"Let's go over this one more time from the top-"

"You are wasting your breath, Dayak. This 'trial' is a sham at best; I am a dead man walking."

Dayak's nose wrinkled as she peered at Lotor through the reinforced glass of his cell, her fingers clenching the tablet in her hand so tightly that her claw-like nails carved scratches into the screen. "So you are just going to give up? Is that what I taught you? No, I taught you to fight!"

"If I am not mistaken, that Galra ruthlessness embedded within me is the reason for my current predicament."

"And that is what we need to get the jury to understand. You are a product of your circumstances-"

"Don't patronize me!" Lotor snarled, springing to his feet so quickly that Dayak faltered beneath his burning gaze. "I am not some blubbering martyr who lashes out only when provoked; I am a murderer, Dayak! I chose to take the lives that I did, to backstab those who trusted me. There is no justifying the things I did and to pretend otherwise is sheer lunacy."

"...You are lucky that I am not permitted to enter your cell, for if I could, I would strike you for being so ignorant. You truly believe the things you've endured have had no effect on you? That every whim and emotion you've experienced is completely under the control of your will? Yes, you made many poor choices, but what others need to see is why you made those choices. Only then will they be able to understand that you are not a monster but a damaged man."

Turning his back to his former governess, Lotor retreated to the back wall of his cell and seated himself on the floor once again, his shoulders slumping as his head bowed in defeat, "Damaged I may be, but that does not change the things that I've done."

"Well, a dead man cannot make atonement for his crimes. You have been given another chance, Lotor! The life you once had may be beyond your reach, but a different one is within your grasp. Do you truly intend to waste that opportunity?"

The prince gave no response for he had nothing left to say. Such apathy about his own fate ripped at Dayak's heart, her mind swimming with memories of an inquisitive and strong-willed boy who had never given up, no matter how challenging of a task she presented him with. Grieved as she was, however, she did not shed a tear for weeping was not the way of the Galra.

"Well, you may have yielded before the battle has begun, but I shall not. If you won't fight for yourself, then I will fight for you whether you appreciate it or not."

Again, Lotor did not reply, and his head only raised when he heard the door to the detention bay groan open. Dayak too glanced in the direction of the doors to behold Shiro and Allura making their way towards the prince's cell. However, to her surprise, the two paladins were accompanied by three faces she had not expected to see, each one having changed somewhat since their last encounter. Though no words left their lips, the fury, pain, and unease in their eyes spoke for them as they gazed straight past her into the cell where the source of their torment patiently waited for them to come closer.

Lotor's face remained stoic, but his throat started to swell shut beneath the burning gazes of Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid. Part of him had expected them not to show when he subtly planted in Allura's mind the idea to request his three former generals, his three former friends, to be a part of his escort for the trial, but there they stood, each one with seen and unseen scars that he was directly or indirectly responsible for. Standing face to face with them, the words that he had wanted to say to them suddenly seemed embarrassingly insufficient for the pain that he had brought them; perhaps calling for them had been a mistake. Nevertheless, here they were and he would not destroy what little pride he had left by cowering in the face of justified scorn.

"You came. I-"

"Don't." Zethrid growled through bared fangs, every muscle in her body drawn taut to the point that they ached. "This isn't some sappy reunion where you win us back over with more crafty lies. We're here to make sure that you don't weasel your way out of this."

He should have expected that answer, but Lotor's heart sank in his chest nonetheless. "I know, and I do not intend to insult your intelligence by trying. However, I have words that cannot go undeclared before I face my fate. You do not have to listen, but please allow me to say my piece nonetheless. Out of all the crimes for which I am guilty, one of my greatest regrets is the agony that I caused you, those who I considered my closest friendship. You did not deserve the pain that you suffered because of me; Narti did not deserve the pain she suffered-"

"Narti didn't suffer, you quiznaking piece of trash; you killed her in cold blood!" Zethrid roared, and if not for Ezor and Acxa grabbing her arms and holding her back, she would have thrown herself at the glass. "Stop pretending like you care! You never cared about us, and don't you dare insult Narti's memory by claiming otherwise! You're just saying all this so you can find some closure, but we are not going to let you have it! You hear me? We will never forgive you!"

