Chapter Text
My eyes flutter open slowly. A dark room slowly comes into view as I blink repeatedly. Slowly adjusting, I see that I'm in a room and dressed in a silk robe. I try to sit up, but something heavy lays on top of my lap. I lift up my upper body and look on my lap to see Glyn sleeping peacefully. A look of confusion spreads through my face.
"You're finally awake," I hear Keith's voice close to me.
Turning to my head to where Keith is, I look at him. Even with the room dark, I can hear how tired Keith sounds just by his voice. Behind him, I can hear light snoring from multiple people. I can only guess that the rest of the paladins and my cousin are here in the room as well.
"Where am I?" I ask him quietly as to not wake whoever else was in the room.
Keith leans back on his chair exhaling deeply. "In your and Allura's room."
Another look of confusion spreads through my face. "What happened? I remember being in the ballroom."
"During the party, you passed out. We took you to your bed where Princess Oella started to inspect you herself. She said that you had some poison in your body."
I knew it was poison. So my instincts were right. If Allura had drank it instead, she would be the one in this position.
"How long was I out?"
"Two days. Allura went crazy when you didn't wake up. Princess Oella had to keep giving you this medicine she had created to try to lessen the effect it had on you. She said that there is still some in your body, but it's not as powerful anymore."
My eyes travel to Glyn. One of my hands pats his head gently as he stirs in his sleep, nuzzling against my stomach. Keith stands up and grabs a blanket from the end of the bed. He puts it over Glyn's sleeping body gently.
"Glyn has been staying here with you the whole time. He refuses to leave even after all of us tried to convince him to," Keith explains looking at Glyn and sitting back down. "In the end, we just let him stay here with us."
Keith then asks me, "You knew that you had poison in your body, didn't you?"
Biting my lip, my head nods slowly. "It was in Allura's cup. I glanced at it while the drinks were being passed around while King Ovvam was making his toast. I switched both of our cups when she was 'fixing' my necklace. I thought that I would be able to walk it off, but turns out it got the best of me," I laugh towards the end before looking back at Keith with all seriousness. "Please, don't tell Allura about this. She will lose her mind if she ever finds out."
"I won't, but we will be here for a while until you are fully recovered. We have already contacted Coran about this. He will stay at the castle in case of emergencies."
Smiling and feeling a bit more relax, I lay back down while still looking at Keith.
"You should sleep some more, Y/n," he tells me as he tucks me in, making sure I'm comfortable. "Princess Oella will be here in the morning to check up on you again. Get rest while you can."
"You too, Keith," I smile once more at him before drifting off to sleep.
The next morning, I wake up to chatter around me. A groan leaves my lips as my body slowly sits up. My head is hurting like no tomorrow. I feel a pair of hands helping me sit up gently. Opening my eyes, I see the paladins, Allura, Glyn, and Princess Oella watching me. Keith is right besides me, helping me sit up.
"Y/n, you finally wake up!" Allura shouts happily.
I look at her still in pain with my headache. "Yeah, I finally did. I did wake up last night, but Keith told me to go back to sleep."
"That's what Keith had told us," Princess Oella replies. "How are you feeling now?"
"I feel better than how I did during the party. I just have this headache right now all of a sudden."
Princess Oella comes closer to me and gives a cup. "Drink this. You are not yet fully healed from that poison inside your body. It is expected to have a headache here and there until I can find out what is the exact poison you drank."
Glyn gets on the bed and hugs me after I take a sip of the drink in my hand. I wrap an arm around him hugging him back. My headache slowly goes away as the medicine takes effect.
"Thank you, Princess," I smile at her. "You have taken care of me yourself when you shouldn't have to. I am grateful."
"We all are," Shiro speaks up. "Without your medicines, who knows what could've happened."
The princess smiles as we all take turns to thank her for everything. I manage to finish everything in the cup before Princess Oella takes it from me.
"How long does she have to stay in here now that she is awake?" Pidge asks.
