#Lance and Vallen right now <3

[anathemafiction]

I cant believe u have me swooning over the bastard. How could u. Hadrian and Alessa, even Neia, are right there, and all i can think about is his dumb little face and the way he begged romanus not to let him die. Honestly the interactions between a sarcastic mc and rafael during the interregation scene were some of my faves in the book, i can't wait to bully him into a loving relationship in book 2 and 3

The part where he begged Romanus to live was when I decided he'd be a romance option. I loved it that much. The whole interrogation afterward only solidified that decision.

I know there's a whole tag of me joking that I didn't like the rat bastard, but I think it's obvious I always liked Rafael a lot. But now that I'm finally writing him in the game, I can say that I absolutely adore him. He's such a blast to write. I love every time he's on a scene. 😊

I can't wait for you all to experience his romance or friendship route. One of his scenes at the end of the book will probably be one of my favorites of the sequel, character-wise.

[this-book-has-been-loved]

Singularity: Chapter 11

AU where instead of landing in the trash nebula, Pidge finds herself on the same planet as a certain Galra prison camp.

(Holt family reunion fic; no romantic relationships)

(Complete!)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10

Read it on Ao3

Read it on FFN

Chapter 11: Isometric

An epilogue of sorts Also a chapter told entirely in Matt’s POV cuz I love him

The liberation of Vallen was over before the castle even landed. And while Shiro and the princess—Allura, Katie said her name was?—spoke with the prisoners there, Matt and his father had been pressured into the infirmary. Katie had gone on about what she called a ‘healing pod’, insisting that they both needed to spend time in one. After weak protests, Katie had won, and the strange mustached man had helped each of them into a white bodysuit.

The last thing Matt saw before succumbing to the cold and to the sleep was Katie’s face, smiling happier than he’d seen her in ages. “I’ll be right here when you wake up,” she’d told them. “I promise.”

Then his eyes had closed.

Hours later, the cold air receded and he woke up as the pod opened.

The room was dark and still. Faint mechanical hums stood out in the quiet, and the only light came from the pale blue glow of the healing pods. Next to his own, his father rested peacefully.

He stumbled, disoriented, taking in the room around him.

Katie lay curled up on the floor. She wasn’t in her armor, instead wearing a baggy green-and-white shirt and a pair of gray cargo shorts. A laptop lay beside her, long since powered down, and one of her hands rested lightly on the keyboard.

Matt smiled, sitting down beside her. “Hey there, sis,” he murmured. He pushed the laptop away, closing it firmly. He took her hand in his, drinking in how peaceful she looked.

Safe. He reveled in the fact. We’re safe. She’s actually here.

“You’re awake.”

Matt looked up, glancing towards the doorway. A figure stood there—a teenage boy. He was wearing all black, and his dark hair hung loosely around his face. In his hands he carried a pillow and a large blanket.

Matt tried to remember his name, but he’d never seen any of the other paladins out of their armor. “Hi.”

“We weren’t expecting you to wake up yet,” the paladin (was this the red one?) continued, walking over. “Estimates said you still had a few more hours.” He knelt beside Katie, setting down the blanket. “She’ll be sorry she missed you.”

Matt relaxed, smiling. “I’ll still be here when she wakes up,” he murmured.

“She tends to do this a lot,” the paladin told him. “She’ll stay awake for as long as she can…and then she’ll just crash and fall asleep wherever she happens to be.” He gently lifted her head, slipping the pillow beneath. “We’ve all sorta gotten into the habit of finding wherever she’s passed out and then carrying her back to her room. But tonight…I thought she’d rather stay here with you.” He shook out the blanket, spreading out over Katie. He paused, glancing at Matt suddenly. “Do you, uh, do you want me to get you another blanket or something…?”

Matt laughed. “Thank you, but I’m okay.”

The paladin only nodded, seemly unsure of what to say next. “I, uh….”

“I’m sorry,” Matt said, shaking his head. “I don’t think we were properly introduced.” He held out his hand to the paladin. “I’m Matt. Matt Holt.”

“Keith Kogane,” he replied, shaking Matt’s hand.

Matt paused, furrowing his eyebrows. “Wait…Shiro’s little brother?”

Keith froze. “I…brother?”

“Yeah; you were at the Garrison, weren’t you?” Seeing Keith’s wide-eyed and flustered look, Matt nearly laughed. “Dude, he practically adopted you. So you may not be related by blood. Whatever. You’re still brothers.”

“No, no, I get that,” Keith hastened to assure him. “I just…didn’t realize he talked about me.”

Matt laughed. “Shiro and I were roommates, back at the Garrison,” he said with a smile. “He’s my best friend. Of course he told me about you.”

They settled into comfortable silence, sitting on either side of Katie, watching the stars go by through the window. Katie shifted in her sleep, burying herself deeper into her pillow, mumbling something about peanut butter and someone called Kaltenecker.

Matt chuckled, watching her fondly. “I’m glad she’s getting some rest.”

“Yeah, I think you can speak for all of us there,” Keith muttered. “She hasn’t really been sleeping well lately.”

Matt furrowed his brow. “Is…she okay?”

