Voltron: Legendary Defender // Keith Kogane

Chapter 027.

The ship just left hyper-speed.

She could feel it.

Cira pushes her knees up to her chest and leans her elbows on them so she could rest her head. Her eyes closed for only a moment until she heard multiple footsteps nearing her cell. Cira lifts her head and looks at the door, hiding her fear. The door slides open, revealing three unfamiliar figures in the doorway. Once Cira caught sight of them, her breath caught in her throat and fear churned in her stomach.

The woman standing in the middle of the three figures scared Cira the most. She had the appearance of a slender, small humanoid woman with dark, blue skin, yellow eyes, and long white hair. She largely concealed herself under a purple and yellow cloak and carried herself in a hunched posture. The woman spoke, her voice echoing throughout the entire room, "Come with me."

Cira stands and the two figures by the woman's side moved towards her. They wore long, brown robes that conceal much of their bodies, only exposing their hands. Both wore white masks on their faces that made it appear as though they have more than two eyes. One of them placed cuffs on her wrists and then both turned to the side. Cira eyes them and walks forward, making the woman turn and walk. The figures followed behind her, quiet.

After walking for a few minutes, they reached an elevator. It was quiet throughout the whole ride. Cira would have said something, but she didn't know who these people were and she wasn't sure that she wanted to know. The elevator stops gently and then the doors open, revealing a figure in the distance.

Zarkon.

The woman walks towards him and Cira follows, glaring murderously at Zarkon in front of her. The two figures still followed behind her quietly. The emperor spoke, his back turned to them, "Princess Cira."

Cira gasps and then her eyes harden. Every feeling that she had of sadness, of loss, they were all because of him. And he would pay, "You monster!" Cira runs towards him with nothing but anger and fury, "You destroyed Altea!" From her voice you could tell how broken she was.

The woman lifts her hand and Cira is stopped and held in the air. She groans and struggles to get free and then she falls to the ground with a grunt. Cira glares at Zarkon, "Voltron is going to put an end to your empire!"

"No," Zarkon moves towards her, "it will only make me more powerful. Alfor knew that as well as I. That's why he led me to believe he destroyed it all those years ago. But now, your new Paladins will come for you, and they will deliver Voltron to me, and, with it, the key to unimaginable power."

Cira chuckles, "You're more of a fool than I thought. They don't care about me. None of them do."

"We will see." Zarkon looks at the woman, "Haggar, leave us."

"But, Sire—"

"Leave us." Zarkon repeats, his voice demanding.

Haggar obeys and leaves, her druids following behind her. Cira actually wished they would come back. She didn't want to be in a room alone with Zarkon, but her curiosity was peeked on so many levels as to why he told them to leave.

Zarkon turns around and moves away from her, "You feel alone?" Cira doesn't answer, her head turns from him to look at the ground. She did. She did feel alone. "You think they do not like you. That they are better off without you?" Zarkon turns his body only slightly to look at her, "I know that feeling better than anyone." He moves over to her, "That is partially why we are where we are now."

Cira was still on the ground. She sat up and narrowed her eyes at Zarkon, "You killed my father because he hurt your feelings?"

"He did not tell you." Zarkon concludes, "Did he?"

"Tell me what?"

"I'm sure you know the story. But not the whole story." Cira watches him in confusion, "After the Trans-Reality Comet crashed into Daibazaal, I met a woman. Her name was Honerva. She was simply beautiful. You look a lot like her, almost exact. I married this woman and she became with child. She gave birth to a girl and we named her Vralle. She was to be the future of the Galra Empire, that was until Alfor took her away. He hid her from me. He said I was mad with power and I was not fit to be raising a child." Zarkon steps over to her, "Vralle, he stole you from me."

Cira's expression drops. Her face turns pale and her eyes widen. Cira's breath catches in her throat. Her face contorts into confusion and then horror. Cira begins to shake her head slowly, but then she shakes it faster, praying that it wasn't true. "No. No, you're lying! You're a liar!" Cira pants and looks down, her thoughts speeding through her mind. Her voice drops into a whisper, "I can't." She shakes her head, "You're a monster. I-I can't be you're daughter." She felt as if she could not breathe. The room was large, but it felt as if it was getting smaller. Her eyes watered and her breaths came out in pants while she whispered, "Alfor, why didn't you tell me?"

Zarkon bends down to her, "The others don't care about you. You said it yourself. So, join me." Zarkon places his hand on her chin and gently lifts her head so she would look at him, "Let me be the father you never had, Vralle."

A tear trickles down her cheek and then her gaze turns into a glare, "You will never be my father."

Zarkon lets her go and stands, "Very well." He turns away from her, "When your friends come for you — and they will — you will perish with them and Voltron will be mine."