"It all depends," the princess responds to her. "First off, that poison is a very powerful one if it is still in her body for three whole days now. Second, we have yet to capture who had put the poison inside the drink in the first place."
I look at her. "Do we not have at least suspects of who it could be?"
"Sadly, no. There are too many people to suspect. We had a lot of maids, chefs, guards, and butlers working that night. Plus the amount of citizens inside the castle at that moment. It would be complicated to make everyone a suspect."
Keith raises an eyebrow as he crosses his arms over his chest. "So there is a chance that they can target Y/n again?"
"I am sad to admit, but yes." Princess Oella looks at us with a serious expression. "Now that you have been harmed, I have to put you under protection, Y/n."
My mouth opens to say something, but Keith beats me to it. "Are you saying that we are incapable of protecting her ourselves?" Keith questions clearly offended.
Princess Oella takes a few steps back at his sudden outburst. "No, I had no intention of putting it in that way. I just mean that I feel responsible for what happened to her. She got hurt in the palace which I live in. I want to help in some way possible."
My cousin comes near me and holds my hand. "But you have, Princess Oella. Without you, Y/n would've died to the poison. You helped save her life. Besides, Y/n is part of our team. We will also help protect her. I'm sure the paladins will give up on wanting to do that."
The princess just smiles at us. "If you say so, Princess Allura. I shall bring my trusted guard here to keep watch just as a precaution."
We all thank her once more before she leaves the room. Now all attention was on me.
Glyn is looks up at me with his worried green eyes. "Are you sure you're okay?"
One of my hands pets his head gently. "Yes, Glyn. I do not feel that well, but better than how I was at the party."
"Glyn didn't want to leave your side at all," Hunk speaks. "Even when it was time to eat, he would eat it close to you."
"You have a little protector over here, Y/n," Pidge smiles looking at the little boy next to me.
"It's only right to! Y/n did so much for me and the prisoners while we were on the ship! She protected and defended us with all her life!" Glyn declares. "She...she got hurt protecting me..."
My (e/c) eyes soften at Glyn as he announced that in front of everyone.
Allura looks at him and puts a hand on his shoulder. "That's very thoughtful of you to look after someone who did the same for you not too long ago," she smiles at him. "You care a lot for Y/n, and it shows. We are all thankful for that."
"However, since you have not went home yet since I was bedridden," I start, "I think it's time for you to go home for a little while and rest properly Glyn."
His green eyes widen in shock at my words. "Why? I don't want to leave you, Y/n! I want to stay here with you until you're better!"
"I understand that, but as you just heard your princess, the culprit is still out here. We all know that they may come back to try to kill me again this time. I am doing this for your safety, Glyn."
Glyn's eyes look around the room hesitantly. He fiddles his fingers. My eyes look at Keith then back at him. I catch Keith's attention, and he knew right away what I am hinting at.
"Glyn, I'll take you back to your house," Keith says, causing Glyn to look up at him.
"When can I come back?" Glyn hesitantly asks.
Shiro decides to speak next. "When you have rested properly, and when it's safe for you to come here. I don't think Y/n wants to worry about you while she is stuck in bed."
"I will be fine, Glyn," I reassure him. "Keith will also protect you on your way back to your home. We will see each other soon."
It took a moment, but Glyn finally gives in. He hugs me once last time before standing up with Keith.
"I'll be back soon, Y/n. Try not to get into any trouble while I'm gone," Keith tells me.
I roll my eyes at him before smiling at him. We all wave them off as they exit the room.
Allura looks at me once again. "I think you should rest once more, Y/n. This will be a long resting process. We don't know when the suspect will strike again. It's best to get your energy up just in case."
I nod my head as I lay back down. My eyes close, but my mind wanders off.
I wonder...what is the reason that Glyn did not want to leave? I feel like...it was more than just wanting to make sure I'm okay.