Keith exhaled, long and slow. “She’ll be fine,” he said eventually. “It’s just been rough, these past few weeks.” Matt was silent, and Keith took that as a signal to keep going. “She just wasn’t in the best place when we found her,” he continued. “She told us about what happened. We headed straight there…but you were already gone. After that, well, she was angry. At the Galra. At Zarkon. But mostly, I think, at herself.”

“Thank you for being there for her.”

Keith seemed a bit taken aback for a moment, but he quickly relaxed. “Of course. She…really means a lot to me.” He pulled his legs up against his chest, resting his chin on his knees. “I never really had much of a family back on Earth,” he confessed. “Team Voltron is about as close to family as I’ve got.”

Matt quirked a lopsided grin. “Well, any family of Katie’s is family of mine. So, in that case, welcome to the family.”

Keith let out a laugh, but he seemed a bit tense, uneasy about something.

Matt’s smile faded, and he looked at him curiously. “Can I ask you something?”

Keith looked at him askance. “Yeah, go ahead.”

“Back on the ship, with Reggar,” Matt started, “Katie…she called you Galra.” Keith froze. “But you don’t look Galra,” Matt continued. “And you’re from Earth. Right?”

Keith sighed. “I don’t even know the full story, to be honest,” he said. “But to answer your question…yes. I’m part Galra. I don’t know how much, but….” He cast his gaze downwards. “I only found out recently. I’m still coming to terms with it myself.” He seemed to be bracing himself for the worst, closing his eyes, hugging himself. “If…if that makes you uncomfortable, I understand,” he whispered.

Matt’s eyes widened and he shook his head quickly. “No! No way.” Keith looked up at him in shock, and Matt cautiously reached out to put a hand on his shoulder. “Dude. You saved my life. You saved my baby sister’s life. I trust you.”

Keith melted. The look in his eyes was filled with such surprise, such compassion, such adoration. Then he smiled.

Well, Matt thought wryly. I guess I’ve got a brother now. But he found he didn’t mind the thought. Welcomed it, really.

Between them, Katie shifted again. “Would you nerds just cut it out already and go to sleep?”

Keith snorted, and Matt struggled to hold back his own laughter. “Sorry, Katie.” He glanced over at Keith. “You wanna just, like, crash here for the night?”

“In…the infirmary?”

Matt was already lying down, yawning. “Mm. Always liked slumber parties.”

Keith laughed. “I’ll go get some more blankets.”

The rest of the team had come to join them within the next few hours. Hunk had procured what tasted like the alien equivalent of hot chocolate, and Lance accused them of having a slumber party without them; but the two of them joined Matt, Keith, and Katie in their impromptu blanket fort, passing out mugs of the hot cocoa. Shiro had come into the infirmary not too much later, and, at the insistence of Matt and Katie, had sat down to join them. When Allura and Coran had entered, it was to the sight of their five paladins along with Matt all swaddled in blankets and contently drinking hot chocolate. “It’s a very important and common Earth ritual for unwinding after stressful events,” Katie told them, to which the rest of them dutifully nodded. And when Sam woke up, they had another blanket and steaming mug waiting for him.

Both Matt and his sister wrapped their arms around him, and the three of them embraced. “Hi, Dad,” Katie squeaked through her tears.

“Oh my little girl,” he whispered. “Katie, darling, I am so proud of you.”

As he pulled away from the hug, his eyes fell on Shiro, standing nearby with a soft smile. Shiro reached out to shake his hand. “It’s good to see you, Commander.”

Sam chuckled, completely forgoing the handshake to instead pull him into a hug. “How many times do I have to tell you this, Shiro? Please. Call me Sam.”

Shiro let out a laugh, reciprocating the hug. “Yes, sir.”

“Takashi.”

“Come on, I need to introduce you to everyone!” Katie bubbled, taking her father by the arm. “You met Lance and Keith earlier,” she said, gesturing to the group of boys, “and this is Hunk—”

“Doctor Holt, it is such an honor to finally meet you,” Hunk gushed, shaking his hand enthusiastically. “I’ve read all your books. Going Beyond Terrestrial Engineering is what inspired me to enroll at the Garrison.”

Sam laughed good-naturedly. “I’m glad to hear that!”

Katie’s eyes were comically wide, and she had both her hands pressed to her mouth, doing nothing to smother the massive smile on her face. “Hunk!!” she squealed. “You didn’t tell me you were a fan!!!”

Hunk’s flushed, his expression morphing into one of embarrassment. “I—”

“Dude,” Lance interjected. “I had a poster of Shiro on my wall. No one’s gonna judge you.”

Matt nearly choked on his drink. “You what?”

“Alright,” Shiro said firmly. “Enough of that.”

Sam laughed again. “It’s good to meet all of you,” he said. “Hunk, I would love to speak with you further on your studies.”

Hunk’s eyes were sparkling. “I—yes, wow, thank you!”

Sam turned towards the other two in the room, the Alteans, and he held out a hand to them. “And you must be Allura and Coran?”

Allura was wiping at her eyes, trying to compose herself. She clasped his hand firmly. “Welcome aboard the Castle of Lions,” she said. “We are all very happy to have you here with us.”

“Absolutely,” Coran agreed. “Number Five has told us a lot about you. And it’s always exciting meeting new humans!”

