The Forgotten Paladin

Chapter 3: Who are you?

An icy chill runs through my veins, this time I'm not dreaming. My eyes sting with fear, red burns through my iris and I stare at my reflection. Who is this? I reach my hand out to touch it but our hands don't meet. Our hands are the same, I look at my hair, it's the same H/C colour, I look at my clothes, they're the same ones I made with the Erusians. It's... me? 

The icy chill spreads to my neck, to my stomach, where it centralises, it feels... like it's not me. I look at my stomach, there's a symbol, a swirl of blue. Something I had never seen, not that I have seen much. I rub my faded red eyes and the swirl does not disappear. It flickers red. I stumble back as my head begins to throb. A pressure of heat ebbs through my head, images waver on edges of mental cliffs. After images appear as quick as they go, I see someone, someone with eyes of red, hair as white as the clouds. Her face covered in symbols like the one I see on myself. The icy chill spreads to my head, the throbbing subsides to confusion as I stare at my surroundings. I'm still in the castle. My knees wavers underneath the weight of my mind, my hands shake beside me as I slump to the ground.

What was that?

I remember some of the images I saw. Magic. A mage? She was surrounded by magical symbols and power, but I don't remember ever seeing that. It's not my memory. I try to search for the image in my clouded head but nothing comes. It's gone. 

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I amble into the chamber where the prisoners rescued from Zarkon's ship are being held. I guess I didn't think through my actions because the moment I step down there one recognises me. 

PRISONER: "You, I know you, you were also on Zarkon's ship."

Y/N: "I'm sorry I don't know who you are."

PRISONER: "You were the one who fought in the ring after champion, you were the fiercest of them all, even blindfolded you could still know where the opponent was." Pidge and Shiro stare at me in disbelief, nothing quite seems real anymore. I look back at them and smile weakly. 

SHIRO: "You were on a gulra ship?" I exchange a glance with Pidge, she looks just as confused, or concerned, I'm not sure.

Y/N: "Yeah, the aliens right."

PIDGE: "You didn't think it would be important to tell us that when you arrived?" I don't know what to say, I don't know why I was hiding it, I knew Shiro had been imprisoned on one, so why did I keep it a secret? 

Y/N: "Sorry, I didn't think my past was of importance." That was the best excuse I could come up with. They look amazed at my stupidity. Honestly, so was I. 

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Shiro and Pidge went off to find information on her brother, so I wander out to where the Erusians have gathered. They are dancing, screaming with joy and singing, everything seems great until it takes an unexpected turn. A ship bursts through the atmosphere, havoc unfolds and every Erusian is now screaming in fear, running for their lives. The paladins run to get to their lions, once again I feel powerless, useless. I gather the Erusians to a cave not far from their village. Then I sprint to the castle of lions where Coran is working on the particle barrier. 

Y/N: "Coran, what can we do?" 

CORAN: "I'm working on the defences but for now there's nothing we can do." He looks as frustrated as I feel, watching the paladins get beaten by the strange warrior. The sound of the orb it wields triggers a distant memory in my head, the gladiator ring. I remember the screams, the blood streaming cold down my head as my fists steam with rage. The audience is silent. This was the only time I could see, my blindfold has come loose during the fight, I remember the blood running down my hands and staining the ring as Myzax, their fiercest gladiator, lay lifeless on the ground. 

The paladins seem to be trying to deflect the orb with the shield but one more hit and they'll be exposed. I feel rage spread through my arms, the icy chill flows up my veins once more, this time I see the mage more clearly. Her eyes, they're blue now. Like mine. The swirl on her stomach, it's red but it's the same as mine. Reality flashes back and I see the red lion wielding a large sword. The robeast explodes and plumets to the ground with a smash. Voltron is triumphant. 

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The Erusians are celebrating in the castle, everyone is having fun and staring in awe at the castle. It's hard to have fun when everyone around you is a stranger, especially when you have barely ever talked to anyone even when you did know them. I decide leaving the room is my best choice, I wander through the castle, not knowing where to go or even where I am.    

I stumble into a room with a massive mass of energy ebbing in the centre, I am about to leave when there is a massive explosion and the castle alarms go off. The power goes down and I am now trapped in this room. 

Time passes and I hear voices heading close to me, one that I recognise, but not in a good way. I climb quickly up a ladder on the wall to a vent and I climb through it. The voice I hear is a gulra soldier I met on the ship I was imprisoned on. I hurry through the vents and come out in the training deck. The power has come back on now but why would a gulra soldier be on the castle? 

HAXUS: "Commander Sendak, we are ready for launch."

I stifle a gasp as I hear the soldier utter that dreadful name, shivers spread down my spine as I run through the shadows of the castle. I don't have a communicator so I have no idea what's happening or who is in the castle. 

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SENDAK: "We have a saboteur, find him and take him out." 

I hide in the shadows of the room, I see Shiro and Lance. Lance does not look good and Shiro looks furious. He seems frustrated that he couldn't protect Lance from whatever hit him. I feel that familiar sting in my eyes, they're glowing, red. 

I lock eyes with Shiro and he seems surprised. I give my eyes a look of assurance. His eyes tell me the whole story.

I'm going to save you. 

He doesn't look convinced but I don't care, I shroud away and amble out of the room. In my spare time, which is basically all the time, I read the manuals of this castle. I remember reading about a room filled with lasers, if you go there, you can manually shut off the particle barrier, I think that's what is keeping the paladins out. I hurry to the main hull, there are sentries guarding it and I don't have a weapon.

These 'defenders of the universe' aren't very good at protecting me. I mean I have no weapon or communicator. 

All of a sudden I see Pidge run out and into the lasers, I nearly yell until I see the real Pidge come out and attack the sentries. It seems she's beat me to it. I stay where I am, she runs into the vent so I grab one of the sentries that are following her, one escaped but I handled this one. I decide that my only way of helping them is being backup for Shiro and Lance. I rush back to the room where Sendak is torturing them. I want so badly to run out and punch him but my fear and common sense holds me back. There's nothing I can do. I'm helpless. Again, I hide within the shadows of my problems. 

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I hope this was ok! Also I was ill, that's why I didn't update! If you have any tips I would love to hear them!