Chapter Text
The Castle of Lions had docked on a planet called Drakma. Their species were similar to humans, yet not exactly the same. The residents of Drakma called themselves Drakonians. The females were noticeably different, whereas the males were mostly human in appearance. Their skin color varied between shades of brown and orange. The women were taller than their male counterparts and had bird-like feet. Very few of the Drakonians had wings sprouting from their backs; Coran had informed them that it was a recessive trait, but considered it a sign that they had beautiful voices.
“So they’re like Sirens?” Pidge inquired.
Coran smiled, “Indeed. Drakonians are known to have the most beautiful voices in this system. Some call them ‘The Sirens of the Stars’.”
And Coran was right. Every chirp and trill that was exchanged between the locals reminded Lance of a wind chime: delicate and melodic. But he noticed something about this alien species. There were rarely any men. In fact, Lance had only seen one or two, and the ones he did see looked nearly human except for the noticeable canine teeth.
Their tour guide Agla, the current Drakonian chieftain with orange skin chirped and happily answered their curiosity, “It is true that men are rare on this planet. Their voices are just as beautiful but do not hold the same power. In fact, it is weaker.”
“So what do they do?” Lance asked.
Agla grinned and pointed towards the center of their village, “Why they dance of course!”
At the center of the village were a group of men. Half were playing instruments, while the other half danced and stomped their feet to match the rhythm. Iron bracelets clashed against each other with every arm movement and with every hip movement, small aluminum hoops resonated a hard and deep shake. It reminded Lance of the dance studio his sister went to: free form and anything goes. Their clothes varied from modest to just a piece of cloth. Lance felt himself flush when he made eye contact with a particularly handsome one: just as tall and broad as Shiro, wearing only shorts and jewelry. The Drakonian smiled and bared his canine teeth. Lance squeaked and looked away. He snuck a small glimpse only to find the same alien smiling. This time the alien winked. Lance gaped before he remembered to keep pace with the rest of the team.
“Agla, is there any way we can form an alliance with the people of Drakma?” Allura asked.
Shiro chimed in, “Any help at all or contribution to the coalition would be greatly appreciated.”
Agla nodded her head and stood straighter, adding a good four inches to her already towering height. “Princess Allura of Altea, and Paladins of Voltron,” she bowed her head then continued, “My people are a peaceful race and know not how to fight. The only reason the Galra have yet to conquer our planet is because they fear a siren’s voice and the power behind it.”
Agla motioned for the group to follow her deeper into the village. Dust kicked up with every step and her talons dug into the ground. When they reached the largest house, Agla opened the door for the others to enter. They continued to talk as Agla guided them towards the second floor.
“The Galra may fear us, but it does not stop them from trying.” Agla stopped at two double doors. She turned around and bent down to eye level with Allura, pushing into her personal space. Allura had to slightly lean back to get away from her presence.
“Princess, if we are to form an alliance, then I make only these two requests.” Agla held one finger up, “The first is that you aid us and protect us as Defenders of the Universe.”
Allura immediately nodded her head, “Absolutely. It is something we always offer first when forming an alliance. Voltron protects all.”
Agla hummed and moved away from the princess. She held up a second finger, “The second is connected with recent events…” Agla turned and opened the double doors. Inside was a large room with a round table. She took a seat and the others followed, with Allura sitting directly across from the chieftain and Coran standing behind the princess.
“The Galra have made contact with this planet before. However, because they could not conquer it, they have captured several of my people. Ten Drakonians to be exact—all female. My second request is that you promise to find them.”
Pidge tapped her fingers against the table and asked, “Why can’t you go out and find them? What’s stopping you?”
Shiro looked at Pidge and gave her an unamused look, then apologized to Agla.
The chieftain shook her head, “The Green Paladin has a point. Sadly, we are not equipped for such a mission. The first time the Galra attacked, they destroyed our hangers and ships. All that is left are the ships that we use for transport with other planets in this solar system. And there is something else…”
Agla raised her hand. From a window another Drakonian flew in and landed near the table, kneeling and keeping her head low. She had orange skin and her wings were colored like rich earth soil. The Drakonian was definitely smaller than most. Agla chirped and motioned for the smaller alien to stand. That’s when Lance saw it: a Galra tech collar pulsating a purple glow around the Drakonian’s throat.
