Chapter Text
Ever since the last dream Lance had, he had kept having more and more dreams. About Narida, about the Paladin witches, about Zarkon, and about Lotor. Lance hated to admit it to himself, but Lotor still felt...alluring to him somehow. He knew the Sire bond had broken but seeing the vampire in his dreams had brought back the memories of him. Of the connection they had. The moments they shared.
Lotor didn’t seem that bad of a person to Lance, he just seemed...misunderstood. Lance wished he could help him, instead of being against him, but he knew his boyfriends would never approve of that. They hated him too much, and rightfully so, after everything he did to Keith and Shiro. The plans Lotor had were cruel, too. Lance knew that.
However, Keith and Shiro weren’t perfect in the past, either. Lance had hoped that maybe Lotor could change his life around, too. Maybe they could be friends eventually. Lance didn’t want to dream too much, though. It wasn’t likely that Lotor would want to be friends with them or even change his ways. It may be too late for him. But Lance still had a feeling it may not be… It wasn’t too late for Keith and Shiro. They had changed.
“Lance?” A voice shook Lance from his thoughts. Shiro. “You’re not sleeping well still, are you?”
“No… I keep having those dreams. It’s like...it’s like something is trying to tell me something. The dreams...they all piece together. Like--like a story.” Lance thought back to his dreams and tried to figure out why he was having them and why it was relevant. He rested his head back against the love seat with frustration. “I just...I just don’t know what they mean.”
“Do you think it could be Lotor? Is it possible for him to still be messing with your mind? I know once the Sire bond broke for Keith and I, it was still hard to completely shake him,” Shiro retorted.
Lance shook his head and sighed. “No...I don’t think it’s him. It doesn’t.... feel like him. Y’know? I know this is going to sound crazy but the faces I see in the dreams, they seem...familiar. Like someone I used to know.”
“Lance, the Paladin witches went extinct before Keith and I were even vampires. They existed hundreds of years ago. Back in Zarkon’s reign. The only one left is Haggar. Maybe she’s the familiar one? I mean… how would Narida even be alive?”
“No. Haggar isn’t even in most of my dreams. The one that’s familiar is Narida...and there’s this man. I feel like I should know him, but I’m not sure where.” Lance was getting a headache. He couldn’t stand trying to figure out what his dreams meant. It didn’t make any sense. Lance sighed. This whole thing was becoming too much for him. The new powers, being a vampire, Lotor, his past, everything was starting to feel too overwhelming and Lance wasn’t sure how to handle it all. “It’s gonna sound weird but the feeling I get in the dreams is almost...comforting?”
“Comforting?” Keith repeated, raising a brow.
“How?” Shiro added, interest peaked as well.
Lance rolled over to face them, sheets tangling around his legs. Keith and Shiro leaned in closer to him, so they were all practically spooning in an awkward, tangled mess. Bruce was still asleep, hanging upside down from the pillars in the ceiling in the corner of the room. It was still fairly early for the vampire family, almost five in the evening. Normally they didn’t awake until six or seven.
“Well, it kind of feels like...familial. I think whatever is causing my dreams, has to do with my family,” Lance explained.
“Your family? Have you contacted them recently?”
“No, not since moving out of my old apartment. They’re back in Cuba now. I’m pretty close to my family, too. I feel bad that I haven’t talked to them, but I don’t know how to explain my new life. My hair and fangs aren't exactly...discreet. How do I tell them I’m a rare type of vampire with lab-generated powers because I was a dummy victim for an insane vampire dude? Or that I have not one, but two boyfriends that I happen to live with in a giant fucking mansion. They’d flip out!” Lance’s arms flung in the air and then crashed down to slap against his forehead in exasperation.
“Yeah...I guess that would be pretty hard to explain. I never had to deal with that ‘cos I was an orphan. But...Shiro...he went through something similar. He basically had to lie to them about his death,” Keith said, not doing a very good job at being sympathetic. Lance paled, more so than he already was.
“Yeah I don’t really want to lie to them. I’d get the shoe. Or worse, they’d tell abuelita something is wrong with me and she would just say to put some Vick’s on my chest and I’d feel better by morning.”
“Yeah I don’t think vampirism can be cured by Vick’s,” Shiro stated, snorting a bit under his breath.
“Have you tried it?”
Shiro raised an eyebrow, then shrugged.
“Well, Lance, do you want to visit your family? Make sure they are okay?” Keith suggested.
