His Rival

Blood Ties

Hello everyone, Jess here!

This chapter's nearly twice as long as the last(21.6 pages/ 7,361 words) so be sure to take breaks as needed.

If you have any questions or comments about this chapter, let me know; I'd like to hear from you!

Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

*Trigger Warning: Continuing Themes of Sexual Assault*

"Wha- how did he learn that?!" Lance vociferated as those haunting words echoed through the room, chilling you to the bone. Someone who had once been the most important person in the universe to you, whose entire life had been dedicated to the protection of your home planet, had sworn his allegiance to the Galra. "Vrepit Sa" he had chanted. Never in your life had those two words sounded more dangerous, knowing what storm they had unleashed. Just the utterance of them had everyone in the room holding their breath.

"We snuck up on a couple of Galran officials right after one of their broadcasts a few months ago" Ina recounted with an uneasy glance between her teammates. Even Ryan's stoic composure was fracturing, dark brows digging into his eyelids.

"It just sounded so... so natural for him." He wasn't wrong, those words had rolled off his tongue without a second thought, without even a millisecond of hesitation. It was as if after all this time, Griffin had morphed into the villain he was always meant to be. But that only added salt to everyone's already gaping wounds, enough for Nadia to cry out as tears welled up in her olive eyes.

"He... he really meant it! He wanted us to suffer!"

"How could he?" Sablan groused, hard-lined creases rippling across his pale face.

"That darn freakin son of a biscuit!" Hunk shouted, expressing his rage the only way he knew how. Shiro looked like he was about to explode, voice eerily quiet despite the veins popping in his forehead.

"Motherf*cking traitor." For Shiro of all people to lose his composure... Griffin had truly reached a new low.

"Curfludging Yerg!" Coran screeched, earning a strange glance from Iverson before Allura explained.

"Those are some of our worst curses back on Altea"

"Then why haven't we heard of them before?" Hunk faltered. After all, this wasn't the first time you had dealt with a genocidal maniac.

"Because James is the worst of them all!" Pidge exclaimed. "Even without being corrupted by quintessence like Zarkon and Haggar, he committed unspeakable horrors!"

"He full knowingly betrayed his very own kind, the planet that allowed for his very creation and existence!" Allura amplified, wringing her hands. How could she possibly wrap her mind around committing such a deed after what had happened to her planet? How could anyone begin to comprehend that insanity?

"That'd mean... he wasn't just aiming to kill you Keith" Aiden gasped, as if an arrow had just plunged into his heart. "He intended for those cannons to kill us, to kill me." That notion sliced through your veins like a lighting volt. Oh quiznack, Griffin had ordered a death sentence for everyone in this room, for everyone in the entire world, in just one fell swoop!

"Sh*t, that hurts" Nadia hissed, fingernails piercing through her chest. Ryan barely managed to keep a hand on her shoulder, shaken to his core.

"I was his best friend but... what he meant to me wasn't what I meant to him."