Ready as I'll ever be

Seventh wheel

Lotor closed his eyes tightly as he heard the screamed of the blue paladin. It was the most awful thing his empire does was the torture the Druids perform on those they need information on, it was necessary in its own way but also was cruel to hear someone innocent as blue scream and beg and cry. But it needed to be done.

"He holds nothing valuable information sire," Hagar turned to Lotor as he walked in and Lance panted desperately for a breath as his vision was dancing from focus to unfocused while the room skin and there was two of everything.

"Does his altean heritage make any improvements?" Lotor asked sternly.

"Take a look sir..." She hissed moving to the side and he looked at Lance with a calm expression as two thin lines curved under the Paladins eyes and on his cheek bones as it was only a part of the altean markings he was suppose to have many years ago.

"How?" Lotor turned to Hagar glaring.

"Due to the paladin having no altean markings for his whole life the quintessents interfere with his DNA and they increase his true identity as an altean but the quintessents make him look more Druid than pure altean," Hagar growled with her head down.

"What is his altean name?" Lotor asked looking back at Lance with calm eyes on him as Lance bobbed his head side to side trying to be released but when his cheek touched Lotors fingers that where placed on the table. He stopped. He laid there feeling someone's touch against his freezing skin.

"Isamu... Is the name he was born with," Hagar narrowed her eyes.

"His skin freezes, is it harmful?" Lotor asked as he flipped his hand so his palm faced up as well as his finger tips against lances cool face.

"He's the blue paladin guardian of water, the lions bonding is freezing him more as quintessents mix with him, it's a war in his veins, the lions defense of its paladin is to freeze," Hagar hissed as if she disagreed with the lions way. As if she cared.

"It'll kill him," Lotor glared at her.

"Is there anyway to stop the lions defense mechanism?" He asked as his thumb touched lances cheek where the beginning of the altean markings outside was started.

"Quintessents," she hissed. "But that is a risk of overwhelming power into his system, with his mother being so powerful and father being royal blood he could be untamable,"

"You worry he'll over power you witch?" Lotor kept his eyes on Lance as his eyes where unfocused and stared ahead at the wall to the side and his ears rung. Lotor traced his fingers up and touched lances ear as it was still unusually round unlike other species but the ends began to form into alteans.

"I'm afraid that he could become a monster or die of the power," Hagar snapped.

"So we have four options and two of them resolve in his death," Lotor nodded looking at her again as Lance whimpered from the warmth missing against his face.

"Sire you mustn't really think..." Hagar trailed off as Lotor stood his full intimidating height.

"If the quintessents you posses and use on him now fail against the magical bond of the lions defense then yes, if it comes to that I think a risk will be taken," Lotor nodded as he stood by lances table and his face stayed calm looking at Hagar.

"And if it comes to that, what do you think will happen when the paladin lashes and becomes a rabid beast?" Hagar asked as Lotor walked out and stops at the door.

"We kill him," he smirked at her and exited without another word.

Hagar had the door close as she glared harshly at it while the princes words seeped in. She went to Lance and observed the boy more seeing how he breathed softly feeling calm but also loosing his consciousness.

"Your only a child, you will not over power me," Hagar touched the sides of his head again and Lance flinched squeezing his eyes tightly.

"But you hold more use than you show paladin, you will not die so easily," she smirked and Lance looked at her with weak blue eyes as he no longer had black pupils but bright golden ones as black was only a shimmer in his pupils, like a shimmering liquid gold. His mothers eyes.

"Do you wish to speak?" She hissed down at him as lances mouth parted softly but only made a sound of a small cry in pain as the tear sliding down his face froze before it leaked past his ears. Hagar touched the tear with wide eyes and pursed her lips a little letting it break off.

"He-help..." Lance looked up at her with hopeless eyes as she stared down at him. Her solid yellow eyes widen slightly but finally nodded.

"If I help you, do you claim your loyalty to the empire?" She smirked cruelly knowing he contained power, power she could use.

Lance weakly nodded in only begging for the pain to stop.

"Hagar," Lotor growled as he opened the door watching. "Don't,"

"He only begs for help," she played innocent.

"You will be doing the same if you try anything behind my back," Lotor towered over her as she backed away from the paladin quickly.

"My apologize sire..." She glared down.

"Enough of your childish behavior, you know your mission of this integration, do not disobey me again," Lotor spat harshly as he glared darkly.

Hagar said nothing but left with a growl to herself and Lotor was left in the room with Lance. He grabbed his vile of the purple liquid and turned to Lance.

"Blue," he said touching lances face again remembering his reaction from before. Lance woke up with a gasp as he was still restrained down to the table.

"Calm down, I won't hurt you," Lotor stroked his face and ends of his hair that slightly pooled around his head.

"Drink," he offered Lance the vile as those blue eyes with gold stared up at him weakly. "It helps,"

Lance whimpered but Lotor supported his head to help Lance drink the liquid as it passed through his lips and swallowed with a small hiss in pain.

"It'll help you heal faster and make the pain go away," Lotor told him once again after he's said it before.

"W-why are you helping me?" Lance panted as he tried to move but couldn't.

"There is no use in being cruel," Lotor looked at him taking his hand again from the cold skin.

"T-then what a-are you doing with me?" He gasped for a breath as he whimpered to be touched again.

"You truly don't believe how much potential there is in you do you? Your team will return and take you, but I won't give up that easily paladin," Lotor narrowed his eyes but his facials stayed calm.

"Y-you really think..." Lance coughed but looked at Lotor with wide eyes but a smile curled onto his lips.

"You don't understand... No one comes back for a seventh wheel," he laughed softly leaning his head back.