Lance shook his head. “No, I think they are fine and I don’t want to drag them into this. At least...not yet. I may have to tell them what has been going on eventually, but I am definitely not ready for that yet. I know this is going to sound crazy, but...I think this has to do with another family member. I’m not exactly sure why, but I think Narida, the Paladin witch in my dreams...is related to me.”
Keith and Shiro went completely silent, staring up at the ceiling. The moon shined through the curtains of the room, illuminating their pale skin. Lance admired how beautiful they were. He felt so lucky looking at them, despite how chaotic their lives had gotten over the past few months. He couldn’t believe it was almost winter. Lance searched Keith and Shiro’s faces, trying to read them like a book, but Keith and Shiro were hard to read sometimes. Lance never knew how they would react to things.
“Related to you? But, how? Lance, like we said before, they existed hundreds of years ago. Plus, there was no record that Narida survived the attack of Zarkon and no record of her having any children,” Shiro pointed out.
Lance shook his head. “In my dream, I saw her escape. I know it sounds insane, but I think she’s still alive. Maybe she’s a vampire, too? She could still be alive if that were the case.”
“Vampires can’t reproduce, though. That still doesn’t explain her having children.”
“Maybe it has to do with magic? Can you use magic to stay young?” Lance asked.
Shiro hummed. “I think so. I don’t know if it has ever been done, though. But...there is...another possibility.”
Keith’s eyes went wide. “You don’t think-”
“It’s definitely possible. It has happened before.”
“What’s happened before?” Lance perked up in bed, darting his eyes back and forth between his boyfriends who were acting oddly suspicious.
“Well...there’s some rare occasions where female hybrid vampires can get pregnant. Like Haggar. But, that’s only if the partner is a male human, or in Haggar and Zarkon’s case, weird magic can also contribute,” Shiro explained, scratching the back of his head.
“Wait...so are you suggesting that Narida was half vampire and half human and she did the do with a human? Or someone with black magic?”
“Yes.”
“So if Narida is half vampire, then that means she ages really slowly, right? Like Haggar? How would she even become a half vampire?”
“It’s complicated. It’s basically when you don’t fully Turn the human, you bite them but you don’t kill them after, you just let them starve for a while and they have to drink their Sire’s blood and then human blood and yeah, you get the picture. Boom, half vampire. So, it’s possible that Lotor found Narida and partially Turned her, for some reason.” Shiro let out a stressed breath of air. Keith stared at the ceiling more, eyes growing bigger with every word Shiro spoke. Lance just wanted to go back to sleep.
“We need to find her. She’s out there somewhere, and I think she’s in trouble,” Lance finally said, running a hand through his silky white hair. It was starting to get long. Lance almost wanted to grow it out.
“So...where do you think she is?”
*****
“We’re going to...Canada?”
“You said Lotor had a hideout in the Canadian tundra, right? That’s where I’m guessing she is. I think Lotor has her imprisoned.”
“Okay...well, did we pack everything?”
“Blood bags are in the cooler, we got all our clothes, and I packed Juicy Juice. Just in case,” Keith said, sinking his teeth into one of the fruit juice boxes. Keith threw one at Lance and Lance followed suit, poking his fangs into it and sucking it dry. He retracted his fangs with the last sip and settled into the back of the car. They had a long trip ahead of them. Luckily, thanks to the enchantment on the car that Allura provided, they could fly in the car all the way to the hideout without being seen.
All they had to do was find it. It had been years since Keith and Shiro were locked up in that awful place, learning to kill and being subjects to Lotor’s evil plan. Keith shuddered at the thought. He wondered if this trip was going to trigger the PTSD they had experienced before.
“Make sure to hold the fort down, Bruce,” Shiro said to their bat before settling into the driver’s seat. “Otherwise, bat soup might be on the menu when we get back.” Shiro winked and Bruce tried to shit on the car, but missed, hitting beside the tire instead.
“Nice try, asshole,” Shiro said, rolling his eyes. Bruce huffed and flew back into the house.
Lance shut his eyes, covered himself in a blanket, and slowly fell asleep to Billy Joel playing on the radio as Shiro drove above the clouds.
“Miss, are you lost?”
“Help me! Help me! Please, you have to help me. He’s coming for me.”
“Who is?”
“Lord Zarkon! He’s going to kill me, please, you have to help me.”
“Lord Zarkon? Who is this man you speak of?”
“He’s a vicious, cruel leader of rogue vampires. I-I have nowhere to go. I escaped but he’s coming to find me. He knows I’m alive. I know it. I don’t have much time. Please, you need to hide me somewhere safe.”
