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Razzle Dazzle

Act V: The Final Curtain

Lance gave another futile tug on the chain, arms straining but it held firm just as it had the last ten times he'd tried.

He sat back on his heels as they'd chained him to kneel, head spinning as it fought for air from the exertion and he slumped sideways, making his shoulders pull uncomfortably.

He didn't care.

He'd had a chance to stop this, to keep the spark of hope alive. But he hadn't taken it.

He couldn't take it.

He shivered, the sound making the chains rattle. Lotor's words were poison. Even if he had said yes, agreed to being Lotor's – what, exactly? Pet? Slave? Toy? – it didn't mean Lotor would not turn around and do this the next day. Next week. Next month. He could change his mind at any time.

But he should have. He hung his head. He should have. No matter what it had meant for him he should have taken the offer. It would have given his team more time to find him, more time to launch a rescue.

They could have saved him. Or maybe they couldn't have. They had never before been able to find Lotor after all, what would have made this time any different? Desperation? He let out a muffled sob disguised as a laugh. No. They wouldn't have come.

They weren't coming now.

This wasn't going to be a rescue like Allura's where they all swarmed Zarkon's base, naïve and hopeful. Lotor was not like Zarkon. This entire thing it was what, twenty minutes? Not the hours they'd had to plan and engage to save Allura.

And Lance knew the status of the castle. Allura had been in a cryo-pod, should have still been in one. Even if they'd known where to go they couldn't wormhole. Their Lions were battered and bruised as surely as their pilots and everyone was running on fumes.

No rescue was coming.

No one was coming.

And he accepted that. He'd always known death was a possibility. Maybe not right away. At first the entire thing had felt like something out of a story; magical Lions and alien princesses and cool weapons.

But when Sendak attacked, not the first time but the second, when Lance had been blown up and awoken only to hear Shiro's screams as he was tortured and Sendak taunting Pidge to come rescue them. He had known then that this was no game. People could die.

And now he was going to.

Only it wasn't just his life. He was taking the universe with him.

He choked on his next cry, hunching over as far as the chain pulling his arms out behind him would allow. He'd really messed up this time.

A life for a life, Lotor had tried to bargain.

Lance wished he'd just been killed then.

The ground rumbled below him and he flinched, but the platform he'd been tied do did not rise up. Not yet.

He was, Lotor told him, going to be the star after all. Lotor was already up on his 'stage' and addressing the universe but was planning to bring Lance out after his little speech. He'd left him a timer so Lance could prepare for his cue… as though he had a choice. It read three dobashes now and the purple digits blurred in front of him as new tears filled his eyes.

Three minutes until he debuted.

Three minutes until the universe lost hope in the Voltron Alliance.

Three minutes until he died.

They were going to be the longest three minutes of the rest of his short life.

xxx

Keith moved like a silent shadow down the halls of Lotor's ship. Silent save the ragged pounding of his heartbeat that was making it difficult to listen for footsteps and he cursed at it to shut up.

That did not help.

Every hair on him was prickling with nerves and he had never felt this nervous in his life.

Because this was not just some Blade mission. This was no data retrieval or scouting assignment. This was not the freeing some nameless prisoners.

This was rescuing Lance. Keith didn't give a damn about the rest Kolivan had tried to tell him. Something about destroying the broadcast technology if he was unable to retrieve Lance before he was paraded in front of the universe in a sick game.

Kolivan had been quick on details and Keith had been short on time so he only knew the bare bones. During an earlier fight Lance had been kidnapped by Lotor and now Lotor was going to kill Lance on screen to make some statement about the Voltron Alliance and for the sake of the Alliance Lance had to be rescued before that happened.

It would be best if he was capable of watching the broadcast for timing purposes, but he'd been running a simple infiltration mission prior to this on a Galra base and had only had the bare necessities on his person and that did not include the small hologram screens that allowed them to pick up public broadcasts.

He did have a timer until the broadcast was to launch and it showed… two dobashes. Quiznak. He still didn't even have any idea where he was going and it was a miracle he had made it this far.

Matt's coordinates were spot on and Keith was beyond thankful they'd found Pidge's brother and roped him and his brain into their group. The Paladins group, he corrected himself. He… he wasn't a Paladin anymore. He hurried past that thought before it could take root. Not now.

