I'm back with another update and that is all I really have to say right now. SUPER EXCITED FOR SEASON 7 though!

Again, warnings. Threats are there, but that is all they are.

Keith was dragged into the throne room, protesting all the way. The guards threw him down as soon as they entered the throne room. "WHERE IS HE!" Keith yelled.

"Who?" Lotor asked.

"You know who. Where have you taken him?"

"Keith" a soft whisper came and it penetrated the red in Keith's tunnel vision. Pidge? He looked around and finally spotted her. Chained. to. Lotor's. throne.

Keith saw red again. "Let her go." he growled, thoughts of Lance temporarily forgotten.

Lotor just laughed. "But she's so nice. I have never had such company as this for a while. You humans are quite a rare race." Here, Lotor reached a hand to Pidge's head and starting petting her. "Such wonderful minds and such beauty."

Something in Keith broke at the look of desperation and hopelessness on Pidge's face as the scene unfolded. Lotor was sick. He could torture all the paladins and they wouldn't talk but this, this was just inhuman.

"Don't touch HER!" Keith yelled, rushing forward to the throne.

He almost made it until a guard's staff got a lucky hit to his stomach and he crashed right in front of the throne.

Lotor tsked. "Honestly, I expected a better performance out of you, Keith. You are half Galra after all."

Keith looked up incredulously at Lotor.

"But you just proved to me that you really are just boring. Maybe I'll retire for the night." He grabbed Pidge's face and whispered to her. "Don't miss me too much."

It took all the courage she had but Pidge spat in Lotor's face. Keith smiled.

Lotor on the other hand glared daggers at the girl chained to his throne. "You will pay for that, little lady. You and all your little paladin friends." He motioned to his guards. "Here, take this one and have some fun with her.

Keith at the word fun started to get up and fought against the guards holding him hard.

"Just make sure to do it where all of her team can watch." Lotor added with a smirk.

Pidge looked to Keith with absolute terror on her face as the guard came up.

Keith fought against his guards but to no avail.

Pidge was unhooked from the throne and tears were streaming down her face as the guard dragged her down the throne next to Keith.

"KEITH!" she sobbed, reaching out for him.

"NO, wait please!" Keith begged Lotor as Pidge was being dragged further away from him.

At a signal from Lotor, the guards released both paladins and Pidge ran into Keith's arms. Usually this would not happen between the two of them, but right now it felt as natural as breathing. She held onto him for dear life and Keith swore he was not going to let go. Not until Pidge was safe.

"Shh," he whispered. "It will be alright."

"No, it's not going to be Keith. You know that as much as I." Lotor said as he motioned to the guards again. Keith saw the guards coming again and tightened his grip on the green paladin in his arms. He was not going to let Pidge get hurt.

He looked up at Lotor, hate in his eyes. Lotor looked like he was expecting something.

He looked back down at Pidge and he made his decision.

"Lotor, take me in her place."

Keith felt Pidge's gasp against him but kept his eyes trained on Lotor. Lotor just looked aghast.

"You?"

"Anything to stop you from hurting her."

"Oh, we don't have to go to that extreme."

"Then what? I'll do anything."

"Anything?"

Keith could feel Pidge nodding no but continued. "Anything to stop you hurting her."

Lotor smiled. "Oh Keith, I don't want to hurt you. You have Galra blood in your veins. I want you to join me."

"Join you?"

"I think you heard me."

"Never!"

"Then her punishment stands and your friends lives are forfeit."

The guards started taking Pidge away and Keith held on tighter. "No. please." The guard backed off at a signal from Lotor.

Keith looked at Lotor with a look of horror on his face. What he was asking him to do was unthinkable, but if he said no, the consequences would be... he couldn't even let the thought continue.

"Keith," Pidge said. "Don't do it. It'll be fine. We are your team now and always will be. I'm strong. I'll get through it."

That was the last straw for Keith. Pidge was trying to be strong for him and she was going to be…..he couldn't let the thought continue.

"Actually, I have better idea." Lotor interrupted.

Still hanging on to Pidge, Keith stared Lotor down. "And what would that be?"

"What if I let her go?"

Keith's eyes widened. "What?"

"You heard me. I would let her go. Completely free."

"Why?"

Lotor sighed. "My father said that you fight like a Galra soldier. I have not seen very many of those qualities in you yet and I wonder if I just haven't done the right experiment yet."

"Is that all I am? An experiment?"

"No, I just want to help you unlock your potential."

Keith looked down at the floor, thinking about what Lotor was saying.

"Here's my new deal. You try to escape, right now, on your own. I have checkpoints set up throughout the ship. There are 5, 4 for each of your teammates and 1 for you. Every checkpoint you successfully pass, wins another paladin's freedom. If you make it all the way out, you escape scotch free. Otherwise…" and Lotor left it at that.

Pidge released her death grip on Keith and turned around to face Lotor. "What's the catch?"

"No catch. Just trying to work out the kinks in my security. It has been pretty lax when it comes to the Paladins of Voltron." He looked at Keith. "What do you say, Red Paladin?"

"I have your word that my teammates go free, even if I don't make it through all the way?"

"Upon my honor." Lotor said.

"You have a deal."

Lotor smiled and motioned the guards next to Keith to bring him up to Lotor. After making sure, no one hurt Pidge, he walked up to Lotor's throne. Lotor grabbed Keith's wrist and put a tracking device on it. "I'm not going to tell you where the checkpoints are, but know that the last one is you successfully starting a pod. Each time you pass a checkpoint, a light will come on. If you successfully start a pod, your team goes free."

He pushed a button on his throne opening a door to the side. "As another hint, your bayards lie on the path towards the hangars if you so desire a weapon. Good luck, paladin. Your time starts now!"

Good luck Keith! I have some of the next chapter written out already. Hopefully, I can post that really soon. (Reviews could help with that ;) )As always, leave a review with things you liked and/or didn't like. They are really the best way to know if people enjoy what you are writing (and they make the authors happy too.)