The man took Narida into a warm house, getting her a blanket and clean clothes to change into. They were his sisters but they seemed to fit her fine. The man introduced himself as Diego and Narida thanked him for his kindness.
*****
Narida was heaving, her lungs working over time as she ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She may have been part vampire, but she still wasn’t as fast as Lotor and his army. They weren’t human at all, so their powers were stronger than hers. Narida gasped when she felt a cold hand grab her wrist.
“My dear, Narida, why are you trying to escape me? You escaped my father once, but that will not be the case with me. It’s a shame really, that I had to take away half of your mortality. You could’ve died of old age with that mortal man you loved. What was his name again? Dante?”
“Diego!” Narida tried prying her hand away. You bastard! Let me go!”
“Now why would I do that? Narida, there’s still so much research we must conduct. You are such a special case, my sweet. A Paladin witch with mortal and immortal powers. It’s so exquisite I can hardly keep myself from shaking with excitement. All the possibilities…”
“You’re a sick, sick man. You’re not even a man. You’re a monster.” Narida summoned all of the power she could muster. Her eyes glowed a brilliant blue, her body shuddering. From her hands she created a huge amount of magic energy. Dark magic and Paladin magic all in one, her elemental powers and vampirism creating the most destructive force she could maintain. The clouds darkened with her power, hail falling down. Then, with one blast, Narida surged her magic forward, rolling right towards Lotor. Ice shards and dark magic crashed into Lotor, giving Narida enough time to make a break for it.
Lotor was practically paralyzed. His body stung, ice shards sticking into his skin. The magic was so powerful it made Lotor pass out, just to wake up and find Narida gone.
Narida ran as far as she could, until her legs could not bear the strain anymore. She found a place to rest in a rock structure, two giant slabs of stone balanced against each other to create an overhang, perfect for resting under and away from sight.
Narida clutched her stomach, closing her eyes in relief that nothing had happened to her or the young one growing inside her.
“Don’t worry, my precious Lancelot, everything will be okay. I promise.”
*****
“Are we there yet? I’m sick of being in this car,” Keith grumbled, slumping into his seat.
Shiro rolled his eyes. “You keep asking me that, and I won’t hesitate to kick you out.”
“No problem. I’m immortal. It’s not like I’ll die if I’m dropped from this height.”
“No, but you’ll be stranded somewhere without us. Don’t you remember the last time you got yourself lost?”
“Yeah, I ran into that nice lady who showed me how to use her phone.”
“Yeah and then she took all your money and ran away.”
“Oh...right. I forgot about that.”
“When was this?” Lance piped up into the conversation, entertained by the subject.
“Back in the early 2000s. Keith and I were camping because we didn’t like to go in public much but wanted to get out of the house. I went to go get firewood and Keith got worried and tried to find me but ended up finding some lady and he told her he was lost and the lady let him use her phone to try and call me to find me, but neither of us knew how to use a cell phone. Then the lady grabbed his wallet, shoved him, and ran away,” Shiro told the story, snickering to himself at the thought.
“Hey! It’s not funny!”
“You’re right. It’s not funny, it’s hilarious,” Lance said, joining in with Shiro in laughter. Keith scowled, and shrunk down lower into his seat.
About an hour later they had arrived at the coordinates programmed into the car’s system. The enchantment that Allura had cast on the car was a cloaking spell as well as a flight spell. So, even as they descended from the clouds, no one would be able to see the car. Below, it seemed as though there was nothing but ice, some snow, barren land, a few trees, and mountains in the distance.
Lance scanned the scene, trying to find a vampire castle or hideout with a vampire army or something even remotely creepy, but couldn’t spot a single thing standing out from the landscape in front of them. Keith and Shiro looked reserved, neither one of them saying anything or expressing any emotion.
“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” Lance finally asked.
“Yes. This is it. Lotor has a cloaking spell, too. His castle is up ahead, over between those two mountains. His castle sits in the trench.” Shiro pointed to the two mountains in front of them and between the two mountains was an empty space where the ground sunk down and a rock arch formation was above it. It was out of the sun, a perfect hideout for a bunch of vampires.
“So, what’s the plan?” Keith asked, looking at his two boyfriends with an anticipation in his eyes. Keith was all about action. He didn’t like just sitting around and waiting. Lance could tell he wanted to get in there and fuck some shit up.