Pidge had shared her cloaking technology with the Blades and he'd been able to get his cruiser into the Galran ship airspace without incident and dock it on the outside of the ship. How, exactly, he was going to get Lance to it without the other suffocating in the vastness of space was still a question he was puzzling but first step was retrieve Lance and he'd handle details later. He'd ducked in through a ventilation shaft and was now making his way through the silent halls of Lotor's ship without any real idea of where he was going and he needed to fix that or Lance was as good as dead with help possibly just feet away.

A sudden sharp beep inside his mask made Keith freeze on his next silent footfall forward. He knew that tone. It was the one that Pidge and Hunk had rigged into his helmet to allow private communication via a channel that Pidge claimed could not be hacked.

He picked it up without hesitation.

"Keith, are you there?" Allura's accented tones sounded as regal as ever but even still he could hear the undercurrent of fear.

"Yes," he said simply. "But I don't know where I'm going."

"Find an access panel," Pidge said, voice higher pitched as it was when she was scared. "I'll scan through your suit. Hurry!"

Keith picked up his pace, only just managing not to careen around a blind corner as getting caught now would be the end. He spotted one on the wall next to a large door and raced to it, slamming his hand and letting it read his Galra signature.

There was the sound of rapid typing in his ear and Pidge gasped. "Okay, you've got a map," and true to her word the sensor on his arm was blinking and he quickly loaded it. "It's a small ship," she continued. "Prisoner holdings are down the hall on your right."

Keith heard cursing then and his eyes widened. Was that Hunk?

"The show's starting," Allura's voice came back. "Hurry, Keith."

"He won't be in a cell," Keith said, voice steadier than he thought. "What kind of room is Lotor in?"

He almost heard Pidge slap her head.

"A large chamber," Allura described. "Tall ceilings, but enclosed. Not a hangar."

"Receiving room, got it," Pidge said and the map blinked on Keith's arm.

"There's a stage," Shiro jumped in, voice tense. "With a metal covering. They're likely going to bring Lance up through the floor. Go down a level."

"Storage rooms," Pidge confirmed and a new dot blinked.

"Can you patch me in?" Keith asked, already moving. "I need to hear where Lotor is at."

A second later a different voice permeated his comms and Keith grimaced at it. "—Prince Lotor of the great and powerful Galra Empire. I graciously thank all of you for joining me this evening –"

Keith tuned it out as he followed the blinking dot that was at least a minute's run from his current location. He made to pass by a large door but paused, feeling something drawing him to it.

It was like in the desert, he thought. Purple eyes narrowed. It was exactly like the desert. His instincts had never led him astray before and he didn't think they were going to do so now.

He pressed his hand to the keypad to allow him access, but rather than opening right away it glowed yellow. "Pidge," he whispered, "what is this?"

"Not the storage room," came the sharp answer. A tick later, "It's a hanger. They keypad isn't letting you in because the room has a… a pulse? Current? Something in it."

"Can you turn it off?"

And Pidge did not question the why. She too had learned that Keith's instincts were good ones. A few precious ticks later the light on the panel went back to purple and Keith threw open the door.

He was not surprised to see the Blue Lion in there.

He was surprised to feel the utter despair and anger washing off her as she struggled to her feet, metal joints creaking.

"Blue?" he breathed and the Lion roared, the sound echoing around the room and Keith winced, looking over his shoulder for sentries.

She looked at him, almost seemed to give a nod and turned to face the far wall, tail gun charging. She was escaping, Keith realized. And… "You'll get us?" he asked and she let out another roar. He allowed himself a grin. Transportation problem solved.

He hurried out of the room before he got sucked into the vacuum of space and continued down the hall.

"—Alliance believes themselves to be infallible. That is why tonight I have a special guest here with me to show you the error in this thinking. For all those listening, for all those thinking perhaps of joining the Voltron Alliance—"

Lotor was still rambling but not for long, Keith knew. He'd mentioned guest. Any second now Lance was going to show on stage and it was going to be too late. Keith had no doubt Generals were flanking their prince and while he considered himself an excellent swordsman he could not take on all five at once and rescue Lance.

Except they weren't all with Lotor, for there was one general standing outside the door that Pidge had earmarked.

Zethrid, he recognized. Incredibly strong but lacking a little in strategy and tactics. The perfect guard and one Keith did not have time to fight. He yanked one of the pouches off his uniform, palming the stun grenades the Blade of Marmora had given him.