Out of nowhere, Katie’s eyes widened, and she gasped. “Oh my god, Matt, I almost forgot! I’ll be right back.” Without another word, she took off.

When she returned a couple minutes later, she was carefully cradling something in her hands. “Um, these are yours,” she told Matt, holding out her hands towards him. “I’ve been holding onto them for you.”

He glanced down, surprised. “My glasses?”

She nodded, almost sheepishly. “They were part of my disguise when I was sneaking into the Garrison,” she confessed, “and so I sorta brought them out here with me. For when we found you.”

He took the glasses almost reverently. “Katie, I—” His voice cracked. “Thank you.”

“Oh, hey,” Lance said suddenly. “That actually reminds me. Pidge?”

Katie turned towards him. “Yeah?”

“I know I’ve asked this before,” he began, “and you said Pidge was fine…but do you want us to start calling you Katie? Now that, you know, they’re here?”

She paused, then smiled. “I like being Pidge,” she told him. “I’ve gotten pretty used to it.”

Matt frowned, taking that it. He glanced at her curiously. “Do…do you want us to call you Pidge too?”

For a moment, she seemed taken aback. “I—I don’t know,” she fretted. “I mean. You can call me whatever? I guess? Either is fine. Katie’s fine. I mean, I haven’t been Katie in so long, it’s kinda nice, ya know? But I don’t want anyone to get confused or anything. And you don’t have to go out of your way to try to use a different name if you don’t really want to—”

Sam put a hand on her back, and she paused in her rambling. “Alright,” he said gently. “Katie. Pidge. You’re fine.”

She breathed deeply, relaxing into his touch. “Thanks, Dad.”

“While this has been a nice respite,” the princess said, “we really must get focused back on the main plan here.”

“The princess is right,” Shiro agreed. “We have a lot of work to do.”

Lance sighed. “Yes, sir, Space Dad.”

Matt frowned. “Right away?”

“That’s the life of a Voltron paladin,” his sister said with a shrug. “We do not get a break.”

“There is still some time before we reach our next position,” Coran said. “We need to get the  castle to a point about equidistant from Olkarion, the Balmera, Beta Traz, the weblum…. It will take a bit for us to get there.”

Shiro furrowed his brow. “Can’t we do a wormhole jump?”

“Ah, we could,” Coran replied. “But it’d be best for Allura to save her energy. We’ll need that for later.”

“So what I’m getting here,” Hunk said slowly, “is that we do get a break?”

Allura sighed. “For a little while longer, I suppose. But please, be ready to go once the castle is in position.”

Lance was grinning, nearly bouncing up and down on his toes. “You got it, Allura! Alright, I wanna try to figure out that Altean pool. I’ll catch you guys later!” Before anyone could say anything, he took off.

“In the meantime,” Allura continued, glancing towards Matt and his father. “We should get the two of you a change of clothing. And would you like a tour of the castle?”

It was later when Matt went looking for his sister. He wandered the castle aimlessly, remembering what he could from the tour Allura had given them. Afterwards, she and Coran had headed to the bridge; the rest of the team had splintered off throughout the tour, mentioning other preparations they needed to do before they went on for their next mission.

When there was no answer at the door to Katie’s—Pidge’s—room, he frowned. This was correct, wasn’t it? He double-checked, seeing the telltale green light on the panel by the door, and nodded to himself. Yes, this was her room. So where was she?

He wandered a bit further down the hall, knocking on the next door he saw. A “Come in!” came from inside, and so Matt slid the door open. Lance turned to face him, pulling his shirt on. “Oh, hey, man.”

“Have you seen my sister?”

Lance frowned. “Did you try her room?”

“She wasn’t there.”

His eyebrows furrowed. “Huh.” He left the room, coming to stand beside Matt in the hallway, clapping him on the shoulder. “Alright, she shouldn’t be too hard to find. Then again, knowing her, she could be asleep in a vent or something.”

He started wandering down the hall, and Matt paused, staring after him. “She what?”

“She falls asleep in the weirdest places,” Lance called, not even bothering to turn around. “If I find her, I’ll tell her you’re looking for her.”

Matt sighed. “Thanks.” He turned, heading in the other direction. After a while, he found himself back in another section of the castle he recognized. Wasn’t this near where he’d woken up? Yes, he was pretty sure that the cryo-pod chamber was that door at the end of the hall—

There were voices coming from one of the open doors ahead.

“We’ll need to take off your shirt so I can take care of this properly. Is that okay?”

“Yeah. I’ve got my binder on.”

He paused. Wasn’t that her voice? And…Keith? Matt poked his head through the doorway to check it out.

Pidge sat on what looked like an examination table from the doctor’s office. Her green-and-white shirt was lying beside her, leaving her in a strapless top of some kind––a chest binder, she’d said?

Keith was perched next to her, holding her arm in one hand and some kind of jar in the other. He was gently spreading a layer of salve over her left shoulder. “You shouldn’t have kept this to yourself.”

“It’s fine,” she insisted. “Barely feel it.”

Keith’s hand rubbed a bit closer to the red mark on her shoulder, and she flinched. He stilled, glancing at her and raising an eyebrow. “You sure about that?”

“Shut up.”

He sighed, setting down the jar of healing salve and picking up a roll of bandages.