Keith's POV
Right as we turn the hallway, Glyn falls onto his butt. I quickly kneel to his side as he squints his eyes.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"I'm okay, Keith," he replies as he slowly looks up to the person he bumped into. "I'm so sorry- K-King Ovvam?!"
Looking up at the chubby king, he looks down on us with a concern look. "It is alright, Child. I did not see where I was going. The fault is mine." The two of us stand up straight. "Are you finally heading home now, Glyn?"
He nods his head. "Y-Yes, my king. Keith is bringing me home."
"That is a relief. A child shouldn't be in a place like this," King Ovvam tells us. "They would bring trouble, especially ones with certain abilities."
"Certain abilities?" I question confused.
King Ovvam ignores my question and walks pass us. "Do be careful on the way to the child's home and back, Paladin. Don't want anything bad happening to you."
With that, he takes off without another word. I look down at Glyn who turns his head towards the king's back. His green eyes are full with concern as he stares.
"Is something wrong, Glyn?"
"King Ovvam...just gives me a bad feeling..." Glyn murmurs loud enough for me to hear him.
"What bad feeling?"
He shakes his head before look up at me and taking my hand. "It's nothing, Keith. Probably just my imagination again."
I was about to question him more, but he pulls me down the hallway to exit the castle.
I wonder what that was all about. What "certain abilities" was King Ovvam talking about?
As Glyn and I exit the castle walls, we enter the nearby town. I look around at the new atmosphere that I was not familiar with. Glyn walks next to me, not even thinking about leaving my side.
"Glyn," I call his name, "how far is your home from the castle?"
He looks ahead then around. "It's not that far from here."
I nod my head and we both became silent once more. Glyn is just a child, and usually children are very talkative and ask questions. He seems different. He doesn't talk much or even try to.
A few moments later, there were children in the town playing with each other. Smiling and laughing, they all look like they were having the time of their lives, like there is no war going on right now. My violet eyes travel to how Glyn is reacting to them. To my surprise, he doesn't even acknowledge the other children. He just stares at them and continues to walk.
He kind of...reminds me of me... He's not taking in the scenery nor the other children.
A few minutes of walking, the two of us finally make it to a small brown little house. My eyes study the looks of it while Glyn walks up to the door. Looking around, I had one question on my mind.
"Glyn," I call out to him, "where are your parents?"
Without answering me, Glyn opens the door to his house. The two of us walk in to the dark living room. He opens a light and walks inside. Glyn turns to look at me with a smile on his face.
"I'm going to go wash and change clothes, Keith. I'll be quick," he says before walking to a room.
Taking this chance, I walk around to try to understand why Glyn doesn't want to come home. My feet walk into the kitchen and dining area. The table only had a seat for two people; however, only one seat seems to be used more than the other.
Behind the table was a cabinet with two picture frames. Arching a brow, I walk closer to take a better look. The frame on the right is two Iuilian parents fondly looking at the baby in the mother's arms. It seems like it was taken at a hospital or a clinic. The frame on the left shows a recent picture of Glyn holding up a certificate in front of a building. I take the photo on the right in my hands and bring it closer to me.
I'm going to guess that these two are his parents. However, looking on the other picture, he was alone. Not one parent next to him. These two are the only pictures in the house. Does this mean...?
"Keith," I hear Glyn call out to me from the room. "Are you still there?"
My body jumps slightly. "Y-Yeah. I'm here."
Quickly, I put the picture frame back to where I saw it. Turning around, Glyn is back in the clothes I saw him wear when he was a prisoner. A smile on his face, he skips to where I stand and hugs me tight. An awkward feeling arises in me as I slowly put my arms around his body. We stay in that position for a few seconds until Glyn speaks up.
"You are feeling uneasy, Keith. Is something wrong?"
Trying to calm down, my right hand pets his hair. "I'm fine, Glyn Just worried about Y/n."
Hearing her name, Glyn looks up at me with worried eyes. "Will she be okay?"
"She'll be fine. Y/n is stronger than she looks. She will recover soon and by then, we should have caught the suspect."