She noticed him as he came barreling down the hall, her hand flying to her neck where their communications rested, no doubt to alert Lotor.

Keith didn't give her the chance.

He chucked every single grenade he had. His aim had never been anything to brag about but one flew true and struck the radio unit just as her finger went to press on it and the entire thing exploded with a bang of light and no sound.

Zethrid screamed, stumbling backwards as more and more went off around her. Keith did not wait to see her collapse, but flung open the door she had been in front of with a desperation he had not felt since finding Shiro injured and being flung about on the planet following their bad wormhole jump.

And, he thought seeing Lance, this was worse.

This was so much worse.

Lance was kneeling, head bowed and arms wrenched behind him chained to a stake.

And he was moving upwards, a hole slowly opening in the ceiling above him that Keith had no doubt let straight to Lotor.

"Lance!" Keith screamed, the mask flashing off his face and hood falling back and Lance jerked his head up.

And God. Oh God. Keith faltered for half a second as he caught sight of the marks that shone with blood on Lance's face, dripping with tears.

But the platform was rising and if he didn't have time to freeze.

Pulling his luxite blade as he ran Keith leapt onto the platform, already several feet off the ground, and swung it without hesitation in a sweeping arc at the chains connecting Lance's hands and feet to the stake.

In the same motion he turned and tackled Lance off the platform, both hitting the metal floor with a thud and Keith mentally apologized for using Lance as his landing pad. The platform continued its journey upwards and it would be mere seconds before Lotor realized no one was attached to it.

"Can you run?" Keith asked, sitting up and slicing through the cuffs that held Lance's hands behind him and then repeating it to his feet. He blanched as he saw in the moment he looked up that manacles weren't the only thing that had been cut. His stomach heaved on Lance's behalf at the mutilated ears.

His eyes widened in horrified realization as he put together the pieces of the injuries a moment later.

They'd tried to make Lance look Altean.

Why?

What the quiznak had he missed?

Lance reached up and pulled a blood-covered cloth out of his mouth and Keith's heart stuttered– was he bleeding internally? – but gave a raspy, "Yes," and was already clambering to his feet. His eyes were blown wide with disbelief as though he couldn't believe Keith was actually there.

Keith could scarcely believe it either. That had been too close.

And, judging by the loud yelling – "Turn it off! Find h—" before the broadcast cut off Lotor was going to be on them any second.

"Come on," he said, dashing out of the room, taking lead. He unhooked the blaster that Kolivan forced him to take and tossed it backwards to Lance, his sword still out. "I've got him," he said into the Castle's frequency and he heard the cries of relief. "Not out of it yet."

"Where are we going?" Lance panted behind him.

"You tell me," Keith said. "She's your Lion after all."

"B-Blue?" Lance stuttered and would have come to a complete halt if Keith hadn't reached back and grabbed his arm and yanked him forward.

Lance cast his mind out, frantically reaching for that connection that had all but been lost.

He was nearly bowled over with the intensity as they connected . Her despair hurt him, her pain and guilt were immeasurable and felt the apology, the horror that she had caused him to suffer flow through. Blue bottled it all in a second, knowing now was not the time, and instead sent him a line to her.

"This way," Lance shouted, pivoting down a hall Keith had just passed, feet aching with every footfall but he forced himself to run even harder. Blue called to him and he followed her, halting only when he reached a coded door that blocked his way.

Keith was there a tick later, slamming his hand on the console so hard it flickered but it did open. Lance shot out the panel as they rushed through and the door slammed shut behind them. They were in a hangar, Lance realized. He felt Blue's intent then and barely shouted, "Mask!" before a gaping hole opened in the wall in front of them.

Space was cold and cruel and Lance managed to suck in half a breath before he was pulled out through the hole, Keith right behind him with blasters activated and Marmora mask firmly in place.

As he was tossed head over heels in the abyss between the ship and Blue, Lance saw Lotor arrive in the hangar.

He hung back, gripping the door so as not to be pulled forward. But even this far away Lance could make out his face; his yellow eyes were narrowed, but his lips… they were curled up in a dark, dangerous smile. He caught Lance's gaze and it widened into a promise that Lance did not want to understand.

Lance's body spiraled around and Lotor was lost to his sight.

He was instead greeted by the cool blue and teal interior of Blue's mouth and he crashed into the floor, Keith making a more graceful landing on his feet.