Pidge immediately stood up and ran around the table to the alien. Hunk followed to examine it as well while Agla continued to talk, “Thelxi was almost captured. A Galra succeeded in placing this thing on her before he was killed. I believe they finally found a way to suppress our powers.”
There was a clatter, and everyone jumped. Hunk raised his hands, “Sorry, I dropped the panel.”
“Damn it, Hunk! It felt like the air just popped.” Lance pursed his lips.
“Dude, please, I’m sweating bullets over here,” Hunk scratched his cheek embarrassed.
“It’s a shock collar or something…” Pidge was prodding the inside of the panel and had a wire connected to the collar, “It has three functions: an ‘on’ and ‘off’ button and some weird in between settings. Right now it’s fully functional, so there’s no way a person would sing much less talk with this collar on.”
The others had slightly paled. Allura was the first to speak, “We accept your offer. While we finish tying this alliance, would it be alright if our Green and Yellow Paladin continue to examine the collar?”
Agla sneered and nodded her head, “As long as it does not harm Thelxi, do what you must to remove that monstrosity. My people will provide shelter and food for as long as you need.”
Allura bowed and the two leaders shook hands.
The next day everyone changed out of their armor and into their casual wear; Allura had allowed it because the weather was warmer than usual. Pidge and Hunk were left with the small Drakonian, Thelxi, to see if they could remove the shock collar. In the meantime, Allura, Coran, and Shiro were left with Agla to finalize the alliance and to gather any extra information on the captured Drakonians. That left both Lance and Keith to their own devices. Lance announced that he would explore the village and began to leave the room, before Allura stopped him.
“Lance, I know you plan to interact with some of the locals so—”
“I know, I know,” Lance groaned, “I’ll keep my antics to a minimum.”
“Actually, I was going to say have fun.” Allura smiled, “I remember you mentioned that on Earth, you would dance and sing with one of your siblings. Agla also told me that the Drakonians have a competition of sorts; perhaps you can see if it interests you?”
Lance immediately brightened up and nodded his head vigorously. Allura giggled at his excitement then added, “Keith will be going with you as well, so look after each other and be respectful. We are Voltron, but we are also guests.”
He quietly bit the inside of his cheek before he said anything snarky and just nodded his head. Lance turned and walked over to the Red Paladin. Keith had been watching the whole ordeal with his arms crossed against his chest. Lance wasn’t sure if he was going to be annoyed that Keith would be with him the entire time or thankful.
The Blue Paladin clapped Keith’s shoulder, then said, “Alright Keithy-boy, the ladies await!”
Keith scoffed, “Don’t call me that.”
Together the two walked outside and into the village. As they walked through the dirt roads, they looked and greeted everyone who came up to them. All the houses were made from wood, with low roofs to block out the sunlight. Others were elevated on stilts to accommodate for the mountainous terrain, and although there were barely any trees, the vast amount of greenery made up for the beauty. The terrace style that covered the mountains reminded Lance of an offset layered cake, so that the chocolate frosting could dribble down the side and carry onto the next layer. His mouth salivated at the thought of chocolate cake, but Keith snapped him out of his daydreaming.
“So what are we doing?” Keith asked.
“Food first, then we’re gonna find whatever competition Allura was talking about. I want to see what it’s about!” Lance licked his lips as he looked around for any available food stalls.
When he found one, he grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled him along. He immediately ordered two of whatever was served, and when they were ready he held out one of the orders to Keith. He was surprised to see the Red Paladin shocked and flustered when he took the food in hand. The two stuffed their faces with food. It honestly looked like a barbecue stick filled with alien meat and any local vegetables the Drakonians grew. Very delectable.
