Marked For Death | klangst

Two.

"Paladins!" Allura's voice echoed throughout the castle. Instantly, everyone was alert. Lance's head jerked up to the ceiling, his eyes widening in alarm at the urgency in the princess' voice; Pidge dropped the box she was holding, a dull thud resonating in the halls; Hunk, clearly startled, released the wrench in his hand and got into a goofy karate pose in mock defense; Keith stopped walking with a jolt, almost losing his balance and falling onto the tiled floor; Shiro -- who was previously laying down in his quarters -- whisked out of his bed and stood up, listening intently at Allura's words. "Come quickly to the main deck. There is something you all must see."

With no other words needed, the five Paladins rushed to where Allura was standing patiently beside Coran, a mild conversation commencing between the two Alteans. As Pidge, Shiro, and Lance entered minutes later, the conversation stalled and ended with Allura's signature dazzling smile.

"Where are the rest of you?" she asked, stepping down from the platform she usually stands on to monitor the weapons and wormhole jumps.

"Right here," Keith stated, both he and Hunk coming into view. They jogged the rest of the way to their teammates and stood in awkward apprehension.

"So-o-o-o," Hunk started to say, drawing out the syllables. "What is it you wanted us to see?"

Allura smiled kindly. "That," she told him, pointing to a swirling mass of lavender, light brown, and bits of navy blue and black.

"And what is that, exactly?" Pidge piped up, trying to get a better view of the sight over the pile of instrument panels.

"The sight of your next mission," Coran spoke up, stroking his orange mustache thoughtfully.

"Mission?" Shiro asked, his voice low and cautious.

Both Allura and Coran turned sharply to him. "Not for you, of course!" Allura exclaimed. "You are still recovering. You should be resting. You shouldn't even be talking to us!"

"Allura!" he began to protest, his voice indignant and urging. "I've been resting the past few days, and I--"

"Quintants, you mean?" Coran interjected, a bewildered expression haunting his face.

Shiro forced himself not to roll his eyes. "Yes, Coran. As I was saying, I've been resting the past few... quintants, and I don't think I can stand being cooped up any longer. I need to be with my team, Allura."

She glared at him, her bright blue eyes now fierce and determined. "You are going to go back to your quarters and you are going to stay there and rest," she ordered.

Taking a deep breath to calm himself, Shiro tried to convince her otherwise. "Fine. I won't go on the mission, but can I at least stay here to supervise what's going on? I hate being out of the loop," he told the two Alteans, his shoulders dropping a bit.

Allura and Coran exchanged a look, silently trading words and contemplating their options. Moments later, Allura relented. "Alright. You can stay here," she told him with a reluctant half-smile.

Shiro restrained himself from hugging her. "Thank you, Princess."

"And you are welcome," she replied to him, and to the rest of the Paladins, she started to inform them of their mission. "This planet's name is Grumga. Formed millions and millions and millions and millions and millions and millions of quintants ago, the--"

"That's a lot of quintants," Hunk noted in awe.

Allura laughed softly before continuing. "The planet is known for its misguiding visions. I think it is what you call... a hallucination, on Earth. Many have been known to come here and never leave."