She Chose You~[Shidge]

Innocence

 No one had moved after Lance arrived back in their cell. They all just sat against the walls looking at each other. With Lance refusing to say anything more about Shiro's condition or what he had said there wasn't much else to talk about. So they sat.

Taj had made his rounds to each paladin. Sitting in their laps and talking excitedly about one thing or another. The paladin he had occupied would offer a small response when necessary but it was mostly a nod or smile. Taj was the only one who had no idea where they were or what was happening.

Picking himself up from Keith's lap, Taj walked over to Lance. He paused, stretching his tiny arms upward, his mouth opening in a yawn. Lance extended his arms to Taj. Taking the invitation Taj crawled into Lance's lap laying his head on his chest. The blue paladin wrapped his arms around the small boy tilting his head back. He feared that if he looked down at the sleeping youngster he was going to cry. No one this young should have to be here.

Lance swallowed the building tears. He had to figure a way to get out. The thoughts and images of them all dead flooded his mind and he needed it to stop. No one was going to die.

He could feel eyes on him so he slowly lowered his head. Everyone had eyes on him or rather Taj soundly asleep. He chanced a look down only for his gaze to snap to the cell door as a clang was heard from outside.

The door swung open a few minutes later and Clove entered the cell. A pistol was attached at her hip and two guards flanked her sides, both with charged blasters. Her eyes swept over them like an icy fog.

Instinctively Lance's arms tightened around the sleeping form in his arms. Just when he thought Clove was going to make a move towards them she turned abruptly and headed for the door.

"Get out."

The two words took a moment to register with the Paladins. They glanced unsure at each other wondering if Clove was serious. It was a possibility that as soon as they stepped out from the cell they would be shot down where they stood.

"What? Do I have to say it again?" Clove snapped. She waved her hand into the cell and several guards entered. Each approached a Paladin pulling them to their feet.

Pidge was the first to fight against the guards' grip. The guard wasted no time in delivering a swift slap to the girl's face. Pidge dropped her head a pink mark growing on her cheek. Keith shouted followed by Hunk but they were quickly silenced as they were pulled from the cell.

Lance remained calm. His arms hadn't been touched, only a guard on either side of him seemed to be the only thing needed. If they were being led to their death wouldn't Taj have been ripped from his arms long before now?

Sunlight flooded Lances vision. He winced as they were led out into the forest. The same spot where they had first loaded onto the cruiser.

Great, they're going to kill us execution style. Lance thought. He knew that wherever they were being led wasn't going to end well for them. The others seemed to be thinking the same thing. Their eyes glanced around for more guards than what were there. They couldn't see anymore.

Taj shifted slightly drawing Lance's attention to him. In that few seconds he noticed the guards were no longer by his side and he turned to look. The majority of the guards were gathered by the cruiser watching them with blank expressions. Then at once they split and two more guards appeared supporting Shiro as he walked between them. Keith and Hunk rushed past him towards Shiro. They just barely caught him after the guards removed their hold on him. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his face twisted up in a grimace. The black stain on his armor seemed more recent then the last time Lance saw him. There was no doubt that Haggar had wanted to give Shiro a final goodbye.

"Shiro!" Pidge called. A few seconds passed before she ran past Lance. Before she could get far he reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her back to his side. Taj still slept and the boy was getting heavier the longer Lance held him with his one arm.

Pidge's head whipped around to face him, her eyes narrowing first at his hand around her arm then up at him. "Lance, let me go." she said with a sort of calm that sent a chill through him. The side of her face where the guard had slapped her was still a bright pink.

Lance shook his head. He glanced over at Shiro. Keith and Hunk were focused on their leader between them. He was barely conscious. His legs gave out and Keith and Hunk scrambled to help support him. His eyes then flicked up to Clove. She wasn't looking at Shiro like he thought she would've been. Rather she was looking directly at him and Pidge. A smirk tugging at the corner of her lips. She leaned over and whispered something to a nearby guard, then abruptly turned and disappeared back into the ship.

"Lance!" Pidge said again. Harshly tugging her arm, "Let me go!"

"We need to get back to the castle," Lance said in reply. Pulling Pidge along with him.

"The castle is gone! Clove released her hold on the dead man's switch. She was flinging it around like a freaking yo-yo."

"Did you hear an explosion? Did the ground shake beneath your feet?" Lance asked her. He shifted his arm that was supporting Taj. Why was a kid so small, this heavy?

"No." She replied after a moment.

"Then the castle is still there."

XXXXXXX

As soon as they had broken free of the tree line a swift breeze picked up. It was a miracle that the wind didn't wake Taj.

Minutes later they were approaching a side door into the castle. It had been left open. The door slammed against the castle with every breeze that blew its way. It was creating a thunderous sound. Metal on metal. The sound sent dread crawling from the ground up into the feet of the Paladins. It's icy nails penetrated their skin as it crawled towards their chests.

Lance was the first to enter the doorway followed by Pidge and then Coran, Shiro, Hunk, and Keith. The trio quickly moved past them and out of the room towards the med-bay. They moved so fast they didn't have a chance to notice the body lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the room.

Liam's head was resting at an awkward angle. His mother had snapped his neck so hard the bone had broken the skin.

Pidge stifled a gag. A hand went to her mouth while her other went to her stomach. She wasn't sickened by the scene before her, no, but rather the thought of a mother doing this to her child. And as willingly as clove had done it made it so much worse.

Taj yawned, signaling he was awake. He raised his head smiling at Lance. He then went to turn as if to look for Hunk.

Moving quickly Lance moved to hold Taj's head into his chest, hiding the child's view from the body.

"H-hey we're going to play a game," Lance said, his voice rising an octave as he fought to gain control of his wavering emotions. Taj nodded his head clearly too excited to say anything. "Okay. We have to go find Hunk. He's waiting for you." Lance knew he would have explained the game better to the little boy but his mind was nowhere near thinking about a simple game like hide and seek.

Pidge stayed behind. She didn't move at first. This was all her fault. Whatever she tried to help bodies dropped. She suddenly felt gross. As if the sticky liquid was trapped under her armor. She could almost imagine the red coating her entire body from the neck below.

She shook her head, removing the feeling from the forefront of her mind. She had to take care of this body before Taj somehow wandered back into this room.