"You really like, Y/n, don't you Keith?"
My body tenses as I look at the younger boy still holding me with wide eyes. "N-No, she's just a comrade. A-Another teammate in Voltron."
Glyn lets go of me and smiles. "You can't hide that forever. I know how you already feel, even if it's small and you don't realize it yet." I was about to say something until Glyn beats me to it. "It's almost sunset. You should head back to Y/n. I will stay here until you guys give me the okay." He smiles brightly.
My eyes look at him with suspicion, but I just let out a sigh. "If you say so, Glyn."
Glyn waves me off as I leave and close the door to his house behind me. Questions start to flood my mind now that I was out of there. As I walk out of the property, an elder citizen walks up to me.
"You were with Glyn just now? Is he okay? I haven't seen him in a few days," he tells me.
"Glyn is fine. He was at the palace with us," the elder man gives a nod, and I feel I can ask him more about Glyn. "Where are Glyn's parents? They are not at home."
At first, the old man stays silent, but he soon sighs. "I suspect it would be okay for you to know since Glyn trusted you so much enough to bring you home. His parents died a long time ago."
My violet eyes widen with shock at that information. "His...parents died?"
The elder man nods once more. "His parents died because of the war we are in right now. They are a unique type among the rest of us. Both are fantastic herbalists and fighters; however, his mother had this power to know how one person is feeling by just simply touching them. While his parents were killed during the war, Glyn lived through. He's been living alone for a few years now with me and a few others looking after him time to time."
Glyn was holding on to Y/n the whole time at the party. That's how he knew that she wasn't feeling well from the start! Not only that, he hasn't been cared for like how Y/n cares for him. But...what about when he said he had a bad feeling about the king...?
Y/n's POV
I sit up, waiting for the door to open for Keith to come back safely. I knew deep down that both of them were safe, but I was uneasy for some odd reason. The paladins all around me were making themselves busy. Either talking amongst themselves, or just staring outside the window like my cousin is doing. The door opens, making all of us look towards it. Keith steps into the room looking at all of us.
"Back already?" Shiro asks.
"Yeah, Glyn is back home safely," he says as he sits on the empty chair next to the bed.
I notice right away that he looks out of it. "Keith, did something happen to Glyn?"
He leans back on the chair sighing. Keith stays quiet, looking to choose his words. "No, but what I found out about Glyn is. His parents died during the war. He's been alone all this time, even before he was captured. Apparently, Glyn also inherited this power from his mom."
"What kind of power?"
"Where he can feel someone's energy just by touching them." His violet eyes make contact with mine. "Just like he did with you during the party. When he said that you were growing weak."
My (e/c) eyes widen. "He's able to do that?!"
"Yeah, it shocked me at first, but he felt mine earlier when I was feeling uneasy about not finding who poisoned you."
I nod my head. "Glyn is a sweet child, who needs to learn to hone his abilities then. It would be good for medical experience. I'll think of something for him."
"Still thinking about helping others even when you're in a bad situation yourself?" Keith raises an eyebrow.
I smile at him. "Of course. Glyn is proving to be a fine gentleman. If he grows up with the right people, I'm sure his future will be successful despite how things are now."
Soon, the door once again opens. Princess Oella walks in while smiling at all of us. "Glyn isn't here?"
"No, we finally got him to his house," I reply. "He doesn't need to be around here when a dangerous person is still on the loose."
The princess nods her head. My cousin walks towards the bed while her eyes still stay on the princess. "What brings you here, Princess Oella? Is it for a check up again?"
Princess Oella shakes her head. "Actually, it's something that could put us at ease for a little bit." She turns towards the door. "Please come in now."
The door opens on command. A fit Iuilian soldier walks in. A smile appears on his lips as he locks eyes with Princess Oella.
The princess turns towards us and smiles. "This is my childhood friend, Zolis. He is one of the trusted soldiers under me and my brother."
