Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Altea, an Arabian Paradise. A faraway place where the caravan camels roam. Where the winds from the east and the suns from the west, and the sand in the glass is right. A city of mystery ... of enchantment... It's a beautiful place. It has been at war with the Galra for a while, but they have finally come to peace with one another. There are some Alteans delegates in the Galran castle and so are galrans in the Altean castle. The King, Alfor, has a daughter, Allura, and a niece, Kathlyn Holt. 

The place where a little man was trying to sell his wares to the by-passers in the night. 

"Salaam and good evening to you, worthy friend! Please ... come closer ... Welcome to Agrabah!" He said to a poor bypasser. The bypasser didn't dare to turn him down as he approached the stand with all sorts of cheap things. The seller whips a jug from off the camel's back, displays it. Noticing a crack, he quickly rotates it around to hide the flaw. 

"No? Then perhaps this elegantly appointed fruit basket would be more to your liking..?" The seller nods his head hopefully, but the nod turns into a headshake as he sees the bypasser uninterested in the wears. 

"Ah ... I can see that you are only interested in the exceptionally rare ... I think, then, you would be most rewarded to consider ...this!" He displays a lamp: old, dented, dust-covered. The bypasser scrunches their nose as the excitement dies. A lamp? Really?

"Do not be fooled by its commonplace appearance ... like so many things, it is not what is outside, but what is inside that counts. This is no ordinary lamp!" The bypasser is finally ready to leave. 

"It once contained a magical Genie of great power ..." And as the words sank in, the person's steps halted. Now THAT! That caught their attention. 

"Ah, that interests you. Perhaps you would like to hear the tale. But it doesn't begin with the lamp. It begins on a dark night where a dark man waits...with a dark purpose...  "

A silhouetted figure on horseback. Motionless, it looks as though he has been waiting on those silent dunes for a thousand years. Next to him, stood his right-hand man. The rider's name is Zarkon, his servant being Sendak. 

A rider nears, reins up: a grimy, shifty thief.

"You are late." Zarkon says, looking at the man, unimpressed. 

"A thousand apologies, O patient one." The thief says. Sendak frowns with a calculating look as Zarkon gets off his horse. 

"You have it then?" Zarkon asks. The thief gets off as well. With a grin, he gives Zarkon a medallion that looks like half of a scarab. Zarkon reaches for it, but the thief holds it out of reach. 

"I had to slit a few throats...now, the treasure?" Suddenly there is a screech Morvok, Zarkon's shape-shifting companion, who now took the form of a parrot, swoops in ... and rips the scarab from the Thief's fingers. Morvok lands on Sendak's shoulder and drops the scarab into a pleased Zarkon's hand. The Thief sucks his bleeding fingers, no longer smug. 

"Trust me, my pungent friend. You'll get what's corning to you" Zarkon said. Morvok repeated, cawing at the end. Sendak chuckled. The thief was suddenly warry of the situation he was in.

Zarkon reaches into his robe. Produces the other half of the scarab. He's waited for this moment for a long time. He fits the halves together and suddenly thunder rages. The scarab glows and flies out of Zarkon's hands. The other three present watch in awe. Then the scarab starts flying away, over the dunes. 

"QUICK! Follow his trail!" Zarkon barked. Sendak immediately got on his horse, Morvok holding on the best he could as Zarkon and the thief got on as well. And the three horses galloped over the dunes until the scarab streaked up to a small sandstone outcropping. The scarab traces a pattern around the stone then it splits. The halves insert themselves in two notches in the stone. They look like glowing pupils in a huge pair of eyes. Zarkon reins up, dismounts anxiously. Shouts an incantation. The eyes flash. The earth trembles. A huge Tiger Head rises up, formed from the sand itself. A bright white light blasts out of the mouth of the cave. 

"At last! After all my years of searching--The Cave of Wonders!" Zarkon said. The thief had an uneasy feeling. The guy steps forward warily ... onto the Tiger's lip. Morvok squeaks about some lamp and then groans. 

"Jeez, boss, you just can't find good help nowadays..." Sendak and Zarkon both chuckled. 

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?" The Tiger made of sand yelled. 

"Er .. it is I ... Gazeem, a humble thief." The man said. 

"KNOW THIS! ONLY ONE MAY ENTER WHOM I DEEM WISE ENOUGH. ONE WHOSE WORTH LIES DEEP WITHIN; A DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH." The Thief looks back at Zarkon, who acts like there is no danger.

"What are you waiting for? Go on!" In the cave's mouth, stairs lead down. The Thief takes them, descending, out of view. The three galrans wait. There is no response ... then suddenly, the light from inside the cave becomes brighter. Zarkon leans closer, shielding his eyes, trying to see. Sendak and Morvok peek out as well.

"... It's ... wonderful!" Gazeem says.

"Bring it to me!" Zarkon demands. 

"I've got it! I've--AIIEEAUGGGH--" The scream is loud, and as soon as it starts, the Tiger's mouth slams shut. The Tiger's head begins to dissolve back into the sand.

"NO!" Zarkon yells. 

"SEEK THEE OUT...THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH..." Only the sandstone outcropping remains. The scarab halves stop glowing, drop into the sand. Zarkon stares.

"I can't believe it! We're never gonna get ahold_of that tinpot lamp! Look at this--I'm so ticked off, I'm molting!" Morvok says as he turns back into a galran. Sendak hits the smaller man over the head. 

"Shut it, you idiot! He's pissed off!" The two freeze and turn their heads over to their leader. 

"Boss...?" Sendak asks. Zarkon grits his teeth. 

"I must have that lamp if I am to be Sultan." Zarkon says, narrowing his eyes. 

"And that stumblebum Gazeern had to go and get himself turned into cat food!" Morvok added. Sendak hit him over the head again, Morvok squeaking like a bird. 

"Stop it, you two!" He picks up the scarab pieces. Zarkon then turns to his men. 

"A setback, boys ... not a defeat. Gazeem was not ... 'wise enough'." Sendak hummed. 

"Big surprise there...He did get the scarab after all." Morvok nodded along with Sendak's words. 

"Yes ... I must find this one. This 'diamond in the rough...'" Zarkon said, narrowing his eyes. 

Ah, the marketplace. A great place to start off your day, and survive. After Alfor's wife had died, the man barely left the castle, and war isn't easy on the people, the land was poor. That's why at the moment, Lance was running for his life, clutching a loaf of bread. He skids to a stop at the edge of the building. Quite a drop.   

"Stop, thief!" Lance hisses as he looks at his shoulder. There stood Platt, one of the few mice he had as friends. Yeah, he was at THAT stage of loneliness. 

"STOP! THIEF!" Lance looks back at the guards, some humans, aliens, some robots, scrambling toward him. Lance puts the loaf of bread between his teeth and leaps off the roof.  He trampolines off an awning, backflips toward a clothesline, lands on it, struggles to keep his balance, then falls, landing hard in a ceramic pot. Guards on the roof wave their swords and guns. 

"You won't get away that easy!" Lance scrambles on his feet and frowns. 

"They think that was easy?" The boy asks, panting. Platt, shrugs. 

"Quiznacking metal heads..." Lance mumbles. Suddenly, the head of the guard stood in front of him, a huge scimitar drawn.

"I'll teach you to steal from honest men!" The guard said. Lance shrugged. 

"I steal to eat." Lance added. He slid between the man's legs as the scimitar slashed the dirt behind him. 

"PLATT!!" The mouse jumps up, starts climbing, and lowers a rope. Lance jumps and starts climbing the rope, getting on the roof. Suddenly, the other mice were there as well, squeaking in worry. 

"Ok one, two three...and four!" Platt, Chulatt, Plachu and Chuchule seemed content. 

"How much do they pay these guys...?" Lance asked, chuckling ever so slightly. The boy falls through some hanging clothes and ends up in front of some laides. Lance laughs.

"Getting into trouble pretty early I see?"

"Nah, I'm only in trouble if I get caught." But the whole moment it's short-lived as a guard appears on the ledge he was on. 

Lance grabs the cloth of the turban and jumps, the unraveling turban slowing his fall as the guard is spun around and lands on a herd of sheep. He looks back. Guards wade after them, tossing sheep aside. Lance leaps over a fakir on a bed of nails.

The guards run the fakir over, earning quite the swears. 

Lance dashes past a sword swallower, he pulls the sword out of the swallower's craw.

"I'll be borrowing this!" Lance says. He slashes a rope, a crate falls, pinning two robots. Lance stabs the sword into a wall, pulls it back, lets it go. It nails another guard. Suddenly, Razoul tackles him hard, yanks him up by the wrist.

"I'll have your hand for a trophy, street rat!" Lance gulped. 

"The name's Lance." He says. Pulling against Razoul's grip, he runs up Razoul's chest, backflips to an awning.  

"Try showing some respect!" He says before entering. 

"Oh is that Lance?" The boy hears squeaking. He smirks as he looks at his surroundings. Jack-pot, the ladies that would either get sent to the harem or become belly dancers were all in class. 

"Hello~ ladies~" 

"Oh it's so sad you've hit the bottom..." One of the girls says. 

"You've become a one-man rise in crimes." Says another. Lance smirks until a familiar looming figure makes his smile fade. 

"I'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em." The big lady, the teacher of these girls, says, as he opens another window for Lance. He shakes his head and gets out, waving at the girls. 

"Gotta steal to eat, we'll chat when I got the time!" He tells the girls. They all swoon. HAH, the Tailor still got it. 

The mice took the ground. They ran across the handles of knives on display, flipping them into the air they narrowly miss the robots. Lance runs along the awning Razoul appears on the roof beside him. One of the guards below slashes the awning the tear races toward Lance. Lance falls through the awning, beneath Razoul's slash onto carpet rolls. He runs across them Razoul leaps down to follow. He gets his feet stuck in two rolls, like stilts. Lance leaps from the rolls onto a plank, catapulting a snake charmer's basket onto Razoul. The guard taters then falls into a camel wash. Water roars through the square. Lance and the mice watch from their high, safe vantage point. The mice squeak in approval. 

Lance and the mice get down in another street and sigh in relief. 

"All that for a loaf of bread..." He strains the bread and it breaks with a snap. Lance makes a face. 

"... stale bread...Of quiznacking course..." He gives a few pieces to his small friends and starts eating. He looks ahead to see two kids looking through the trash. He sighs as he gets up and gives them half of his food. The kids beam and jump around. Lance smiles. The mice look at him with a knowing look. 

"What? I just....wasn't hungry..." He picks the mice up and starts walking out of the alley he just landed in. In the main street a huge crowd. There was a prince in his shiny armor on his horse. Lance scrunched his nose up.

"On his way to the palace, I suppose."

"Another suitor for the princesses."

Suddenly, he noticed the two kids that he gave his food to trying to cross to the next alleyway. He leaped into the street and pulled them towards him. The horse rears. 

"Out of my way, you filthy brat! I teach you some manners!" The prince barked. Achmed, the prince on the horse, kicks Lance into a mud puddle. The crowd laughs at him.

"Look at that, friends. It’s not every day you see a horse with two rear ends!" Lance says, narrowing his eyes. 

"Oh! You are a worthless street rat! You were born a street rat, you’ll die a street rat, and only your fleas will mourn you." Lance snorts. 

"Well lucky for me, I don't think he has fleas. Can't say the same for you. It looks like they bit off any type of manner you could ever have." Said a cloaked figure. Lance's eyes widened as he turned towards it. 

"Y-You-" The figure snorted. 

"Listen here jackass, if you think with that attitude you're going to get anywhere, especially court the two princesses at the palace, you are WRONG. Very VERY wrong." Lance opened and closed his mouth in shock. 

"YOU think you can just waltz in there and act like the mighty prince you are. Princess Kathlyn would kick you out in seconds. GET OUT." The prince started walking faster, past the two in the street. The cloaked figure then started walking away. Lance quickly chased them. 

"Wait- WAIT!" The person turned to him, waiting. 

"Wanted to thank you...for you know...standing up to me." The person smiled. 

"Here's what you can do. Meet me tomorrow in the marketplace? Eh? We'll talk more than." Lance measured the person up and down and looked at his rodent friends. 

"Seems fair. Alright then, anonymous person. We have a deal." The cloaked mystery chuckled. 

"Call me Pidge. See ya, stranger."

Ah, the palace. Alfor, the sultan of Altea, stood in his throne room, examining a map, waiting for something to happen. His niece, Kathlyn, finally showed up to meet Achmed after he had talked a long time to Allura. The door bursts open, and Prince Achmed storms in, missing the rear end of his pants.

"Good morning, Achmed." He says. 

"I’ve never been so- SO insulted."

"Oh, Prince Achmed. You’re not leaving so soon, are you?" Alfor said, suddenly realizing the gravity of the situation. 

"Good luck marrying HER off. She's...a...A BEAST!!" Alfor narrowed his eyes. 

"DO NOT call my niece a BEAST. Good day and good riddance." The prince gaped in shock before she scoffed and left. Alfor sighed, making his way to the gardens. 

"GIRLS!" Alfor barked. Katie and Allura both turned. Katie looked smug, Allura looked panicked. Katie was a short girl dressed in green with short hair and glasses. She had auburn hair and freckles, her hazel eyes burning with pride. Allura on the other hand was calmer. She had white hair and dark skin, with pink altean marks and pink clothes to match. Alfor was proud of both of them for their intelligence. However Katie was more adventurous, she liked inventing. As much as Alfor hated to admit it, he took some of her inventions and they truly helped the people of Altea. 