After finishing their meal, Lance took the lead and followed his ears through the streets with Keith in tow. It never crossed his mind that not once had they bickered. It was actually nice for once. His smile grew even bigger when he saw a large group of people surrounding a large stone stage that had been raised from the ground. It was surrounded by unlit torches and standing on stage were several natives singing.
When the two Paladins approached the stage, a male spotted them. The Drakonian was only wearing loose pants and a sash to keep them up. The anklets chimed as he walked towards them. Lance realized that it was the same man from earlier who caught his attention.
Canines protruded from his mouth when he smiled, “Greetings, I am Akolos,” he smiled and took a deep bow.
Lance coughed and cleared his throat, “The name’s Lance, nice to meet you!”
“Keith, nice to meet you.” he nodded his head in acknowledgement.
“Have you come to join in the fun?” Akolos asked.
Lance nodded his head unsure, “Yes? I was told that there was a competition of sorts.”
“I’m sorry to say that this is the last act is finishing up,” Akolos answered, then motioned towards the stage, “The villagers are given free reign of the stage until nightfall. Singing and dancing are free to any of those who wish to join. Will the two of you be joining?”
Lance looked at the stage. It was larger and higher up close; he would probably get incredibly nervous if he went up there on his own. Maybe he could get Keith to go up there with him, but he was too stubborn to ask. He was stuck.
Lance cupped his hands behind his back and quietly answered, “Thank you for the offer. I think I’ll join in later.”
Akolos smiled and nodded his head, “Alright. There are food and drinks, and if you want to go on stage, just ask the young woman over there,” he pointed at one of the Drakonians sitting at the edge of the stage. With a subtle wink, Akolos left the two alone. Lance could feel the heat rise in his face. Next to him he could hear Keith stifle a laugh.
“What’s so funny?” Lance irritably asked.
“Nothing,” Keith held back another laugh, “Never thought I’d see you be so shy when someone flirts with you.”
“Oh, shut up!” Lance huffed. He walked away while Keith trailed behind fully letting his laughter out now.
Several hours passed and the daylight faded away into a soft glow. Lance and Keith had stayed in the same area, eating and conversing with the locals. They were later joined by both Hunk and Pidge, who began gathering food and sat down with both Lance and Keith. They were happy to report that they disabled the shock function in the collar and although they had yet to completely remove it, Thelxi was incredibly thankful to be able to sing with her sisters again. Hunk and Pidge had reported to Agla about their progress, and she was incredibly pleased as well, peppering them with hugs and kisses.
“Agla is Thelxi’s older sister.” Hunk supplied, “It was no wonder she was so relieved.”
Pidge chimed in, “Yeah, it looked like she was gonna cry when we told her that we disabled the collar.”
The four continued to converse amongst themselves and to any approaching Drakonian that greeted them. Not too long after, Shiro and Allura found them. The princess informed them that Coran returned to the Castle of Lions, while Agla prepared their rooms and a celebration for the alliance.
A familiar voice roared from the stage. Everyone turned and found Agla, along with Thelxi and Akolos standing on stage with their heads held high. Lance and the others watched as Agla took a deep breath and roared once more. The audience shouted back and roared in response.
Agla raised her voice and shouted, “Tonight, we celebrate our alliance with Voltron!” Agla paused to let the audience roar once again. She silenced the crowd with a wave of her hand and continued, “But before we begin, I would like to show my gratitude for what they have done to help my family.” Agla bowed her head in the direction of the team, along with the two Drakonians that stood on both sides. The rest of the audience stayed silent until the chieftain lifted her head and gave the biggest smile Lance had ever seen.
“Thank you. Now, let the festivities begin!”
Music filled the valley. As Agla and the two younger aliens jumped off the stage, the torches around the area were carefully lit while lanterns were prepared to hang from the roof of each house. Lance and the others watched as Drakonians danced around the others, holding platters filled with food then skillfully sliding them across the tables. Everything was lively and the team enjoyed themselves as they watched one alien after another exchange places on stage. Lance was taking a sip from his drink when someone tapped on his shoulder. He turned and looked up to find Thelxi smiling nervously.