Lotor had hardly expected to be greeted with joyous compassion, but his heart recoiled back into his spine in response to the corrosive poison spewing from Zethrid's lips. However, some of the acid must have hit its mark because his heart began to sting as he analyzed a little more closely the fear, anger, and confusion emanating from the ones he claimed to hold dear.

"Ezor?"

His polychromatic former general, the one who had always had the child-like sense of wonder and optimism, violently shook her head before sharply turning her face away as tears began leaking down her cheeks.

"Acxa, please listen to me-"

"No. Just stop, Lotor. Please just stop."

He had thought that there was no part of him left to break, but in that moment, he was proved wrong as something inside him shattered, transforming his pain from an uncomfortable burn into an all-consuming storm of anguish.

The head of the once proud prince sunk down between his hunched shoulders in shame and despair, an astonishing sight for even the most hardhearted in his company. "I will not force you to endure my presence any longer then. Do what you came to do."

"Gladly." spat Zethrid.

Only Shiro and Allura actually entered the cell, their gazes flitting between Lotor and his three former generals who lined up to form a barricade blocking the only entrance. Allura was no fool and had been well aware that Lotor was trying to play her to his will when he brought up his generals as escorts, and even now when she had conceded to allowing their presence given their experience with him, she refused to wholeheartedly trust them or their contempt towards the man for whom they would have willingly given up their lives once upon a time. Then again, that same mentality could be used to argue that even Shiro, the one who was clapping on the prince's irons in that moment, could not be trusted given what Honerva had done to the cloned body that he now inhabited. What messes their lives were.

With a firm grip on Lotor's arm, Shiro hoisted him to his feet and led him out of the cell, the others immediately falling into their proper places around him. With the retired Black Paladin and Dayak at the head, Zethrid and Acxa covering the rear, and Allura and Ezor flanking the prince on either side, the somber parade began its march. Fortunately for them, the auditorium hosting the hearing was only a few moderately short hallways away, but no sooner had they rounded the final corner, they were forced to halt just before the large double doors due to someone standing in their path. Upon catching a glimpse of the person's face, all of Allura's innards constricted to form one giant, painfully tight mass at her core.

"You should be inside already. The proceedings are about to start."

"And miss a sight like this? Not a chance. Although, I must say that I am disappointed to see you three here still following at his heels. No matter how many times he hurts you, the loyal mongrels come racing back to their master's side the tick he calls for them."

Had Klara's presence not momentarily suspended their trains of thought, Acxa, Ezor, and Zethrid would have reeled at the insult along with the third eventually lashing out, but they simply stood there in stunned silence as their minds were unable to process the sight in front of them. At the sound of her voice, Lotor regained some strength in his neck, his head snapping up in hopes of seeing a familiar sight only to behold a foreign one. If not for her wings and markings, he might not have recognized her at all. She had traded her purple halter top and flowy white pants for a set of dark armor, splashes of deep crimson breaking up the dark gray of the chestplate, arm guards, boots, and ovoid disks that hugged her legs. Her hair, including her long fringe, had all been pulled back into a high ponytail that was broken into sections by clasps of the same dreary gray as the rest of her attire, and on her forehead rested as ball of that material once again, hanging from a thin chain that had been tucked into her tresses. The only somewhat dull aspect of her appearance was the pair of midnight black pants beneath the armor on her legs, though upon closer examination showed indications of some kind of padding lining the inside.

During the rare lulls in excitement while fleeing from Zarkon, Lotor had speculated about Klara's fate, and though execution was the most probable contender, he did not accept the idea readily. Upon his ascension to the throne, he did set about investigating what had become of her in his free time, but as other matters demanded more and more of his attention, his search was repeatedly demoted on his list of priorities until it became buried and forgotten. How foolish he had been to allow such a thing.

"Klara...you're alive…"

"Yes, I am. Sorry to disappoint you. Don't worry though; something tells me we won't have to put up with one another for long." Languidly tilting her head, Klara shot Dayak a pitying sneer. "You truly are a heartless bastard, Lotor. We both know that only one outcome to this trial will satisfy those you've wronged, and yet you allow the one person who still cares for you to fight a futile fight against an inevitable verdict when you could easily spare her that pain by sending her away-"

"Stay your tongue before you are humbled for your arrogance, child." Dayak spat, thrusting towards her and puffing herself up to her full size, and Klara, out of surprise or instinct, took a step back. "Underestimating your opponent, even if the odds are in your favor, is a novice mistake."