“I hadn’t really thought of one...I just want to know if Narida is actually alive. Or if there’s some other reason I was drawn here,” Lance admitted. He shrugged his shoulders, unsure of what else to say to Keith and Shiro, who he had dragged into all of this.
“You don’t have a plan? Why does that not surprise me. So, should we just barge in? I’d love to punch that long haired motherfucker in the nose.” Keith started to punch his own palms and cracked his neck.
“We are not going to resort to violence right away. We need to be sneaky, especially if we’re gonna find Narida. If she’s even in there. Lance, is there anything from your dreams that could help us? Or, is there a way you could possibly feel her presence? I mean, if you think you two are related, that’s a possibility, right?” Shiro reasoned.
Lance scratched his head. “I mean, maybe. My dreams seem like flashbacks of the past, though, and there wasn’t anything that showed where she could be in that hideout.”
“Try reaching out with your magic? You might be able to feel strong energies or her magic,” Keith offered, shrugging.
Keith didn’t always have the best ideas, but this was actually a decent one. It was worth a shot. Lance closed his eyes, let himself feel the area around him. He got a steady stance, planting his feet firmly on the ground. Then, with every ounce of power he could muster, let himself scan his surroundings. The magic flowed, twisting and turning. He could hear voices inside, but just a murmur. He felt very neutral presences, but the farther he let his magic travel, the stronger the presence became. It was cold. So cold. Lance’s body went frigid. He felt the magic before he could stop himself. The powerful dark energy swirled around his and felt like it was swallowing him whole.
“ Oh? What’s this? My dear Lance, are you here to see me?”
Lance gasped, his eyes flying open. Keith and Shiro looked at him with concerned stares. “Did you find her?”
Lance struggled to get the words out, feeling like he was choking. “No. But, Lotor found me .”
“What?!”
“This is bad. This is really bad. Lance, he can’t find us. He can’t take you away again!” Keith was starting to panic. Lance didn’t blame him. Lotor was terrifying.
“Does he know exactly where we’re at?” Shiro asked, looking worried, but keeping it together better than Keith was.
“I don’t think so. But, he can feel my magic just like I can feel his. So it won’t be long until he does find me. We better try to find Narida fast and get out of here.”
Keith, Lance, and Shiro ran as fast as they could with their enhanced speed and found themselves inside the hideout. They were in the corner of one of the main hallways, and some guards were patrolling nearby. As soon as they stopped to look around, though, sirens started to blare throughout the building. Lance knew they were in major trouble now and it wouldn’t be long until Lotor tracked down his scent and felt his magic presence.
“I think if we hide somewhere we can stall while the guards go in the other direction and then we can book it through that door over there. I think that’s where Lotor keeps his prisoners,” Shiro said, looking worried but determined. A drop of sweat was slowly rolling down his forehead. Keith looked like he wanted to vomit. Lance knew being back here was probably really hard for them. So many awful memories they had of this place.
“Can we please make this quick. I don’t want to be here. I think I’m going to be sick.” Keith clutched his stomach, his face scrunching up.
“Don’t puke now. We gotta find this witch so Lance can figure out his weird dreams,” Shiro sassed, looking a bit frustrated.
“I’m sorry for dragging you guys into this. This was a really stupid idea. We should just go home, drink some blood, maybe take a bath--”
“Lance!”
“Okay, okay, so no bath.”
“Lance, would you shut up. Let’s just go! The guards are leaving, look!” Keith pointed to the shadows on the ground walking away from the closet that they had shoved themselves inside. It seemed to be some kind of closet with extra uniforms and gear.
“Hey, check this out. We can wear this stuff and maybe sneak around into the prisoners quarters and act like guards!” Lance suggested.
“That’s so cliche, but that’s actually a decent idea. Quick, let’s suit up,” Shiro agreed, pulling on the armor, helmet, and attaching a blaster to his utility belt.
Keith and Lance quickly got their armor on and joined Shiro by taking blasters with them as well, just in case things got ugly. Lance was sure things would probably not go to plan, not like they had a plan anyways, but with the magical presence he had it wouldn’t be long until Lotor found him. Lance did not want to know what Lotor had in mind for him because the last time he saw him he turned him into a popsicle and he didn’t imagine Lotor was too fond of that.
“Guys,” Lance started. Keith and Shiro whipped their heads in his direction. “Can I ask you a favor?”
Shiro nodded. “Of course, Lance. Anything for you.”
