Tales of the Scarlet Kaida

Counting down the days

Coran stood on the catwalk above the training deck, scrutinizing every movement of the paladins training below, firing and ducking the attacks of the gladiator robots. Ever since they had retrieved the Castle on Olkari the other day, they had all been able to go back to their training rituals. Working on their teamwork and synchronization. Coran felt a wave of nostalgia as he thought back to the first training of the paladins. What a fiasco it had been. They had come a long way...

But the paladins weren't the only one training in the room and Coran observed as Allura sparred with crewmen of Lucy's, more or less familiar to him. From his spot, he recognised the long blue hair of the cook as well as the blonde ponytail of their spymaster Aria.

Other memories hit him. Alfor and the others used to train like this as well. In their own time, fighting and bickering, betting on the last slice of pie waiting in the fridge.

Soon , he thought, soon the story will finally end. Soon they were going to stop Zarkon and soon they'll start to make amend for the mistakes of the past.

Coran was not going to let Zarkon destroy more lives, more planets and break more families apart. No more Alluras, no more Sammys. No more orphans left behind. No more.

Twenty days to go before closing the dark chapter and opening a new page.

<//>

Her lion roared as she roamed through space. Pidge was on her way back to the Castle. Their mission of the day had been to bring home the prisoners they freed that fateful day. Pidge could still feel the sadness she'd felt in the air the day of Deandra's funeral. The grief in their eyes only reminding of her mother's the day the soldiers arrived at their doorstep, announcing the death of her husband and son. Dad, Matt, I will bring them back to you, Mom. I will come back.

Her quest to find her brother and dad had turned another way but she wasn't forgetting the main reason why she had gone to space. On the contrary, reuniting all those families made her even more eager to find them.

She was going to find her family.

She was going to defeat Zarkon with her team.

She was going to defend the universe.

She was a paladin of Voltron.

Being a paladin was part of her now. She wondered if the universe would still need the paladins after this last battle. Because there was going to be an after. Life would rise again and fear would leave the hearts. There was going to be an after. And she will keep convincing herself and others of this until it wasn't needed anymore.

Seventeen days to go before battle.

<//>

Makara sat in the children's bay, the young three years old Tara on her knees. While she was combing and braiding her hair, Tara was organising the pens and crayons in front of her. Sharpening her tongue at the sound their colours made in the different language she knew.

"Blue. Bleu. Blau... Red. Rouge. Rot... Green. Vert. Grün... Yellow. Jaune. Gelb... Black. Noir. Schwarz..."

"The colours of the five Lions of Voltron."

"Yes!"

"And how would you spell that?" As soon as she asked her question, Makara saw the gears of the little girl's brain work behind her eyes. She always was thirsty to learn and work on her knowledge.

"V. O. L. T. R. O. and...."

"And N."

"And N," the little girl repeated her letters again, trying to remember them.