"Blue," Lance whispered and she needed no second urging. He felt them take off at near light speed and he collapsed fully onto the floor, head ringing and breath hard to come by.

A pair of hands descended on his shoulders and it took all he had not to flinch away. But Keith's hands in rough gloves were nothing like Lotor's long smooth ones and after a second he gratefully accepted the assistance and Keith helped him to sit along one of the low curved walls of Blue's mouth.

"I've got him," Keith said quietly into his hood and Lance tipped his head back against the wall, exhaustion pressing in as Keith updated the others. "Yeah, we are." A pause. "Can you tell Kolivan? Mhm. We'll join you at the Castle." A longer pause and Keith nodded. "All right. Be there soon."

Keith dissolved his mask and pushed back his hood and joined him against the wall.

"It's going to be about twenty minutes," he said. "Allura's wormholing the castle closer to us but she can't quite make it."

Lance gave a small nod of confirmation.

"Are… are you okay?" Keith sounded unsure and Lance wanted to reassure him but really? He didn't know.

"Cold," Lance settled on, a violent shiver shaking his frame as now that the adrenaline had faded he was reminded that he was wearing almost nothing and now in the coldness of space. That was true, at the very least.

"Didn't you keep a thousand of blankets in here?" Keith asked, voice light and, Lance realized, pointedly not looking at his face but keeping his gaze towards the top of Lance's head.

He swallowed thickly, knowing why that was. "Yeah. Dunno if Allura tossed them though."

Keith nodded and clambered to his feet. "Hang on a tick."

He returned nearly a dobash later, three in his arms along with the emergency first aid kit they kept aboard.

"Here," Keith dumped the blankets unceremoniously and sat back down, the kit still in his hands. Lance uttered a quiet thanks and set about spreading two out over his legs after pulling them up to his chest and brought the third about his shoulders, hands clutching to keep it closed.

He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the wall. In the quiet he could feel Blue again, her worry and guilt painful.

"It's not your fault, beautiful," he murmured, heard Keith start next to him and then settle once he realized who Lance was talking to.

Blue pressed in on him then and he shook his head. "It's not," he repeated. She did not seem assuaged and so he took a different line. "You okay? I know you got hit too."

And the swell of love and compassion and pride that filled their link pulled a small smile to his face and chased away some of the cold. She sent an affirmative in all of that and a mental nuzzle that had his smile widening as she tried to comfort him.

"Thanks, girl," he whispered. "I love you too."

He went quiet then and even with his eyes closed he could feel Keith's stare. Was it at the marks? His ears? He winced at the thought of them, which made the dull ache flare.

"Do you want me to bandage them?" Keith asked, cutting into the silence.

Lance pried open his eyes and Keith touched his fingers to his own face beneath his eye, a cautiousness to the gesture that Lance was not used to seeing from the mullet.

He must look pretty pathetic if even Keith was that concerned.

"Are they bleeding?" he asked after a moment and Keith shifted closer to look and Lance hated that his immediate reaction was to pull back.

"No," Keith said slowly, bright purple eyes going to Lance's. "They're not."

"Then no point." After all, Allura was going to insist he go into a pod to heal the injuries even if there was no healing these wounds.

Keith was looking at him still, gaze searching and Lance had to look away first from the intensity.

"Did he hurt you?" Keith finally asked and Lance knew in that moment Keith was not referring to his face or ears.

He gave a minute shake of his head even as his eyes pricked with tears.

"Did he hurt you?" Keith repeated and in his peripheral Lance saw the other boy's hands clench.

"No," he managed, voice small, averting his gaze. "N-no."

"Lance…"

"Just…" He felt his face flame. "Just…" He brought one of his hands up and pressed it to his cheek below the wound, the coldness nice. "Touches," he finally whispered and felt another shudder pass through him at the memory of Lotor's hands. "I… I don't want to talk about it."

"… All right," Keith said quietly. He looked uncomfortable but continued on, "I'm here though, if you ever… ever want to."

Lance felt a small, real smile then even as a tear stung his cheek. "Thanks, Mullet."

They lapsed into quiet, Lance shifting in his pile of blankets to try and get warmer as the chill was not disappearing as it should.

"Keith?" he whispered after a moment and the other boy angled his head in his direction. "Can I have a hug?"

"A hug?" He said it like it was a foreign word and it pulled another tiny smile from Lance.

"I'm cold," was all he said and Keith's entire expression softened.