“Can you guys be a distraction while I try to find Narida. I think it would be easier if we split up. That way you guys don’t have to get caught up with Lotor if anything happens and it might look a bit weird for three fake guards to all be heading to the prisoner’s quarters.”
“No way, Lance. I’m sorry but last time we split up you got kidnapped by Lotor and we thought we’d never see you again. We need to come with you.”
“I just don’t want you guys to get hurt. If anything happens to me… I just-- I don’t want to see you guys get dragged into it,” Lance said, bowing his head.
“Lance, we’re a team. Wherever you go, we go. Whatever you get into, we do too,” Shiro stated, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Lance looked up and smiled.
“C’mon, let’s go.” Keith waved them all to continue on.
*****
The three vampires made their way to the prisoner’s quarters after going through many halls and down a few staircases. There were many guards blocking the entrance and from what Lance could tell, to enter you needed some kind of access code or to scan an ID. However, they were kind of screwed because they didn’t have any ID and they didn’t know the code.
“How are we going to get in there? There’s no way we can get through that door,” Keith whispered.
“I could zap it with a little Lancey Lance magic?”
“Yeah ‘cos that would be so subtle and sneaky. Lance, seriously? Wouldn’t Lotor feel the magic, too, and know something’s up?” Keith snapped back.
“Fine, you got a better idea, sweetheart ?” Lance asked, glaring.
“Would you two shut up? I have an idea.” Shiro narrowed his eyes, staring at the door and the guards. “Keith, I need you to get ready to bite the left guard when I give the word. Lance, when we bite them, you’re going to grab the right guard’s ID from his pocket and let yourself in. We will take care of everything and you get to Narida as fast as possible, okay?”
“Shiro, are you crazy? You’re gonna bite the vampire guards? Isn’t that like… cannibalism?”
“Oh my God, Lance, I’m going to punch you in the face,” Keith groaned.
“I’m just saying!”
“It’s not like we’re gonna keep drinking them! For fuck’s sake, it’s just gonna be a distraction. It’ll take them off guard and then you can slip in and we’ll fight them,” Keith explained, rolling his eyes. Lance shrugged.
Shiro looked at Keith and the two of them nodded before darting towards the guards at lightning speed. They sunk their teeth into the guards necks and at that moment Lance sprinted towards the door, sneakily grabbed the ID card from the guard who was currently grunting from being attacked by Shiro’s fangs. Lance held up the card to the sensor on the door and it buzzed open a few seconds later. Lance quickly ran in as fast as he could and once inside, looked quickly behind him just in time to see Keith and Shiro fighting the guards before the door buzzed shut.
Lance immediately scanned over the long corridor in front of him. All along the hallway were cell doors. Inside were many different bodies. Some barely alive, some no longer human, and others nothing but a corpse laying on concrete. Lance swallowed thickly. He tried not to focus on the cold air and the foul stench, but it was almost impossible to ignore. How was he going to find Narida in this place?
The hall seemed to extend for miles, and Lance tried to check every cell as quickly as possible, reaching out with his magic to see if it could sense anything familiar, but all it did was swirl around and around.
Lance continued on until he came to a few cells that were much larger and more heavily armored with steel. There also seemed to be some kind of protection spell over these cells. Lance wondered how powerful the creatures--or humans--had to be to have such magic preventing an escape. From inside one of the cells, Lance could hear what sounded like sniffling. Someone was crying. Someone young.
Lance peered through the barred door to see a little girl with dark, curly hair cowering into the corner of the cell. She had a skirt and t-shirt with flowers on it, but the outfit looked rather dirty now. Her face was buried in her hands until she heard or felt Lance’s presence.
“Hey, cutie,” Lance said softly, trying his best not to scare her. “What’s your name?”
The little girl peered at him with tear-stained cheeks, eyes red from the sobbing. Her eyes were...different. He wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light or if he was just crazy, but her eyes were a deep green that seemed to be glowing.
Who are you ?
Lance had to do a double take because the girl’s voice he definitely heard, but her lips didn’t move.
“Um...my name is Lance. I’m trying to get someone out of here.”
Were they captured by the bad man, too?
Lance definitely wasn’t going crazy. The girl was talking to him through his mind. It was weird and insanely cool all at the same time.
“Yeah. They were. I think. When did you get here? Do you know why the bad man brought you here?” Lance wanted to word things in a way the girl could understand. She seemed pretty intelligent for her age, though.
I don’t know...I think a long time. Mommy got taken too. The scary man said she was going to be a snack. He tried to eat me too but now I’m stuck in here.