"Oh father we tried...we really did." Katie scoffed. 

"He treated Allura like an object for her beauty. So I told Bae Bae to play with him!" Alfor turned to see the missing piece of pants in the tiger's mouth. The tiger was a friend Katie made at some point that neither Alfor nor Allura could understand. 

"You’ve got to stop rejecting every suitor that comes to call. The law says you--" Katie sighs. Allura continues. 

"-must be married to a prince. We know father. But...but they're so...SO..." Katie scoffs as she pets Bae Bae. 

"Dumb." She says, before pulling the piece of clothing out of Bae Bae's mouth. Allura deflates while Alfor pinches the bridge of his nose. 

"I get it, uncle. I do. But I'd rather marry out of love or not marry at all. Princes are princes because mommy and daddy are rich. They have nothing in their brain. They wouldn't be suited to be sultan anyways. And that law is dumb and old. What are we? Pets? Collectibles?" Alfor shook his head while Allura looked at Pidge worriedly. 

"Katie...You're a princess..." The girl scoffs. 

"Then maybe I don't want to be a princess. People are STARVING uncle-" Alfor frowns. 

"ENOUGH. Oooohhh! Allah forbid you should have any daughters! ROMELLE, TAKE THEM TO THEIR ROOM!" An altean servant, a blonde girl with blue altean marks, rushed in and put her hands firmly on the princesses' backs. Allura and Katie both leave, frowning. Bae Bae scoffs as she follows the girls. 

Alfor stood in his room, frowning. 

"I don’t know where Katie gets it from. Colleen wasn’t nearly so picky..." A shadow falls over him. He looks up startled and sees Zarkon.

"Ooh, oh. Ah, Zarkon. I am in desperate need of some wisdom on a situation." The Galran nods respectfully. 

"My life is but to serve you, my lord." Zarkon says, a parrot on his shoulder and Sendak behind him. Both bow as the parrot caws. 

"It’s this suitor business. The girls refuse to choose a husband. I’m at my wit’s-end." Alfor says, sighing. Zarkon perks up. The parrot caws again.

"Oh, haha. Have a cracker, pretty polly!" He pulls a cracker out from his pocket. Morvok looks terrified. Then the sultan stuffs it in Morvok’s mouth. The parrot grimaces as he tries to eat it. Zarkon, Sendak and Alfor laugh.

"Your majesty certainly has a way with dumb animals." Sendak snickers at Zarkon's words as Morvok glares.

"Now then, perhaps I can divine a solution to this thorny problem."

"If anyone can help, it’s you."

"Ah, but it would require the use of the mystic blue diamond." Alfor's eyes widened. 

"The diamond? But it's infused with quintessence...surely...it’s been in the family for years too..." Alfor says, frowning. 

"It is necessary to find the princess a suitor." Zarkon turns his staff with a cobra head towards Alfor. The eyes of the staff begin to glow. The room darkens, Zarkon’s voice slows down and deepens. The sultan's eyes get a hypnotized look.

"Don’t worry. Everything will be fine."

"Everything…will be…fine." Alfor repeated in a trance. Morvok and Sendak exchanged a look of awe. 

"Here, Zarkon. Whatever you need will be fine." The sultan removes his ring and hands it to the galran sorcerer. The room returns to normal as Zarkon pulls back the staff.

"What the...?" Alfor says, confused. 

"You are most gracious, my liege. Now I have to run along. I will think of something." Alfor smiles. 

"Thank you, Zarkon."

The three galrans exit the room and Zarkon takes a turn into a dead-end. He opens the wall to reveal a secret corridor where Morvok gets off and turns back to galran. He spits out the crackers. 

"I can’t take it anymore! If I gotta choke down on one more of those moldy, disgusting crackers…bam! Whack!" Sendak laughs as Zarkon shakes his head at the two. 

"Calm you two..."

"Then I’d grab him around the head. Whack! Whack!" Sendak adds, the two grinning as they all ascend up the stairs. 

"Soon, I will be sultan, not that addlepated twit." Zarkon says. The two galran subordinates grin. 

"And then WE stuff the crackers down his throat! Haha!" Sendak adds. All three of them laugh as Zarkon inspects the ring he just stole. 

Pidge looked at her cousin unphased. Allura was trying to climb a tree. 

"If you want to sneak out I suggest you put your foot on that branch instead." Allura frowned at Pidge as she turned. 

"Will you stop it?" Allura says, annoyed. Pidge sighs as she gets closer to the tree. 

"Allura, listen. The place outside isn't what you think. I won't just let you go alone. You can't even climb this tree! Bae Bae, help her." Pidge said, turning towards her tiger. Bae Bae happily complied. 

"But I need to see, Pidge...And- and I won't just let father tell us how to live...I can't..." Pidge's eyes softened. She sighed and put on her cloak. She jumped in the tree effortlessly since she has snuck out plenty of times and offered her hand to Allura. The altean beamed. 

"Don't stray too far from me, understood? I needed some pieces for Rover anyways." The princess clapped her hands before Pidge helped her lower herself over the wall. 

Lance was waiting on top of the awning of a fruit stand. The mice were right there by his side.

"Try this, your taste buds will dance and sing." The merchant called to the people strolling through the market. The merchant turned to see the mice on his watermelons. 

"Hey, get your paws off that!"  Lance lowered himself and grabbed a melon while the man was distracted. The mice scrambled and met up with Lance on the awning.

"Nice going guys! Breakfast is served." 

Further down the street, Pidge was dragging a very curious Allura down the marketplace. 

"I have never been to the marketplace before." Allura said, beaming. Pidge hissed. 

"I know, but if you won't keep your voice down, we'll get caught. Cover your head better or we'll get caught." Allura squeaked as she pulled the cloak over her head better. 

"Buy a pot. No finer pot in brass or silver." Allura watched in awe. 

"It has dents, you scammer." Pidge said as she pulled her cousin away. 

"Fiesta! Sugar dates and pistachios!" Allura hummed, Pidge stopped. 

"You want some?" Allura smiled and shook her head, Pidge smiled back. She loved seeing her cousin happy. 

"Here's a necklace. A pretty necklace for a pretty lady." Allura was looking at the necklace, admiring it, even if she didn't want to buy it, then she got startled by a fish thrust into her face.

"Fresh fish! We catch you buy ‘em!" Allura looked around worriedly, she lost Pidge. She backs away but bumps into a fire eater, who is startled into swallowing his fire.

"Excuse me." Allura says. He gulps, then belches fire from his mouth. Allura is disgusted. He is pleased and taps his stomach.

Lance notices a cloaked person near him, the person looked kind of worried. He immediately recognized them. 

"So you come to the marketplace to rock out?" The person jumped. 

"What the hell is wrong with you?! You scared the quiznack out of me!" Lance laughs. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry- Hey, what's wrong...?" Pidge sighs. 

"Lost my cousin." Lance blinks twice. 

"Wait- what?!" Pidge face-palms. 

"Ok...Umm- what's your name?" The boy puts his hand forward. 

"Lance." Pidge shakes his hand then looks around. She sighs in relief. 

"There she is." Lance's eyes fall on the altean girl and he freezes as his eyes shoot wide. 

"Wow...." He says. Pidge looks at her cousin, pleased to see her handling herself, then he turns towards the boy next to her. She had to do a double take. 

"HEY! Quit ogling at my cousin like a weirdo!" Lance shakes himself out of the trance. 

"Right right, sorry...let's go get your cousin." Pidge nods and the two start cutting through the crowd. 

Allura stops at the fruit stand and sees a young homeless child reaching for a piece of fruit. She picks one up and gives it to him.

"Oh, you must be hungry. Here you go." The boy runs off. Pidge and Lance exchange a worried glance. 

"Shit-" They both start going faster through the crowd. 

"You’d better be able to pay for that." The merchant at the cart says.

"Pay?" Allura asks, stupefied. 

"No one steals from my cart."

"Oh, I’m sorry sir. I don’t have any money."

"Thief!"

"Please, if you let me go to the palace, I can get some from the Sultan-"

"Do you know the penalty for stealing?" He takes her hand and pins it down on the table, intending to chop it off. 

"Hey! Let her go!" Lance says as the two finally arrive at the cart. Allura's eyes widen in horror as the man was ready to bring down the sword. Pidge stopped his hand. 

"Oh! OH THANK YOU KIND SIR I'M SO GLAD YOU FOUND HER!" Pidge says, relieved. Lance and Allura look at each other confused. Pidge takes the sword gently from the man's hand and gives it to Lance with a pat. 

"You know this girl?" The man asks, frowning. Pidge sighs, making a sad face. 

"Sadly, yes. She is my sister. She’s a little crazy." The man looks at Lance over Pidge's head (she was pretty short). He circles his finger around his ear. Allura is shocked.

"Bu-" Allura was ready to say, but Lance leans in. 

"Play along, ok?" He whispers. Allura shuts up. The merchant frowns and grabs Pidge by the cloak. 

"But she said something about a Sulta-" Pidge laughed. 

"She thinks the mice are the Sultan." Allura spotted the mice on Lance's shoulder and immediately got on her knees. 

"Oh, wise Sultan. How may I serve you?" Pidge looked smug at the man holding her. 

"Tragic, isn’t it?" She leans forward, picking up another apple from the cart with her foot.

"But, no harm done." Lance says as Pidge walks over to Allura. 

"Now come along sis. Time to see the doctor." Pidge said in a tone meant for kids. Allura spots a camel nearby and plays along. 

"Oh, hello doctor. How are you?" She says like a lunatic. 

"No no no, not that one." As they got further away, Pidge shoves the apple she got from the man in Lance's hands and motions for him to stay quiet. The man at the cart then yells. 

"THIEVES!" Lance and Allura both turn towards Pidge. She smiled guiltily as she opened her cloak to reveal some circuits. 

"It was overpriced-" 

"THIEVES!" The man yells again. 

"Quiznack-" Lance curses and grabs Allura by the hand, taking off. 

Meanwhile, inside the castle, Zarkon was using a contraption for the quintessence that he got from Alfor. At the top of the contraption is a storm brewing. Sendak and Morvok were running on treadmills. 

"With all due respect, Your Rottenness, couldn’t we just wait for a real storm?" Sendak asked, puffing. 

"Save your breath, Sendak. Faster!" The two start running faster with tired groans. Zarkon places the Sultan's ring in the contraption.

"Yes, O mighty Evil One." Morvok mocks. Sendak snorts. Zarkon hits them over the head with his staff. A lightning bolt streaks through the ring, passing into an hourglass below. The sands begin to swirl.

"Part, sands of time. Reveal to me the one who can enter the cave." The sand on top forms the Cave of Wonders. It falls through into a storm, but it shows Lance climbing up a ladder, followed by Allura and Pidge who are covered in their cloaks.

"Yes... Yes! There it is. A diamond in the rough." Zarkon says, grinning like a mad man.

"That’s him? That’s the clown we’ve been waitin’ for?" Sendak asks.

"Let’s have the guards extend him an invitation to the palace, shall we?" Morvok slips and lands right into Sendak, sending the two flying into the wall. 

Lance, Allura and Pidge were climbing. Lance climbs over the top first and next to do so is Allura, who trips and falls into Lance's arms. Pidge is last, who watches the two amused, Allura trying to get out of his arms and Lance being awestruck, like everybody, by her beauty. Pidge's smile falters a bit since she has always been told she isn't as pretty as Allura and has always been a second choice. Then she remembers why they're up there.  

"Ehem- sorry to kill the mood...but we're still being followed." Suddenly, Pidge's cloak is knocked off when a laser beam from a gunshot the tip of it. Pidge blinks twice in shock. 

"Oh shit- duck!" The three hang low on the roof. Lance looks at Pidge, realizing it's the first time he saw her face. But then Allura catches his attention as she's trying to say something.

"I wanted to thank you for stopping that man." Allura says. Lance smiles. 

"No problem...So, uh, this is your first time in the marketplace, huh?" Lance asks. 

"Is it that obvious?" Allura says, giggling. 

"Well, you do kinda stand out." He stares at her, still in love. She smiles at him, appreciating him for helping and the compliment, and Lance almost melts. But he realizes what he is doing, and returns to normal.

"I mean, uh, you don’t seem to know how dangerous Altea can be." Pidge looks around and gets an idea. She picks a pole up and uses it to get to the next roof. Lance follows her lead and Allura stands there, awkwardly. Pidge looks around and puts a plank for Allura to walk on. She quickly does so, passing Pidge to get to Lance. Allura was very curious about this boy because she has never met other guys. Pidge knew. It wasn't Allura's fault, she just hoped nobody would get hurt in the process. 

"Oh hey! I know this place! C’mon, this way." They go inside the roof of a building, dodging planks and beams as they go.

"Whoa. Watch your head there. Be careful." Pidge looks around, unphased. It wasn't the first time she had to come to a place like this. 

"Is this where you live?" Allura asks. 

"Well, it’s not much..." He pulls back the curtain and exposes the palace.

"but it’s got a great view. The palace looks pretty amazing, huh?" Allura goes over to the window in a heartbeat. Different ships could be seen docking. Pidge hums. 

"Oh, sure. People who tell you where to go and how to dress. You’re not free to make your own choices." Pidge says. 

