The flight back to the palace was over in about thirty seconds, but Lance and Keith sat in the blue lion for a while longer, trying to calm down. Lance was sitting in his pilot seat, his hands on his knees while he continued to tremble, and Keith paced back and forth behind him, cursing and stomping his feet as hard as he could. He refrained from kicking the walls because he didn't want to take this out on Blue, but if it had been his own lion, Red would have understood.

Eventually, Lance stood up and walked around his chair and put a hand on Keith's shoulder. Keith stopped stomping and looked at him, breathing hard. He knew his face was red, his expression twisted, but Lance didn't recoil. Just gave him some version of a smile, small and restrained. "Blue says there's a decontamination chamber in the back, like in the castle but smaller, only big enough for one. We can run the air cycle and dry off a little."

Keith blinked. He had honestly forgotten that they were both soaking wet. He looked down at his feet, but the drips were already wicking away into the floor. Of course the lion of oceans had mechanisms for dealing with excess water. Keith looked up at Lance and drew a breath. "Okay. You wanna go first? My jacket is still dry, so you'll probably take longer."

"Sure thing. It'll just be a tick."

Even a mini Altean decontamination chamber did quick work. Each cycle only took about five minutes. By that time, Keith and Lance were in agreement that it was time to demand some answers. They were as calm as they were going to get, which wasn't much, but hey, they were trying.

They exited Blue's ramp and walked onto the parade ground where they had first met the royal family, now practically empty. Princess Mili was waiting for them, and when they appeared she opened her mouth, then closed it again at the looks on their faces. She turned and silently led the way back into the palace, and Keith and Lance followed.

Some Sylosian retainers and courtiers were standing around in the corridors, watching them sleepily as they moved toward the council chamber where Team Voltron had first split up at the beginning of the day. Most were probably still resting. Keith wondered if even the queen and king took a royal naptime, if anyone at all would be in the council chamber to meet them.

But everyone was there. The queen and king, Allura and Shiro and Pidge, Coran and Hunk. And Eforan and Yarian. Eforan had been in the middle of saying something when they arrived, and he cut off and turned to look at them as Keith and Lance stepped through the door after Mili. The Voltron crew had been silently listening, their faces in various stages of confusion, shock, and anger. Keith found it vaguely gratifying. Apparently Eforan had been telling everyone what had happened. Keith was glad that the rest of his team was as upset as he was.

Shiro's face was pure thunder, but when Keith and Lance arrived he turned toward them, face opening in relief to see them in the flesh. "Lance! Keith!" He all but ran to meet them, already reaching out. Allura and Hunk weren't far behind him, and the rest of the team, too.

But Shiro got there first. He took Lance's shoulders in his hands and looked in his face searchingly. "Are you okay? Eforan told us... You had a panic attack, didn't you?" Anger touched his voice at the end, not anger at Lance, but Lance still flinched minutely.

Lance nodded, strong and firm. His voice was strong, too. "I'm okay. Keith took care of me."

"Still. That never should have happened. Can I...?"

Lance nodded, and Shiro stepped closer and pulled him into a big, strong hug. He left some space, like Keith had done, but Lance twined his arms around his back and clenched in tight, so Shiro tightened his grip in return. He pulled away after a few seconds, aware of the company they were in, but he left a hand on Lance's shoulder as he stood back to give the others access.

Hunk fussed over Lance too, holding his face in his hands and looking him over for bumps and bruises, and Coran asked about his breathing and a few other medical-sounding questions with a concern that was not quite clinical. Not even close. Allura stood behind them with a mighty frown that should have terrified any potential enemy. Pidge said nothing, just snuck up to Lance's side and wrapped an arm around his waist in a sideways hug, and Lance put his arm around her shoulders in return and pulled her in to lean on him.

He was talking the whole time, insisting that he was fine, he wasn't hurt, it was over, Keith had saved him, Keith had taken care of him. None of it was enough. None of it would be, not till they were able to go home where everyone felt safe, where everyone knew that Lance was truly, fully safe. For now, though, this would have to do.

Shiro looked at Keith, too, his eyes dark with concern. "You okay?" His voice was low, but Keith heard him.

Keith started to nod almost reflexively, then stopped and thought about it. "I'm not physically hurt," was the answer he went with. "Most of the day was great. We had a lot of fun. It sucks that they went and ruined it at the end."

Shiro nodded. His hand on Lance's shoulder tightened a bit, thumb rubbing across the bony ridge, and his other hand reached out for Keith's wrist and gave it a brief squeeze. Keith let out a slow breath. It helped. Not enough, but it helped.