Lance gaped in horror. Had Lotor killed this precious little girl’s mother? Had Lotor Turned this girl into a vampire? She couldn’t be older than five or six. What could Lotor possibly want with a vampire child? What a sick, twisted bastard.
“Well, I promise I will try to get you out of here. Do you know your name?”
The little girl shook her head. Mommy call me Addy. Where is mommy?
“I don’t...I don’t know, Addy. I’m sorry. I think your mommy might be gone.” How was Lance supposed to explain to a little girl that a crazy vampire Lord sucked all the blood out of her mother’s body? He couldn’t. She would be traumatized. She may not even understand.
Did mommy die? Is she in the better place?
Lance stared in disbelief. His heart dropped and felt like it shattered into a million pieces. This girl was smart for her age. “Yeah...yeah, she’s in the better place. Don’t worry, I’m gonna get you help. I’ll be right back I promise.”
Addy looked up at Lance with her big, green eyes and slowly nodded her head. Lance wasn’t sure what to do for her. If her mother was dead she had nowhere to go. If Lotor Turned her into a vampire then that meant she would be stuck as a little girl forever or for a very, very long time. Lance couldn’t understand why Lotor would need a little girl for his army. What could she possibly contribute? Would he make a little girl murder a bunch of humans? The thought of it made Lance sick.
He shook the thought from his head. He couldn’t focus on that right now. There was other business that needed to be taken care of, too. Right now Lance needed to find Narida and find out some answers.
Lance could hear the faint screams of the guards coming from the corridor and Lance took that as his cue that he didn’t have much time on his hands. He ran to the other heavily armored cells and came to one that was at the very end of the hall. It had a very strong protection spell that vibrated everything around Lance. He could feel the magic tingling his body.
Lance took a deep breath, trying to remember all of the things Haggar and Allura taught him. He channeled the energy flowing through him to his fingertips and lightly placed them against the barrier around the cell. With a quick jolt of pressure, the barrier started to crack under the tips of his fingers. Lance was powerful. He knew that. But, what he was doing now seemed to be easier than what he expected. It was nothing compared to freezing Lotor in a block of ice. That took more energy than Lance could handle. However, he was still new to magic back then and didn’t have full control over his powers. He still didn’t, but it was better than in the past.
The barrier broke down after a few jolts of pressure and then it was just a steel wall and a barred door ahead of him. He could feel an immense power coming from inside. There weren't any other protective spells, either. This magic was coming from a person. Lance could feel it mixing with his own. It was a bit dimmer, though. Weaker, he presumed.
Lance froze the bars of the door and then kicked it, watching it break off with one solid crack. Inside the cell was a woman who seemed to be in her late thirties or so, with long, dark brown hair and shining blue eyes. She looked just like Lance. It was like looking at a copy of himself, but with feminine features. She looked frightened. Probably because Lance was wearing the guards attire and he just kicked the door down.
“Are...are you Narida?” Lance asked the words slowly and with great caution, trying not to alarm her more than she already was. He could feel how fearful her energy was, but also how strong it was. It had been worn down, that was certain, but it was amazing how it did not seem to falter by his presence.
“How do you know my name? Who are you? Has Lotor sent you for me?” Her words wavered, but her tone was dominant, stoic. Much different than Lance was expecting.
“Um...please don’t take this the wrong way, but I actually saw you in my dream. I don’t know, it seemed more like a memory or a message...but I came here because it seemed like the dream was telling me to. I know that sounds crazy but it’s true. Look, I heard about you from some friends. I know you’re one of the Paladin witches. I didn’t think you’d be alive, though, considering the stuff with Zarkon and...well, basically I think you might be like my ancestor or something? If that’s possible...I came to get you out of here, though--”
“ Lancelot? ” She said after her eyes went huge, staring at Lance as if he was some alien.
“Um, actually it’s just Lance, but wait how did you know my na--”
“Oh my, but, it can’t be true? Can it? Is that really you? After all these years I didn’t think…” Narida trailed off, covering her mouth with her hand in disbelief. Lance stared at her, completely confused now. Narida reached out to touch him and closed her eyes. Then, her magic came towards Lance like a giant hug. It engulfed him, swirling around him. “My son. You’re here. You got my message.”
Lance’s mouth dropped open. “Your...son?”
“I didn’t think you would get my message. I didn’t even think you were aware of your powers! How did you find me?” Narida was holding Lance’s sides, squeezing him over and over. Lance wasn’t sure how to feel. He couldn’t even process what she was saying.