Like Glyn, Zolis had blue skin with forest green eyes that could pierce through anyone's lie. His dark purple hair is cut short over his head.
"It is a pleasure to meet the Voltron team in person," Zolis' deep voice says. "I would have thought it would be in better circumstances though."
"By better, do you mean fighting with us during the war or...?" Lance questions.
Zolis smiles, showing small dimples on his cheeks. "It would be better if we didn't have any war to begin with. However, in this life, I wish to have meet you during war fighting on the same side."
"We want that as well," Shiro tells him.
Oella claps her hands together looking outside. "Well, now that I have introduced you to Zolis, I think it's time that we can eat dinner in the dining hall. You six haven't had a good meal today due to everything, so let us make our way to the dining room."
Pidge stands up from the floor. "Is it okay to just leave Y/n here by herself?"
"She won't be by herself technically." Oella glances at Zolis. "Zolis will stand guard outside of her door. He should stop anyone suspicious from coming into the room."
"So, I'm not allowed to walk out of the room yet?" I ask after staying quiet for a while.
"Not yet. The more you move, the more the poison will spread throughout your body. Again, I did remove some of it, but overall it is still around. You shouldn't use too much energy until I can physically point out what type of poison it is. You are not showing much signs of what venom you drank."
Keith looks at me. "Are you sure you're okay with us leaving to eat dinner?"
"I'm sure, Keith. Besides, all of you need energy. I would feel bad if you guys fought with an empty stomach," I smile at him.
Lance pumps his fists in the air. "Alright, time to taste some food in a nice dining area!"
Hunk follows his actions. "I wonder what kind of delicacies Iuilia has to offer. I'm curious now!"
Shiro facepalms slightly groaning. Keith slightly glares at them. Allura, Pidge and I just lightly giggle at their reaction. My cousin looks at me as Keith gets up from his seat.
"We will try to be back as fast as we can, Y/n," she tells me.
"Take your time eating. Don't rush because of me."
"Then you don't get yourself into more trouble, Y/n," Keith smirks at me.
I scoff at him. "I'm not the only one who gets into trouble. Need I remind you, you were hurt worse a few weeks ago."
Keith just shrugs his shoulders. "I'm still alive, aren't I?"
"Still going to ask questions?"
"You know I will," his smirk got bigger as he followed everyone out of my room.
I roll my eyes once more before looking around the now empty room bored. My body lay back once more on the soft bed. I stare at the white ceiling above me.
I really hope we catch that person soon. I can't do much when I'm sitting here on bed.
About half an hour pass by since the paladins left for dinner. The night sky finally came out. Still I was on my bed bored. I was slowly falling asleep until I heard noises coming from my window. Raising an eyebrow, I sit up and look at it. Thinking it is an intruder or the suspect for the poison, my hand reaches for my bayard. Just before I can grab it, I heard a certain boy's voice.
"Y/n? Are you there?" I hear Glyn from the window.
My eyes instantly widen. I shot out of bed instantly, ignoring Oella's orders to not move around. Poking my head out, I see Glyn climbing up the palace walls. Without any hesitation, I help Glyn get inside my room. Once he is safely in, I look at him.
"What are you doing in here? I thought I told you not to come back until it's safe here."
Glyn looks at me with worried eyes. "I couldn't help it, Y/n! I had to make sure you were safe!"
"Safe? From what?"
Glyn controls his breathing before he tries talking again. "I...I felt a bad feeling from someone when I accidentally bumped into them earlier."
"Who are you talking about?"
Glyn was about to open his mouth again, until the door knob starts to turn. Both of us tense up while looking at the door. Quickly, I guide Glyn under my bed. He crawls underneath, becoming fully hidden. As he did that, the doors open to reveal King Ovvam.
I raise an eyebrow to his presence. "Why are you here?"
He closes the door behind him. "I'm here to check up on you, if that is okay? I have been busy with my kingdom that I was unable to visit our wounded guest. Is it okay for you to be standing right now?"