"It’s better than here. Always scraping for food and ducking the guards. Sometimes you feel..." Lance says. Allura's and Lance's eyes meet and they both talk in unison. 

"Trapped." Pidge smiles sadly at how her cousin seems to like this boy. Another point for the perfect princess, zero for Pidge. 

"So, uh, where are you from?" Lance asks. 

"Servants at the castle." Pidge says before Allura could say anything. The altean realizes why she said that. Nobody knows who they are. 

"And your name is...?" Lance asks. 

"Uhh...Romelle." Allura answers. 

"They're forcing the princesses to marry. It's awful to watch. So we decided to go out today." Pidge added as she looked through Lance's trinkets. Lance frowns. 

"Wow...the mice are saying that's uh...that’s not fair." Allura smiles. 

"Oh, did they? Is there anything else?" The altean tells the boy. Lance blushes, slightly embarrassed. 

"Well, uh, he wishes there was something he could do to help." Allura giggles. 

"Hmm... tell him that’s very... sweet." Pidge and the mice look at each other, unphased. 

"Here you are!" Pidge chokes as she looks down. 

"Fuck-" She says. 

"They're after me!" Lance and Allura both say. 

"They're after US!" Pidge says, looking at both, reminding them they just stole. They all jump off the roof, fall, and land in a pile of salt. They try to get away, but the exit is blocked by a robot.

"Quiznack."

"Oh, and would you look at that! Two birds with one stone! We just keep running into each other, don’t we, street rat?" Pidge's eyes widen as she looks at Lance. The mice try to trip the guards but no luck. Pidge, Lance, and Allura are all held by guards. 

"Let us go-" 

"UNHAND HIM!" Allura demands, taking off her cloak. 

"Princess Allura! Wait..." Pidge frowns as her cloak is taken off by another guard. 

"Princess Katie." The girl with auburn hair looks unphased. 

"Surprise, what can I say..." Lance's eyes widen. 

"THE PRINCESSES?!"

"What are you doing outside the palace? And with this street rat?" PIdge frowned. 

"I swear to God either they're letting anyone in the army nowadays or the guard has degraded awfully." Pidge says, pulling herself free. 

"Stop calling him a street rat and release him!" Allura demands.

"I would princess, except my orders come from Zarkon. You'll have to talk with him." The guards however end up escorting the two and dragging Lance away. Allura frowns. 

"I will talk with Zarkon."

"ZARKON!" Allura yelled, Pidge running after her. 

"Shit- 'Lurra- wait!" 

The sorcerer's eyes widened as he quickly closed the wall. Sendak and Morvok both standing at his side, unfortunately, Morvok's foot got stuck. Morvok squealed but his mouth was quickly covered by Sendak. 

"ZARKON! The guards just took a boy from the market, on your orders." Allura said. Pidge quickly hid behind a pillar and watched as her cousin got closer to the galran. 

"Your father’s charged me with keeping peace in Altea. The boy was a criminal." Allura crossed her arms. 

"What was the crime?" She asked. 

"Why, kidnapping the princesses, of course!" Zarkon said. 

"He didn’t kidnap me! I ran away!" Allura said. Pidge face-palmed. 

"Oh, dear! Oh, how frightfully upsetting. Had I but known."

"What do you mean?" Allura said, narrowing her eyes. 

"Sadly, the boy’s sentence has already been carried out." Zarkon said. 

"What sentence?"

"Death. By beheading." Pidge covered her mouth. What a horrific way to go. Allura falls to the floor. 

"No..."

"How could you?" Allura runs away crying. Pidge however doesn't move.

"So, how did it go?" Morvok asks, turning himself into a parrot. Pidge stares wide-eyed. 

"I think she took it... rather well." The three galrans all have a sinister smile on their faces. Pidge knew it. They were lying. Pidge then got out from behind the pillar, but luck wasn't on her side as her foot hit a candle stand and it clattered. Pidge and Zarkon locked eyes as she quickly scrambled out of the room. Zarkon frowned. 

"I think it's finally time we get rid of the great inventor Pidge Gunderson...don't you?" The two subordinates laughed as the three made their way after her. 

Chapter Text

Lance struggled in the chains. Of course, he was taken to the dungeon. 

"Princesses- PRINCESSES! I can't believe it...I must have sounded so- SO STUPID to them." Suddenly, a familiar squeaking sound could be heard from above. Lance looked up to see the mice. He sighed in relief. 

"Down here! Hey, c’mon--help me outta these." He called. The mice all slowly lowered themselves to his level, jumping on bricks and chains and ropes hanging around. The mice squeak out a chatter as they tell him off for going after the princesses. 

"Hey, she was in trouble. Ah, Allura was worth it. The princesses can you imagine? In the presence of Allura...such a beauty." Platt squeaked and Lance chuckled. 

"Yeah yeah, Pidge too..." The mice take out a hairpin and start trusting it in the lock. A clanking sound as the chains come undone.  

"Don’t worry, guys. I’ll never see Allura again. I’m a street rat, remember, and there’s a law. She’s gotta marry a prince. She deserves a prince." The mice gave Lance a pitying look. Not only because he got it all wrong, but because they could tell Allura didn't like him that way. 

"I’m a fool..." Lance said, shaking his head. 

"You’re only a fool if you give up, boy." Lance jumps up, startled. In the corner stood an old man.

"Who are you?" Lance asks. 

"A lowly prisoner like yourself. But together, perhaps we can be more." The old man says, smirking. Something about him was sinister, but as the mice tried to warn Lance, he already answered.

"I’m listening."

"There is a cave, a Cave of Wonders, filled with treasures beyond your wildest dreams. Treasure enough to impress even your princess, I’d wager." The old man said, letting out a wheezed laugh. 

"But the law says that only a prince can-"

"You’ve heard of the golden rule, haven’t you? Whoever has the gold makes the rules. Don't you want to be a sultan? To marry a beautiful woman?" The old man grins, showing a hideously bad mouth. Lance and the mice all scrunch their faces up. 

"So why would you share all this wonderful treasure with me?" Lance asks. 

"I need a young pair of legs and a strong back to go in after it." The old man says. 

"Uh, one problem. It’s out there. We’re in here." Lance added. The old man walks to a wall and pushes open a hidden exit.

"Mm-mm-mm. Things aren’t always what they seem. So… do we have a deal?"

The next thing Lance knew, he was in the desert. The old man and him going towards the Cave of Wonders. And there it was. A giant tiger head made of sand. And it talked. 

"WHO DISTURBS MY SLUMBER?" The cave asked. 

"Uh...It is I, Lance..." Lance said. 

"Remember, boy, first fetch me the lamp, and then you shall have your reward." The old man said. Lance begins to descend the staircase. It was round and one slip could get a few bones broken. He reaches the bottom and enters a golden chamber filled with treasure.

"Would you look at that?" Lance says. The mice squeaked on Lance's shoulders. 

"Just a handful of this stuff would make me richer than the Sultan..." Lance said in awe. They begin to make their way through the room when the carpet Lance was stepping on rises off the floor and begins following them. The mice get the feeling they’re being followed. The carpet peeks out from behind a pile of treasure. Lance turns and his eyes widen. 

"A magic carpet. Come on. Come on out. I'm not gonna hurt you." Lance says, gently. The carpet comes closer and bows then tries to leave. 

"Hey. Wait a minute. Don’t go. Maybe you can help us." The carpet looks back, excited. It then flies over and wraps around the pair.

"Hey, whoa. You see, we’re trying to find this lamp." Carpet motions for them to follow it. Lance grins at the mice.

"I think he knows where it is."

"They pass through a long cave until they emerge in a giant underground cavern. In the center of the room is a tall pillar, with a staircase going up to it. It is surrounded by water with unevenly placed stones forming a bridge. At the top of the pillar is a beam of light. Plachu however was interested in a red ruby that they saw. While Lance got up and got the lamp, down at the bottom of the stairs, the other mice were trying to hold Plachu by the tail. It was in vain because just as Lance picked up the lamp, the room began to shake. 

"YOU HAVE TOUCHED THE FORBIDDEN TREASURE!" Lance's eyes widened. Plachu squeaks as he places down the gem, but the jewel and the shrine it was on both melt into lava. Lance races down the stairs but they flatten into a ramp, and he skies down until he flies into the air. The water has turned into lava. He is falling toward it, when all of a sudden carpet appears and catches him. The mice are standing on one of the rocks of the bridge. He looks left and right and sees rocks exploding into lava. Then carpet races over and Lance grabs them, just as the last rock is exploding.

They get to the main entrance, carpet flying up through the middle gap of the round stairs when a boulder falls onto the carpet. Lance grabs onto the rock wall and holds on. He sees the old man at the top, within reach.

"Help me out!" Lance yells. 

"Throw me the lamp!" The old man demands. 

"I can’t hold on. Give me your hand!" Lance begs. 

"First throw me the lamp!" Lance reaches and does as told. 

"Yes! At last!" The old man hums. 

"Well, now that that's over with...how about I give you your eternal reward...and a friend to share it with?" Lance's eyes widen in horror as Sendak and Morvok bring Pidge, tied up, to him. He grabs Lance, holding him over the edge and he was ready to take out his dagger when the mice get on his arm and take the lamp, throwing it down. The only thing the old man sees is Platt biting the arm that was holding Lance. Pidge screams as the old man lets go of Lance. 

"Knock her out and throw her in." And Sendak and Morvok do as told. The old man laughs, now with Zarkon's voice. 

"Mine....all mine- wait...NO! FILTHY THIEF! MY LAMP! MY LAMP!" Lance falls down and hits a rock, making him go unconscious, not being able to scream after Pidge. Carpet struggles as he sees all of this and finally breaks free, saving the mice and both humans. After that, it was the waiting game. 

Lance woke up first, groaning in pain. 

"Next time...don't accept shady deals from shady men." He looks at the entrance sealed in.

"We’re all trapped. That two-faced son-of-a-jackal!" Suddenly, it hits him. 

"PIDGE!" He gets up properly and goes to her, untying her and taking the gag from her mouth. 

"Pidge? Pidge wake up!!" The girl's eyes flutter open and suddenly, she headbutts Lance in the head. 

"OW!" Lance says, covering his nose. Pidge's eyes widen. 

"Sorry, Lance...I thought it was....it was..." Pidge frowns. 

"Quiznack. I must have a concussion, I can't remember who I was running from." Lance frowns. 

"Some old man that scammed me, that's what. He only wanted an old lamp." The mice squeaked happily as the two turned towards them. The lamp was right there. 

"NO WAY!" Both of them said in unison.

"Looks like such a beat-up, worthless piece of junk." Pidge quirked a brow. 

"I think there's some writing there. Can't make it out."

"On it." lance starts rubbing the lamp. Suddenly, yellow smoke engulfs the lamp. Lance drops the lamp and both he and Pidge backed away. 

"Aaaaahhhhh! OY! Ten-thousand years will give ya such a crick in the neck!" The genie pulls his head off and spins it around, yelling as he does so.

"Whoa! Does it feel good to be outta there!" Pidge and Lance watch as the genie turns to them.

"Nice to be back, ladies and gentlemen. Hi, where are ya from? What’s your name?" Lance and Pidge exchange a wary glance. 

"Am I high or dead?" Pidge asks. 

"Uh...I'm Lance." PIdge pushes her glasses up and her eyes widen. 

"LANCE! HOLY SHIT- THAT'S A GENIE!" Lance blinks a few times. 

"A what?" Pidge points at the guy. 

"They're these powerful beings used in the old ages. You rub their lamp and they grant you 3 wishes. They can't make someone fall in love, kill someone, or bring back the dead though..." Lance's eyes widened. Pidge deflated slightly at the last words. 

"Yo, Rugman! Haven’t seen you in a few millennia! Slap me some tassel! Yo! Yeah!" The carpet and genie high-five and then the genie turns towards the duo. 

"I'm Hunk! The all-powerful genie! Your friend there is quite smart." Pidge beamed and Lance turned to her with a grin. 

"She is, huh?" He ruffled her hair. 

"So, I'm guessing you rubbed the lamp, eh? WELL! CONGRATS! I am now at your service just as your friend said." Lance looked at Pidge. She was inspecting the genie. 

"Is this for real?" Pidge shrugged. 

"I dunno, in a world where aliens and altean magic, quintessence, is real, what can you believe?" The girl said. 

"Ah ok..." Pidge's eyes widened as an idea struck her. 

"But...how all-powerful can a genie be when he can't even bring back people from the dead...I bet he can't even get us out of this cave if you ask me." Hunk's eyes widened and Lance looked at Pidge in shock. 

"Pidge, you can't just--"

"Excuse me? Are you lookin’ at me? Did you rub my lamp? Did you wake me up, did you bring me here? And all of a sudden, you’re walkin’ out on me?" Hunk gets madder and madder.

"I don’t think so, not right now. You’re getting your wishes, so sit down! Keep your hands and arms inside the carpet. Weeee’rrrrrreee…outta here..." Hunk places them on the carpet and suddenly they're zooming out the cave. Lance looked at Pidge and smirked as she grinned at him. Little Kathlyn Holt was more than she seemed.

"Zarkon, this is an outrage. If it weren't for your loyal service until now... . From now on, you are to discuss the sentencing of prisoners with me, before they are beheaded! And right as Kathlyn went missing..." Alfor said, sighing. Allura stood by his side, frowning. 