Lance stumbled away from her. “Wait. Hold on. Your son? How am I your son? My parents are from Cuba. You can’t be my mom. My mama is Isabel. I don’t even know you. I mean...I think I do. Your magic...it feels familiar.” Lance couldn’t breathe. He felt like his lungs were going to give out.
“It is a lot to explain. But, I promise, I will explain it all to you. My Lancelot, we must get out of here. Lotor cannot know you are here.” Narida was glancing all around the cell and out into the hallway. She looked extremely paranoid and Lance wasn’t sure how to tell her that Lotor already knew he was here.
“Right. About that--”
“Shh, you can tell me later. We must hurry. The guards will come soon enough.”
“But Narida-- I mean...mom…” Lance tested the word out on his tongue. It was strange. He had only ever called one person his mother before and it was not the woman standing in front of him. “Lotor, he already--”
“Someone is coming! Get behind me, my son.” Narida shoved Lance behind her, guarding him. Even though she was weak and covered in dirt, she was willing to risk her safety for him. To protect him. Lance knew that was the action only a mother could do. His stomach twisted as he started to believe her words. How could it be true though? What about his family back home?
Lance immediately froze and shook the thoughts from his head when he felt a familiar magic mix into his and Narida’s. Dark, chilling magic. Lotor. A cackle sounded from the hallway and the tall, white-haired vampire stepped towards them. He had a sinister smile spread across his lips.
“I see you found my little secret, dear Lance,” Lotor said. He stopped in front of Narida, raising her chin up with his long claw. She flinched away from him. “You see, I found her after she escaped my father. My father succeeded in slaughtering her coven but she was the last that remained. Other than the witch Honerva that you know as Haggar. That traitorous witch. Narida was my sweet little experiment. A Paladin witch with elemental magic. I had to see what would happen if we added a little vampirism to that mix. Unlike Honerva, Narida did not possess dark magic. So when I made her into a half-vampire, her elemental magic became stronger and now she possesses both immortal and mortal magic. Quite like you, dear Lance.”
Lance paled. Did Lotor know that he was Narida’s son? Narida looked down, averting Lotor’s eyes. Lotor came closer to Lance, smiling in a know-it-all kind of way that made every part of Lance’s body shiver. Lotor paced around the room in a slow manner and chuckled to himself.
“Tell me, Lance, do you know why you possess both dark magic like witch Haggar, and elemental magic, like Narida? Do you know why your hair turned white as snow when I sired you?” Lotor turned to Lance who was getting paler by the second. “Do you remember when I first kidnapped you and held you hostage and Haggar experimented on you with dark magic? Do you remember when your body accepted it, even hosted it? Do you know why you could take that dark magic, Lance?” Lance swallowed thickly, unsure if he wanted to know the answer. Narida was avoiding his eyes and completely silent. His brain was reeling in possibilities. “It is because, dear Lance, the dark magic was already in your veins.”
Lance froze. “Wh-what are you talking about?” He glanced at Narida, who was giving him a sympathetic look. “Narida...do you...do you know what he’s talking about?”
“Think about it Lance. Your hair is white. Why is that?”
“I-I thought it was from the dark magic torture and the stress of Turning…” Lance whispered.
Lotor laughed. “Lance, even I know you’re not that idiotic. Think harder. Why do we have a connection through our magic even when our sire bond was broken?”
Lance shook his head. “No. No. It’s not possible. Right? Narida, it’s not possible, right?”
Narida gave him a pitiful look. “Lancelot… I’m sorry I-”
“No! No! You’re lying! I can’t be! That… that wicked bastard is not my father! And you are not my mother!” Lance shouted, cowering away from both of them. His head was throbbing in pain and his chest was so tight Lance thought it might burst open. But, deep down, Lance could feel that it was the truth. Everything made sense. Everything added up. How powerful he was, how similar he looked to both of them. How familiar their magic felt. It all made so much sense that it physically pained Lance and his whole body and mind wanted to believe differently.
“Lancelot, please, let me explain-” Narida started, approaching Lance slowly.
He shook his head frantically. “Stop calling me that! My name is Lance! Not Lancelot!”
