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Chapter Text

Princess Catra of Half Moon turned twenty on a dreary Thursday afternoon.

It was a grand affair. The whole entirety of Halfmoon seemed to be there in the banquet hall of the castle. They gave her a surplus of gifts ranging from intricate, hand made, new suits to new balls of yarn to play with in her spare time.

She was a truly beloved princess, known for her kindness, which she had gotten from her father, but also her sarcasm and the playful mischievousness that twinkled behind her eyes—something she got from her mother.

Though, today her eyes didn’t seem to twinkle as bright as usual. Her heterochromatic eyes stared ahead, arms crossed as she sat on her throne, which sat between her father’s and her mother’s empty one.

“Hey.” King Milo elbowed Catra softly in the side. “Why are you so quiet?” Catra let out a sigh, leaning back against her throne as her gaze drifted from the crowd of her people dancing gracefully in front of her to her father, who sat tall at her side. His yellow eyes shone with concern, his orange tail flicked back and forth in quiet anticipation.

“It’s nothing, Dad,” Catra murmured, fiddling with a ball of yarn that sat in her lap. One orphan had given it to her earlier. Had spent all her savings on it. Her father adjusted the crown on his head. It was bulkier than the headpiece that Catra wore, but it had the same design. It wrapped around their heads with points coming in on their foreheads and cheeks and a U-shape on the top, which made parallel points that came up, looking like devil horns a little.

“It’s your mother, isn’t it,” King Milo kept his voice low, continuing to fix parts of his robes, anxiously. Catra’s tail wagged back and forth, irritated.

Queen C’yra had traveled to Bright Moon to meet with Queen Angella that morning. The only indicator that she had remembered her daughter’s birthday was the note left next to her bed.

“You know that her duties--”

“I don’t care,” Catra snapped, glaring ahead. King Milo nodded, nervously picking at his claws.

***

“C’yra,” Angella’s kind voice rang out across the castle.

Queen C’yra’s ears perked. She ran her hands through the tangle of black hair on her head and then straightened out her robes, adjusting her headpiece. “Angella, it’s good to see you.”

The old friends hugged each other. C’yra wasn’t as tall as the Queen of Brightmoon, so it was a slightly awkward position for both of them. “How’s Milo? And Catra?” Angella asked as she pulled away, beckoning the Magicat to follow her as she walked through the halls of the castle.

“Milo’s good. He’s been handling much of the paperwork while I’ve been training our soldiers. Catra’s… Catra. Sometimes it’s hard to believe she’s twenty.” Angella’s eyes lit up.

“Twenty! You must be proud.”

C’yra raised her eyebrows, amused. “She’s becoming a very kind young woman. She cares a lot about the people in Halfmoon, especially the orphans. But her training? Not as much.”

Angella nodded, her eyes trained on the walls—on the murals that they were passing. “Does she have a connection to the runestone?”

C’yra’s breathing hitched. She shook her head. “To be connected to the Tiger’s Eye… It’s much different from the others. A much more ancient ritual. Catra must have… a partner, a spouse, to access the power of the Tiger’s Eye.” Angella was quiet for a moment before nodding.

“Come in here with me.” Angella turned into a large open room with great, big murals around the walls—like the ones in the hallway. C’yra recognized it as the war room. Angella sat in a tall chair at the head of the table. The Queen of the Magicats sat across from her.

“I forgot to ask you... how’s Glimmer?” C’yra asked as she sat down.

A flicker of a smile painted Angella’s face. “Glimmer is stubborn, brave, she reminds me of Micah with each passing day.” 

C’yra chuckled, “I always knew she would. I could see it in the eyes.” A sad look crossed Angella’s face for a second until it flickered back to her normal, neutral expression. 

“She also… she found She-Ra.”

C’yra’s eyebrows rose, her blue eyes widened in surprise. “She-Ra? Really?”

Angella nodded. “She’s forming a… Princess Alliance. To defeat the Horde.”

C’yra’s eyes narrowed, her jet black tail swishing back and forth. “You want Catra to join the rebellion.”

Angella shook her head, “I want all of Half Moon to join the rebellion.” C’yra’s tail moved faster as irritation built in her chest.

“You remember what happened the last time Half Moon joined Bright Moon.”

Angella rubbed her hands together guiltily. “Yes, I remember. But we have She-Ra now--”

“You left us,” C’yra growled, slamming her hands on the table as she stood. “I almost lost Catra!” Tension soared between the two women. Angella was looking to the side, guilt written all over her face. C’yra’s glare bore into the side of her face. “I can’t lose her again.” Her voice was softer, more delicate.

Angella nodded, gulping, “I understand… but C’yra we’re so close. If we band together… We have She-Ra now. If we can get Catra connected to the Tiger’s Eye and get her to join the Princess Alliance… we’d be unstoppable.”

C’yra slowly sat back down in the chair. She crossed her arms across her chest. Her tail was still wagging. “My daughter is single and not exactly looking for a partner. It could be years before she’s connected to the Runestone.” Angella thought for a second, an amused smile spreading across her face.

“An arranged marriage,” C’yra’s eyes flickered up to Angella’s face as she spoke, “we could arrange a marriage. A… A way to get Half Moon into the rebellion. A promise that Bright Moon will stand by Half Moon.” C’yra rose a questioning eyebrow as Angella continued to speak. “Does the marriage have to be between Magicats?”

The Queen of Half Moon sat back in her chair, thinking for a moment, “I suppose not. There just has to be a marriage… the possibility of kittens.” Angella’s smile grew wider. “Perfect! I propose we arrange a marriage for Catra.”