Wings erect and quivering, Klara took back the ground she had lost, bringing herself directly into Dayak's personal space as they remained locked in a fierce staredown, but the elderly Galra did not waver. "You should take your own advice. Whatever defense you've come up with, I promise you that it will crumble and you shall eat your words."

"That is for the jury to decide," Allura butt in as she brushed past Klara and pushed open the doors to the auditorium, "and if you are done hurling threats, we shouldn't keep them waiting any longer."

"Very well. Just remember that it was you and not me who hurried the prince to his demise when this is all over and you are looking for someone to blame." Spinning on her heels, Klara strutted towards the open doorway, stopping just before she crossed the threshold. "I would bid you good luck like a decent sport, but not even that can save you."

With that, she disappeared inside, and the doors to the auditorium suddenly seemed even more ominous than they had before.

...

"He deceived the last of the Alteans and drained their life forces away!"

"He attacked my people just after we regained our freedom, and one of his generals brainwashed me so that I would help him lure the paladins of Voltron into a trap!"

"Lotor was going against everything he had been taught regarding the brutality of the Galra, and moreover, he was desperate to restore the universe to a state of harmony. The combination of his ignorance and his fervent desire led him to make many poor choices, and there is not a quintant that goes by where he does not have regret for those ill-advised decisions weighing upon him."

"The few Alteans who were not used as batteries became soldiers for Honerva because of their blind loyalty to Lotor!"

"The prince cannot be held responsible for the crimes of his mother!"

"He betrayed us, his own generals! We trusted him and he killed Narti without a second thought!"

"He spoke of peace and kinship, but he did not even grant those the Galra conquered the choice of whether they wished to remain as a part of the empire or rule themselves."

"If Lotor had changed too much too quickly, he would have lost the support of the majority of the empire!"

"He planned to betray the Voltron Coalition from the very beginning! With the alliance gone, no one would dare threaten his rule!"

"Lotor worked alongside the Voltron Coalition because he yearned for peace; there was no selfish ulterior motive!"

"Tyrant!"

"Traitor!"

"Monster!"

The clamor was enough to reduce even the strongest of resolves down to microscopic debris, so there was some wisdom in Lotor's decision to banish any optimism from his mind as it saved him from additional embarrassment. Nevertheless, his feigned apathy did not protect his soul completely from the brutal onslaught of accusations, and as the tower of allegations continued to grow, some of them true and others mere fanciful fiction that couldn't be disproven, an unshakable anxiety gnawed away at him while he sat there at the front of the room, his head hung low. Not once did Dayak show any sign of weariness or dismay as she countered every claim, but even his iron-willed governess was bound to reach her limit soon despite the trial being far from over.

Occasionally, the prince snuck a glance at the jury, each member representing one of the many societies that made up the Voltron Coalition. Aside from a few faces that managed to conceal their thoughts from even his keen intuition, most of the representatives were easy to read, and judging by what he was able to gather from their expressions, the majority of the group was still very much against him. They didn't care that he too was a victim of Zarkon's tyranny and Honerva's torment. They didn't care that he regretted what he had done. All that mattered to them was finding someone whom they could punish for the suffering their people had endured at the hands of the Galra, whether he was specifically involved in each case or not.

As the most recent testifier found their seat, a murmur broke out amongst the crowd as had occurred each time there was a pause between testimonies until Kolivan, who was acting as judge alongside an elderly Olkari, motioned for silence with a stiff wave of his hand. When silence had once again fallen, he stooped down so that the withered woman could utter something in his ear before repeating her word to the audience.

"Two more testimonies remain. Representatives from The Crimson Retribution, please come forward and make your statements."

With a grand flourish of her wings, Klara sprang from her seat while the second witness hurriedly shuffled into the safety of her shadow, following closely behind the Lepidoptan as she marched down to the front and thus remaining concealed from Lotor's view by the aforementioned appendages. Only when she was standing directly in front of the jury did Klara exchange some words with her associate over her shoulder before locking eyes with the prince, and once he was ensnared in her stare, she allowed her wings to go slack and watched eagerly for his reaction to unfold, determined to enjoy every tick of it.