"I assure you, your highness, it won't happen again." Zarkon said as he kneeled, Sendak by his side and Morvok on his shoulder. 

"Allura...Zarkon... now let's put this whole messy business behind us. Please?" Alfor said, looking at his daughter with pleading eyes. 

"My most abject and humblest apologies to you as well, princess."  Zarkon takes her hand to kiss it, but she yanks it away. 

"All settled, then. Now, Allura, getting back to this suitor business-" The man freezes and frowns. 

"Allura?" The girl was walking away. Alfor sighs. 

"Losing Katie must have taken a toll on her..." The sultan said as he then left after the girl. Zarkon smiled fakely and as soon as the sultan was out of view he frowned. 

"If only I had gotten that lamp!" Zarkon barked. Morvok turned back to human and rolled his eyes. 

"Cheer up boss, we got rid of the lousy one! 'I will have the power to get rid of you!'  D'oh! She was stupider than she seemed!" Zarkon shook his head at Morvok's words. 

"Do not mistake her recklessness as foolishness, Morvok. She is very intelligent. She built some of the very inventions that helped Alfor make the Galrans ask for a truce." The sorcerer said, bitterly. 

"As much as I hate to admit it, she was smart." Sendak added, rubbing the back of his head. 

"If she was in charge...As soon as she would have had a chump husband...she would have had us banished...or...beheaded." The three looked at each other and hissed as they grabbed their necks. 

"Oh! Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Zarkon? What if you were the chump husband for Princess Allura!" Sendak said. The man froze, his eyes widening. 

"Okay, you marry the princess, all right? Then, uh, you become sultan!" Morvok added. Zarkon grinned. 

"Oh! Marry the shrew? I become sultan. The idea has merit!" The sorcerer said, chuckling slightly as he sat down on Alfor's throne. 

"Yes, merit! Yes! And then we drop papa-in-law and the little woman off a cliff!" Sendak said. Morvok and Sendak then made a show of Sendak lightly letting Morvok drop with sound effects from their mouths. 

"I love the way your foul little minds work!" Zarkon said as he laughed cruelly. The other two joined in.

Meanwhile, in the desert, Lance and Pidge were sitting on the magic carpet as it was slowing down next to a small oasis. 

"Oh, you sure showed me. Now about my three wishes-" Lance said. Pidge grinned. 

"Dost mine ears deceive me? Three? You are down by ONE, boy!" Hunk said, smugly. Pidge smirked.

"Ah, no--He never actually wished to get out of the cave. You did that on your own." Hunk froze and his smile fell. 

"Well, don't I feel just sheepish?" Hunk said as he turned into a sheep. Pidge giggled as Lance grinned. 

"Well well, smart lil' lady. All right, you baaaaad boy, but no more freebies." Hunk said, as he turned around and showed his fluffy tail. Lance shrugged. 

"Fair deal. So, three wishes. I want them to be good." Lance looked at Pidge and she shrugged. She didn't know either.

"What would you wish for?" Lance asked Hunk. The genie turned around, shell-shocked, and chuckled as he turned back to his original form. 

"Me? No one's ever asked me that before. Well, in my case-- ah, forget it." Pidge and Lance glanced at each other. Pidge stepped forward. 

"Oh come on, Hunk. Tell us!" The genie looked at the two and smiled. 

"Freedom." Pidge froze. Lance quirked a brow. 

"You're a prisoner?" Lance asked. Pidge hissed as she smacked herself in the head. 

"Of course! It's a give-and-take. It's one of the basic rules of physics 'Every reaction has an equal reaction'. It's all part-and-parcel, the whole genie gig. Phenomenal cosmic powers!" Pidge said as Hunk grew in size to show off. 

"Itty bitty living space." Hunk finished as he shrunk down. 

"Hunk, that's terrible." Lance said, shocked. 

"But, oh--to be free. Not have to go "Poof! What do you need? Poof! What do you need? Poof! What do you need?" To be my own master, such a thing would be greater than all the magic and all the treasures in all the world! But what am I talking about, here? Let's get real here. It's not gonna happen. Hunk, wake up and smell the hummus!" Pidge gave Hunk a pitying look. 

"Why not?" Lance asked. 

"The only way he can get outta this is if his master wishes him out. So you can guess how often that's happened." Pidge said. 

"I'll do it. I'll set you free." Hunk and Pidge turned towards Lance in shock. 

"After I make my first two wishes, I'll use my third wish to set you free." Hunk's bottom lip wobbled. 

"T-That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me..." The genie admitted. Pidge blinked in surprise. 

"I have to admit, Lance. Didn't expect this." Lance felt his cheeks go slightly red as Pidge turned around. Hunk quirked and brow and wiggled his brows at the boy. He rolled his eyes. He was just embarrassed....right?

"O.K. Let's make some magic! So how 'bout it. What is it you want most?" Hunk asks. Pidge quirks a brow. Lance rubs the back of his neck. 

"Wrong! I can't make anybody fall in love, remember?" Hunk says as a buzzer appears on his chest with a heart crossed out and he knocks on Lance's head. Pidge shrugs as she leans against a tree with her arms folded in front of her. 

"Oh, but Hunk. She's so good-looking and..." Hunk smirks knowingly. 

"Pretty?"

"Beautiful. She's got these eyes that just...and this hair, wow...and her smile." Lance says as he leans, lovesick, against a tree. Pidge rolls her eyes and pushes her glasses up. Sitting in a Parisian cafe with Pidge, Hunk says, amused. 

"Ami. C'est l'amour." Pidge and Hunk clank their wine glasses together as the mice were stealing some of the cheese and carpet made a 'sigh' motion, lovingly watching Lance. 

"But she's the princess. Oh, to be of her status...have all the money in the world...To rule. To be sultan! To have the most beautiful woman at my side!" Hunk quirked a brow. Pidge frowned ever so slightly at the statement then added. 

"He fell for my cousin." Hunk spurted his wine.

"AYO?!" He said, shocked. 

"To even have a chance, I'd have to be a--hey, can you make me a prince?" Lance asked. Pidge raised her brows interested. Hunk hummed. The Parisian cafe dissolved into a book that said 'Royal Recipes'. 

"Ah let's see...Uh, chicken a'la king?" Pulls out a chicken with a crown on its head

"Nope. Alaskan king crab?" Yanks out his finger, and there was a crab on it. 

"Ow, I hate it when they do that. Caesar's salad?" A dagger comes out and tries to stab him.

"Et tu, Brute? But I think he meant a royal." Pidge said as she closed Hunk's book. Hunk made an 'o' shape with his mouth. Pidge then turned towards Lance. 

"Listen...I don't think that's the best way you want to seduce my cousin--" But Hunk interrupted her.

"Now is that an official wish? Say the words!" Hunk said and Pidge frowned.

"Lance-"

"Genie, I wish for you to make me a prince!" Pidge's mouth fell open in shock as Hunk rubbed his hands together.

"All right! Woof woof woof woof!" Takes on square shoulders and looks like Arsenio Hall. Then becomes a fashion designer.

"First, that fez and vest combo is much too third century. These patches--what are we trying to say--beggar? Work with me here." PIdge rolled her eyes. Then she frowned, thinking hard. Pidge remembered a long time ago a man. A man that had gotten Allura's heart pumping and pumping hard. But it had been a long time since then. Maybe, just maybe, Lance was what she needed. 

"You two are not listening...fine, suit yourself. This might backfire... But there is no way you'll fool anybody dressed like that." Pidge said, coming closer to Lance. Hunk takes Lance's measurements, snaps his fingers, and Lance is outfitted in his prince costume.

"I like it, muy macho! Now, still needs something. What does it say to me? It says mode of transportation. Excuse me, little mice! Aqui, over here!" Pidge looks at Lance with wide eyes as he poses in a mirror that appeared behind him. 

"Watcha staring at, Pidge? Did the Tailor catch your eyes?" He said, wiggling his brows. Pidge rolled her eyes. 

"That hat makes your ego even bigger if that's possible. And you already have a lot since it takes the space for your brain." She says as she pulls Lance's turban down. Lance pouted. Hunk exchanges some looks with the carpet.

"Pidgey, you hurt me..." Lance said, sniffling slightly. Hunk hisses. 

"Burn...Here they come!" Hunk says as he then turns the mice into elephants.

"Now Pidge here is a horse. Go warn your uncle that A STAR is coming to town!" Pidge looked at the horse Hunk made for her with a smirk and then at Lance. Hunk rolled up his imaginary sleeves and Pidge jumped on the horse in a swift move and took off. Lance watched with a quirked brow. Hunk whistled. 

"Now that's one hell of a girl."

Alfor was more than happy when Pidge did arrive, hugging her tightly. Allura almost cried as her altean hug broke some ribs. Coran and Romelle, two very nice servants at the palace, were both overjoyed to have the young genius back home. Zarkon was horrified. As the two locked eyes, Zarkon couldn't help but look like a nuke hit. Alfor then went back to his holographic planning when his hologram started buzzing.

"Sire, however...I found a solution to your suitor's problem. Right here. "If one of the princesses has not chosen a husband by the appointed time, then the sultan shall choose for her."

"It is true that both Katie and Allura hated all the suitors..." Pidge and Allura frowned.

"Not to worry, my liege. There is more. If in the event, a suitable prince cannot be found, a princess must then be wed to...hmm...interesting." Pidge and Allura exchanged worried glances as they saw Zarkon's smirk. 

"What? Who?" Alfor asked. 

"The royal vizier! Why that would be...me!" Pidge's stomach dropped. She didn't know why but she felt like that could endanger her uncle and cousin. The alteans both frowned.

"Why, I thought the law says that only a prince can marry a princess, I'm quite sure." Alfor said. 

"Desperate times call for desperate measures, my lord." Alfor's eyes widen as Zarkon sneakily turns his staff towards the sultan.

"Yes...desperate measures..." Pidge frowns as she looks at how Alfor starts looking more sleepy. 

"You can tell her to marry me..." Pidge gasps, shocked. 

"EXCUSE YOU! That is unacceptable!" Alfor looks at the staff, hypnotized. 

"I...will order...the princess...to--" 

"YOU'RE SO FUCKING OLD!" Alfor and Zarkon both turn towards Pidge shell-shocked. Pidge didn't know what the sorcerer just did there, but she was sure something fishy was going on. Allura gasped. 

"Pidge- you can't just say that!" Pidge scoffed. Suddenly, the hologram buzzed again, faint music could be heard.

The sultan frowned at the hologram and Pidge smirked. Better timing, she couldn't hope for.

"I forgot to tell you...Allura has a new suitor." Alfor quickly made his way to the balcony, Zarkon, Allura, and Pidge following. The altean princess sent Pidge an odd look. 

"Hahaha. Now you must come and see this!" Alfor said, amused, as he watched the fanfare from the balcony. Allura was shell-shocked. Pidge's eyes widened. She didn't expect THIS. She face-palmed and let her hand push her glasses up as she rubbed her eyes. Oh God, Lance...

"Make way for Prince Ali!
Say hey! It's Prince Ali!"

Pidge let her hands slowly pull down her face. Oh, this will be a nightmare... There were dancers, peacocks, gold, elephants, camels, sword fighters, fire-eaters, everything you could wish for. Biggest fanfare Pidge had ever seen. God...Hunk went overboard. In front of everyone stood Hunk in his human form. 

"Hey, clear the way in the old bazaar,
Hey you, let us through, it's a bright new star,
Now come, be the first on your block to meet his eye!
Make way, here he comes,
Ring bells, bang the drums.
You're gonna love this guy" Hunk was SINGING. 

"Prince Ali, fabulous he, Ali Ababwa!
Genuflect, show some respect
Down on one knee!
Now try your best to stay calm
Brush up your Sunday Salaam
And come and meet his spectacular coterie." Oh Pidge was loving this. This was the best amount of cringe. Allura was looking shellshocked forward at the parade. 

"Prince Ali, mighty is he, Ali Ababwa!
Strong as ten regular men, definitely
He faced the galloping hordes
A hundred bad guys with swords
Who sent those goons to their lords, why Prince Ali!" Hunk kept singing. Pidge started laughing. Allura turned to her, frowning, her cheeks slightly red in embarrassment. 

"He's got seventy-five golden camels!" Some men said. 

"Purple peacocks, he's got fifty-three!" Some dancers said. Lance stood on Platt, smiling awkwardly at the crowd. As soon as he looked forward and saw Allura, he puffed his chest out. 

"When it comes to exotic type mammals
Has he got a zoo,
I'm telling you
It's a world-class menagerie!" Pidge had to cover her mouth and lean against the wall, she could barely breathe. Alfor shot her a look, but he seemed amused as well. Zarkon however looked furious. 

"Prince Ali,
Handsome is he,
Ali Ababwa
That physique, how can I speak
Weak at the knee...
Well, get on out in that square
Adjust your veil and prepare
To gawk and grovel and stare at Prince Ali!
And I absolutely love the way he dresses!" Pidge wheezed, falling on the floor. Allura had her fists clenched as she looked forward. Pidge immediately stopped to look at her cousin. Oh oh...

"He's got ninety-five white Persian monkeys!" Some sword-fighters said. 

"He's got slaves, he's got, servants and flunkies!" Some people bowed to Lance. The boy stared wide-eyed then nodded in approval to make it seem normal. 

