Chapter Text

The dark expanse of the Anitor system suddenly lit up in a whirling purple and blue wormhole, dropping two large robotic lions into the empty space as it disappeared. One of the lions was huge, mostly black in color, while the other was tiny in comparison, and a bright red. 

“Alright, looks like the signal’s even stronger out here,” The pilot of the black lion said, tapping across his screen and squinting. “That moon, down to our left,” 

“Copy tha’,” The red pilot answered, and the two lions dipped down towards the surface. 

Hiccup smiled and let Merida and Red take the lead, pulling Black behind them, even though his lion could move just as or faster than hers. 

Sometimes he missed the maneuverability of the green lion, but there was a lot of power that came with flying the black one, and Hiccup knew that he’d grown enough to handle it. 

The paladins had changed some since they’d first joined together as Voltron. Jack and Rapunzel still flew Blue and Yellow, similar to how Merida kept fast to Red. The original paladin for Black - E. Aster Bunnymund - had stepped down though. He’d found a different calling manning a different sector of allied rebels, which had left a gap in the robot hero. 

Everyone was surprised when the Black Lion chose Hiccup to replace Bunny. The two pilots were completely different, but it only took a few months for everyone to realize why the lion had made its choice. 

Hiccup wasn’t the scrawny kid who’d snuck himself into the Garrison to find out what had happened to his mother anymore. Space had done wonders for him it seemed. Hiccup shot up, now suddenly taller than Merida and Jack instead of barely clearing Rapunzel. He’d also filled out muscle-wise, even though he was still twiggy. Everything about him seemed older and more focused, making him a perfect leader. 

After a few missions with the new team (Tooth having taken over flying Green), there had been an influx of missions that didn’t require the entire team, but needed one or two lions. So, the entire team had agreed to split up for the next few months, with repeated check-ins back at the castle for breaks. 

This was one of those missions, but it also had a nice bonus for Hiccup if things went well. 

He’d been tracking a Nightmare who’d been accused of heading a trafficking ring in the darker parts of the galaxy. This guy worked in the shadows, but was known for being able to get the rarest of specimens. 

Including humans. 

Hiccup had brought Merida along as backup, referring to her as his ‘red right hand’. The two of them landed their lions on the moon - Keane. After locking their systems down and activating some camouflage tech, the two paladins met up outside, their white and colored armor partially covered by dark cloaks to conceal their identities. 

“Come on,” Hiccup said, following the tracker on his wrist, leading the duo towards a cave system and slipping inside. 

They walked for a bit, following the dull beep of the tracker until it looked like they were right on top of the drop zone - except nothing was there. 

“What do we do now?” Merida asked. 

“Wait a sec…” Hiccup muttered, fiddling with his system before looking up confusedly. “I have no clue,” 

“Does the air feel… heavier ta’ you?” 

“Heavier?”

Merida shrugged, but the two paladins understood each other. The air did feel heavier, and even with their weighted boots to keep them down despite the lack of gravity, it had gotten harder to maneuver with all the stones coating the floor. 

Well, that hadn’t happened fifty feet back. 

“Gravity!” Hiccup grinned, looking up at Merida with bright eyes. “You’re a genius Meri!” 

“So we’re in a patch o’ random gravity?” 

“No, we’re right above a station full of artificial stuff!” 

He kicked some of the rocks away, quickly landing on a keypad that only took a few minutes to disengage, revealing a circular hatch that led into the base. 

“You go,” Merida said, pulling her cloak aside for easy bayard access. “I’ll guard the door,” 

Hiccup slipped inside the hidden chamber, using a grappling line that reeled itself in once he hit the ground. He looked around quickly, and headed straight for the consoles in the middle of the room. 

He plugged in a data loader he’d made especially for this job, then tapped the right button to start the download. 

Everything was going well… and then he heard it. 

Hiccup turned around just in time to see a masked and hooded figure lunge for him, the electric staff in their hands buzzing with electricity. 

He ducked, and the staff crashed into the console above his head. 

“Quiznack,” Hiccup muttered to himself, dodging each of his attackers strikes as he fumbled for his bayard. He kept it in dagger form, twirling it quickly to parry. The masked fighter was too quick for him to get to his commlink and signal Merida for help, so he hoped to Odin that she was paying attention. 

Their fight moved away from the console board and out into the open, but the step down caught Hiccup’s foot and he tripped backwards, landing hard on his back. Before he could react, the marked fighter used their staff to knock his helmet off and out into the room, where it clattered across the floor. 

They twirled the staff and brought it down - but stopped an inch from his neck and gasped. HIccup heaved and slid backwards, hands scabbing for his bayard. 

The masked fighter dropped their staff to the ground, then fell to their knees before grabbing his face and yanking it closer. Hiccup was super confused, but this was at least better than dying. 

Their thumb ran across the small scar Hiccup had on his jawline - something that had happened when he was a kid who’d been too clumsy for the soldering equipment his Uncle Gobber used to build model ships. 

“Hic-cup?” A broken voice croaked. His eyes went wide. The masked person slowly moved her mask off of her face, revealing a middle aged brunette woman with identical green eyes to the Black Paladin. 

“Mom?!” 

The Haddocks crushed into each other and wrapped their arms around each other in a tight hug. Tears peaked from the corners of Valka’s eyes, and she pulled back to take a look at her son. 

“You’ve gotten so big!” She cried. “You were so little last I saw you, now you’re getting to be as tall as your father!” 

Hiccup was by no means as tall as his father, but he appreciated the sentiment. 

“I’ve been looking for you for so long!” He said. “They said you died!” 

“How did you even get this far into space?” 

“Voltron?” Hiccup said awkwardly. “My cadet squad back at the Garrison accidentally found the Blue Lion,” 

“No…” Valka breathed. “You know the paladins?” 

“I am a paladin!” He smirked. “You’re looking at the newly official paladin of the black lion,” 

Valka grinned proudly, but was cut off as a deep laugh echoed throughout the chamber. The two humans exchanged a look as a large Nightmare Soldier stepped out from the shadows at the back of the room. 

“What a touching reunion,” He snarled. “Now I can turn in two wanted criminals instead of one rebel rouser,” 

Hiccup and Valka glared, faces identically ready in that way that made it seem completely genetic.  

“The Black Lion as well,” The Nightmare grinned, “Will be an extra special prize for the emperor,” 

“Stand back Hiccup,” Valka said, brandishing her staff. 

“Stand back Mom,” Hiccup said at the same time, extending his bayard from dagger to sword form. The two looked at each other again, then shrugged. 

“Let’s show him what a Haddock is made of,” Valka challenged. The Nightmare snarled, ready to pounce. Mother and Son braced themselves, but the monstrous man suddenly shook violently and crumbled to the ground, spasming like he’d just been electrocuted. 

With a light thump , a red and white armored figure landed on the ground, and pushed back the hood of her cloak as she straightened up - bayard bow still buzzing from the shot. 

Merida leaned down and scooped Hiccup’s lost helmet up with her other hand, examining it for a second before lobbing it back at her leader. 

“Yeah, yeah, Haddock’s may be the stuff o’ heroes and chiefs,” She smirked, cocking her hip and looking at the duo as a loose curl of her hair bobbed to a stop over her forehead. “But Dunbroch’s are made o’ stronger stock,” 

“Thanks Meri,” Hiccup blushed a little. “You’re my right hand for a reason,” 

“Course ah am,” She grinned. Valka giddily watched the interaction between her son and the redhead, then brandished a hand towards her. 

“I’m Hiccup’s mother dear,” She yanked the younger girl into a hug as well. “And you need to tell me everything I’ve missed!”