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"Altea..." Keith breathed.

Lance's babbling stopped abruptly. "What?" he asked quietly.

Keith stared at the serene blue planet. There were several artificial rings orbiting it and he knew that he'd seen it before somewhere.

"Are you sure?" Lance questioned.

Keith met Lance's eyes which were as blue as Altea itself, and below them, the boomerang-like Altea markings which were glowing softly, as if the quintessence in Lance's body sensed its origin through the TRAM.

"It's worth a shot," Keith said slowly. "I mean, Black is Altean- why wouldn't he go to an existing Altea?"

Lances bottom lip quivered. His eyes were large and held a whirlpool of emotions, none of which Keith could recognize. Lance looked away from Keith's searching gaze but nodded. "Let's do it," he murmured.

Keith tossed the TRAM into the cargo hold, released it, and watched the portal jump out at the lions. The two beasts barely needed prompting before leaping through the rift.

Time seemed to stand still as Lance let his eyes adjust to his surroundings. Directly in front of him was the most beautiful planet he'd ever seen. He felt something inside of himself unfurl, blooming and growing, reaching like wisteria towards Altea.

He knew, of course, that it was in fact, Altea. There was no doubt in his heart. Every cell in his body was urging him to go closer, to feel the ground under his feet, to breathe it's air in his lungs, to bathe in the glory of this new home.

Then, there was Keith's voice in his ears through his helmet's headset. "We have to be careful," Keith said quietly, his voice low and warning. It made the tips of Lance's fingers tingle. Careful of what? This was Altea. There was nowhere more perfect and safe.

Lance rolled his shoulders back. He cast a sidelong glance at the screen where Keith's stern face stared back at him. In almost a foreign gesture to both of them, Lance smiled. A stunning, bright smile with his Altea markings glowing brightly, his cheeks rosy.

"Lance, I'm serious." Keith's breathy warning was soft and, to the Blue Paladin, it felt like he was there in the cockpit with Lance, whispering directly into his ear, his lips grazing Lance's earlobe. Lance bit the inside of his cheek. He felt delirious, thinking about those kinds of things, especially this close to Altea, where another Allura could be alive and well and waiting for him.

"I know," he dismissed Keith's words with a flick of his hand, shivering as Keith's breathing came softly over the headset. "We'll be careful," he reassured the anxious Red Paladin. With a deep breath, Lance moved forward towards Altea. 

Surprisingly, as the Lions moved closer and closer to the giant planet, no ships came to meet them. No Altean Embassy, no particle barrier against any intruders, no crazy weird alternate-reality Voltron Leopards or Tigers or anything coming to question the two Paladins. Lance would have, had it been any other planet, thought this suspicious, but he was too caught up in the beauty of the planet. 

It was no wonder why Allura's eyes always lit up when he'd asked her about her home. The blue and indigo tones in her irises would shimmer with happiness and her hand would tighten around Lance's if she was holding it. She'd look up at the sky and smile, memories no doubt flooding her mind. Sometimes, she'd cry and Lance would hold her close, his chest a pillow for her head, his arms a safe haven, his lips whisper-singing Cuban lullabies to soothe her shaking shoulders. 

He had loved her whole-heartedly with no looking back. He had thrown his life on the line for her and would do so willingly again and again. Lance closed his eyes, pain creeping in on his heart. Why'd you have you leave?

Suddenly, static over Lance's headset brought him out of his thoughts. There were a few moments of white noise, then an automated voice.

"Greetings, visitors! Welcome to Altea. If you're here to visit, please park your vehicles at the bay on the Northern side of the Castle. If you're here for trade or exports and imports, the cargo dock is beside the bay. For more information, please consult the nearest Altean. Thank you and have a pleasant day!"

Lance blinked. "That was surprisingly normal," he muttered. Keith didn't respond, but his expression was of mild surprise as well. The Lions passed beneath one of the artificial rings of the planet and through the cloud cover.

Soon enough, they were soaring over Altea. 

The metropolis they flew over was a city purely of technological and architectural feats. Buildings seemed to grow out of the ground, made of smooth metals and glass, ivy crawling up the sides of the older buildings. Massive screens displayed clips of Altea culture, including a rerun of Garfle Warfle Snick and an add for Monsters and Mana. 