Once everyone had their fill of fussing over Lance (and Keith, to a lesser extent), Allura turned to face the Sylosians again. She stood between her team and their hosts, her back tall and straight, hands on her hips. Keith was pretty sure she was taller now than she had been at the beginning of the day. Apparently intimidation was more important than diplomacy right now.

"All right," Allura said. "I would like an explanation. Can someone please try to convince me of why it was necessary to attack my paladins? While they were vulnerable under your roof, guests of your home? My people may have been away from the universe for ten thousand years, but I hadn't expected the rules of hospitality to change quite this much."

There was an edge in Allura's voice that Keith had never heard before. She was taking this really, really personally. But then, she was the one who had told them to come without their armor, to use their weapons only as a last resort. She had trusted the Sylosians, and she must feel just as betrayed as Keith did by that cruel attack on Lance. More, even, since she hadn't been nursing unexplained suspicions all day long the way Keith had.

The queen and king looked at each other, but it was Eforan who stepped forward again. His three-clawed hands were clasped in front of him, almost in a posture of supplication. "I believe that duty falls to me. The final act was my decision, though the course of the day was agreed upon by my mother and father, as well as my oldest nest-siblings and the royal councilors."

Allura's gaze switched to him. "You have already taken pains to describe exactly what you did to the Blue Paladin, but it's true that you did not tell us why. Please do so now."

Princess Mili stepped in front of Eforan, cutting him off when he opened his mouth. "We had heard rumors," she said. It seemed like a protective gesture. She was trying to take some of Team Voltron's ire, not letting all of it fall on her brother.

Eforan closed his mouth, and Mili kept going. "The paladins of Voltron have a reputation in the universe now. I'm sure you're aware, after your attacks on the Galra, your many victories and conquests, the people you've saved, the allies who have died to defend you. Most of it is good, certainly. We heard of your nobility, your sacrifice, your strength. But one rumor amongst the rest did trouble us. We had to know the truth for ourselves."

Allura's shoulders were stiff, and her hands tightened on her waist. "Which rumor was that?"

Mili glanced back at Eforan, who gave her an unreadable look. She faced the princess again, and she stood straight and tall, too. Mili was the tallest Sylosian in the room, even taller than her queen-mother. She cut an imposing figure, in her way. After the day he'd had, Keith would never underestimate a Sylosian again. Especially not the women.

"We heard that the Red Paladin and the Blue Paladin fought each other almost as much as they fought outside enemies. That they could come together during battle, but when they were allowed to be themselves, they were cutting and cruel to each other. This was...deeply disturbing to us. We were disappointed that the new defenders of the universe might be so ungentle with each other."

A thick, heavy silence fell on the room. Keith could almost feel Lance wilting beside him. He knew what was going through his head: that this whole thing was his fault, after all, that he wasn't a good paladin, that his early behavior toward Keith had cost them a valuable alliance, that he deserved what had happened to him. Keith knew Lance's doubts and insecurities as well as he knew his own, now, after all the talking they'd done.

This could not be allowed to stand. It had to be refuted immediately. Keith started to step forward, but Shiro's arm shot out and caught him across the chest, blocking his path. Keith stood still, fuming, his hands clenched into fists. He didn't miss the way the Sylosians looked at him, eyes caught by the movement. "Wait," Shiro counseled, low and intense. "Allura can handle this."

But Eforan spoke first. His voice was apologetic for the first time that Keith had heard. At the lake, he had sounded calm and in control, rational, as if what he had done to Lance was nothing more than a science experiment. Now, he sounded warm and emotional, more like the Eforan Keith remembered from the dining hall and the gardens, where he spoke gently and smiled openly.

"You must understand. Unity is everything to Sylose. We are born and raised in clutches, small groups of peer-siblings, but our families extend far beyond that. We have nest-mates, wing-brothers, flight-sisters, dozens of titles and relationships that do not translate precisely to your language. We are fierce to outsiders, but to our own, we are kind. It is the way we have learned to survive."

Mili nodded to her brother, then took up the tale. "We know that it is not the same for other races. We know that the Galra strike down their own kind for the smallest hint of weakness, and their emperor has ruled for generations upon generations. We have heard stories of other peoples, too, many of them. But since the Galra expansion, Sylose has been isolated from most of the universe, focusing on defense in order to survive. No one in our family has been able to witness the habits of other cultures. So we had to know. We had to see for ourselves."

"You were testing us," Lance said, softly at first, then building in strength. Shiro's hand tightened in his shoulder again. "From the beginning, you were testing us. The way you split us up... You wanted me and Keith to be separated from the rest of our team. You put us through different contests and situations so you could watch our interactions."

"Yes." Eforan looked him in the eyes. "We wanted to see how you truly were with each other. And what we witnessed..."