Lavender faded to bluish gray as all the warmth and life drained from Lotor's face, the cerulean tint to his skin becoming more and more prominent as he forgot how to breathe despite his mouth hanging agape. The woman huddled behind Klara was supposed to be no more than ash floating through the cosmos, but there she stood trembling and absentmindedly picking at the burn scars marring her left arm in an attempt to calm her nerves. Another chorus of whispers rose up from the crowd, but Lotor didn't hear a thing as he just stared at her, unsure of which emotion he should process first.

"Please state your names for the jury."

"I am Klara, queen of the Lepidoptans and leader of the Crimson Retribution."

"...I am Ven'tar, an officer of the Crimson Retribution."

"State your grievances against Prince Lotor."

Placing a hand on Ven'tar's shoulder, Klara gave it a tight squeeze and offered her a smile saturated with artificial sweetness and concern.

"I'll go first so you have some time to collect yourself, alright?"

Ven'tar gave a stiff nod and scuttled back a little, arms wrapped tightly around her as if to shield her from some invisible threat. Meanwhile, Klara flared out her wings once more, commanding the room like a true performer as she took to the center of the floor.

"It is common knowledge that my people, the Lepidoptans, are a peaceful race who typically keep to themselves, but not even we were spared from the treachery of the Galra Empire and Prince Lotor. His governess will try to convince you that I am to blame for the hostility between us because my crew and I pillaged several Galra bases and ships, but I assure you that it is the empire who struck the first blow when two of their officers murdered my father and grandfather for sport and carted off their wings as trophies! My people lost their king and my family was left in tatters, yet I am the one in the wrong for retaliating?!"

"Lotor had no part in those murders!" Dayak cut in, her blood already having reached a boil, "In fact, it was with his aid that you were able to recover those wings and hold a proper memorial for your lost patriarchs-"

"-after he had already enslaved my planet and put my men and I in shackles! My crew and I may have been guilty, but my people were innocent!"

"Your little excursion cast shame upon Lotor's name and raised doubts as to whether he could truly run the empire in his father's stead. He had to respond with necessary force to restore the Galra's faith in him."

"Necessary force?! He took my people's provisions simply because he could, not because the empire had any need for them! He had my comrades butchered in a battle arena for his soldiers' entertainment while I was forced to mop up their blood! He made me his personal servant so he could work me to exhaustion and toy with my mind until I felt like less than nothing! You dare suggest all of that was a display of necessary force?!"

When Dayak didn't answer this time, Klara stalked over to Lotor and waited for him to raise his head so that he could look her in the eye.

"Well, your highness? Were the things you did to me meant to win over your skeptics or were they intended to crush me because I posed a threat to you?"

"...I'm sorry."

She wanted to punch him square in the face. "Like hell you are. Let me guess, you're also sorry for sending that fleet to attack my village and killing the only family I had left along with many other innocents, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

The urge couldn't be quelled a second time. A few startled gasps echoed from throughout the crowd as two members of Blade of Marmora lunged forward and yanked Klara back while Lotor cradled his now throbbing nose, dribbles of blood trickling down his upper lip until Dayak gave him a handkerchief to wipe them away.

"Get off of me!" Klara shrieked, ripping herself loose from the grasps of the two Marmorans and pushing them away. Taking a moment to massage her tender knuckles, she then turned her attention back to her audience, shock written on many of their faces.

"The universe will never be safe so long as Lotor is alive! He sang the same laments to me that he is filling your ears with now, and like a fool, I sympathized for him and allowed my guard to drop, unaware of the knife he was planning to wedge in my back! He pretended to be an ally who longed for peaceful coexistence, but when I still refused to relent to him and helped my friends escape at the expense of my own freedom, he showed his true colors by trying to massacre my village in return."

"You're lying! Lotor was pronounced a traitor to the empire and went on the run shortly after your crew's escape!" Dayak countered shrilly.

"The attack took place just before his exile! Who other than him had motive for trying to wipe out my people at that time?!"

"...Haggar." Lotor winced a little when he spoke as the stinging pain in his nose flared up again. "As you might recall, her and I had a rather fervid disagreement over the penalty you were to receive for your antics. I would not put it beyond her to take matters into her own hands while I was preoccupied."

