Taking A Chance

Alfor Has Changed

Half an hour later, Keith's face had been cleaned up and they moved back into the room.
‘You okay?' asked Lance.
Keith nodded and turned to him. Lance kissed him gently on the lips as Keith put his hands on Lance's hips and pulled him closer. Lance moved his attention to Keith's jaw and worked his way down to his throat, while his hands unclipped Keith's belt and put it aside.
There was a knock at the door.
Lance groaned in frustration and opened the door to make sure it wasn't Franklin, while Keith turned back to the box they were packing, Lance stepped back to let Kolivan in.
‘Keith, we are leaving to take Krolia home,' said Kolivan. ‘Princess Allura will open a wormhole in an hour. Will you be ready?'
‘I'm not coming,’ Keith muttered, his back still to Kolivan.
‘What, why?' asked Kolivan.
‘Because I can't trust that Allura will open a wormhole back to Earth,’ Keith said.
‘I heard you are no longer the paladins of Voltron,’ said Kolivan. ‘This is true?’
‘Yes,’ Keith said. He finally turned to Kolivan.
Kolivan's eyes widened when he saw the Altean marks on Keith's face.
‘What is this?’ asked Kolivan.
‘My father is Alfor's brother,’ said Keith. ‘I found out this morning.’ Keith told him about them wanting him to go to New Altea. 'I'm not taking the chance she won't let us come back.'
'Your markings are red,’ Kolivan said.
‘So everyone keeps telling me,' said Keith, ‘like I can't see that with my own eyes.'
‘You don't understand,' said Kolivan. ‘It is a rare colour. The only other Altean to have red markings is Zarkon's witch, Haggar. It is a colour associated with strong magic, and probably the reason you can change forms the way you do. No other half Galra has that ability.'
‘Alfor and Allura would know that,' said Lance, ‘and it would be the reason they want you to return to New Altea, and marry Allura.’
Kolivan nodded. 'It would strengthen their family blood line, and make them powerful leaders. Any children you had together could inherit your magical strength.’
‘Yeah, well, it's not happening,’ Keith said.
They fell silent and looked between each other. The floor shook beneath their feet and the familiar humm of the Castle reached their ears.
‘We're taking off,’ Keith said.
They ran into the corridor to see the others looking around wide eyed, before they all ran towards the control room. Keith tried to open the door, but nothing happened.
‘Kosmo,’ Keith called. When the wolf appeared, Keith grabbed his fur and they disappeared.
When he appeared in the control room he found Allura pleading with her father, who was flying the Castle, to stop.
‘Please, father. This is wrong,' she said. ‘We shouldn't force Keith to do this.'
‘You saw his markings,' said Alfor. ‘We need him to strengthen out family. The Galran have decimated our people, we need to give them hope.'
‘But not against his will,’ she said.
‘You have to take us back,’ said Keith. 'You have inoccent families on board.’
‘If you families are with you, you won't feel the need to stay on Earth,' AIfor said.
Keith moved forward only to have Franklin block his way.
‘We have unfinished business,’ Franklin growled.
‘Leave him,' Alfor snapped.
‘Sorry, brother,’ laughed Franklin. ‘I'm going to finish what I started.’
‘No,' snapped Alfor, ‘we need him, that's why I'm doing this.'
Franklin refused to listen and rushed Keith, tackling him to the floor. He pinned Keith to the floor beneath him, and rain blows down on his face. The smell of alcohol reached his nose, and fear shook him. His father took on a strength not normally there when he was drunk. Bringing his knee up, Keith sIammed it into Franklin's back, knocking him off him and onto the floor.
Kosmo leapt at Franklin only to have a knife thrust into his side. He yelped and hit the floor unmoving.
‘Kosmo,’ Keith cried.
Fanklin faced Keith, the knife in his hand as it dripped blood on the floor. Taking advantage of Keith's shock, Franklin sprang forward, swinging the knife at Keith.
Allura ran for the door to get help, when a knife wizzed past her and into the door controls, rendering them useless.
She spun around and saw Franklin and Keith struggling together on the floor, Keith trying to keep the knife away from him. She also noticed he didn't have his belt on, which meant no blade to defend himself with.
She pulled out her datapad and sent a message to Pidge, letting her know the door controls were broken, then ran to where her father was.
‘Father, please you need to stop this,’ she begged. ‘This is not like you. The man I knew wouldn't force someone to do something against their will.'
‘A King makes hard decisions for his people.’ His eyes flicked to Franklin. 'Leave hiim, Franklin. If you kill him this will have all been for nothing,’ Alfor snapped.
Allura turned as saw they had entered space and a wormhole appeared. She couldn't let this happen, it was wrong, so so wrong.
Turning back to her father, she lurched forward and pushed him away from the controls. The Castle lurched throwing them to the floor. The Castle came to a halt and the wormhole disappeared.
‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING?' Alfor yelled.
‘Stopping you from making a mistake,’ she said, 'from ruining so many peoples lives.‘ A tear slid down her check. ‘You are no better than Franklin if you go through with this. Keith and I have already been in a relationship, and it didn't work. We would both be miserable if you make us marry.’ She still loved Keith and the thought of marrying him made her heart race, but it was only one sided love.
Taking a chance her father wouldn't continue with his plan, she sprang to her feet and went to help Keith. She grabbed Franklin from behind and tried to pull him away. Franklin rammed his elbow into her stomach and she collapsed to the floor winded.
Keith was scrambling back from Franklin when the doors finally opened. Taking advantage of the distraction, Franklin thrust his blade into Keith's side, and he cried out. Leaving the knife there he use both fists to punch Keith's face. Allura jumped to her feet and dived at Franklin and they tumbled away from Keith.
Kolivan ran over and hauled Franklin to his feet, and with punch knocked his out and let him crumble to the floor.
Lance pulled the unconcious Keith into his arms. ‘Baby, talk to me,' Lance begged. Blood dripped to the floor from where the knife protrude from Keith's side. Lance pushed the hair from Keith's face to reveal his bruised and battered face.
Shiro took in the room at a glance. ‘Hunk, you and Kolivan bring Kosmo,’ he ordered, as he went to Keith. ‘Let's get him to the med bay.'
Lance nodded and picked Keith up from the floor with Shiro’s help. Coran ran ahead of them to prepare things in the med bay.
‘Adam, can you and Marco get Franklin to his room and lock him in,’ Shiro said. He turned his attention to Alfor.
‘I will return us to Earth,’ Alfor said.
Shiro turned and followed the others to the med bay.