I cross my arms over my chest and turn my back towards him. "I think I can manage if I'm able to stand up. I don't need to be in bed like I'm dying."
Just as I felt a presence right behind me, I move to turn back around. However, I was too slow and got restrain quickly. My body struggles to get out of the tight grip. Looking over my shoulder, I could see that it was King Ovvam holding my arms to my side with his own.
"You were the wrong person to drink the poison. It was supposed to be the princess, but I think you would be just fine," Ovvam grins evilly.
I continue to struggle to get out of his grasp. Suddenly, something sharp enters my neck causing me to gasp out loud. Next thing I knew, something was being injected into my body. With the last bit of strength, I push Ovvam off me and pull out the needle before the whole medicine could be in my body. My hands hold my neck where I was injected.
"You...!" my eyes narrow at him. "You're the one who put the poison in the princess's cup...!"
Ovvam laughs. "Of course I did! Voltron wouldn't survive long if she lived! However, you seem the most important one to them right now. You can take her place."
My body backs up to the corner away from the bed. Ovvam follows me. From the corner of my eye, I see Glyn scared under my bed. I move my eyes to the door to signal him to get help. He seems to have gotten it and made a run towards the door!
Ovvam notices as he runs out of the room. The king was about to make a dash for it until I grab my bayard and summon out a blaster. Quickly aiming it, the blast hits his shoulder, earning a groan from him.
"You still have fight in you?!" Ovvam yells out, holding his wounded shoulder.
I lean against the wall as my breathing gets rough. A smirk came on my face. "Of course. If I die, I at least go down with my enemies. I will not let you harm any of the paladins or Glyn!"
Gritting his teeth, he stalks over my weak body. His rough hand grips my neck against the wall, choking me. He slides me up to where my feet doesn't touch the ground. Losing air, my hand lets go of my bayard.
"I didn't inject the whole poison into you, but killing you like this will make things easier for me! Much more satisfying as well!" he shouts happily.
Quickly losing strength and air, I was seeing black spots. My eyes slowly start to close.
"Get your hands off of her!" I hear a certain voice yell angrily.
Within an instant, someone hits Ovvam earning a grunt from him as he releases me. I fall on the floor coughing and choking. My body hunches over, coughing and gasping for air. Looking up, I see Keith glaring at the king on the floor. He was standing right in front of my body while the king was on the ground in front of his feet. Everyone else just arriving at the door. Glyn looks at me with worried eyes.
Oella gasps at the sight of her brother. "You...you tried to kill her?!"
Keith comes to my side and helps me stand up. His arms wrap around my body.
Ovvam laughs once again. "Yes! I was promised more land to run, more power! Oella, how could you not see the beauty in that?!"
Oella looks away as tears glisten in her eyes. "You have become greedy, my brother. I can not imagine my own flesh and blood would do this." Guards came beside her along with Zolis. "Take him away! I do not want to see my brother any longer running free like this!"
Without any hesitation, the guards handcuff the king and escort him out of my room. I look at everyone else weakly.
"I'm so sorry that you are experiencing this, Oella," I say softly.
She shakes her head. "I was wondering why Zolis said he was dismissed by my brother. Glyn managed to catch us as we were making our way to you."
"He alerted all of us to what happened, and we came here as fast as we can," Hunk adds. "Keith was, of course, the first one here."
I look at Keith as he looks back at me. Then his eyes widen as he looks at my neck. His fingers gently touch where I have been injected.
"You got stabbed?"
With all my energy, I point to the injection on the floor. "Ovvam tried to poison me once more. He managed to give me half of it even as I struggled."
Oella picks it up and examines it. Her eyes widen quickly. "This is-"
Glyn runs to me and hugs my body once more. "No! Y/n is losing strength again!"
Well shit. Here we go again...
With that, I feel my body lose its energy. I go limp in Keith's arms. As everything starts to go silent and black, I could only see Keith's worried face as everyone else starts to call my name.