Keith shifted to close the space between them and his right arm carefully lifted to wrap behind Lance and light upon his opposite shoulder. Lance would normally have snuggled in – Keith was warm – but his injured ear told him that wasn't such a good idea. So instead he bumped their shoulders and tilted his head back again on the wall.

They remained like that until Keith murmured quietly, "We're here," and Lance felt Blue touch down. Keith disentangled his arm and swept to his feet in one swift movement. He held out a hand and Lance gratefully took it, allowing himself to be pulled to standing. He kept hold of the blanket draped over his shoulders though, shivering again as all the ones ensconcing his legs fell away.

Blue sent a wave of reassurance and love and then she opened her mouth and the ramp extended. Lance took a steadying breath and then made his way down, Keith following like a protective guard just behind.

They were all waiting for him in Blue's hangar. Lance had barely made it off the ramp before Hunk was there, sweeping him into a hug with a sob.

Lance relaxed into it immediately, pressing his forehead against Hunk's broad chest and soaking in the warmth and strength that Hunk always projected. A smaller set of arms wrapped about his lower waist and he felt a pair of cold-rimmed glasses press into his side. He freed his arms and wrapped one about Hunk's girth and the other to rest lightly on Pidge's back.

"I'm okay," he whispered, needing to reassure them of this even if it wasn't entirely true. Hunk only tightened his embrace and he felt Pidge's tiny fingers dig almost bruisingly into him He could have remained there, forever, but more footsteps were approaching and he couldn't hide away like this.

He gave Pidge's shoulder a squeeze and she released him and stepped back, rubbing at damp eyes under her glasses and looking much, much too young. Hunk wasn't quite so easily swayed, but he eventually lowered his arms and moved aside as Shiro came up, his large hands descending on Lance's shoulders in what normally was a familiar, comfortable hold but made him give a tiny start. He could feel Keith take a step forward behind him and Hunk's questioning glance at the action.

"You're all right?" Shiro asked and Lance managed a small nod, clutching his blanket back to him and concentrating on his leader.

"I will be," he added to that.

"You were very brave," Shiro murmured and Lance felt hot tears forming. "I'm so, so proud of you, Lance."

Coran was there then and his arms enveloped Lance so gently that he could no longer suppress the tears.

"My dear boy," his voice broke and Lance let out a soft cry. He felt a kiss being planted atop his head and he wrapped his own arms tightly about Coran, the blanket falling away from his shoulders but he didn't care as he pressed himself into the comfort Coran always offered.

"Lance." Allura sounded just a pace away and Coran released him so he could see the princess. She was hovering just beyond; hands twisted in one another and her jewel eyes shining bright. "Lance…"

"I guess," he said quietly, trying for a smile but it came out a sob, "they're not hideous anymore."

"Oh," she rushed to him then, throwing her arms about him and burying her face against his shoulder. Lance reached up and clung to her just as desperately. "Oh, Lance," she whispered. "They never were."

She lifted her face to meet his, eyes tracing the new scars that decorated his face and then to the pointed, ruined stubs of flesh that remained of his ears.

"They are not now," she continued. "They are… they are still beautiful. Just like you."

Beautiful.

Lance's knees buckled and sent them both to the floor. As the concerned sounds of his team surrounded him, worried hands pressing in, all he could do was blankly stare, sickness coiling inside him as a smooth voice whispered and a phantom hand caressed his face.

"You are so beautiful."

xxx

Author's Notes:

The end! I'm so proud of myself; a full-fledged fic in under 25k? This was a true, dark pleasure to write and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I and Lotor did. I'm pretty pleased with how it all came together and the ending makes my toes curls with delight.

That said, it doesn't mean I'm not open to following this storyline into a bit of recovery if there's interest from you guys. I sort of feel like since I made this Altean!Lance it's my job to nurture it and give it a good resolution. Maybe? I'd recommending following my author page (I will not update here) or following me on Tumblr, icypantherwrites, if you are interested in an after arc. No timeline for when any of that will (or if) happen, but it's a definite possibility.

Also, fun fact! Lotor's dialogue ended four of five chapters. He's just so great for cliffhangers apparently xD

Thank you to all who commented last chapter and special thank yous to those who have been along for the entire ride and left such lovely words. I truly appreciate it!

Pretty please do leave a review with your final thoughts of the story. They mean the world to me and a comment is literally the best way to tell an author "thank you" for the fic.