Her lips twisting into an appalled smile of disbelief, Klara wildly flung her arm in Lotor's direction. "Ladies and gentleman of the jury, I present to you proof that there are no depths to which Prince Lotor will not sink! True, his mother was a witch in more ways than one, but how callous must he be to blame her for his crimes when she is dead and thus unable to defend herself?!"

"Klara, I swear on my life that I did not raise a hand against your people!"

From their seats at the end of the backmost row nearest to the door, Zethrid and Ezor shared an afflicted glance before peeking over at Acxa, who was stoically watching the entire scene unfold. They didn't have to see it on her face to know that she was wrestling with the same thing that gnawed at them. They were Lotor's best chance at an alibi, but after everything he had put them through, why should they say anything at all?

"He's telling the truth." Acxa eventually blurted, rising to her feet as she tried to ignore Klara's scalding glare. "At least one of his core generals was with him at all times between the time of your fallout and his second exile. Aside from answering a summons from Zarkon himself, Lotor spent every waking moment overseeing the work on the Sincline ships."

"And which general accompanied him when he was summoned?"

"Narti."

"Narti, as in the one general who is also dead. How convenient." Klara's tone was cold, merciless, almost mocking as her sneer returned. "So Lotor could have given the order while in her company and no one would ever know-"

"You're wrong. Zarkon had taken back control of the empire by that point. Any orders Lotor gave would have been questioned if not completely disregarded."

"You continued to stand by him, up until he killed Narti of course. It is really so impossible that there were others who still maintained some loyalty to him even after Zarkon reascended?"

"Yes. Zarkon would've eradicated anyone who even considered-"

"He let you live. You seemingly turned your back on Lotor when he accepted you back into his good graces, but he couldn't have known that you were acting as some sort of double agent."

Acxa was dumbfounded, and though she did her best to keep it from leaking onto her face, her silence betrayed her. However, just as Klara was heaving a satisfactory sigh, Dayak's shrill, nasal crowing grated against her eardrums once more.

"Your theory is an elaborate one, but you have no solid proof to back it. Without evidence, your story is just that: a story."

Klara's entire body went rigid other than her hands, which curled into fists so tight that her nails left indents in her palms. The two Blade of Marmora members who restrained her earlier shifted into a slight crouch, preparing to lunge at her again if she made a beeline for Dayak, but the Lepidoptan waved them off after taking a few deep breaths.

"I do have proof actually: Lotor's nature. My planet wasn't the first he left scorched after winning over the trust of its inhabitants, now was it?"

Dayak's eyes flickered between Klara and Ven'tar, and as the pieces clicked together, her face flushed red with rage. "Why you quiznaking little-"

"Ven'tar, are you ready?" Klara inquired in the same soft, fraudulent voice as before, approaching her companion and giving her shoulder another squeeze."

"...Yes." Her voice was barely more than a whisper and her lips trembled as she spoke, but nonetheless, Ven'tar carried her hunched form before the jury, her fingers still tracing the burns on her arm. She risked a glance at Lotor and Dayak only to immediately jerk her head away again, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip.

"Don't let him intimidate you, Ven'tar, not now." Klara pleaded as she slinked up behind her, her massive shadow enveloping the smaller alien. "Think of your people. Be strong for them."

Ven'tar's head bobbed in a quick, stiff nod before she cleared her throat, keeping her eyes glued to the floor instead of looking into the eyes of the jury members. "My planet was granted to Lotor as his first territory to oversee. He was unlike any of the other Galra we had encountered, and as he spent more time with us, we began to trust him. He convinced me that his people and mine could work together, and yet later on many of my people were massacred and our planet was destroyed. Whether he was lying to us from the beginning or came to a realization while working with us, Lotor knew that coexistence was impossible, and yet he continued to fill our hearts with false hope until it came time for the slaughter."

This time, it was Ezor who sprang from her seat and blurted out before she could think twice, "That isn't true! Lotor never fully got over what his father did to your planet, and the guilt he felt drove him to work even harder towards his goal of restoring peace to the universe! He never lied to you!"

Tears began to trickle down Ven'tar cheeks, her knees trembling so violently that Klara thought they might buckle and thus grasped her by the elbows to help support her.

"I can't do this. I'm sorry."