"They bow to his whim, love serving him
They're just lousy with loyalty to Ali!
Prince Ali!" Alfor rushed to open the doors. Zarkon closed it and smiled tightly. Pidge snarled. This. Bitch. Pidge managed to trip him by pulling his cape and opening the doors herself. Dancers, Hunk, and Lance standing on elephant Platt entered through. Hunk winked at Pidge and she rolled her eyes, pushing her glasses up. 

"Prince Ali! Amorous he!
Ali Ababwa
Heard your princess was HOT 
Where is she?" PIdge's mouth fell open at the last part as Allura looked at the whole thing, red in embarrassment. 

"And that,good people, is why
He got dolled up and dropped by
With sixty elephants, llamas galore
With his bears and lions
A brass band and more
With his forty fakirs, his cooks, his bakers
His birds that warble on key
Make way for Prince Ali!" Hunk and the dancers concluded. Pidge wheezed and Lance and Hunk shot her a look. 

"Splendid, absolutely marvelous. What a show!" Alfor said, clapping, quirking a brow in amusement. 

"Ahem. Your majesty, I have journeyed from afar to seek your daughter's hand." Lance said, bowing. Alfor nodded. 

"Prince Ali Ababwa! I'm delighted to meet you." The two shook hands and Pidge and Hunk fell in step next to each other. 

"You think he'll blow it?" Pidge whispered. 

"Absolutely. He did when he suggested the fanfare." Hunk whispered back. The two fist-bumped. 

"His ego is bigger than the hat." Hunk gasped and snorted, trying to hide his snickering. Pidge did the same. 

"Shh- you're blowing our cover!" The two cleared their throats and looked away as Lance shot them a stern look. 

"This is my royal vizier, Zarkon. He is sent from Galra's royal court. He's delighted too." Zarkon looked at Lance, deadpanned. 

"Ecstatic. I'm afraid, Prince Abooboo--" Zarkon tried to say. 

"Ababwa!" Lance corrected. 

"Whatever. You cannot just parade in here uninvited and expect to--" The sorcerer get interrupted.

"By Altea, this is quite a remarkable device!" They all turn to see the sultan poking fun at the magical carpet. Pidge, Hunk and Lance share alarmed looks. 

"Why certainly, your majesty. Allow me." Lance then pretends to turn the carpet's motor on. The sultan gets on and the carpet takes off, flying around the high ceiling room. When he comes down, Alfor was vibrating with joy. 

"Just where did you say you were from?" Zarkon asks, skeptical. 

"Oh, much farther than you've traveled, I'm sure." Lance said, chuckling warily. 

"Try me." Zarkon says, frowning. 

"This is a very impressive youth. This device seems to be similar to our hovers! Add that to my database, please Zarkon! And a prince as well. If we're lucky, you won't have to marry Allura after all." Pidge put a hand to her heart in relief. Allura quirked a brow at her and she smiled apologetically. 

"I don't trust him, sire." Zarkon said. 

"Nonsense. One thing I pride myself on Zarkon, I'm an excellent judge of character." The sultan said. Morvok grumbled on Zarkon's.

"Oh, excellent judge, yeah, sure...not!!!" The parrot said. Pidge frowned slightly as she looked at Zarkon. 

"Oh, Allura! I am sure you like him!"

"And I'm pretty sure I like Princess Allura!" Pidge and Hunk both cringed as Allura crossed her arms above her chest. 

"Your highness, no. I must intercede on Allura's behalf. This boy is no different than the others. What makes him think he is worthy of the princess?" Zarkon adds. Pidge starts turning red in rage. Allura however steps forward. 

"HOW DARE YOU TWO SPEAK IN MY NAME?!" Everyone turns towards the princess in shock. 

"All of you, standing around deciding my future? I am not a prize to be won!!" Allura turns around and storms out. 

"Shit- 'LURA WAIT!" Pidge rushes after her cousin. Hunk hisses as he watches the scene unfold. 

"Oh, dear. Don't worry, Prince Ali. Just give Allura time to cool down." Alfor said, putting a fatherly hand on the boy's shoulder. Lance watched the two girls with guilt. Alfor then slowly ushered Lance along, Hunk following the two. Zarkon stood in his place, a dark aura building around him. 

"I think it's time to say goodbye to Prince Abooboo."

Chapter Text

Allura stood on her balcony, looking up at the stars. She just had a talk with Pidge and felt slightly better to see her cousin on her side, sort of. But she still felt like she had been wronged. That boy was nothing like the boy she met on the market. 

"What am I going to do? Allura won't even let me talk to her. I should have known I couldn't pull off this stupid prince wish. How am I going to make her like me? She's too beautiful for me...I won't be sultan." Lance said, throwing his turban on the ground. Platt struggles with his elephant paws to open a banana. He squishes it, and the banana squirts into his eye. He then tosses the banana peel into a heaping pile of the same. The other mice-elephants laugh.

"So move, Hunk!" Pidge says as she and Hunk were playing chess on a levitating board, the carpet as a referee. Hunk hums and moves, then Pidge knocks one of his pieces down and Hunk's jaw falls. The carpet laughs soundlessly. 

"I can't believe it--I'm an all-powerful genie and I'm losing!" Hunk says exasperated. Lance picks up his turban and hits Hunk in the face. 

"Guys, I need help!" Hunk gets up, throws the turban in Pidge's face, and shifts his face to look like Jack Nicholson and imitates his voice. 

"All right, sparky here's the deal. You wanna court the little lady, you gotta be a straight shooter, do ya follow me?" Lance blinks a few times in confusion. Pidge throws the turban back at Hunk, knocking him down. 

"Tell her the...TRUTH!!!" Lance's eyes widen. 

"WHAT?! No way! If Allura found out I was really some crummy street rat, she'd laugh at me!" Pidge looks unphased. 

"A woman appreciates a man who can make her laugh! Somebody sincere! Someone that won't tell them what to do, or what to wear- or that they're a freak that should learn to be a lady, or nobody will ever love them!" Hunk and Lance both turned to her at the last part. Pidge flushed slightly, coughing to cover what she said. 

"Lance, all joking aside, you really ought to be yourself. Any girl would be lucky to meet a guy like you." Lance smiled slightly. 

"You really think so...?" Pidge snorted. 

"You're the big McLain who found a genie, got a flying carpet, pretended to be a prince, and saved both me and her from a very revengeful street vendor with a machete....I think that you'll be just fine..." The boy chuckled and elbowed Pidge. 

"Thanks, Pidge. I'll just uh...I'll go talk to her first." Pidge and Hunk watch as he leaves. There's a moment of silence. 

"You ok, Pidge?" The girl blinks twice. 

"Huh? Why wouldn't I be? I'm perfectly fine." Hunk's eyes soften. 

"You like him, huh...?" PIdge's eyes widen. 

"No- If even if I did like him- which I don't- I...I can't like him! Allura--" Pidge freezes. 

"Oh My God...Allura doesn't like him..." Hunk freezes as well. 

"What?" 

"No no! She was just infatuated by the new!! She didn't like him! I know who she likes! SHE LIKES ZARKON'S SON! They were sort of together? But then he had to leave and all..." Hunk stares at her in disbelief. 

"AND YOU COULDN'T SAY IT SOONER?!" 

"IT COMPLETELY SLIPPED MY MIND! HE HASN'T VISITED IN FOREVER- BUT I SAW HIM EARLIER WHEN LANCE WAS HAVING HIS MENTAL BREAKDOWN! I was coming back from 'Lura's room and I passed him in the hall...he asked for her room...Oh, God..."

"And you helped us knowing this because...?" 

"WELL, I THOUGHT HE WOULDN'T COME BACK! Plus it slipped my mind!! Listen- I didn't mean for anything bad to happen- I- I just wanted 'Lura happy..."

" I understand I understand... But...Pidge, If they meet...This won't be good...You know that, right?" Pidge and Hunk stare at each other in horror. 

"LANCE!" They both scream, running after their friend. 

Lance walked down the hall as suddenly, somebody joined. It was a tall galran with luscious white hair. 

"Oh? And what purpose would you be having on this side of the castle?" 

"I don't remember seeing YOU before." Lance said, quirking a brow. The tall galran looked at him with a calculating gaze. 

"I see...I am Lotor. Son of Zarkon of the Galra. You?" Lance's eyes widened. 

"Oh- uh...Prince Ali...Ali Ababwa."

"Pleasure, Ali." 

The two walked until Allura's door and they both raised their hands to knock. The two froze. 

"Umm...Excuse me? I believe I have to meet the princess urgently." Lotor said. 

"My meeting is urgent as well." The two glared at each other and right as Lotor didn't expect, Lance knocked. Lotor knocked as well. Lance did it again. And so on until the door opened to reveal a very annoyed Allura. 

"WHAT-- Lotor??" Then the princess looked at Lance. 

"Ali-- What in the-" 

"Allura! I missed you so much--" The princess stepped back, frowning. 

"You said you won't be able to come back!" Lotor sighed. 

"I know...But...but for you? I pulled as many strings as I could and...I'm here. I'm here to stay." Allura's eyes widened. 

"You're--...Lotor..." Lance frowned. 

"Woah Woah Woah! Who's this weirdo?!" Allura turned towards Lance and smiled politely. 

"This is Prince Lotor. We have known each other for a very long time..." The two gaze at each other and Lance feels something in him tighten. He takes his turban off. 

"You do...?" The princess nods. 

"Indeed- Wait, wait. Do I know you?"

"Uh, no, no." Lance said, sweating bullets. 

"You remind me of someone I met in the marketplace." 

"I have servants that go to the marketplace for me. Why I even have servants who go to the marketplace for my servants, so it couldn't have been me you met." Lance said, making his voice thicker. 

"Um, Princess Allura? You're very beautiful." Lance said as Lotor frowned.

"Hmm. I'm rich too, you know." Allura said.

"Yeah!" 

"The daughter of a sultan A fine prize for any prince to marry."

"Uh, right. Right. A prince like me." Lance said. Lotor frowned. 

"Is that why you're here? To marry her? Well, guess what! I am here to marry her." Lance's heart shattered as Allura turned to the galran prince. 

"Lotor...?" And the galran kneeled. Pidge and Hunk just arrived at the door. 

"Shit- PRINCE ALI! Ah, your servant was looking all over for you. Come now, there's something urgent he must speak with you." The three left wordlessly as Allura and Lotor were having their moment. 

They went to Pidge's room. Lance stood frozen in place as Hunk and Pidge exchanged worried glances. 

"Lance...?" Hunk asks. 

"It's...fine...I should have figured a girl like she already has a lover..." Pidge frowns slightly. She hated the 'a girl like her' phrase. She hated it so much. 

"Oh come on buddy, there's plenty of fish in the sea...Sometimes we get rejected..." Lance shrugs. 

"But where will I find a girl that looks like her again?" Pidge snarled. 

"Will you STOP being so god-damn dim-witted?! 'A girl like her' what the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Lance frowns. 

"It means that...other girls aren't as pretty. Or as..." He froze. 

"AHA?! SEE? THAT'S THE FUCKING PROBLEM! This is exactly why I've been trying to get out of this god damn castle! Maybe I'd have a chance at being something more than the girl that isn't following beauty standards! Or that one rebel niece of the sultan!" Lance frowns. 

"Pidge, I just got rejected is this time to make this about you?! You don't know what it's like to live in the streets! This would have been my chance!" Pidge groaned. 

"YOUR CHANCE? IS THAT WHY YOU WERE TRYING TO GET WITH MY COUSIN? FOR A CHANCE TO BE SULTAN?!"

"NO- I MEAN- SORT OF?! SHE WAS JUST REALLY PRETTY! IT WAS A TWO-IN-ONE! IT WAS A GUARANTEE!" 

"WHAT ABOUT PERSONALITY?! What if she didn't like your goofy jokes or- or-"

"THEN WHY DID YOU AGREE TO HELP IF YOU'RE SO SURE SHE DIDN'T LIKE ME, HUH?!"

"BECAUSE EVEN IF FLAWED LANCE, I CARE ABOUT MY COUSIN AND I WANTED TO SEE IF I COULD MAKE ALLURA HAPPY AFTER LOTOR LEFT!" Lance stared at Pidge in shock. 

"She was sad. And those pathetic excuses of men kept coming to buy us...win us like prizes. Do you even realize what it's like to have people trying to OWN you, Lance? OWN!" The boy stares at her in disbelief. 

"I am not saying this to tell you it shouldn't hurt you got rejected...I'm trying to make you see it's for the better and to tell you what you were doing wrong! And I am sorry I come off as selfish. Or- or as a 'know-it-all' or whatever! I am talking from the perspective of someone from the sidelines." Pidge took off her glasses and Lance finally saw the room he was in properly. Computers, random spare parts, unfinished projects, fairy lights, posters, a huge mess of things on the floor, and a tv with video games and a console next to it in front of the queen-sized bed. 

It wasn't like Allura's. Allura's had been a pretty pall pink but it was...pretty empty. This room had personality. It offered insight into Pidge. 

"If there's one thing we have in common is the fact that at some point we both were a second choice. You were Allura's? I was every man that wanted to be sultan and didn't get a chance with Allura." 

"Pidge...I didn't mean-..." The girl sighed and put her glasses back on. 

"It's late. We're all angry for different reasons. Let's just...Forget this. I am going to bed. The door is that way." Lance turned around and saw a tiger munching at his fallen turban. 

