The Forgotten Paladin

Chapter 8: Prisoners no longer

Walking through the winding tunnels, gathering shaking Balmerans to safe places, out of sight from the gulra soldiers and the devastation cause by, me. 

BALMERAN: "Will we be okay miss paladin?" I look down to see a little girl, no older than 5 staring up at me, sparkling tears filling her dark eyes. 

Y/N: "I won't let any harm come to any of you, we'll be okay." 

A memory fills my head at that moment, a little girl, staring at me with lifeless eyes, paleness covering her small, bruised face. Lightning striking at my fingertips. Panic rises from the memory. 

Did I kill her? 

I push away the fear and focus on keeping these Balmerans safe. The ground beneath begins to shake but I assure everyone to stay calm. My com is still static but I can make out bits and pieces of words. 

LANCE: "What the heck is that?" 

SHIRO: "Whatever it is, it's not good." 

KEITH: "Has anyone heard from Y/N recently? We left her with gulra soldiers, all I hear her say was '2' then the line dropped dead." 

PIDGE: "I have a bad feeling about this, I'm picking up a large energy signal not far from where Y/N was last known." 

The static cleared a little, I could just make out what they were saying but it sounds like they're in trouble. Shocks of electricity are still spiking at my fingertips so I touch my communicator lightly and the static clears completely. 

HUNK: "Please tell me there's not a giant monster in there. Please tell me it's empty! Or full of space candy. One of those two. Either is fine." 

LANCE: "I don't think it's a pinata Hunk." 

KEITH: "If it's the same kind of monster that attacked us on Aerus, we already know how to beat it."

Listening quietly seems to be the best decision, they need to focus to defeat whatever is up there, at least they fought it before. The Balmerans are significantly calmer than they were before but unease still fights its way through the heaving air. The urge to help the paladins is bleeding through my veins, as is the shock of electricity pulsing sporadically throughout my arms and mind. 

A while passes before I hear the paladins heading towards the mine shafts. I run to where they are in hopes no one is injured. 

RAX: "What's happening?" 

KEITH: "There's a monster up there that Zarkon sent to destroy us."

I heave through the air and come to a stop once I reach the paladins. Air escapes at every breath and barely returns every breath I take. I feel arms grasping my shaking shoulders, I look up to see calm, dark eyes staring into mine. 

KEITH: "Are you okay Y/N? You didn't respond, you scared me- I mean us to death." 

Y/N: "Aww, so the emo boy does care?" I see blush spread itself over his pale skin as he keeps his hands steady on my shoulders. 

KEITH: "It's not that, it's just- we saw and energy signature from where you Uhh were and I'm curious, that's all..." 

Y/N: "Sure, sure, mullet boy." I run my hand through his long hair, messing it up, he smiles and I feel pride light up inside. He barely ever smiles...

KEITH: "In all seriousness, are you okay? When you weren't well last time we were all worried, did that happen again?" 

Y/N: "Don't worry your scruffy head about it, okay? Just focus on defending the universe and all." I smile at him, it doesn't feel genuine though, I'm worried about what happened. 

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HUNK: "I don't know, but we can beat it. Tell her, Keith." 

KEITH: "Can we?"

SHIRO: "Yes, we can! This is our first mission and we're not going to fail. We can beat it. We just need some time to come up with a plan." 

HUNK: "See? Told you we can. Thanks, Shiro." 

A shaking sensation washes over the poor Balmera, a worried expression floods onto our faces as our gazes meet to share our concern.

HUNK: "Do you guys feel that over there?" 

Lance and Pidge respond from another mine shaft that is shaking as well. 

LANCE: "Yeah we feel it." 

PIDGE: "It's that sound again. What is it?"

One Balmeran puts their shaking hand to the ground and the Balmera stills. 

Y/N: "It's the Balmera, it's dying." 

RAX: "Our home crumbles beneath out feet and we can't do anything about it." 

The paladins converge to form a plan with Allura and Coran. 

ALLURA: "Let me worry about that, just focus on keeping the creature distracted." 

The paladins begin to make their way to the lions, I stand there hopelessly. 

Y/N: "Wait- Shiro!" I run over to the leader, "what can I do?" 

SHIRO: "Stay put for now and we'll figure out what to do with the Balmerans later." 

Y/N:" I can't just sit here and watch from the side again while you all get blasted by Haggar's monster!" He must see the desperation in my eyes but choses to ignore it and closes the hangar of his lion. Heat rises in my chest, making its way to my chest. 

I have to do something. This isn't right. 

I wait for what feels like ages for Shiro to give me something to do, but the mine stays apprehensive. Some Balmerans are even more nervous since some of their family is missing. But there's nothing I can do. 

BALMERAN: "Miss paladin, my parents are missing, I have to go find them! I can't leave them in the crumbling Balmera." 

Y/N: "I'll go. I will bring back your family." Something about the look in the child's eyes, makes my heart ache. I shouldn't leave them, but I decide no one is being left behind today. No one will ever have to be left behind like I was. Why do I know that? I push the though aside again and grip my dagger firmly in my charred hand. 

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Every tunnel looks the same. Every piece of gulra machinery looks identical to the next and every crack in the creature's surface looks worse every time I pass them. The ground underneath me starts to glow once more and I try and get away from it but of course, it's caused by me. 

I place my hand to the ground just like the Balmeran did and it glows brighter. I sense two people nearby. Well I don't sense them, I sense fear emanating from somewhere nearby. 

A while later I return to the tunnel where all the Balmerans should be, but they're all starting to move up, I see Allura leading them up. I carry these two injured Balmerans up the Slopes of the Balmera.

Y/N: "Allura!"

ALLURA: "Y/N? Where were you? Why did you leave the Balmerans? "

The Balmera begins to shake, the sides crumbling. I throw the Balmerans gently to the surface just before the ground beneath me begins to shake. The sky above begins to get smaller as I plummet suddenly towards the broken surface of the mine. Then, everything goes black. 

And I'm in the darkness once more.