Lance stiffened, and Keith knew that he was expecting something bad. But here, the royal couple interfered. The queen tilted her head and cleared her throat, then turned to the prince who had been silent until. Yarian. "Your observations, first-son?"

Yarian tilted his head in acknowledgment, then reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small device. He tapped it, and a screen popped up with a scrolling list of notes. "Paladin Lance was unfailingly kind to the chicklings. Paladin Keith was uncomfortable, but let them do as they wished. When Paladin Lance was overwhelmed, Paladin Keith interfered to pull him out. They spoke to each other comfortably and shared mutual touch. Paladin Keith offered options in case Paladin Lance became too uncomfortable, but Paladin Lance refused." Yarian looked up at the room. "That was when we realized that Paladin Lance had a weakness we could exploit for further information. Observation indicated it had to do with his body feeling closed in or restricted."

Keith's fist clenched tighter, fingernails biting into his palm. "That's all from the first half hour we were with you! You were already thinking of ways to make things as bad as possible for Lance? To push him over the edge?" How dare they. How dare they.

Yarian tilted his head, eyes narrowing, and his mother waved her hand. "Continue reading your observations."

Yarian went on. It was a long list. Every time Keith and Lance had thought they were speaking privately, someone was listening in. Apparently Sylosian hearing was much better than they had thought it was, and they were not even the slightest bit ashamed of eavesdropping. Their behavior throughout the entire day was picked over and analyzed in minute detail.

And as it went on, Keith realized that the tone was...positive. Yarian sounded pleased with the notes he had taken, with what he and his siblings had learned by watching them. In the background, the queen and king nodded along in approval. Yes, Keith and Lance had disagreed, had even snapped at each other, but they had always been able to smooth things out afterward. Even their relentless teasing, it seemed, was recognized by the Sylosians as being healthy and good.

They really had come a long way, Keith realized. He remembered the early days, when he and Lance had been constantly at each other's throats. Yeah, Lance had started it, but Keith had pushed back without hesitation. Sometimes he had even insulted Lance out of the blue for no reason at all. As the war had gone on, their banter had eventually come to have more of a teasing and playful tone, but there were times when they both really meant it, when they really wanted to hurt each other.

But since the jungle planet, since Keith had made two terrible, horrible mistakes and done everything he could to make amends... Things had changed. Yes, after a day spent with the Sylosians and seeing how they related with each other, Keith could understand how the early version of his and Lance's relationship might have disturbed them. But now...

Yarian reached the end of the list, some inane thing about how Keith and Lance enjoyed the lunch and done their best to be polite even without claws to hold their food. Then he paused, turned off the device, and looked to Eforan.

Eforan steeled himself, lifting his head and looking straight at Lance. "The final test." He looked at Keith. "It was for you, though the attack was against Paladin Lance. We needed to know what you would do, Paladin Keith."

Keith felt dizzy. "So you...you dumped Lance into a lake, with his hands tied, just to see how I would react? You risked my teammate's life to find out if I would try to save him?"

"Paladin Lance's life was never in danger," Eforan said as calmly as he could. "A cloaked diver was waiting to rescue him if anything went wrong." Oh, of course. Of course the Sylosians had cloaking technology. Of course they were just pretending not to be good swimmers. "But yes. I presented the appearance of mortal peril in order to observe your reaction."

Keith swayed. Shiro's arm came up again and passed around his shoulders to pull him in. Keith leaned on Shiro, aware of Lance on the side of their leader, also being held and supported. It was all just too much. "Did I pass?" Keith asked, his voice sounding high and thin to his own ears. "Did me and Lance freaking pass your stupid test?"

Shiro's arm tightened around his shoulders, but he didn't rebuke him. Keith would wager that Shiro felt exactly the same way. He just couldn't say it out loud. Being the Red Paladin had its perks.

Eforan blinked nervously and finally broke, looking to his parents for support.

The queen stepped forward, regal and imposing, the king at her side. She looked directly at Keith. "Yes. You both passed the test, Paladin Keith. And we apologize."

She bowed. Deeply. The monarch of a sovereign planet was bowing in apology. The king was bowing too, and each of the royal children, all of the councilors and attendants also in the chamber. Then the queen straightened and looked at Lance.

"We did not realize the weakness we exploited was so...acute, Paladin Lance. You suffered a...panic attack?"

Lance nodded numbly, and the queen nodded in return.

"We did not intend to cause you such pain. That was our error. We made you fear for your life, and you had every right to react with mortal terror. Still, it was not our intent to damage you, neither in body nor in soul. Again, we apologize."