"There there, kitty...Just gonna take this back." He took the turban and both he and Hunk exited. Hunk stopped in the doorway and looked at Pidge with a smile. 

"Thanks for giving him something to think of." The door shut and Pidge sighed as she fell on the floor. She hated it here sometimes. And she hated herself even more in others. 

The next day, Allura and Lotor happily announced their marriage. Alfor had told Lance that it was ok to extend his stay as an apology. The boy agreed. Because he still had something to do. Zarkon however wasn't at all happy with the news. In fact? He immediately stormed off.

"Sir! Sir!" Sendak said as he followed the man.

"THAT BRAT! He has ruined my plans! If only he was on the same path as me...Betrayed by my own son..."

"Sir, but there is another girl!" Morvok added. Zarkon froze and his grin widened.

"Of course! She doesn't seem to remember what happened back at the cave...YES! IT'S THE PERFECT PLAN!" Zarkon said, laughing but then he froze.

"But that Ali BuuBuu is still in my way...he would never let me marry her...I still have to get rid of him!"

"Oh, man..." Lance said, sighing as he was sitting with Hunk in the garden again. Hunk quirked a brow. 

"You're still upset about your fight with Pidge?" Lance groaned. 

"I didn't realize how stupid I was until she told me straight to my face!! And she did it in a way that still validated my pain in the end. That's...weird..." Hunk chuckled. 

"Pidge is pretty smart. She does seem like she doesn't care sometimes, but she can be really thoughtful." Lance smiled slightly. 

"Yeah. She is..." Hunk smirked. 

"I don't even know how to describe her." Hunk continued. 

"I mean she's smart! She gets sassy and has this weird something to her?" Hunk chuckled. 

"Something you cannot describe huh? Like an attraction?" Lance hummed. 

"You can call it that, yes." 

"Is she pretty?" 

"Oh yeah! I don't see how others don't find her pretty! Her freckles are adorable." 

"Do you find her funny?" 

"Never in my life has a girl laughed at my jokes I consider her funny in my book."

"Lance, would you be opposed to the idea maybe you got close to Pidge and ended up liking her instead? And you were just awe-struck by Allura?" Lance froze. 

"Oh my god..." Hunk perked up as Lance said those words. 

"I don't like Pidge...." Hunk sighed and face-palmed. 

"I'M IN LOVE WITH PIDGE!" The genie laughed. 

"Now we're talking! Go talk to her, buddy!!"

"I don't know...Will she think she's a second choice again?? She's been avoiding me around the castle though...I think she's embarrassed about how she lashed out...Won't she think I just want to be sultan?" Hunk nodded along, rubbing his chin in thought. 

"Well...Put yourself in her shoes, huh? You make a friend, you agree to help him to help your cousin...and he ends up being just as ego-centric as the other guys you met that keep calling Allura 'prettiest girl' and compare her to a freak of nature! By those points, I'd say that she'd earned it." Lance groans. 

"How can I make it up to her? Apologize?" Hunk frowned and then he smiled. 

"Be yourself for once, eh?" Lance opened his mouth but before he could speak, Hunk closed it. 

"This is PIDGE we're talking about. She gets impressed by junk parts. Be YOU, Lance. Not Prince Ali, not a street rat...YOU." 

Pidge was sitting in her room tinkering when a small head popped up on her balcony. 

"Psttttt Pidgeeeee" The girl looked around confused. 

"Pidgeeyyyyyy!" She got up and got closer to the balcony only to yelp when she noticed Lance's floating head. 

"WHAT THE HELL LANCE?!" She whispered-yelled, looking around. 

"Somebody could see you, you idiot!" Lance waved his hand around. 

"More important to me it's to apologize profoundly for my foolish ways." Pidge looked at him with wide eyes. 

"No...Lance-- no. What I did doesn't make any sense...One second I was helping you and the other I was lashing out I...It's my fault...I'm sorry I led you on to think Allura did like you the same way you did." Lance chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck. 

"You...made me realize that I was a fool. I wasn't acting like myself..." Pidge smirked. 

"Oh? And?" She got closer to his face, jokingly, but then they both froze as she got closer than she intended. 

"Uh...As you were saying...?" Lance coughed awkwardly. 

"I want to formally apologize...with a carpet ride?" He was lifted higher by the carpet, now being above the railing. Pidge looked at him, amused. 

"A carpet ride?" 

"You uh...you said you wanted to get out into the world...how about one night...?" PIdge's eyes widened. 

"Lance...you don't have to..." She said, touched by the action. The boy smiled. 

"It would be my pleasure. Please." He put his hand forth and Pidge looked back at her room in thought. 

"Oh fuck it. I sneak out all the time." She took Lance's hand and he lifted her up onto the carpet. Lance grinned as she sat behind him. 

"You ready, Princess?" Pidge gave him a deadpanned look. 

"You call me that one more time, I throw you out the moving carpet." Lance hissed. 

"Ouch..." Pidge chuckled. 

"Okay, Pidge...do you trust me?" 

"Uhhh...yes...I feel like we're about to do something stupid?" Lance spurts. 

"What? Nooooo..." The girl looks at him, unphased. 

"Just half-stupid." Her eyes widen. 

"Wai--" The carpet zooms into the sky, knocking Pidge closer to Lance. She gasps as they fly over the palace wall and into the sky. He smirks. 

"I can show you the world
Shining, shimmering, splendid.
Tell me princess, now when did you last
Let your heart decide?" Pidge's eyes widen. 

"You DID NOT just start singing on me." He laughs. The carpet zooms down through the town, stopping slightly to pick a flower. It gives the flower to Lance, who gives it to Pidge. She smiles, amused at Lance's flirting. 

"I can open your eyes
Take you wonder by wonder
Over, sideways, and under
On a magic carpet ride" Pidge laughs. 

"I am disowning you." Lance chuckles and continues as the carpet rises into the clouds. 

"A whole new world!
A new fantastic point of view
No one to tell us no
Or where to go
Or say we're only dreaming" Pidge looks back and sees Altea disappear. Lance then looks expectantly at Pidge as she turns towards him. She laughs nervously, waving her hands. 

"I don't sing Lance." Lance looks at her, raising his eyebrows with a knowing look. 

"Fine. I won't let you ruin my duet. AHEM!" He starts batting his lashes. 

"A whole new world-" He says high-pitched, his voice slightly cracking. 

"STOP! Not even dogs can hear you." Pidge said, snorting, as she covered her ears. 

"Then go on. Show me how it's done." Pidge sighs. 

"I'm never doing this again, capiche?

A whole new world
A dazzling place
I never knew
But when I'm way up here It's crystal clear
That now I'm in a whole new world with you!" Lance cooed. 

"That's so sweet Pidgeyyyy~" She rolled her eyes, jokingly. 

"Now I'm in a whole new world with you!" Lance added. Pidge catches a small cloud and Lance looks at her, taking her smile in. He remembers that he said Allura's smile was pretty, but he can see now Pidge's smile was just as sweet. 

"Go on, it's your turn now." Lance says. Pidge smiles and sighs, shaking her head slightly. 

"Unbelievable sights
Indescribable feeling
Soaring, tumbling, freewheeling
Through an endless diamond sky
A whole new world!"

"Don't you dare close your eyes!"

"A hundred thousand things to see!"

"Hold your breath--it gets better!"

"I'm like a shooting star,
I've come so far
I can't go back to where I used to be!" Lance looked at PIdge with a proud look. 

"That last note was niceeee~" Pidge snorted and elbowed Lance playfully. He laughed. 

They zoom down over a river, apparently, the Nile, for beyond the ship's sails are the Great Pyramids. They wave at a worker sculpting the complete nose of the Sphinx. He smiles, but chisels too much and breaks off the front section of the nose.

They fly through Greece, where Lance grabs an apple from a tree and rolls it down his arm to Pidge, who is now sure she will be dealing with Lance, not Prince Ali anymore. 

Carpet hovers along over a lake, and we see the reflection of the moon in the lake.

Fireworks burst and the two are at a Chinese New Year celebration, sitting on a rooftop.

"This is the corniest thing anyone has ever done for me." Pidge says, playing with the apple in her hands and then spinning it like a basketball on her finger. 

"At least I'm number one at something." Lance says, smirking. 

"You're also my number one friend but sure..." Lance's eyes widen. 

"Really...? Aw, Pidge! That's so sweet...I didn't know you think so highly of me." 

"You saved my life. You actually learned from your mistakes and you're just...I don't know how to describe it so yeah...You have 3 out of 1." Lance quirked a brow. 

"Is that...something...like an attraction?" The two locked gazes. 

"Interesting you put it that way...why...?"

"Eh...just a hunch we may have the same problem. I was awe-struck by a girl and learned I actually have that something with somebody else." Pidge eyes widened as she looked at Lance then her face softened and she smiled.

"Perhaps we do. OH! We should get back." Lance frowns as his moment is ruined and Pidge rambles about some duties she has. Carpet laughs soundlessly. Lance flicks carpet in the 'forehead' so to speak. 

Pidge gets off the carpet into the balcony. 

"Welp...let's hope I won't be pulling an all-nighter, huh?" Pidge says, chuckling. 

"Sleep well, princess~" He says, amused, leaning on the rail-way. Pidge looks around then smirks, turning around and pulling Lance by his shirt into a kiss. Lance's eyes widen. 

"And the answer is yes. It might just be a bit of attraction." She says smugly as she walks away into her room. Lance's eyes are wide. He watches as Pidge enters her room, then he falls back onto the carpet. 

"YES!" He says as the carpet slowly lets him down. 

"For the first time in my life, things are starting to go right." He looks up at Pidge's balcony only for his vision to be obscured by hands. 

"Hey! What?!" A gag is tied around his mouth. 

"PLATT!" He tries to yell. The elephant mouse turns towards the origin of the sound. 

"Hold him!" One of the guards says, a Balran. Another android guard ties the carpet around a tree. 

"I'm afraid you've worn out your welcome, Prince Abooboo." Zarkon says as Marvok and Sendak chuckle in the background. 

"Make sure he's never found." Zarkon says as he walks away with his underlings in toe. A guard hits him in the head, and he falls unconscious. He was taken to a cliff, where guards laugh as Lance's body drops into the water. He is conscious now, but his feet are tied to a rock. The rock hits the sea bottom, then the turban lands and the lamp tumbles out. He sees this and struggles to rub the lamp. However, he loses consciousness and falls to the floor. The lamp, unsettled by his movement, rolls down and rubs against his hands. It shakes, and Hunk emerges with a bath brush, rubber duckie, and shower cap. 

"Never fails. Get in the bath and there's a rub at the lamp!" Hunk says, sighing. Then he sees he's underwater and Lance is unconscious. 

"Lance snap out of it! You can't cheat on this one! I can't help you unless you make a wish. You have to say "Genie I want you to save my life." Got it? Okay. C'mon Lance!!" Hunk says, sweating bullets. He grabs Lance by the shoulders and shakes him. His head goes up, then falls.

"I'll take that as a yes." He turns into a siren.

"Wooga! Wooga!" He then turns into a submarine.

"Up scope!" He babbles in something that sounds like German. On the surface, a giant water spout emerges and lands on top of the cliff. Lance reawakes and coughs the water out of his lungs. He wheezes. 

"Don't you scare me like that!" Hunk says, sighing in relief. 

"Hunk--uh, I-uh..." He can't think of how to say it, so they just hug each other.

"Thanks, Hunk."

"Oh, Lance. I'm gettin' kind of fond of you, kid. Not that I want to pick out favorites or anything." 

Pidge was in her room, tinkering. She hums slightly as she works, some rock music in the background. 

"Katie!" Alfor says as he enters the room. Pidge isn't paying attention. 

"KATHLYN!" Pidge turns and quirks a brow. 

"Yeah? I just had the most wonderful time. I'm happy so I got distracted."

"You should be, Katie. I have chosen a husband for you." PIdge freezes. 

"...What...?"

"You will wed Zarkon." Pidge laughs. 

"You're joking right?" Nothing. Pidge's stomach sinks. 

"Please tell me you're joking." She gasps as Zarkon enters the room.

"You're speechless, I see. A fine quality in a wife." She snarls. 

"I'll show you speechless when I shove this power tool up your-"

"Kathlyn." Pidge frowns and then her eyes widen. 

"Uncle, I choose Prince Ali." She says, crossing her arms. Zarkon smirks. 

"Prince Ali left!" Pidge frowns. Lance? Leave? That's not possible. Something happened. 

"You--" Suddenly Lance walks in with Hunk in toe. 

"Better check your crystal ball again, Zarkon." PIdge sighs in relief. 

"Tell them the truth, Zarkon! You tried to have me killed. You and your underling AND that parrot. That's not really a parrot...is it?" Zarkon's eyes widened. 

"What? Ridiculous nonsense, your highness. He is obviously lying." He brings the staff close to Alfor's face.

"Obviously lying." Pidge and Lance exchange a worried glance. 

"What is wrong with you, Sultan? Are you ill?" Lance asks. Pidge eyes the staff and an idea pops into her head. 

"Oh, I know!" She takes the staff and smashes it into pieces. Zarkon flinches and the spell is broken for good.

"Oh, oh my!" Alfor says, confused of his surrounding. 

"Uncle, Zarkon's been controlling you with this!" Pidge says, showing the broken staff. 

