Our Boundaries (Shidge/Klance AU)

14-Katie's Return

Shay looked at, who was talking to Keith privately in a corner. Shay had no idea what they were talking about. The two looked very serious, though, and it could be about any subject.

"Me? And that guy? No way. Katie, you've gone blind," Keith said as he gave his friend a cold stare. There was no way that he and Lance would ever be a match. As far as Keith could tell, Lance hated his guts. The Blue Paladin was always trying to one-up him at everything he did too. Their relationship was the strangest thing.

Katie looked at him as if he was an idiot. "How can you not tell!? You two are perfect! Klance will be your ship name!" Katie informed as she stared off into the distance as if she could see something he couldn't. Keith had no idea of what this little teen sees that could be between him and Lance, but whatever it was, it was 'Klance'.

"Klance? Ship?" Keith questioned, wondering what his friend was saying. She always came up with these crazy terms that only she and someone like her could understand. She was a unique soul, who floated alone with no one holding her hand.

"You wouldn't understand, Keith," Katie responded as she shook her head as if he was a fool with no ability to think for himself. With a sigh, she looked at the carvings next to her. The cave wall was covered in them.

She hadn't noticed them last time because of how dark it was, but now, in the firelight, the carvings were light up. She stared at them in wonder. What could they be? Why were they here? Had the lions created them? She knew that the ones in Red's cave were to tell their story, but what were these for?

"Green, why are these here?" Katie asked. Green looked at where her paladin pointed and left Black's side. Katie ignored the glare Black gave her because she kept on making Green leave his side. 

"Those? I've never seen them," Green said, putting her paw over the shapes, trying to understand them.

"That's because I am the one who put them there," a female's voice rang out. Katie froze, recognizing that voice. It was the one person who understood her more then others, even when Katie, herself, did not know what she was meant to be. A woman who, unlike Katie, understood things out of this world. Katie idealized her even if she vanished with only a sentence to the girl.

"I have to find them, Katie!", she had said to her before closing the door. A familiar small frame stepped into the fire's light just as Shay had. Red-brown hair swished back and fourth, much longer then Katie remembered and knowledgeable, mischievous eyes watched everyone's movement.

"Katie, good to see you," the woman said and all eyes were turned, pinned on the small girl. Katie smiled.

"Nice to see you again, Trigel."

------

"Trigel is someone I never trusted, but everyone else did," Shiro explained. That statement only made Matt more confused, but the younger man decided to shove it to the side.

"I should get back to the hospital. My mother is probably breaking down doors in search for me," Matt said as he stood and placed the book back on the dresser. Shiro honestly did not want to leave the diary at that point, not knowing anything that he'd find interesting. He only sighed as he stood, ready to leave the room and resume his duties as king.

When he reached his study, he sat down at his desk and glanced at the giant pile of papers. He began to feel the weight of the working hours ahead, taking their toll on him. As he looked at the first approval-seeking document, his mind flooded with thoughts.

Why had Trigel locked herself in that room? It was something that crossed his mind once, but never did again. Why did Katie never like when the older woman came up in conversations? She was always desperately seeking ways out of a conversation when Trigel was mentioned. Why had he been thinking of Katie every since she left. Shiro remembered how his father always saw his mother in everything object the king looked at after she died giving birth to Shiro's stillborn brother. He remembered many things from before that time, like how his father joked about Shiro needing to outshine his younger brother to receive the throne if Zarkon became king due to Alfor's absence. 

Why had Katie filled his mind after she was gone like his mother had to his father. This was not the only time it had happened. In all honesty, when Katie announced her acceptance to Garrison, he wanted to scream and demand her to not go. Though, the happiness that she displayed from the time she applied and all the way up to that point, made him choose otherwise. Instead, he stuck to secretly moping and wishing he had the power to change time.

Katie was his first friend outside of his family. He had no idea how to cope with her leaving him. Even after she left, he almost saw her in everything. Even when he looked at his hand. He would stare at it for hours, remembering how Katie and Gritel whipped up the robotic arm after he lost it in a fight. As he grew, Katie made him a bigger one to match his human arm. She'd always send a new one in the magic mail with nothing but scientific guesses on the size. Sometimes it'd be a little small or be a tiny bit larger compared to his other arm. 

The document in his hand was long forgotten as he indulged himself into the past, and Katie's face appeared, smiling at him in his memories. He smiled to himself as he felt something wet roll down his cheek. Was he crying?

He did miss the old times where he was allowed to do anything he wanted as long as he completed his studies. He missed just playing with Allura and Katie in the garden. Heck, he even missed the feeling of boredom he got when they'd run out of games to play. Now all he was able to do was work and smile like he was a puppet, attached to invisible strings. He felt trapped in the castle, barely able to leave unless it was business matters.

Maybe he was longing for a different time or someone, but he had to push personal feelings aside when it came to ruling the kingdom. He had signed a contract. He was to be on the legal side of the monarchy while Allura took care of the citizen side. He was to serve his kingdom as their king with his cousin.

Katie was a thing of the past, someone who disagreed with him and there was nothing Shiro could do about it. He decided that was his final answer, but he could not control the uncontrollable.

OMG my friend lives in Texas and was hit by the hurricane! T^T she can't find her cat. I hope my other friend is not hit. Also I probably should add that Matt's age is 20... Did I say this already? I don't know.

-ThatOneServant