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Kolivan would never admit it, but he was restless. The Castle was cold, even docked on Okarion. Princess Allura had allowed him to use the training room, but there was only so many times he could spar against Antok. He loved Antok, he really did, but he was starting to wish he’d brought more people along with him. If only Krolia hadn’t volunteered for that deep-cover mission.... So he wandered the halls, considering what was next for the Blade if they succeeded in a few days time. Surely the Empire would not fall all at once. It would splinter, yes, collapse in on itself, but it would be a slow process; the Blade would surely be needed to help it along.
Kolivan found himself outside the training deck. Sounds of sparring filtered out through the door, the clash of swords and a battle cry making their way out. Curious, he stepped through. Keith struck up through the training robot’s arm with a grunt as he did, then spun to slice its head off, Blade glinting purple and blue in the light. He stepped back as the bot hit the ground and spun to face the doorway, blade at the ready.
“Oh. Hi, Kolivan.”
Kolivan brought his right hand to his chest and bowed in the traditional greeting of his House. “Paladin.”
“Level eight blade training sequence complete. Protocol “Will You Goddamn Rest, Keith,” enacted. Level nine set for next session.”
Kolivan raised an eyebrow at the training room AI’s addition and Keith winced. “Shiro....uh.”
“Mmm. I have had to pull many Blades out of the training room myself. Your brother is right, you know.”
Keith sighed and shifted out of his ready stance. “I know,” he said, “it’s just....times like this, I need something to do. I don’t do well just sitting here, waiting for plans to finish lining up.”
Kolivan’s eye caught on Keith’s blade as he let it shift back to dagger form and wiped his bangs out of his eyes. “May I see it?” he pointed at it. Keith blinked at him, but gently placed it in Kolivan’s hand.
He’d thought there was something off about the Paladin’s blade since he’d first seen it, but it had the traditional symbol of House Marmora on it, glowing familiarly on the hilt, and it had activated in Keith’s hands, which meant it was from a Blade. The blade had activated weirdly, though, almost as if it wasn’t so much responding to Keith’s Galran blood as his ability to give up a personal quest for the greater good.
Then there was the fact that only very, very old ones transformed like this one.
With it in his hands, now, Kolivan could see very clearly that it wasn’t quite like the other Blades’. He held it up to the light and studied it. The color of the blade part was different than his own, the weight lighter, but likely more perfectly balanced. It definitely wasn’t made of luxite. Satisfied, he handed it back to its owner. “This is a very special blade, Keith. Take care of it.”
Keith slipped it into the scabbard on his waist. “What do you mean?”
“If I am correct, that blade is made of marthuzitok, not luxite, and thus dates back to the Fall of Altea at the very least.”
“You mean I’ve been carrying around and training with a priceless family heirloom or something?”
Kolivan tilted his head. “No. Well, yes, of sorts. Marthuzitok Blades were often passed down from family member to family member. They were the traditional weapons of the House of Marmora. Made from the steel of the stars, they never dull, almost never break. I thought all but one had been destroyed during the Fall.”
“If they’re so indestructible, what happened to them?”
Kolivan sighed. “When Zarkon....reawoke after entering the quintessence portal on Daibazaal, he rounded on King Alfor and blamed him for destroying his planet. Something...twisted his sense of honor, likely the same thing that’s allowed him to live this long, and despite Alfor’s apologies and explanation he called the Houses together and demanded they attack Altea. The other four obeyed, bringing their full might upon Altea, but his own House, House Marmora, refused.
“They would not turn their backs so drastically on a longtime ally, nor would they blame Alfor for destroying their planet when all evidence suggested the portal would eventually destroy it anyway. They defended Altea with their lives, and they and their blades rejoined the stars when it was destroyed. Only one Marmorait survived; she went on to found the Blade of Marmora, and we have followed in her footsteps ever since. Her blade has been passed down through the leaders of the Blade, despite the fact that none of us can activate it.”
Keith had been still throughout Kolivan’s exposition, his expression impassive. When he spoke, there was a hint of anger in it. “He slaughtered his own people?”
“His own family. A Galran’s house is their family. We as a society value family above all else. Or, we did. Whatever happened to Zarkon that day changed us forever, and not in a good way. We’ve stagnated or regressed in so many ways, done nothing to better the universe or ourselves. The Blade’s mission has always been trying to set right all the damage our once great Empire has done. The battle with Zarkon will just be one major step forward for us.”
Kolivan couldn’t read Keith’s expression. “What do you think will happen once it’s over? To the Blade, I mean.”
“We will continue to fight. There are other problems in the universe, beyond the Empire, much more for us to fight for.”
“If...if I can, after all this is over, I think I’d like to help you.”
Kolivan smiled at him, and reached out to ruffle his hair. “You’ve proven yourself worthy, kitok, I’d be happy to have you with the Blades. But right now, you should listen to your brother and get some sleep. The teleduv will be done soon, and from then there will be no rest.”
Only much much later, as he was finally settling down to sleep himself, did it fully register in Kolivan’s mind that if Keith had activated the Marthuzitok Blade, then he had to be Marmorait, and he only knew of one living child of Marmora.