"It's alright, Ven'tar. I can take it from here." Klara crowed, guiding her comrade over to the chair that one of the Blade of Marmora members brought out for her before setting her sights on Ezor. "You say that he didn't lie? That he actually cared? Why didn't he come back to look for survivors then? He was in exile, so it isn't like his father was stopping him!"

"The entire planet was obliterated in front of his eyes!" Acxa objected sharply, rising up alongside Ezor.

"As were Daibazal and Altea, yet the Galra and Alteans live on!"

"Okay, I've had just about enough of you!" Zethrid snarled as she loomed over her friends, meeting Klara's glare head on with her own fiery stare. "Lotor did a lot of horrible things, but he didn't trick Ven'tar people! If I were to take a guess, I would say that everything she said were ideas you put in her head in the first place!"

"Why do you keep defending him?!" Klara's wings began to beat wildly, blasting the audience members in the first few rows with waves of cool air. "You three said yourself that Lotor betrayed you and killed your friend Narti, and yet now you claim that I brainwashed Ven'tar into altering her testimony?! If I didn't know any better, I would think that you were trying to sabotage this hearing!"

"Why don't you come say that to my face, you quiznaking little wench?!"

"Enough!"

Many of the audience members clamped their hands over their ears as Kolivan's booming bellow echoed throughout the room. Whirling on Klara, his upper lip curled back in a grimace, his sharp canines glinting in the light.

"Make your closing statement and go sit down."

Swallowing the irritated scoff that she desperately wanted to spit in Kolivan's face, Klara dramatically drew in a deep, calming breath and allowed her wings to fold as she clasped her hands together and pressed them to her chest. "Members of the jury, Lotor is a monster. He has shed the blood of hundreds and tormented the hearts and minds of thousands. The universe will never truly be safe so long as he is alive, so I beg you to make the hard call and do what you know must be done."

No whispering broke out this time as Klara bowed before the jury and then strutted back to her seat with Ven'tar in tow. The air suddenly seemed very thin, and many found it hard to breathe as they shifted in their seats, glancing from one another to the jury and finally to Lotor and Dayak. The governess' mouth was hanging agape while Lotor curled in on himself as though he would be able to hide from the many eyes around him if he shrank himself down small enough. He thought he had prepared himself for such an assault but the excruciating stinging that branched out from his chest into the rest of his body told him otherwise. Perhaps, despite his adamant resistance, a little seed of hope had managed to plant itself in his heart and the agony he felt now was due to that hope dying, killing part of him with it.

At the wave of the Olkari mediator's hand, Kolivan stooped down so that she could whisper into his ear once more, and as she spoke, his lips pressed together into a tight line. Obviously, she wanted him to wrap things up so the jury could set about making its decision, but his gut seemed to be telling him something different.

"Are there any others at this time who wish to come forward to accuse or defend Prince Lotor?" Ignoring the disapproving scowl of his elderly companion, the leader of the Marmorans scoured the crowd for whoever his instincts were telling him still had something to say. When no one jumped out to him, he figured the person must need a little prodding; his instincts were, after all, rarely wrong. "This is the final call."

Allura's stomach was a mess of knots, and Lance, sensing that something was off, tried to slip his hand atop of hers to comfort her. However, before his fingertips could even ghost over her wrist, Allura was on her feet and making her way towards the stairs, holding her head high though worry screamed loudly in her ears. Fortunately, as she made her way to the floor, she caught a glimpse of Coran's warm smile beneath his bushy moustache, and like magic, her nerves settled somewhat.

"Make this quick, princess. Lotor's judgment has been delayed for long enough." the Olkari elder quipped sharply, her hoarse voice nearly breaking as she strained it in order to be heard.

"Of course." After giving the elder a slight bow, Allura collected the rest of her anxiety into her center with a deep breath and then released it into the air with a puff, clarifying her mind so she would not stumble. Before the fog could set back in again, she began.