Alteans walked and rode strange motorbikes on the roads below, conversing and laughing, sometimes casting vaguely interested glances up at the Lions as they flew past. No Altean seemed to be concerned with the Lions, but Lance wasn't sure if that was because they had Lions of their own or if visitors like Keith and himself were common and didn't warrant attention as they had at Daibazaal.

Lance stared at the countless shops and stores they passed as Red and Blue weaved through the buildings and streets. He recognized the Altean language on signs, whispering the letters he recognized. He could hear Coran's voice in his head, crowing the Altean alphabet. "Exus, plexis, ceedus, flee, jaydus, nacto, pledum, ree..."

Lance went to turn Blue to the right, but the controls didn't move. Blue growled inwardly, a warm sound that reassured Lance. "Oh," he said aloud, dumbly. 

"What?" Keith asked.

"Try to turn Red," Lance suggested. 

Keith turned to try, but his eyes flashed back to Lance's with a panicked expression when he realized it was futile. Lance let a small smile lift his lips. 

"They know where they're going. They know they're home."

And just as Lance finished his sentence, the two Lions lifted out of the street and made a sharp turn, changing the scenery from an Altean urban sprawl to a beautiful hilltop crowned by a pristine castle. Lance didn't have to hesitate before he recognized the structure.

"The Castle of Lions," he laughed breathlessly. 

...

Lance stepped out of Blue and onto the bay's floor, looking around in wonder at the ships that surrounded him. They all had the distinct Altean look- a sleek, slender frame with flawless maneuverability. Keith let out a low whistle.

"I'm sure the Garrison folks would love to see this stuff," he mused, gently touching his fingertips to the outside of what looked like a fighter-jet. 

"The Garrison?" came a startling familiar voice. Keith whirled around, his hand to his bayard, his Marmoran sword already drawn. 

Before him stood Lance. But it wasn't his Lance. This young man had Lance's tan skin, beautifully brilliant blue eyes, and teal Altean markings, but that was where the similarities stopped. Not only did this Lance have tidy white hair with a bejeweled mantle settled around his head, but the whole way he held himself was different. 

This Lance was not only Altean; he was royalty. 

The Altean Lance looked down (yes, down- he was several inches taller than Keith) at Keith with a curious expression. He wore a silk tunic cinched at the waist with a belt and shorts that left a few inches of his thighs bare before the rest of his legs were covered with black stockings. 

He was adorned with jewelry, from rings on his fingers to gold bangles to necklaces and dangling earrings. He dripped wealth but the intelligence and deep emotions in his eyes proved that he was not just an heir to an opulent fortune. 

"Fiesty," the new Lance murmured softly. "Hmm..." His eyes wandered just beyond Keith's shoulder to where Keith's Lance stood. Keith looked down at the floor, embarrassed. He hadn't realized that he'd jumped in front of Lance when he'd heard this new Altean. It was an impulse to protect Lance now. 

Altean Lance's eyes lit up at the sight of the other Lance. "Interesting," he purred softly. "Please follow me." The Altean snapped his fingers and a figure melted out of the shadows of the craft beside them. Keith felt his breath catch in his throat. It was like looking at his nightmares head-on: the figure was Keith, but this Keith was fully Galran, complete with large, cat-like ears, soft lilac skin, and yellow eyes. 

The Galran Keith was staring at Keith with an expression that seemed to ask 'How alike are we?'. Keith didn't know the answer. He'd felt his Galran attributes push up through himself before, like when he had fought Shiro. He'd felt the prickle of fur at his ears, slight tints of purple to his skin after nightmares, the whites of his eyes turning a pale yellow. Never before had he imagined himself as this much Galran. 

Keith looked over at his familiar Lance, who looked the same way he felt, and together, they followed themselves into the Castle of Lions. 

...

hey guys<33

first of all, i want to apologize. i really thought i'd have time over break to update but we were so busy every day and when i got back to the hotel room each night (we were in the bahamas(if yall want pictures, lemme know!!)) i was too exhausted to write :(

thank you so much for being patient with me and the updates and im sorry it's been a while 

i hope all of you are doing well and that you have a wonderful start to may. may means spring and flowers and new life,,, and my birthday next week haha. i might do a special update or something for that,,,

anyways, i hope you liked this chapter, even though it took a long time for me to publish. for those of you reading a million dreams, i should have an update for that out as well in a few days. 

qotd: what inspires you?

i love yall sm<33333333333