In the doorway, Matt stood watching in shock. “What happened?”

Pidge turned to him in surprise. “Matt!”

“Are you okay?!”

She let out a groan. “I’m fine!”

Keith rolled his eyes. “Keep telling yourself that,” he muttered. He held up the bandages. “Now hold still.”

She kept her eyes downcast as Keith carefully wrapped the bandages around her shoulder, stubbornly refusing to meet the frantic eyes of her brother.

“Katie,” he pleaded.

She broke.

“It’s nothing to worry about,” she insisted quietly. “I don’t need a healing pod or anything. I had my armor on. And even then, it just grazed me.” She glared at her clenched hands. “Stupid Galra and their stupid laser guns.”

Matt sighed.

“Alright,” Keith announced as he finished. “We’ll need to replace the bandages periodically. Find me tomorrow morning and we can take care of that.”

She nodded, rotating her shoulder experimentally. “Thanks, Keith.”

He just smiled and ruffled her hair. “Next time, maybe tell someone when you get shot,” he admonished, standing up.

“Yeah, yeah, responsibility and stuff.”

He sighed, shaking his head. He clapped Matt on the shoulder on his way out. “Don’t let her over-exert herself,” he instructed Matt as he headed into the hall.

“I heard that!” Pidge called.

“Good.”

He wandered off, leaving Matt and his sister alone.

Pidge tugged her shirt back on sullenly, wincing a bit as she flexed her shoulder.

Matt was silent for a minute. When he finally spoke, he simply stated, “You got shot.”

She sighed. “I really am fine,” she assured him. “It’s nothing major.”

“Nothing major?” Matt repeated, flabbergasted. “It—you—,” he sputtered. “Katie!”

Pidge smiled wryly. “You know, that’s the same thing Lance said when I got back to the castle and he found out I’d fractured a rib.”

“KATIE!”

She winced. “Sorry. But that’s all taken care of. See? I’m all better now.”

“Except for the burn on your shoulder.”

She closed her eyes in defeat. “Yeah. ‘Cept for that.”

“Why didn’t you mention something earlier?” he asked, sitting down next to her.

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Katie, I’m your brother. It’s my job to worry about you.”

“That’s just the thing!” she exclaimed. She paused, exhaling heavily. “When I left Serva, it was only a few hours before they all picked me up,” she murmured. “I managed to get a strong enough signal out and they found me pretty much right away. And after I told them all what happened….” She broke off. She pulled up her legs and hugged them to her chest, resting her chin on her knees. “By the time we got back to Serva, you were already gone,” she murmured. “And we didn’t know where you were, or how to find you. We didn’t know what to do. I didn’t know what to do.” She squeezed her eyes shut. “And it’s like everyone was trying to fill that hole. For days. They were just…always there. Asking if I was okay, if I needed anything, if I wanted company.” Her voice was rising in pitch, frantic. “And…on the one hand, it’s really nice. To know that they care about me like that. I mean, we’re a team, and we’re supposed to support each other. But it kinda goes deeper than that too.” She rested her forehead on her knees, burying her face. “But on the other hand…it’s suffocating.” She paused to take a breath, and sighed. “What I’m getting at here, is that I’m not fragile. I’m not gonna break. I can take care of myself.”

“I know.”

“I mean, Shiro was always like an overprotective mom. But the rest of them? Since when does Keith have feelings?!”

Matt laughed, thinking back on his conversation with the Red Paladin the night before. “Yeah, well, that’s what it’s like when your family gets hurt. And you told me yourself: they’re like family.”

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I guess so.”

They fell into silence.

“So…,” Matt mused. “Shiro mentioned you have another mission coming up.”

“Yep.” She made a popping sound with the ‘p’. “Beta Traz.”

“What’s that exactly?”

“High security space prison. Built specifically to contain one prisoner. We need to break in there and get him out.”

He nudged her playfully. “Is that all you guys do? Prison breaks?”

She huffed. “Feels like it sometimes,” she told him. “Jailbreaks and liberating planets.”

He paused, thinking. She was fourteen. And already, she was facing things that no one should ever have to. She was a child soldier conscripted into an intergalactic war that had been raging for thousands of years.

“So you’re going into combat,” he said softly. “Are you sure you’re gonna be okay? I mean. With your injured shoulder?”

“I’ll be fine,” she promised him. “Lance and Shiro will be there.”

“Mm.”

That’s another thing—the rest of the paladins weren’t too much older than her. Shiro was really the only adult. How old were the other three? Seventeen?

Pidge was watching him curiously, and after a moment, she reached out to take him by the hands. “Hey, Matt? I know that the stuff I do can get scary,” she murmured. “It gets dangerous. I’ve…I’ve had a lot of close calls. But also, at the same time, this is the most incredible experience I’ve ever had.” She sighed. “I know you’re always gonna worry about me. Cuz we’re family. But just keep in mind,” she instructed, a smile starting to tug at the corner of her lips. “I’m gonna do some insane stuff and you’re probably gonna freak out. But just know that I’ve already done a whole lot of insane dangerous stuff; I know what I’m doing.”

“That’s really not making me feel any better.”

She laughed, and the tension started to ease.