"What? Zarkon? You, you traitor!" Alfor says, advancing towards Zarkon. 

"Your majesty, all of this can be explained!" Lance says. Hunk, Lance and Pidge look at each other in triumph. 

"Guards! Guards! Arrest Zarkon at once." Guards walk in and take the galran sorcerer out. 

"THIS IS NOT DONE YET, BOY!" He threatened as he was being carried away. 

Zarkon pulls a vial from his pocket. Lance sees this and rushes him.

"LANCE WAIT!" Pidge tried to warn but Zarkon throws the vial to the floor. A large red cloud appears. When it is gone, so is Zarkon and his underlings. Everybody coughs as they wave out of the cloud. 

"Shit..." Pidge mutters. Lotor and Allura rush in as well. 

"I hear screaming, father! Is everything alright?" 

"Find him, search everywhere!" Alfor commanded to the guards and went to explain what happened to Allura and Lotor. Pidge got closer to Lance and offered her hand. He took it and gotten up from where he fell. She than smacks him over the head. 

"LEARN TO LISTEN FOR ONCE!" Hunk gets in between the two as they start bickering. He sighs. 

"I swear these two... ALRIGHT, YOU KINDERGARTEN KIDS! CUT IT OUT!"

"Zarkon, my most trusted counselor, plotting against me all this time. Just horrible." Lotor shrugs. 

"I have told you before, your highness, my father isn't trustworthy." Allura nodded at Lotor's side. 

"Yes, father. I and Pidge always had a feeling about it."

"How will I ever-" He stops in mid sentence and looks at Lance and Pidge who were bickering. 

"Can it be true? Both my daughter and niece have finally chosen a suitor?" Pidge and Lance freeze and Pidge remembers what she blurted out, blushing. 

"Uhhh..." Lance looks at Pidge, her face red and he smirks. Hunk interjects.

"I believe she did, your highness." Alfor smiles as Allura gasps excitedly. 

"Pidgey! You never told me! We all thought Prince Ali wanted to marry me." 

"He uh...he did...sort of?" Pidge said, pushing her glasses up to hide her face. Lance snickered so Pidge elbowed him to shut up. He wheezed. 

"Haha! Praise Allah! You brilliant boy, I could kiss you! I won't--I'll leave that to my--. You all will be wed at once! Yes, yes. And you'll be happy and prosperous, and then my boy Lotor, you will be sultan! And peace will finally settle over Galra and Altea once and for all." Pidge and Lance smile as Allura and Lotor bow. 

Morvok and Sendak were panicking. 

"We gotta get outta here! We gotta get-- We gotta start packing, your highness. Only essentials." Morvok and Sendak start throwing things into suitcases. Zarkon smiles broadly.

"Travel light! Bring the guns, the weapons, the knives-" Sendak says then stops and takes out a picture of the trio.

"And how about this picture?" Sendak asks. Morvok hums.

"I don't know--I think I'm making a weird face in it." The other galran answers. Sendak brings the picture closer to see. The sorcerer starts to laugh wildly.

"Oh, boy--he's gone nuts." Sendak says, backing away with Morvok. 

"He's cracked." Morvok says then flies down to him and knocks on his head.

"Zarkon? Sir? Get a grip,boss!" The galran grabs him around the neck

"Good grip!" Sendak says as Morvok yelps. 

"Prince Ali is nothing more than that ragged urchin Lance. He has the lamp, boys." They both gasp. 

"But you are going to relieve him of it!" Zarkon says, looking at Morvok. 

"Me?"

"Him?"

"You are going to steal that lamp, Morvok. I WILL be sultan."

Chapter Text

"Christ...They want me to marry Pidge..." Lance says, sighing. Hunk quirks a brow as Lance paces his room. 

"And that's bad? I mean, yeah you had your whole thing with the other princess, but it made you realize your mistakes!" The genie added, smiling. 

"N-No...Of course, it's not bad!" He sits on the bed, head hung low. 

"So what will you do next?" Hunk asks, eagerly. Silence. Hunk chuckles warily. 

"Psst, your line is "I'm going to free the genie." Anytime." Hunk says, smiling. Lance looks at the genie with a saddened look. 

"Hunk...I can't..." Hunk froze. He laughs awkwardly. 

"Sure you can. You just go "Genie, I wish you free."" He grabs Lance's head and uses him as a mock ventriloquist's dummy. Lance pulls away.

"I'm serious. Look, I'm sorry--I really am. But they want to make me royal--no!, They want to make Prince Ali royal. Without you, I'm just Lance!" Hunk frowns. 

"Lance, you won!" Hunk says. 

"Because of you! The only reason anyone thinks I'm anything is because of you. What if they find out I'm not really a prince?" Hunk quirks a brow. 

"Pidge literally knows!" 

"What about Allura? And Lotor and Alfor?? Hunk, I can't keep this up on my own. I can't wish you free." 

"Hey, I understand. After all, you've lied to everyone else. Hey, I was beginning to feel left out. Now, if you'll excuse me, MASTER." He says the last word in disgust, then poofs back into the lamp. Lance's eyes widen. 

"I'm really sorry." A tongue comes out of the spout and raspberries him.

"Well, fine. Then just stay in there!" He slams a pillow on top of the lamp. The mice and carpet were looking at him. Lance frowns as he turns to them. 

"What are you guys looking at?" They both start leaving, disappointed. 

"Look, I--I'm sorry. Wait, guys-- wait--I'm sorry, I didn't-- wait, c'mon." Lance stays alone and looks around. PIdge's words ring in his head.

"What am I doing...? Have I literally learned nothing...?"

"Lance? Lance are you there?" He quirks a brow at the familiar voice. 

"Pidge?" He leaves, putting on his turban. 

He goes out into the garden only to see nobody. Unknown to him, Morvok was hiding in the shadows, imitating Pidge's voice. 

"Pidge? Where are you?" 

"Ahem--In the menagerie, hurry." Lance walks away and Morvok smirks. He runs into the palace and finds the lamp under the pillow.

"Boy, Zarkon's gonna be happy to see you!"

"Good work, Morvok!--Ah, go on.--No, really, on a scale of one to ten, you are an eleven!--Ah, Zarkon you're too kind. I'm embarrassed, I'm blushing!!" He flies away with the lamp.

At the palace entrance, the Sultan is standing on top, making an announcement to the people.

"People of Altea, My daughter and niece have finally chosen their suitors!" Pidge was leaning against the door frame of the balcony. 

"Pidge!" Lance says as he climbs the stairs. She looks confused. 

"Lance? Where the hell were you?" She asks. Lance wheezes. 

"I was in the gardens! YOU called me!" Pidge frowns. 

"I didn't call you? I wasn't in the gardens the whole day." Lance rolls his eyes. 

"Whatever. Listen, I want to tell everyone the truth about me." Pidge was still lost in thought. 

"Pidge? Oh come on--"

"PRINCE LOTOR THE NEW SULTAN!" Lance was interrupted by Alfor. The tanned boy sighed. The crowd cheered. 

Zarkon, Sendak, and Morvok made their way through the crowd and into a small street. The galran sorcerer started rubbing the lamp. Hunk emerges out of his lamp.

"You know Lance, I'm getting--" Hunk turns and sees Zarkon. 

"Reallyyyyyy--I don't think you're him." He descends and consults a playbill.

"Tonight, the role of Al will be played by a tall, dark, and sinister ugly man."

"I am your master now." Zarkon says. He throws Hunk to the ground and puts his foot on Hunk's face.

"I was afraid of that..." Hunk says, sweating bullets. 

"Genie, grant me my first wish. I wish to rule on high, as sultan!!!"

Pidge's eyes widen as she finally catches on to what Lance told her and she turns to Lance. 

"Lance...where is Hunk..." The boy turns towards Pidge with wide eyes and suddenly, dark circles surround the castle.

"Bless my soul. What is this? What is going on?" Alfor yells. Lotor hugs Allura to protect her and Pidge and Lance rush onto the balcony. Coran, Romelle, and Shay, who were also at the entrance of the balcony, shriek. 

The sultan's turban lifts off his head. When he grabs it, his whole body flies up, then is stripped of all his clothing except his boxer shorts. The clothing reappears on Zarkon.

Zarkon laughs vilely and Pidge's eyes widen. 

"LANCE! It was him! He was the man that threw me into the cave of wonders! In short..." 

"He has Hunk...He was the old man."

"Zarkon, you vile betrayer!!" Alfor yells. Lotor's eyes widen in horror. 

"Father, what have you done...?"

"That's Sultan Vile Betrayer to you." Morvok says, snarling as Sendak laughs. 

"Finders-keepers, Abooboo. If only my plan of getting rid of you two rats would have succeeded..." Zarkon says, waving his hand dismissively. 

"You...YOU TRIED TO KILL PIDGE!" Allura said in horror. The pair looks up and sees a gigantic Hunk as he lifts the palace into the clouds. He places the palace on top of a mountain. 

"HUNK!" Pidge and Lance scream. He looks at them with a saddened look. 

"I-I'm sorry guys...I got a new master now." 

"I order you to stop!" Alfor demands, taking a step forward. Zarkon laughs, mocking him. 

"There's a new order now--my order! Finally, you will bow to me!" Zarkon yells in triumph and Alfor, Lotor, and Allura bow down. Pidge snarls.

"We'll never bow to you!" Pidge yells.

"Why am I not surprised SHE is saying that?" 

"If you will not bow before a sultan, then you will cower before a sorcerer! Genie, my second wish--I wish to be the most powerful sorcerer in the world!" Pidge and Lance turn towards Hunk, horrified. Hunk shields his eyes and closes them shut, pointing a finger at Zarkon.

"HUNK NO!" Lance and Pidge try and scream. Lightning shots out of the genie's finger. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, a warm Altean welcome for Sorcerer Zarkon! HAHA!" Sendak says, laughing. 

"Now where were we? Ah, yes--abject humiliation!" He zaps Pidge and she falls on her knees, shaking. 

"Pidge!" Zarkon chuckles at Lance's distress. 

"Oh, princess--" He lifts Pidge's chin with his staff.

"-- We could have been such a good pair. There's someone I'm dying to introduce everyone to~" 

"DON'T YOU TOUCH HER!" Zarkon rolls his eyes and zaps Lance. He is back in his rags. 

"Prince Ali! Yes, it is he..but not as you know him. Read my lips and come to grips with reality. Just a con, need I go on? Take it from me his personality flaws give me adequate cause to send him packing on a one-way trip so his prospects take a terminal dip. His assets are frozen, the venue chosen is the ends of the earth, whoopee! So long, bye-bye. 

"LANCE! NO!" Zarkon zaps the mice back to normal then takes both Lance and them and sends them all into a tall pillar, then launches it like a rocket, but not before Pidge throws carpet in. 

The pillar crashes into a snowy wasteland. It finally comes to a stop. Lance emerges, obviously very cold.

"Platt? Chulatt? Plachu?! Chuchule?? GUYS?!" He looks back at a shivering pile of snow. 

"Oh, this is all my fault--I should have freed Hunk when I had the chance!!" He started digging and one by one took the mice out of the snow and cradles them in their vest. 

"Are you guys ok?" The mice look at Lance, shivering, Chuchule sneezes. 

"I'm sorry--I made a mess of everything, somehow! I gotta- I gotta go back and set things right..." Lance mutters.  He starts to walk through the snow, and he eventually steps on a frozen carpet. Lance's eyes widen as he remembers Pidge throwing carpet after them. 

"Pidge, you brilliant woman..." He tugs to try and free the carpet. He can't do it, so he begins to remove snow from the base of the pillar. The mice try and help as well. Finally, enough snow has been removed, and the pillar begins to roll. Lance runs away, looks back, then slides into place. The pillar rolls over him, and when it is gone, Lance and the mice are left sitting in the patch of snow made by the window of the pillar. He sighs in relief.  Carpet shakes off the snow and rushes over to pick them up.

"Now, back to Altea! Let's go!" 

Altea was surrounded by red clouds. In the throne room, Morvok has the sultan tied up like a marionette, Sendak had Allura, Coran, Romelle, Shay, and Lotor in a cage made of lasers, and Pidge is chained next to the throne where Zarkon sat.

"Puppet ruler want a cracker? Here's your cracker. Shove 'em all right down your throat. Here, have lots!" Morvok says as he shoves in Alfor's mouth some crackers. Sendak laughs as he watches as the prisoners in the cage are looking at Alfor in dispair. 

"Oh Quiznack! This is the worst scenario ever!" Coran says, shaking his head. Romelle screamed and Shay was fanning herself. Allura and Lotor were holding hands for comfort.

"Leave him alone!" Zarkon says, rolling his eyes. The sorcerer pulls on the chain and Pidge walks unwillingly towards Zarkon with an apple.

"It pains me to see you reduced to this, grand Pidge Gunderson." She snarls. He takes a bite out of the apple she is holding.

"A beautiful desert bloom with such high intelligence as yourself should be on the arm of the most powerful man in the world!" He waves his finger and a crown appears.

"What do you say, my dear? Why, with you as my queen...imagine how we could rule?" Lotor frowns. 

"WHAT ABOUT MOM?!" Lotor yells. Zarkon rolls his eyes.

"You mother could never compare with PIDGE GUNDERSON herself!" Pidge picks up a glass of wine and throws it in his face. The room freezes.

