well…you know. Being a people’s Princess is very endearing, but it is also a bit dangerous in my opinion.”
Keith pondered the weight of the threat, trying desperately to keep a cool exterior. He wanted to rip Zarkon’s throat out, but whether or not he liked it, Keith knew that the evil King was right. Allura was a target. In the past, Keith had almost suspected that Lotor’s desire for Allura had kept her safe to a degree.
“We’ll just keep her inside.”
The remark brought a hearty laugh from the King. “You can’t keep her locked up forever. Besides, from what I’ve heard of her, she won’t hide.”
He was right. This was unbelievable. He was having a civilized conversation with Zarkon about how easy it would be to kill Allura. The idea sickened him, and his anger became wild inside of him. Keith knew better than to rush Zarkon with his bare hands. With his massive size and considerable height advantage, Zarkon could easily break Keith’s neck with one, swift motion. But why hadn’t he? Was he actually serious about this offer?
As if thinking aloud, Keith wondered, “What about Voltron? Even if you don’t attack Arus, he’ll be called to other worlds, and then what? As soon as I’m gone, they’ll change all the codes and frequencies, and then I won’t know any more than you already do. I would be absolutely no help to you.” His disposition faltering, he added, “Besides, I would never betray my friends.”
“Do you honestly think that I would let you gut my Empire from the inside out by giving you immediate control of my armies? Come now, Captain. For the time being, Cossack will be in control of military operations. Voltron won’t be a concern to you.”
Keith’s head felt heavier by the second. He was loosing his grip on consciousness, and fast. “What about Lotor?” he managed to ask.
“The deal is as such,” he began. “You come to work for me, and your Princess will be left to live in peace on her pretty planet. I will personally have Lotor eliminated, rendering your Princess more freedom than she’s ever known. As long as you do a good job for me, things will remain that way. I think we’ve already discussed the consequences, so we don’t need to revisit that unpleasantness. I urge you not to be selfish, Captain. Ask yourself if your insignificant personal beliefs are worth the life of someone you love.” There was a brief pause. “Think about it. We’ll speak again soon.”
Keith watched helplessly as Zarkon moved toward the door. The King reached for the handle, but stopped abruptly and turned around. “By the way, your parents…I am sorry to say that they are indeed dead. Space Marshall Graham sent them on a suicide mission. They didn’t know until it was too late. Unfortunate, really.”
Keith’s throat filled with the rancid acid from his gut as he tried to talk, as he barely let out a whisper. “Liar.”
“Am I? You are a soldier for the Galaxy Alliance, I am a conqueror with my own vast empire; yet, isn’t it funny that we are both surrounded by liars and traitors?” With that, Zarkon reached into his long, red cloak and retrieved a familiar, Garrison-issued laser blaster. “I do believe this is yours,” he said, handing it over.
Keith took the gun and was left him to stare after the retreating figure in a stunned haze. When the cottage door closed and he was alone, he inspected the blaster chamber to find it was still loaded. Suddenly, Keith’s mind went numb. Whether it was from the blow, or his own thoughts, he would never know. He felt the urgency of sleep come over him like a black cloak, and as the tunnel of unconsciousness enveloped him and he fell to the floor, he cried out the only name he could think of – Allura’s.