“The thing is,” she added after a moment, her smile falling. “Things are gonna get real crazy, real fast. I mean, we’ve got Beta Traz to deal with now. But it’s only gonna get crazier after that.”

His brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“We have…a very extensive plan. Beta Traz is only one step.”

“So what happens next?”

She took a deep breath, looking him in the eye. “We find Zarkon,” she said. “And we take him out.”

Many thanks to all my readers for coming along on this crazy adventure!!!

And a HUGE Thank You to my wonderful beta @kabber​!!! Seifert, my dear, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Love you!! Thanks for putting up with me and my constant rambles.

[anathemafiction]

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Who are the Romance Options for the series?

Hadrian — Bisexual

Alessa —  Bisexual

Alain —  Bisexual

Ysabella —  Bisexual

The Pirate King — Straight

Neia — Lesbian

Lance —  Bisexual

Rafael —  Bisexual

Lieutenant Vallen —  Bisexual

2. Need help with an achievement?

Check the amazing Achievement Guide made by Nell!

3. How many books will the series be?

Right now, I have 4 books planned!

4. How do I befriend the street urchin?

To gain Beka’s loyalty you must:

Stop her because you think she might be useful. To convince her to stay, pick the choice according to your stats. If you have at least 25 Wit, persuade her. 25 Influence, bribe her. 25 Combat, intimidate her.

Don’t press her too hard for answers, or she’ll refuse to talk further. In the end, when Beka offers to become your informer, you need to accept the deal, which means paying her. And when the guards come, you have to protect her. 

That makes Beka loyal to you. To keep the guards from running after Beka, you have to play to your strengths once again.

If you have at least 30 combat — Stare the guard down.

30 Wit — Ask them what they think they’re doing.

30 Influence — Tell them she’s a retired thief.

30 Pious — Bring the Lord’s disapproving gaze upon them.

Now, even if you fail, at this point, Beka is already loyal to you. But this is how you make sure she’s safe. At least, safe for the morning.

5. Where can I find the Goliath?

Visit the Harbor and check the fighting pit when you hear all the commotion coming from it. You'll see the Goliath at the center of an ancient amphitheater, waiting for his next opponent.

6. How do I beat the Goliath?

Here and here.

7. Is the scar unavoidable?

It is.

8. What are the ROs' ages?

Rafael — mid-twenties

Alain and Ysabella — mid-twenties

Hadrian — mid to late twenties

Alessa — mid to late twenties

Lance — late twenties

Neia — early thirties

The Pirate King — early thirties

9. Can I visit all five locations in one playthrough?

You can't. You can either visit three or four in one playthrough.

10. How can I listen to Lance's song?

You need to go outside of the inn at the end of Chapter 6.

11. Why can't I save the game?

If you mean save while you're playing, I don't know how to code it. Unfortunately, Choicescript doesn't have a save feature. If you play on Steam, here is a save plugin you can use similar to Dashingdon!

If you mean save your progress at the end of the game, so to carry your choices for the sequel, it isn't yet implemented! Hosted Games will add that feature once I'm 80% done with writing Book 2. So, I will let you know when the save option is added!

12. Will romancing Alessa or Hadrian lock me out of the other ROs routes?

It will not. There’s not romance “locks” in the game. 

13. Why is it called 'The Golden Rose'?

The reason why will be revealed at a later installment.

14. How do I meet the Pirate King?

Go to the Harbor.

15. Can I switch Billy for another horse?

Not in the first book. 

16. Will I see the cat again? What about Beka?

You will see them both again!

17. Will I see Garrett again?

You will! When and where depends on the choices you've made and the paths you've set him on. But as long as you haven't killed the young, failed bandit, you'll get to see Garrett again.

18. Can I still romance Hadrian if I killed Garrett?

You can! Although the romance progresses in a much different way.

But, for Hadrian not to completely shut you off (both romantically and as a friend), you have to show remorse right after killing Garrett. That means you can’t pick the option that uses sarcasm to mask your distress either — because Hadrian believes your lie — you need to show clear remorse. Immediate guilt.

On your first night at the inn, you need to try and talk to him and be as calm as possible. After that, just… well, keep trying. Hadrian will push back, which can make it hard for you not to say “well, I’m done.” And you can totally do so, but if you want a chance at reconciliation, I’m afraid you’ll have to swallow a lot of stones.

19. Can I romance Alessa if I threaten her at the tomb?

You cannot.

20. How do I get Corruption points?

You get Corruption points by:

Killing Garrett.

Killing the Devil’s Guardian.

Killing the man at the Cathedral.

Killing the man who punches you at the Nestled Nook Inn.

If you gain enough Corruption, your mark grows by the end of the book. And yes, it will have future consequences — outwardly, but, most importantly, inwardly too.

21. Can you give me a physical description of all the ROs?

Here.

22. What are the highest and lowest attainable relationship descriptors in Book One?

Here.

23. Who's your favorite character to write?

Romanus!

24. Wait, there's a siren?

Go to the Market and follow the voice of a boisterous showman.

25. What's the Church's stance on homosexual relationships? What about women in general? 

Here. 

26. Is the game set in Spain?

Please check out: One | Two | Three | Four

27. Can you write a scenario or an RO reaction?

I might post a snippet once in a while, when inspiration strikes me but, as a rule, I don't write scenarios or reactions any longer. When I used to do them, I was a student and had much more free time than I have today.