"I'd rather be dead. BITE ME!" Zarkon frowns. 

"I'll teach you some respect!" She braces herself as he raises his hand to slap her. Then he stops. He smiles widely. 

"Genie, I have decided to make my final wish. I wish for Princess KATHLYN to fall desperately in love with me." Allura gasps in horror and Alfor whines in protest. 

"Ah, master-- there are a few addendums, some quid pro quo-" Hunk tries to say as Zarkon frowns. 

"Don't talk back to me, you stupid yellow lout! You will do what I order you to do, slave!" Pidge kicks Zarkon in the shin. 

"DO NOT talk to him like that you BABOON!" Zarkon gasps. 

"BABOON?! Why you BRAT!" He hits her hard, making her fall back. Hunk flinches as he tries to reach for her. Lance had reached the window right as Pidge was slapped. She locks eyes with him and an unspoken plan communicates between them. She wipes the blood from her nose as she cuts out what Lotor and Allura were saying. 

"Zarkon! I never realized how incredibly handsome you are." Pidge says as she picks up the crown. Alfor turned in confusion towards Pidge. The prisoners in the cage all quieted down. Coran grabbed his head. 

"I am in an alternate universe." Shay covered her mouth in horror. 

"I'd rather be enslaved on a Balmera than watch this horror..." Romelle shook her head quickly. 

"Take me back to the altean farms. I just had to work in the city..." Allura blinked a few times in confusion as Lotor looked at her. 

"Pidge?" Allura asked unsurely. Pidge smiled tightly. 

"SHE'S SMILING! WE'RE DOOMED--" Romelle and Shay both covered Coran's mouth. Hunk's jaw dropped.

"That's better." Everyone in the room looked around in confusion. 

"Does she have a concussion?" Hunk asked after he closed his jaw. 

"Now, pussycat, tell me more about...myself." Lotor gagged at Zarkon's words. 

"That's my father...this is torture..." Allura covered her eyes in horror. 

"Tell me when it's over..." The princess mumbled. 

"You're tall, well dressed..." Pidge started as she curled her hair on her finger. Shay scrunched her nose up. 

"THAT is NOT our Pidge." Romelle's eyes widened. 

"HUSH! I think she has a plan..." Romelle whispered. The prisoners were all on high alert. Zarkon walks over to her. Lance jumps down from the window with the mice and Hunk sees them.

"Lance! Lance, buddy!" Hunk says. Lance brings his finger to his mouth and points at Pidge. Hunk finally gets it. He iterally zips his mouth shut, then unzips it.

"Lance, I can't help you--I work for senor psychopath, now." His head turns into Zarkon's, then back. Lance smirks. 

"I'm a street rat and Pidge is a genius. We got this bud." Lance assures him as he zips his mouth shut. Hunk smiles wobbly. He slides down a pile of coins and hides close to Zarkon and Pidge. Zarkon's back is to Lance. Pidge sees him and her smile turns playful as she plays Zarkon on her fingers.

"And your beard...is so...twisted!" She has her arms around him. She pretends to twist with her finger, but she is actually motioning for Lance to come over. He makes his move. But Morvok and Sendak see him. Before they can react, Coran has his arm on Sendak's mouth and Lotor knocks Sendak out with a hit on the nerve.

"ZARK--MMM!" The mice get onto Morvok and hit his nerve as well. The two galrans fall unconscious to the floor.

"And the street rat?" Zarkon asks. Pidge bats her lashes. 

"What street rat?" Lance accidentally rattles something and just before Zarkon could turn Pidge kisses Zarkon. Everybody looks disgusted. Hunk looks up and puts his palms together. 

"Bless this girl for taking one for the team...Amen." Lotor gags loudly. 

"I'm about to throw up...That's my FATHER." Shay pats him on the back as Romelle jumps around in disgust. 

"NASTY!" Romelle says.

"That was--" But he sees Lance's reflection in Pidge's crown.

"You!! How many times do I have to kill you, boy?" Zarkon zaps Lance. Pidge rushes him, and she almost manages to do it but he throws her to the ground. Lance rushes and grabs the staff.

"PIDGE! THE LAMP!" Pidge runs to it. Zarkon, however, shakes off Lance and then zaps her into an hourglass. Pidge trips and falls onto its floor. She gets up and bangs the glass.

"Ah, ah, ah, princess--Your time is up!" Zarkon says smirking. Sand begins to fall from on top of her. 

"PIDGE!" Lance yells as Pidge tries to use her shoulder to break the glass. Hunk gasps in horror. The mice rush for the lamp. 

"Oh don't toy with me." Zarkon zaps them into toys. 

"Things are unraveling fast, now boy." The carpet is zapped and unravels. Lance again rushes for the lamp.

"Get the point?" His path is blocked by large swords sticking into the floor. Zarkon grabs the lamp and laughs hideously. Lance pulls a sword out of the floor.

"I'm just getting warmed up!" He breathes a ring of fire around Lance.

"Are you afraid to fight me yourself, you cowardly snake?" Lance yells. Pidge starts banging into the glass frantically. From how Zarkon's eyes glint, he realizes his mistake. 

"OF COURSE HE HAD TO SAY SNAKE!" Coran says, grabbing at his hair. Romelle and Shay hug each other and Allura and Lotor get closer to the bars to watch Lance. 

"A snake, am I? Perhaps you'd like to see how snake-like I can be!" The sorcerer smiles broadly, and we see a snake's tongue come out from behind his teeth. He then turns into a giant cobra, and the ring of fire around Lance becomes part of the snake encircling Lance. The snake Zarkon makes moves on Lance, and on the third try, Lance swings the sword and hits Zarkon.

Hunk turns into a cheerleader with a sweater with 'A' on it and pom-poms.

"Rickem, rockem, rackem, rake--stick that sword into that snake!" Hunk yells. Zarkon turns towards the genie. 

"You stay out of thissss!" Hunk rolls his eyes and turns his outfit into a small pennant with a 'Z' on it.

"Zarkon, Zarkon, he's our man--if he can't do it, GREAT!" The cobra frowns. Lance uses the distraction to make a break for the hourglass where Pidge is trapped. However, Zarkon sees this and blocks the path. Lance is thrown away, and he loses his sword.

"LANCE! I DON'T WANT TO BE A BITCH BUT HURRY!" Lance looks to see Pidge half-buried in sand. 

"I'M TRYING!" 

"NO SHIT! I'M JUST SAYING I'M BEING A BIT BURIED ALIVE??" 

"DO YOU REALLY THINK THIS IS THE TIME TO BE SARCASTIC PIDGE?" 

"MY BEST WAY OF COPING IS SARCASM! JUST USE YOUR HEAD YOU GOOF!" Lance jumps on a large gem and slides across the floor, grabbing the sword on his way. He turns a corner, but the pursuing snake cannot, and the front half of Zarkon crashes through a wall and hangs outside the palace. Lance jumps up on the snake's back and stabs it. Zarkon screams in agony. Lance again tries to free Pidge. He is about to hit the glass with his sword when Zarkon grabs him.

"You little fool! You thought you could defeat the most powerful being on earth? Without the genie, boy, you're nothing!" Pidge's eyes widen at that. 

"YOU'RE NOTHING TOO WITHOUT THE GENIE!" The whole room freezes. Zarkon slowly turns towards the hourglass as Pidge is trying to make her way up higher to avoid the sand. 

"Oh?"

"He gave you your power, he can take it away!" Pidge insists. Hunk hisses. 

"Pidge, I love you, BUT WHY ARE YOU BRINGING ME INTO THIS?!" Hunk says, grabbing his head. 

"Face it, Zarkon! You're still just SECOND best!" Lance taunts, smirking. Zarkon frowns. 

"You're right! His power does exceed my own! But not for long!" Zarkon circles Hunk. Hunk is sweating bullets. 

"They're crazy. She's a little sand drunk. He had one too many hits with the snake" His hand turns into a snake and he hits his head with it.

"Slave, I make my third wish! I wish to be an all-powerful genie!" Pidge and Lance grin. Hunk's eyes widen. 

"Your wish is my command." Hunk zaps Zarkon with the last lightning bolt. Zarkon's snake form dissipates and he turns into a genie. 

"Yes! Yes! The power! The absolute power!" Lance and Pidge exchange a knowing glance. 

"WHAT HAVE YOU TWO DONE??" Allura yells. 

"The universe is mine to command, to control!"

"Not so fast, Zarkon! Aren't you forgetting something?" Lance says as he steps forward. Zarkon looks down questioningly

"You wanted to be a genie, you got it! And everything that goes with it!" The boy adds as he points at the now-forming lamp underneath him. Suddenly, shackles appear on his wrists. 

"Phenomenal cosmic powers! Itty bitty living space." Lance adds triumphing. 

"GUYS YOU GENIUSES!!" The mice and the carpet turn back to normal. The laser prison disappears and Alfor is returned to being sultan. Bae Bae jumps in Alfor's arms and the altean laughs. Coran faints and Shay and Romelle have to catch him and Allura and Lotor sigh in relief. Just as Pidge's hand disappeared underneath the sand, the hourglass disappears and Pidge falls to the ground, wheezing. Lance rushes to her side. 

"LETS GET OUT OF HERE!" Sendak and Morvok yell as they finally regain consciousness, but Zarkon reaches his hand out and pulls the two in the lamp with him. 

"Well...guess my secret is out...I can't marry you anymore, huh..." Hunk's eyes widen as he peaks from a corner. 

"Oh, that stupid law. This isn't fair--I love you." Pidge says. Lance smiles slightly. 

"Lance, no problem. You've still got one wish left. Just say the word and you're a prince again." Pidge and Lance both look at each other and smile. 

"Hunk, we'd rather have an affair than not get you your freedom." Lance said, chuckling. 

"Oh HEY! I actually didn't think of that. Imagine it on the news. 'Princess Freak of Nature has an affair with the street rat!'" Lance gasps. 

"Oh MY GOD! We'd so make the front page." Hunk's lip wobbles as he watches the two. 

"You'd...have an affair for me...?" Pidge and Lance laugh. 

"Hunk, I wish for your freedom." Hunk's eyes widen. 

"Hunk. You are finally free." Pidge adds, smiling. The genie looks as his shackles break and his from shrinks. His yellow, glowing, color turns to the dark skin he had in his human form.

"Heh, heh! I'm free. I'm free." He hands the lamp to Lance. 

"Quick, quick, wish for something outrageous. Say "I want the Nile." Wish for the Nile. Try that!" Hunk says, bouncing on his toes. 

"I wish for the Nile."

"No way!!" Hunk laughs hysterically. He bounces around the balcony like a pinball.

"Oh does that feel good! I'm free! I'm free at last! I'm going to be a cook!! Can I be a cook??" Pidge smiles. 

"I personally hire you as my personal cook." Hunk cheered and then he looked at the two in front of him. 

"Guys...You...you are the best friends I could ever ask for..." The three hug.

"No matter what anybody says, you'll always be a prince to me, Lance." Hunk adds. 

"And Pidge? You are no freak of nature." Pidge's lip wobbles. 

"Pidge...? Are you crying?" She sniffles. 

"NO!... I just have sand in my eyes..." Hunk laughs. 

"That's right. You've certainly proven your worth as far as I'm concerned. It's that law that's the problem." Alfor says as he, Allura, Lotor, and the three servants. 

"Father?" Allura asks, smiling. The man humms. 

"Well, am I sultan or am I sultan? From this day forth, the princess shall marry whomever she deems worthy." Pidge's eyes widened as Allura and Lotor grabbed each other's arms. 

"Holy shit..." Lance says as Pidge and him look at each other. She jumps in his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist. They both laugh as their twirl around. Hunk sniffles. 

"L'amour, carpet. L'amour." The carpet shakes his head and gives Hunk a tissue. Hunk loudly blows his nose in it. 

"Where is Pidge?! She's about to miss my wedding!" Allura says, frowning. Hunk, who's wearing a baker's hat and a stained apron with cake batter on it and he has pink cream on his cheek laughs. 

"Lance, Pidge, Shiro, and Keith will make it just in time for you and Lotor's wedding, your highness. I'm a bit salty they didn't take me with them but somebody had to make the cake!" Coran, who was fixing Allura's dress, chuckles. 

"Ah, the paladins. Ever since Alfor had formed Voltron to protect the Galran and Altean alliance, our green little princess has been very lively! She finished the lions in no time!" Shay walked in with Romelle, bringing flowers and a vail. Shay put the flowers down and used her finger to wipe the cream on Hunk's face and tasted it. 

"As delicious as ever." Hunk melted as the two kissed sweetly and quickly. 

"UGH! Y'all just make me feel single." Romelle said, waving her hand around. That's when two galrans, Zethird and Ezor, walked in. 

"Umm Lotor told us to tell you because he can't see you in your wedding dress, that he is- um- he i- how did he say it?" Ezor asked. Zethrid shook her head and smiled. 

"He is ready whenever you are. Also, the paladins have arrived. 

Allura smiled and exited the room. Coran chuckled. 

"No better way to end a story than with a wedding, eh?" 

"Couldn't say that better myself." Lance said as he and Pidge walked in front of the door from down the hallway. 

"Well then? Let's get out happy ending." Pidge said as they all started walking towards Lotor's and Allura's wedding. 

And as the two joined their lives together in this wedding, so our story concluded with its happy ending.

THE END