"Klara made a point. Altea is indeed gone, but her people still live and thus can honor her memory by holding to her teachings and principles. Altea was no stranger to war or violence, but she did not relish in it either. Peaceful negotiations and mercy always predominated fighting and harsh punishments when possible, and when she did fight, Altea did so with the intentions of protecting itself and its allies." Allura's attention momentarily flitted over to Lotor, who still couldn't even raise his head, but somehow, she knew he was listening. "Lotor has done terrible things, but what will condemning him to death do? Will it bring back the loved ones we've lost? Will it restore our homes to their former glory? Will it truly bring us closure, or will it prove us just as ruthless as him and the empire? The war is over, but our gathering here today proves that the turmoil is not. This hearing has presented us with the choice to continue the strenuous cycle of bloodshed or break it and finally put this era of misery to rest for good. One choice can make all the difference, so I beg you, members of the jury, to let wisdom and empathy guide your decision instead of bitterness and hurt. That is all."

...

"Hey Pidge-"

"Lance, if you ask me one more time how many quintants we've been waiting for, I am going to hurt you."

She sounded more exhausted than annoyed, but knowing that a tired Pidge was just as dangerous as an angry one, Lance backed away slowly and plopped back down onto one of the benches in the auditorium lobby. Not a moment later, Allura whisked past him as she paced back and forth, lips pursed in a perplexed pout as her arms tightly hugged her middle. Before she could shuffled beyond his reach, Lance gently grabbed her by the arm, jostling her out of her daze. Glancing down into Lance's soft expression and reading the concern in his kind eyes, Allura sighed and sat down beside him, propping her chin atop her folded hands and closing her eyes as Lance began to gently rub her back.

"What you did in there was pretty brave and selfless. Lotor had better be thankful."

"I just felt like I had to say something, not for his sake but for the sake of what Voltron and this Coalition are supposed to stand for. I can't help but fear that my words made no difference though."

"I mean, the jury is definitely taking their time to make a decision. That has to mean something."

"I suppose."

Unfortunately, just as some relief had found its way into Allura's heart, Lance's fingers went stiff as the clop of armored footsteps rang in the princess's ears. She didn't need to open her eyes to know who was standing in front of her, but seeing as keeping them closed would not hold her foe at bay, she met Klara's smoldering scowl with an apathetic stare.

"That was a nice little speech you gave: stupid but nice. Of course, I can't help but wonder how much of your sympathy for Lotor stems from some lingering chemistry." Klara scoffed when Allura's face hardened into a glare. "Word gets around fast, Princess, and before you get upset with me, you should know that I'm not the only one who thinks so. Just something to keep in mind the next time you try pleading on the behalf of your ex."

Now it was Allura's turn to scoff. "You gloat as though you've already won, but I think you're concerned that the jury will rule in my favor."

"The only one who needs to be worried is you. Lotor will meet his demise; the only question is whether it shall be now or later."

"Do not pick fights you cannot win."

"It's a good thing I intend to win then."

Before any more threats could be tossed back and forth, the auditorium doors creaked open to reveal Kolivan and the Olkari elder looming just inside.

"The jury has reached a verdict."

In one fluid motion, the crowd began to stream back into the room, but before she merged with the masses, Klara shot Allura one final sneer.

"Good luck, and don't take any of this personally."

Once she had vanished, Allura subconsciously slipped her hand into Lance's and gave it a squeeze while the other paladins, all having overheard the conversation, looked at her expectantly.

"Let's go."

It took another good half a quintent to get everyone settled and several additional dobashes for the chatter to quiet down, which was a considerable improvement from the start of the trial. All of the jury sat like solemn statues except for Coran, who stood with a piece of folded paper tucked between his index and middle fingers, and though he made it quick as not to warrant any chastising from his peers, he flashed Allura a wink upon catching her eye before clearing his throat.

"The jury has made its decision." The dramatic flourish with which Coran unfolded the slip of paper did little to impress the audience. "Since a unanimous vote for condemning him to death could not be reached, it has been decided that Prince Lotor shall be incarcerated aboard the Atlas and placed under the watch of the Voltron paladins for the rest of his life."

There was no great uproar; in fact, the room was blanketed in an even more deafening silence than before. Not even Dayak made a noise as she threw her arms around Lotor and wept in relief as the prince stared at the far wall in a daze, still not quite processing what he had just heard. Allura wanted to rejoice, but instead, she whipped around in her seat only to barely catch a glimpse of Klara's shimmering wings as she slunk out of the room, foreboding clouds which warned of a coming storm rising in her wake.

Only Klara and the one, multicolored face who was still missing from the crowd after foolishly going off on her own to get a breath of fresh air and collect herself knew that the tempest was already underway.