Brighter Than the Stars: A Voltron Fanfic (Keith X OC)

Chapter 9: Changing the World

The square was filled with people.

Not just humans, either. Balmerans and Olkari and Taujeerans - every race of every alien Voltron had helped had come.

Come to Earth - to rebuild. The planet was in despairing condition, but, slowly, it had begun to heal. With the help of all these people. Some of them she knew, too - Matt and Nyma and Krolia had arrived a week ago.

Violet stepped onto the stage, feeling like her chest was going to burst with joy. Somewhere in the Garrison, Keith would be waking up, along with the other paladins.

She was sorry she wouldn't be there when he did.

But she had something she needed to do first. Violet drew in a long breath; Coran, flanking her, gave her an encouraging smile. Shiro was supposed to be here, but he was getting fitted with a new arm that Allura had designed, and couldn't make it, so Violet had volunteered to go in his place.

She opened her mouth and began to speak.

-

Keith blearily opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was Krolia - sitting on the edge of his bed. Smiling. That was a good sign. Kolivan sat beside her, his mouth curved into a rare smile.

Keith's head hurt, but other than that he felt fine. The memories of the fight were flooding back to him; fighting the robot, Voltron falling from the sky, and...

"Violet," he said, throat dry. He sat up, panic rising. "Is she-?"

"She's fine," Krolia replied. "We all are."

Keith's head fell back against the pillow, relief washing through him. They'd survived. The robot was defeated, Sendak gone ... Earth was saved.

"You might want to see this," Kolivan added, gesturing to a TV on the table. Keith looked over as Krolia pressed a button on the remote, and Violet's voice filled the room.

She was standing on a platform, and there were hundreds of people before her. Keith blinked in surprise. She looked beautiful, her hair longer than he'd last seen it, almost to her chest. She was glowing - with an inner light of some kind.

"Hi," Violet said. "My name is Violetta, but you all can call me Violet - or, better yet, Vi. I've found that I liked the nickname." She smiled faintly.

"You are all gathered here today to honor the fallen. The people that stood side by side in our fight against the darkness that has plagued our home. They will not be forgotten."

Her eyes closed briefly, and Keith knew she was remembering a face with kind eyes and dark, wavy hair. "We stand here today because of them," Violet continued, her voice ringing throughout the square. "Because of the way they hoped, the way they dreamed, the way they fought and lived. Not because of the way they died.

"If there's anything I've realized in my fight, it's that death isn't what changes you. It's the opposite, actually. It's the life you've lived - the people you've fought with - that changes you.

So while these heroes will not be forgotten ... their legacy will never die.

"Because of us. We are the ones who will carry on their story. We are the ones who will fight while they cannot.

"They gave themselves up bringing down the darkness. But in doing so, they gave us light. It was blinding at first, I know. But we used that light, however much it hurt our eyes, to beat back the darkness in their honor.

"There are so many different people here today. Dreamers and warriors and ghosts. But we all have one thing in common. We fought. And we will fight. To vanquish this never-ending darkness - to bring in the light. Because it's our duty to end the darkness once and for all.