Whatever time I have for writing, I invest it in Patreon content and, most importantly, in writing Book Two! Because, at the end of the day, that's what we're all here for.

All the lovely asks are very appreciated, but I'm afraid you will be disappointed if you send me a scenario request. 

28. Will we be able to...

I'm not a fan of spoilers! I might answer some of these, but, just to warn you, I most likely won't. Some things one must wait to see.

29. Are you Brazilian?

No, I’m Portuguese.

And, lastly, here is the Tag page on my blog. All the important tags are listed there. Feel free to explore it!

[this-book-has-been-loved]

Singularity: Chapter 9

AU where instead of landing in the trash nebula, Pidge finds herself on the same planet as a certain Galra prison camp.

(Holt family reunion fic; no romantic relationships)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8

Read it on Ao3

Read it on FFN

Chapter 9: Monarch

The emptiness that had consumed her these past few days was gone. Instead she was at war with herself: righteous anger, crippling sadness, and fiery determination fought for dominance. Nervous energy bubbled inside her, and she could hardly keep herself from bouncing up and down on her toes.

One varga—one hour—wasn’t much time to formulate an extensive plan, but they did what they could in the time they had.

They all stood in Green’s hangar, suited up for battle, going over the plan one last time. She had one hand resting on her lion, ready to just climb into the cockpit and go.

Shiro’s arms were crossed, and she could tell he was anxious by the way he drummed his fingers on his bicep. “Katie, this isn’t safe.”

“Dude,” Hunk deadpanned. “You realize there’s nothing you can do to stop her, right?”

Shiro sighed. “I just don’t like the idea of you going in there alone.”

“I won’t be alone,” Pidge reminded him. “Lance’ll be there too.”

“Still—”

“And I’ll have Keith for backup,” she continued. “Not to mention the freaking Green Lion.” She looked at him for a moment, then reached out to wrap her arms around him. “I know you feel responsible, or whatever,” she mumbled into his chest. “Because you know me. Because you know my family. And I appreciate that. But for once, can you just let me be the reckless irresponsible teenager I am?”

He laughed once, letting out a whoosh of air, as he pulled her in closer. “Just…promise me you’ll be careful.”

“I will,” she told him, pulling back to look him in the eyes. “I promise.” Her smile started to fade. “I’m not letting this mission fail. I’m not leaving him again.”

“You won’t have to,” Lance told her. “This’ll be a piece of cake. Get in, blow some stuff up, and get out.”

“And there’s still Vallen to worry about,” Allura added anxiously. “We haven’t been able to establish contact with the prison whatsoever. Who knows what’s going on down there.”

“Hunk and I will take care of that,” Shiro assured her.

“Is there even a prison camp there?” Hunk wondered. “Or was that all just a ruse to lure us out here?”

“I guess we’ll just have to find out,” Shiro replied with a shrug. “Either way, it’ll keep them occupied so the rest of you can do what you need to do on his ship.”

“Matt said it was a trap,” Keith said softly. “What do you think Reggar has planned for this?”

“Well, he’s definitely not going to keep his word,” Lance said, rolling his eyes. “As if he’d actually let them go.”

“Surrender isn’t an option anyway.”

“So we’ll do what we do best and improvise,” Pidge said impatiently. “Can we go now?”

Shiro sighed, rubbing his face in resignation. “I feel like I’m raising a bunch of children,” he muttered. Then, louder, and more clearly, “Go ahead, Pidge. Good luck.”

Pidge cheered, grabbing Lance by the hand to pull him into the Green Lion with her. “Alright, sidekick, let’s get going!”

“Sidekick?!”

Ignoring Lance’s indignant sputtering, she settled into her chair in the cockpit. “Hold on tight,” she called. “Here we go!”

With that, the Green Lion shot out of its hangar, flying through the stars towards the imposingly large Galra warship that hung before them.

“Okay, Lance, you’re gonna have to move fast. I don’t know how many sentries will be in there, but hopefully most of them will leave with me. You’ll have to take out the rest of them and patch into the internal systems. All you have to do is open a hatch in the wall and scan the systems with your gauntlet. Then Coran will be able to hack in and mess with everything so Keith can get on board.”

“Got it.”

“Good.” She tapped at her console, fiddling with a few settings. “You should get to the back room. They might try to access the video feed and we don’t want them knowing that you’re with me.”

He nodded, tearing his eyes from the warship. “Good luck.”

“You too.”

Alone in the cockpit of her lion, she felt the adrenaline rush start to set in. “Alright. Time to kick some ass.”

She took a deep breath, then switched her comms to an open frequency. “Attention Galra vessel, this is the Green Paladin. Don’t shoot; I’m surrendering my lion. If you could open the hangar doors, that’d be appreciated.”

Her transmission was answered without a word; the hangar doors before her merely opened, revealing the purple-lit interior. Then they did one step better: activated a tractor beam.

They pulled her into the hangar, but she still maintained enough control to manage her own landing. She guided her lion to a stop, making sure to leave plenty of room beside her for Keith.