She bowed. Everyone else bowed, too. Lance endured it, his face reddening. His lips were pressed flat, and he was as unable to respond as Keith had been.

Last, the queen faced Princess Allura. "It was badly done of us to attack your paladins, to betray your trust and abuse the privileges of hospitaility. Your anger is rightful and appreciated. We apologize most sincerely." Another bow, deeper than the others, and longest of all.

Princess Allura stood and accepted it as her due.

Once again, the queen faced the princess. Her gaze was steady and forthright, and that of all her court with her. "Your people are worthy of the highest honor, Princess Allura. The bonds of wing-family are strong with you all, particularly between the paladins of red and blue. If you will have us, after the poor behavior we have shown you, we would be pleased to ally with you in the fight against Zarkon. I can promise you will have no stronger flight-mates at your side, now and for a hundred generations to come."

Allura didn't hesitate. She turned to Lance. "Paladin? What do you think? The greatest injury done today was against you. Are you willing to forgive the Sylosians and work together with them as allies?"

Lance stared at her, mouth dropping open.

Allura nodded gently. "It is your decision. There's no need to respond in haste. We can take a few days to let you think it over. Or you can decide now, if you wish. Say the word, and we will leave this planet and never come back. I will accept your choice, whatever it is."

Lance opened and closed his mouth several times, nothing coming out. He looked at Keith. Keith gave him a nod, fierce and strong. Whatever Lance decided, Keith was all in. If he wanted to leave, they would go. If he wanted to stay and have a true talk with the Sylosians, really start to negotiate an alliance as equals with no tricks and no secrets, that would be fine too.

Lance closed his eyes and shook his head, then looked across the room at the Sylosians. His gaze went from face to face, studying them all in turn as if trying to read their intentions, their hearts. Then he looked at Allura.

"This is...too much for me," he said. "I don't want to have sole responsibility for whether or not we make an alliance with an entire planet. But if you're looking for my opinion... Yes. Yes, we should partner up with these guys. They're great. Their technology is amazing, and they have incredible skill and strength. And their team bonding, their family bonding, is super good. Their kids are adorable and loving, and all of the adults love them all and take care of them. Siblings look out for and take care of each other, and they really are kind and open to outsiders. If they're a little suspicious at first, well, we can't really blame them for that, can we? We're suspicious too."

He looked across at the Sylosians. He seemed to be looking directly at Prince Eforan. And he nodded. "Yeah. We should do it."

There was a collective sigh of relief, a relaxing in the room, almost entirely on the Sylosian side. And then, smiles, puffed cheeks, restrained little cheers. Yarian waved his hand in the air, and Eforan caught it in a messy clasp, almost like they were trying to do a high five and gave up partway through. It was...ridiculously adorable.

Lance drew a breath and looked at Allura again. "But if you don't mind, I'd like to go...have a nap. Back at the castle. If that's okay. I'm kinda wrung out, and the idea of a midday rest is suddenly making a whole lot of sense to me."

Allura laughed, gentle and kind. She reached out and took his face in her hands, then planted a kiss on his forehead. "Yes, of course. Take the blue lion. Keith can escort you. Both of you deserve the afternoon off."

Lance gave her a goofy grin, and that was that.

Halfway back to the castle, something occurred to Keith. "Hey, who won our bet?"

Lance looked up at him from the pilot seat, Keith standing next to him holding onto the back of the chair with one hand. He was frowning. "I don't know. Did we both lose, or did we both win? Eforan did attack us, but he wasn't actually a bad dude. I don't think."

Keith nodded. "Yeah, I think so. You were right all along. He's not a bad dude. But I was also right. He was planning to do something nasty to us the whole time. So...we both won. I guess?"

"Sounds good to me." Lance leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh. "Man, I can't believe you agreed to do chores with Coran for a whole week. What were you thinking?"

Keith laughed and cuffed his head gently with the knuckles of one hand. "Well, you agreed to spar with me for a whole month. What were you thinking?"

Lance laughed, bright and loud and unfraid. He was limp and worn out, but he was okay. Everything was going to be okay.

Keith grinned and looked forward at the castle coming ever closer as Blue flew to meet it. He was already planning sparring sessions in his head. Home had never looked so inviting.

He and Lance were going to have fun, no matter what. Keith would make sure of it. And looking down at Lance, listening to his laughter, he knew that Lance would, too.

A/N: YAY I FINISHED. Finally! I totally meant to get this done back in NOVEMBER, holy crap, but then I wrote a big bang, and then lots of other stuff, and then Christmas, and then Season 2. So yeah. All of that. More fic will be coming from me soon! I have huge plans. HUGE. And a whole 57k fic all ready to go that'll start posting in a week or so.