Vrepit Sa (Voltron Fanfiction) - Completed

Chapter 30: Safe in the enemy's arms

Keith thrashed violently against the strong arms that pried and dragged him from his lion, yelling vile slings of curses and threats. He was thrown against the ground and pinned as he was restrained, his arms tied tightly behind his back. When he continued to struggle and yell, the Galra soldiers blindfolded him and put a gag in his mouth, dragging him through the lengthy dark hallways to the cells. Keith could hear Pidge's voice and the sound of footsteps running past as the soldiers chased her down. He heard signs of struggle as he neared his cell, assuming it was Hunk. There was a loud crack, then the thud of an armored body hitting the floor, and more struggle. Hunk let out a loud cry when he saw Keith, trying to fight against the guards. It all went quiet when the sound of a blaster was activated, everyone seemed to hold their breath. Another blaster activated, and Keith felt something pressed to his chest. "Yellow Paladin, go into the cell quietly," A low voice said, a sharp edge on their tongue. "Or Red will be silenced."

It seemed that Hunk obeyed, because the pressure on Keith's chest was lifted, and he was shoved into a neighboring cell. A few minutes later Pidge's curses were heard again, and she was shoved into a cell next to Hunk. "Prince Lotor will be with you in a varga." A voice said, and all the soldiers left.

Keith felt his eyes burn with frustrated tears, trying to pull out of the restraints. "Keith, are you okay?" Hunk asked cautiously, looking into Keith's cell. This time there was a solid wall between them, and Keith was across the hall from Hunk's cell. "What did they do to him?" Pidge asked, trying to look out of her cell. "They blindfolded and gagged him." Hunk replied, testing his strength on the cell bars. Nothing. "So... We'll be meeting Lotor in an hour?" Pidge asked, looking around her empty cell. "Yup." Hunk sighed, leaning against the bars. "Keith, are you okay?" He asked again, frowning when Keith shook his head. "Are you hurt?" Keith nodded, turning his head to hint at his shoulder. "Are you bleeding?" Keith shook his head. "Broken?" Nod. "Oh boy, okay. Just hang in there buddy."

They sat in awkward silence until they heard footsteps stop in front of their cells. "Lotor." Pidge breathed, furrowing her brows. "Hello, Paladins. Welcome!" He said slyly, his back to Keith. "What are your names?" He asked, chuckling. "Hunk." The Yellow
paladin growled lowly, staying back from the cell bars. "And you?" "Pidge." She crossed her arms. Lotor turned to a guard, looking around. "I saw the Red Lion was here too. Was Keith able to join us?" He asked the guard, who pointed into Keith's cell. Lotor turned and gasped, looking at his guards. "Get him out of those restraints! What were you thinking?" He yelled, watching the guards hurry in and take the blindfold and gag off, hesitating at the restraints. Keith kept his head down, not moving. When the guards left his cell, he cradled his arm gently, defeated. "Red, what happened?" Lotor asked with concern, looking into the cell. "Are you injured?" Keith didn't say anything, looking up to meet Lotor's gaze. "Fuck off." He made a move to get up, crying out softly and sitting back down. "Keith, tell me what's wrong." Lotor growled, seeming to forget about Hunk and Pidge. "One of your guards broke my shoulder." "Were you fighting back?" "... Yes." Keith sighed, looking away. "Well, I would say you deserve it, but your well-being is very important." Lotor looked back at the other two paladins, smiling. "Including yours."

"Then let us go, Prince Lotion." Pidge snapped, earning a giggle from Hunk. "Excuse me?" Lotor asked, offended. "You heard me, Linguini." She grinned mischievously, enjoying his reactions. "Oh mighty Prince Luigi, I will bow at your feet and do whatever you command!" She yelled dramatically, pretending to swoon. "Your... your handsome hair~ it renders me defenseless!"

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Back at the Castle, Lance couldn't sleep. He had a bad feeling in his gut, and felt nauseous every time he closed his eyes to sleep. Days went by, and there had been no word from Lotor. Lance and Shiro continued to liberate Galra rebel colonies, weakening the empire day by day. One morning, they were sitting in the control room planning their next move when they received a Galra transmission. They all sat straighter and put their work aside, answering.

"Paladins! Great to see you all, I wanted to speak with you for a moment. I'm sure you're missing your friends, I thought I'd give a little update on them!" Lotor beamed, stepping back from the camera view. "Bring Red forward." He ordered, smiling fondly at Keith as he entered the room. "Can I see Lance?" He asked with a raspy voice, bruises and cuts all over his body and a black eye over his right eye. Lance felt his chest tighten, staring at Keith with disbelief, standing up quickly. "Allura! Let him see me." His voice trembled as she did as he told her to.

Keith's eyes widened when he saw Lance, a weak smile forming on his face. "Hey, Lance." "What did they do to you?" Lance's voice broke, his hand gripping the table tightly. "Oh... uh..," Keith looked back at Lotor, who nodded. "A guard broke my shoulder when I put up a fight. A few days ago we tried to start a prison riot, but it was quieted down before we even got out of the hallway. To say the least, they didn't go easy on us."

"Are Hunk and Pidge alright?" Shiro asked, his voice wavering with concern. "They're... managing, but they're not as hurt as I am." Lotor put a hand on Keith's good shoulder, leaning in and whispering something to him. Keith's cheeks turned pink, and Lance couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy. Wait, why?

"Lotor said to surrender your lions. He'll free us and leave us all alone." Keith looked at the floor, feeling Lotor glide a hand down his back. "But he still wants Lance," Lotor whispered in his ear again, and this time Keith's face paled. "No." He whispered back, looking up at Lance. Lotor murmured more into Keith's ear, Lance could tell he didn't like what he heard. "He... He said Lance is a replaceable and weak paladin, he wants Lance with him before he does something stupid and gets hurt."

"Please consider." Lotor hummed, the call ending. Lance stood rigid at the table, his heart aching. He looked down at the floor, tears welling in his eyes. Lance knew Keith was forced to say it, but hearing it come from him hurt more than anything. "I'm... I'm going to them. If I surrender Blue, then they can-"

"You are not surrendering her! She's my Lion too!" Allura snapped, her tone harsh. "We'll make a plan, we'll save them!" "With two Lions, Princess? How?" Shiro asked, emotionally defeated.

"We... We'll find a way!"

AN: Sorry for the super late update! I'm struggling with how I want this story to go ahh.