Langst: Lost Under The Waves

12- Provoked

Lance followed wordlessly into the grand hall where the meeting was about to he held.

He felt weird and didn't quite know how to explain it.

So he kept quiet but the way these aliens were looking at him it made him feel even worse.

He didn't mean to mess up.

Lance quickly lowered his head keeping it low as the others moved around him. He didn't want to trouble them nor did he want to aggrivate the aliens.

Pidge was quickly by Lance's side, seeing his face almost like he was going to cry again.

She sent him a small smile and he nodded in response and soon they were in their seats.

The king then stood up with a dark frown as he looked at the paladins.

"Thank you for coming to our aid, but I have many issues with you as a team." The king stated making Shiro open his mouth to protest. "For instance you, you black paladin, are the champion, we know that you fought for the Galran's pleasure."

Lance watched as Shiro shrank into himself his head dropping slightly as he stared at his metal arm.

"How about your right hand man?" The king continued. "A Galran halfbreed who doesn't deserve to live let alone be apart of Voltron."

Keith tensed and Lance could see the wide eyes that looked almost horrified and terrified at the same time.

"And the yellow one, the most scared out of your team, it's so unproductive and I think you should find a warrior who can actually stand up to the challenge of being a paladin."

Lance was now feeling strangely detached from his body, surely this wasn't real, it wasn't happening.

"And the green one, far too young to be a paladin she must be such a burden."

Hunk and Pidge had both fallen silent almost frozen like statues. Their expressions were going to haunt Lance's dreams.

"The princess who's too stubborn to let progress be made, she keeps far to close to traditions which in this war need to be broken." Allura growled but Lance could tell it was half hearted, this guy was hitting home.

"The advisor who is old and useless, you have no need for him and yet you let him stay, is this out of sympathy?"

That was it. The last straw.

"And you blue one.." "I don't need to hear this from you." Lance cut the king off as he stood up his hands shaking as he met the king's gaze. "We're leaving."

"No, I am the king and you are going to stay and hear what I have to say." The king responded angrily making Lance slam his hand on the table making everyone jump.

"Who gives you the right to treat the ones who have literally just risked their lives to save yours so absolutely awfully?!" Lance asked angrily his voice raising. "Let's analyse your points shall we?!"

"Lance." Shiro stated but was quickly silenced when Lance frowned at him making him go quiet.

"Shiro, the champion as you call him. He risks life and limb everyday to make sure that no one has to go through what he went through, that no one is forced to see the things he saw, the first thing he did when he escaped was ask how we were going to stop them! He doesn't ask if he can sit out! And if you ask me that's the most incredible thing anyone can do!"

Shiro stared at Lance for a few seconds amazed he didn't realise that Lance actually saw that in him.

"Now Hunk, you can never insult my best friend ever again, yes he's scared and afraid of the future, of the next battle. But he's always there, he's always ready to push his fear away to make sure that he can stop others being afraid, he wants to give them hope that they're not alone. He will push down every doubt that he ever had to make sure that others can have another day to live."

Hunk couldn't help the small smile that grew on his face as he heard that, he met Pidge's gaze to see she was smiling as well.

"Pidge, yes she's young, but she is not to be undermined. She is one of the smartest people I know, she's the best coder ever and she has even learned Altean and Galran just to increase the chances of ending this war."

Pidge's eyes welled up with tears which she tired to hide. She had been learning Altean and Galran but of course Lance found out even when it was ment to be a secret.

"Allura is stubborn, I agree, but do you know why? Because she wants to make sure that no one has to lose what she lost, she lost her family, her kingdom, her home! How can you not understand that there are people here who have lost so many things?"

Allura smiled meeting Shiro's gaze, she was so proud that Lance was there and standing up for a team that seemed like it was about to crumble only a few seconds ago.

"Keith is galra and I have know for a while." Lance admitted quietly. "But that doesn't mean that you can just pass him off as being as bad as Zarkon. Keith only found out he was part galra a few weeks ago, and do you know what? I think it's awesome. He shows that it isn't a genetic thing that causes the Galra to act the way they do, it makes us all have hope that some of them might change and many have!"

Keith couldn't help the small smirk and the look of surprise that came across his face, how did Lance know? And the fact that he felt that way really proved that he was the best friend Keith could ask for.

"If you ever say that Coran is old you are going to get a black eye. Coran is part of my family and I would do anything to protect him, yes he doesn't fight but he can provide you with a strategy in half a second. He may not be as young as he used to be but he hasn't lost his hope. Coran does more behind the scenes then you'll ever know and he doesn't do it for credit he does it to make sure that we get home."

Coran felt something warm form in his chest, yes, he didn't get much recognition but knowing that Lance viewed him as a part of his family it made him want to hug Lance and cry simultaneously.

"Because were just a bunch of kids who were forced into this! None of us wanted to be paladins but we realised that we all have to push our own feelings away, our own hopes just to protect people like you!" Lance's voice croaked slightly as his eyes blurred but he refused to cry, no matter what. "Without these guys I wouldn't be here today! None of you would be, so let that sink in! Oh and if you ever disrespect my family again, I won't hold back."

The king stared at Lance for a few seconds as Lance tried to clam his thundering heart, he needed to clam down otherwise he would do something that he would regret.

As much as he liked to think he had a good impulse control he knew that was myth, he couldn't control it no matter what he did.

And this king wasn't helping.

"But still Voltron could be so much more powerful if you were replaced with people whose skills actually benefited the universe." The king said standing in front of Lance.

Lance didn't know what had happened but suddenly his fist had collided with the kings nose making him stumbled back as blood dropped between his fingers.

Lance's eyes widened slightly as he realised what he had done, his face going pale as he stumbled back slightly his hands shaking slightly before he took off in a sprint out of the room.

"Lance!" Shiro yelled about to go after him but he was long gone.

"You need to teach your blue paladin some kind of respect, or better yet a restraining order." The king growled making the others quickly get to their feet.

"How ungreatful can you be?!" Allura asked astounded. "Lance literally saved your life and the life of your son."

"Be that as it may, it doesn't mean that this behaviour is acceptable." The prince said calmer. "However father you did aggrivate him."

"That doesn't mean he can just hit me."

"Come on team we need to find him." Shiro said with a slight snap.

"Please paladins you cannot leave us defensless." The prince asked anxiously. "Please help us set up our defenses and then you may leave."

"Fine." Shiro sighed crossing his arms. "But as soon as we're done we are leaving."

"I understand paladin." The prince nodded glaring at his father.