“You are Lance? Paladin of the Blue Lion?” her voice sounded like quiet chirps.
He nodded his head, “At your service.”
Thelxi was twisting a piece of fabric in her hands while she spoke, “I would like to thank you and your friends for helping me and my people.”
“It’s no problem at all. Plus, Hunk and Pidge did all the work.”
“Yes, well you see…” Thelxi looked up and seemed to snatch a quick glance at his friends. Strange. Thelxi continued, “Your friends have shared many great stories, and I have come to learn that you also love to sing and dance…”
Pidge adjusted her glasses and smiled, “Thelxi. It is absolutely fine, I’m sure Lance would say ‘yes’ anyways.”
Lance raised an eyebrow and grinned, “Is it a date? Wait, are you asking me to dance?”
Thelxi flushed and her wings puffed up. She talked as quickly as she could, “My siblings and I plan to sing for the festivities while a few of us dance on stage. We would like to know if you would wear the traditional garb and dance with us.”
“Absolutely!” Lance turned to both Shiro and Allura then asked, “It’s alright...right?”
They both nodded her head and Shiro answered, “I don’t see why not. But what’s the traditional garb?”
Thelxi smiled brightly and pulled Lance to his feet, “It is a surprise!” Thelxi pulled Lance along past the stage and into a house. She clapped her hands and looked at Lance, “I know I said it was a surprise, but there are several outfits for you to choose from. Pick whichever you like, you may mix and match, or you can wear what you have now. It’s up to you.”
“Quick question: I’m not going to be the only one up there am I?”
Thelxi shook her head and answered, “Akolos mentioned that you were quite nervous, so he arranged a small match.” She opened a door that led to a bedroom, “He will dance first and then you will dance afterwards. My siblings and I will sing three songs and the best of three wins!”
The light bulb went off in his head, “So kinda like a freestyle, dance off?”
Again, Thelxi nodded her head, “I hope that’s alright.”
Lance nodded his head and thanked her. He wasn’t expecting tonight to turn into some dance movie with a battle and everything. Lance had done dancing and singing with his sister before and in front of a crowd. But it was always at a studio and without a stage. He had never performed in the spotlight and that honestly shook his nerves. But if it was going to be a dance battle thing, he could do that. So once he had his courage, he explored the bedroom for a bit and looked through the outfits. The only way he could describe the outfits was on a very large scale that could tilt either towards modesty or scandalous. With what he was given to work with, mixing some garments was a must.
He remembered his sister’s words as he picked out his outfit: leave the torso bare for body rolls and tie a sweater around your waist for bouncing your hips. So that’s what he did. He pulled on some black leggings, then chose the only blue sheer harem pants. Lance wanted the chime sound like the other Drakonians had, so he found silver anklets to slip on. For his hips, he tied a long sash around his body and left two long ends for movement.
Next was a bare torso, so it was either a loose crop top or a halter top. The net design over the solid aqua fabric was catching his eye so he pulled that over his head and adjusted it on his ribs. He didn’t want it to slip up. For a final touch he added bracelets and a single arm bangle on his left bicep. With a final look in the mirror, he smiled.
“I rock this outfit.” Lance whispered. It’s been a while since he wore a crop top.
When he left the bedroom, Thelxi and Akolos were waiting for him. They saw him and Thelxi immediately started to chirp excitedly and squeal, while Akolos turned red.
“Amazing!” Thelxi exclaimed, “If I didn’t know any better, I would say that you were a Drakonian! You have exquisite taste, Lance!”
Akolos coughed and stuttered, “Ah, L-lance! I believe you forgot one last thing…” the man held up a blue veil with sewn in patterns, “I have my own. For what we will do, we must not be able to read one another’s expressions. It is a battle of wits and improvisation.”
Lance snorted, but took the veil and fastened it over the bottom half of his face and said, “I’m starting to feel like those belly dancers in movies.”
“What is a movie?” they both asked.
“Oh nothing. It’s an earth thing.”
After Akolos and Thelxi changed, they exited the building and made their way to the stage. Boy was the team in for a big surprise.