Notes: I read this Kla///nce fic a while ago where Keith was in a similar situation to the one he's in in this fic, but in the other fic it was really romanticized and it was pretty gross, so I wrote this as a response, not to the author, just for myself. But it fit with today's prompt more or less so I figured I'd post it.
Trigger Warning for slavery, implied past non-con, and non-descriptive electric shock torture. Please don't read if this will trigger you.
Lotor and his generals hadn't done it for fame or attention. They had done it because it was the right thing to do, and because regardless of how insignificant the planet they had freed was, freeing any planet from Galra rule was a huge 'quiznack you' to the Empire.
But even though they hadn't done it for the glory, the planet they had freed was grateful. Once they had freed their king, he declared that a feast would be thrown in their honor.
The food was surprisingly good for a planet mostly stripped of its resources. They dined with the nobles of the planet, all of whom were grateful to have their titles back now that Zarkon didn't rule them.
The only problem was how everyone kept talking about how awful the Galra were, as if it hadn't been Galra hybrids to save them. Lotor wondered if any of them even knew. He supposed be and his generals didn't look very Galra, but usually people could still tell.
They were mid entree when Lotor's fork clattered to the floor. He cursed his clumsiness. "I'll be right back," he told the room, "I need to go ask for a new fork."
Lotor walked the way he had seen the king leave a moment prior until he came to a room. Inside the room was the king, who was speaking to someone sitting in a corner, on the floor.
The person sitting on floor was a man with long, unruly black hair and pale skin littered with scrapes and bruises.
'Is he a prisoner?' Lotor wondered, 'How could they have prisoners if we only just freed them from the Empire this morning? How could they have taken prisoners so quickly? What laws do they even have to arrest someone for breaking?'
Lotor moved so the king wouldn't see him observing. He saw the king move his lips and strained his ears to hear what he was saying.
"I said for you to dance for our guests."
"Well," The prisoner responded, "I said no."
"What's the good of you if you don't do as you're told? Prince Lotor and his generals saved my planet from your kind. The least you can do to repay them is to provide entertainment."
'Your kind?' Lotor wondered, 'But he doesn't look Galra. Then again, neither do I.'
"Do it yourself, asshole. I don't live to be paraded around and humiliated."
Lotor saw the king's lip curl up in disgust, then into a cruel smile as he pulled a remote from his pocket.
A terrified look spread across the prisoner's face. "No, stop! I didn't mean to call you an asshole, please don't- aagggghhhh!"
The prisoner's sentence was cut off by his shrill screaming. He clutched at his neck, seemingly trying to claw off his skin, until Lotor saw he was wearing a thin metal necklace- no, a collar.
'Vrepit Sa, he's electrocuting him,' Lotor thought, too shocked to move.
The prisoner clawed at his collar until blood began streaming down his neck and he collapsed to the ground when finally the king took his finger off the button.
"Stop embarrassing me, you useless mutt."
'He's not a prisoner,' Lotor realized, 'This planet keeps slaves.'