“My apologies. I am unused to that nickname. I am simply calling you what I named you before I had to give you up.” Narida sighed deeply, giving Lance a small smile. “You see, Lotor did not know about you when I escaped this place the first time. So, I ran away and found shelter where I only knew of. Cuba. That is where I swam to when I escaped the attack on my coven from Zarkon. I found sanctuary with a family and fell in love with a man named Diego. This was ages ago. Lotor found me eventually, seeking revenge for the death of his father.” Narida looked to Lotor who simply rolled his eyes and let her tell the rest of the story. “That is when Lotor Turned me into a half-vampire and did his experiments on me. He killed my love Diego and tortured me with dark magic and told me that the only way I would be freed is if I would take part in a new experiment. Lotor wanted to create a powerful weapon for his army. He wanted a vampire that had elemental magic and dark magic in his veins.”
Lance sucked in an air of breath, feeling slightly sick to his stomach.
“Lotor was created by dark magic and a Paladin witch, so he assumed that if...if him and I created an offspring, it would be the most powerful yet. Of course, he did not know if it would work or not. The chances of a vampire and a hybrid bearing a child are very slim. Even with the help of magic, it was not a guarantee. Lotor is a unique exception to that…” Narida trailed off and frowned at Lance. “But, so are you, Lance.”
“Of course I didn’t know this until recent,” Lotor grumbled. “I finally figured out that you were my spawn after you left and you froze me in a cube of ice. I put two and two together.”
Narida snickered. “You froze him?”
Lance breathed a laugh, blushing. “Yeah...I didn’t know I could do that. It was a shock to me, too.”
“Yes, well, Lotor did not know that the...experiment...had worked. I was supposed to be given my freedom but Lotor was reluctant to let me go. That is when I fought him and ran away. He let me go, though, seeing as he did not know that his child was growing inside me. I went all the way back to Cuba and found Diego’s ancestors, and left you at their doorstep in order for you to have a normal life. I left a note card with your name, but it seems they may have shortened your name. I named you after a story I always heard.”
“So, where did you go after you left me?”
“I hid for a long time. It was not until Lotor found out that you were his son that he captured me again. I have been all over the world. Not much else to do but travel when you age slowly. I am sorry, Lancelot. I should have come back for you. I just feared that Lotor would find you and make you his weapon against humanity. I wanted you to have a normal life. But, I can see that is not the case.”
Lance laughed. “Yeah, it hasn’t exactly been normal. Wait...Lotor, you didn’t know who I was when we first met?”
“I am afraid not. I just came after you to make Keith and Takashi suffer. I suppose it is mere fate that you turned out to be my own flesh and blood,” Lotor admitted.
“Does this mean I should call you ‘daddy’?” Lance joked, trying to deal with this whole situation with humor. It was his only way of coping with stress.
“Please, don’t. You may address me as father.”
“Father…” The word tasted weird on Lance’s tongue. “Jesus, could this life get any weirder? I’m the son of a fucking vampire royal and a Paladin witch. Is there anything else I should know about?”
“I do not think so? Who is this Keith and Takashi?” Narida asked, raising a brow.
“Oh, um, those are my vampire boyfriends. I kinda moved in with them when I was about to be evicted from my apartment. Rent is hella expensive. Anyways, I found out that my roommates were vampires and then they basically became my boyfriends and then Lotor showed up, bit me and Turned me, and now I’m a vampire, but I guess I’m also a witch?”
“So Lotor’s plan actually worked. You are a Paladin witch with full vampirism and his dark magic?” Narida turned to Lotor with a glare. “Lotor, if you dare hurt our son or make him murder thousands of innocent humans, I will not hesitate to impale you with ice.”
Lotor sighed. “How can I let the perfect chance go to waste? Look at him, Narida! He’s more powerful than both of us combined.”
Narida shook her head. “Lotor. Give it a rest. You need to just drop it. Making all of humanity under vampire control was your father’s plans, not yours. Why would you even want that? Humans and vampires can coexist.”
Lotor scoffed. “Ridiculous. Humans are weak and dumb. They deserve to be walking blood bags for our taking.”
“Hey, I used to be human! Or, at least, I thought I was. I guess looking back I was actually only half human…” Lance trailed off, trying not to have an existential crisis. “But that’s besides the point. Humans should be left alone. Lotor, why don’t you try living off of animal blood or blood bags. Like Keith and Shiro.”
Lotor grimaced, repulsed by the thought. But, he looked at his son, who was staring at him with hopeful eyes and a part of him wavered inside. “I suppose...I could try that.”
“Wait, really? Well, that was easy. So, now I guess I just gotta break it to Keith and Shiro.” Lance smiled, thinking about how those two would react. Then his smile dropped. “Oh, shit! Keith and Shiro! They’re out there fighting your guards right now!”