“This is it,” she told herself, watching through the viewscreens as dozens of sentries filed into the bay. Sensing her lion’s anxiety, she placed a hand on the dashboard. “Alright, girl, remember: shields up as soon as I get out. And I promise: I’ll let you know if things go wrong and I need a rescue.” Her lion rumbled, still uneasy but content with her promise. Pidge smiled. “And be nice to Lance,” she chastised.

Green grumbled grudgingly, and Pidge could’ve sworn she rolled her eyes. No promises.

Despite everything, Pidge laughed.

She stood up to leave the cockpit, heading towards the exit ramp in Green’s mouth.

“Lance,” she called, “get ready.”

Green lowered her head and opened her mouth, allowing Pidge to step out.

She was greeted by not just sentries, but soldiers as well. The soldiers appeared to be unarmed, but she knew from experience (namely, her fight against Haxus) that they carried swords. Not to mention the sentries—she counted at least two dozen of them, all aiming their blasters at her. She kept her hands up as she walked down the ramp towards them, eyeing them warily.

“Well, hi, there,” she said jauntily. “Any of you guys know where I can find Commander Reggar? I’m here to return his call.”

She was taken down a series of hallways. Two sentries walked in front of her, and two behind her. The procession was led by a single officer.

She still wore her helmet, and they hadn’t bound her hands.

Though she’d turned down the volume of the comms, she was able to hear the rest of her team as they set each step of their plan in motion.

(“Coran, are you getting this?”

“Yes, just need to—ah! Got it! All ready for you, Keith.”

“On it.”)

She tuned it out, focusing on her surrounding as she was marched towards a set of imposing doors set into the wall.

The soldier put his hand to the scanner and the doors opened. He stepped forward, leaving Pidge and the sentries in the hall. Through the doorway, Pidge could see the imposing frame of Commander Reggar. At the side of the room, nearly out of her field of vision, she could make out a few other figures against the wall. She craned her neck to get a better look, then froze as she took them in. Dad and Matt.

The soldier who had entered before her stood at attention before Reggar and saluted. “Sir, we have the Green Paladin.”

Matt started.

Commander Reggar turned, looking past the soldier and into the hall. He smiled. “Perfect. Bring them in.”

The sentries behind her prodded her forwards, and she stepped towards the doorway.

They’re here, she told her lion. Tell the rest of the team. I found them. They’re here.

They hadn’t expected this. They’d assumed Reggar would have them stuck in a cell somewhere. While this certainly cleared up one issue for them, it still threw a wrench in their plans. They’d have to speed things up.

She could hear the voices from the rest of her team over the comm link as their own lions passed on the information.

“Hold tight, Pidge.” Even with the volume turned low, Keith’s voice still rang clear. “I’m on my way.”

Walking into the room, she made quick eye contact first with Matt, and then with her father. She took a deep breath as she focused her attention back towards the Galra commander. It’ll be fine, she reminded herself. Just keep him talking.

“You are dismissed, Blazak,” Reggar intoned, never once taking his eyes off Pidge.

The officer who had lead Pidge bowed. “Vrepit sa.” He exited the bridge, and she was left alone with Reggar.

She held her head high. “Commander Reggar,” she greeted, meeting his gaze.

“Paladin.”

She took a moment to assess the situation. There was Reggar, of course, standing before her in his full imposing glory. But he was the only officer in the room. The only other Galra there were the sentries: four of them surrounding her, and two by her dad and Matt. Six total. She smirked. This was nothing.

“Alright,” she said, locking eyes with Reggar. “You wanted a surrender? I’m here.”

Across the room, Matt stepped towards her, only to have his path blocked by sentries. “Katie, don’t—”

“I can handle this, Matt,” she told him, sparing him a brief glance.

“Katie.” Her father’s voice was calm but firm, reproachful yet warm, somehow managing to convey a dozen emotions in just a single word.

Pidge squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let herself cry in front of Reggar. “Please,” she whispered. “I know what I’m doing.”

“By all means,” Reggar intoned, his tone dripping in amusement, “let the paladin handle this.”

“Stop,” she told him, and he turned back to face her. “Your fight is with me. Not them. I told you, I’m here to negotiate surrender.”

His lip curled in disgust. “And yet you bring me but one lion,” he replied evenly. “I believe my terms were for the surrender of Voltron. And one lion is not Voltron.”

“Well four lions isn’t Voltron either,” she retorted. “They can’t form Voltron without me, which is good news for you.” She folded her hands behind her back, blinking up at him innocently. “I’m just here to discuss the terms of surrender in more explicit terms. Your earlier transmission seemed to be…cut short.”

His yellow eyes flashed dangerously. “You forget your place. You’re not the one in charge of this situation. You’re on your own here. There’s nothing you can do against me.”

Her lion paced anxiously in her mind, and Pidge felt the waves of worry emanating from her. It’s okay, Pidge hastened to assure her. Don’t worry. I’ve got this.

“I’m only one paladin,” Pidge reminded him. “There are four others, running around somewhere. They could be back on our ship, or flying around in their lions. Could be worlds away. Could be somewhere else on this very ship.” She shrugged, nonchalantly. “Who knows?”

He glowered, stepping towards her menacingly. “Don’t play games with me, Paladin.”

She shrunk back instinctively, but held her ground. “I’m just making sure all the cards are on the table.”

A second set of doors, on the opposite end of the bridge, slid open and a soldier, though not the one that had led Pidge there earlier, stepped through. “Sir, we have an issue.”

Reggar’s eyes narrowed as he turned towards the intruder. “What happened?”

“It seems the Black and Yellow Lions have opened fire.”

“What?!”

“They’re attacking our ground forces on Vallen. They…they appear to be attempting to liberate the prison.”

With a snarl, Reggar whirled back on Pidge. She didn’t flinch, just stood there impassively, a small smile on her face. “I can guarantee you that whatever you throw at them, they’ll be able to take care of it.”

“Arkul,” the commander yelled, turning back to the soldier. “Attack them with our full arsenal. Don’t let them get away.”

“Vrepit sa, sir.”

The soldier left. Out of the corner of her eye, Pidge saw Matt and their father exchange a curious glance.

“You come here to speak of surrender,” Reggar snarled. “And yet even now your lions attack our forces on the planet Vallen.”

“That’s beyond my control,” she answered cooly. “The Black and Yellow Lions don’t answer to me.”

“This is a waste of my time,” he snapped. “You’re useless to me!”

Green pushed herself to the forefront of Pidge’s mind, nearly roaring, Do you need me to come now? But the paladin merely sent her reassuring thoughts: Hold.

She didn’t realize that she’d said it out loud until she saw how Reggar was staring at her, his brow furrowed. “Your helmet,” he realized.

She froze. “What?”

“You’re communicating with the other Paladins.”

She breathed, urging herself to stay calm. “You seem to be forgetting that I have a psychic bond with a giant magic robot cat,” she deadpanned. “I don’t need a helmet to communicate with them.”

“Then you won’t object to taking it off.” When she didn’t answer, he grinned and turned towards the sentries standing by her. “Remove their helmet,” he instructed.

A sentry reached towards her, and she smacked its arm away. “I can remove my own helmet,” she snapped.

In one deliberate motion, Pidge pulled it off her head, letting her hair fall into place as she stared Reggar down.

The commander started to smile, taking in her appearance, then glancing over towards Matt. “Well,” he mused. “I think that answers a few questions.”

She let her helmet fall to the floor, clenching her fists and glaring fiercely at Reggar. “Let. My family. Go.”

“I think the stakes are rising for you,” was his response. “Don’t forget which of us is in charge here. You’re in over your head, Paladin.”

“Psychic bond with a Voltron lion,” she reminded him. “You lay one finger on me and she starts blasting her way in here to get me.”

Reggar hummed, seemingly unconcerned. “That may be true. But can you say the same for them?” He waved a hand towards the wall where her brother and father waited.

In response, she drew her bayard, holding it unactivated in her hand. She wanted nothing more than to activate it and unleash hell, but with so many added variables hanging in the air….

Come on, Keith, where are you?

“You wish to fight, Paladin?” Reggar said, his voice deathly quiet. “Then I will oblige.” He drew a weapon, a cylinder of metal, and a glowing purple blade burst to life. Pidge grimaced, reminded of her fight back on the castle with Haxus; he’d had a sword just like this one.

“Katie,” her father spoke again. A hush fell over the room. But Reggar didn’t interrupt him, and so Sam Holt continued. “Katherine Holt. If you have a way off of this ship, then you get out of here.”

Pidge broke, letting out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. But she didn’t turn to him—keeping her eyes locked on Reggar and his sword. “I…I can’t.”

“That’s an order, Cadet.”

She winced. He was using his commander voice, which he only ever did when he was upset. “You can’t ask me to do that, Dad.”

Beside him, Matt was just as tense, straining at his bonds. “Katie, you need to leave.”

“No!” she shouted, her fists clenching. She squeezed her eyes shut, fighting back the tears that she could feel were moments from spilling over. “I’m not leaving you again!” Her voice cracked. “I just got you back,” she rasped. “I…I can’t lose you again.”

Reggar watched her, his face impassive as he leisurely swung his glowing blade. “Well, Paladin?”

Pidge took a deep breath, steeling her nerves, and met his monochrome yellow eyes.

She activated her bayard.

Reggar didn’t make a move to attack her himself; instead he merely directed his attention towards the four sentries that guarded her. “Open fire.”

“KATIE!”

She was a whirl of motion.

She dropped to the floor, letting the blasts from one hit one that had been behind her. She came up on the other side of the first, slashing it cleanly in half. Swiping with her bayard, she cut off the head of the third and sent its body crashing into the fourth, causing them both to clatter to the floor.

Then Reggar was there, slashing at her vehemently. She blocked his swipes against the tip of her bayard, but barely.

Back on Serva, the prison warden hadn’t been too hard to fight. A bit overweight, out of shape, not used to battle—Pidge had been able to take him down with hardly any effort.

Reggar was entirely different.

He had his sword, and he clearly knew how to use it.

Within a few hits, he’d disarmed her. Her bayard fell out of her hands, clattering uselessly to the ground and spinning out of reach.

Before she could make a move towards it, Reggar lunged. In an instant, the tip of the blade was pointed mere inches from her throat. She froze, her heartbeat pounding in her ears as a tense silence gripped the room.

Commander Reggar grimaced, glaring down at her. “You’re not leaving this ship alive.”