“But who would she marry?” A protective look crossing C’yra’s face.

“She-Ra.”

***

“Any ladies catch your eye?” King Milo asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Catra while she sat bored on her throne, watching the people of Half Moon dance in front of her. The princess rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, and gave her father a look.

“C’mon kid!” Milo stood up. “Dance with me. It’s your birthday!”

A small smile broke out on Catra’s face as she looked up at her father, who stood in front of her with his hand stretched back for her to grab. They considered King Milo a very handsome Magicat. His hair and tail were orange, though grey was shining through. His hair was fluffy, but well contained. He had large, orange ears that were always alert. The short fur that covered his body was tan, like Catra’s, and he had orange stripes spread evenly across his body, another trait he gave to his daughter. His eyes were golden, yellow, and kind. Small freckles sprinkled across his nose, which he also shared with Catra.

Catra grabbed her father’s hand and he led her to the dance floor. A slow song rang out. “Oh! Me and your mother danced to this at our wedding!” King Milo exclaimed, pulling his daughter closer to him. He wrapped one hand around Catra’s waist with the other extended in front of him, wiggling his fingers so she knew to grab his hand. Catra giggled and grabbed her father’s hand, laying her head on his chest, purring, as he sang the words to the song wrong, and swayed them around, slightly offbeat.

Catra loved being wrapped in her father’s firm embrace. It made her think back to her early childhood when King Milo would come to wake her up in the morning, carrying her around the castle as she clung to him, too shy to move her face from his chest.

“I am so very proud of you Catra.” Her father said in a low voice. “You have become an extremely strong, kind young woman. You will become a great Queen someday.” Catra snuggled in closer to her father’s chest. “I learned it all from you, dad.”

“Well, your mother, too, Catra,” her father said pointedly.

Catra shrugged. She knew she had learned a lot from her mother, but she felt like her father had been more of the guiding force in her life. He was the one to teach her basic abilities like hunting, fishing, school, while her mother was off… helping defend Half Moon from the Horde.

“Yeah, her too… I guess.” the King’s golden eyes narrowed slightly. “She’ll be home for dinner, she promised.”

Catra nodded. She had little faith in her mother’s promises.

***

“She-Ra??” C’yra’s eyes grew wide, “I… I don’t know—”

“She-Ra is actually a young girl, about Catra’s age, named Adora,” Angella explained. “She’s… much different from you are probably perceiving her to be.” C’yra looked confused. “How so?”

“Why don’t I introduce you?” Angella offered. C’yra nodded in response. Standing up from the table, the two women made their way back to the halls of Bright Moon. They were about halfway out of the room when Glimmer poofed into the room, panting. C’yra yelped in surprise, her black tail bushing up.

“Hi, mom!” Glimmer greeted her mother cheekily. Her eyes widened when she saw the Magicat standing next to her, “Oh! Queen C’yra,” Glimmer did a small curtsy in greeting.

“Glimmer… can you tell me where Adora is?” Queen Angella asked.

Her daughter straightened her back. “Oh yeah. I was just coming to tell you we need more of that bread because Adora’s in the kitchen eating it all.”

Queen Angella’s hand went up to her head, “Not again…”

“Here! I’ll take you to her,” Glimmer reached out and grabbed onto both of the Queens’ wrists and in a poof, they were in the kitchen. C’yra’s fur was all bushy, her face in a grimace. She wasn’t prepared to be teleported across the castle.

“Glimmer! What did I tell you about teleporting without permission??” Queen Angella reprimanded her daughter, who rolled her eyes and teleported away to the other side of the room where Adora stood, hunched over, munching on a loaf of bread.

C’yra studied the young woman in front of her. She wasn’t what the Queen was expecting when Angella brought up She-Ra. She was wearing a signature Horde red jacket, her dark blonde hair was tied up in a tight ponytail and there was a poof in the front of her hair. Crumbs were spread all over her and on the floor. C’yra could see the sword poking out behind her back.

“Adora. This is Queen C’yra of Half Moon,” Angella spoke loud, trying to get the girl’s attention.

Adora looked up from the bread and her baby blue eyes connected with C’yra’s cat-like blue eyes. “Oh! Uh…” Adora tossed the loaf of bread at Glimmer, bowing and then saluting, “Hello, ma’am… er… sir?”

C’yra lifted an amused eyebrow at Adora. “Hello, Adora.” she reached out her clawed hand for Adora to shake. The young woman stared at her hand for a moment, looking at the Queen’s razor-sharp claws. C’yra realized that this must be Adora’s first time seeing a Magicat. She retracted her claws, making the girl jump. She did eventually reach out to shake C’yra’s hand, but she had to brush the bread crumbs off first.

“Adora, I’d like to invite you to come to Half Moon in the next coming days,” C’yra spoke with a growing amount of confidence.

“I’d like you to meet my daughter, Princess Catra of Half Moon. Glimmer, it would be wonderful if you could join, too.” C’yra grinned. Glimmer nodded, accepting the invitation.

“Can our friend Bow come as well?” Adora asked, excitement lighting her eyes.

“I don’t see why not,” C’yra said, a small smile on her face.

“Cool!” Adora exclaimed, “I mean! Uh… thank you, Ma’am… er, uh…. Queen C’yra!”

“Adora… we have that thing, remember?” Glimmer spoke low, quickly glancing up at her mother, who narrowed her eyes at the two. “What thing?” Queen Angella asked, crossing her arms.

“Uh… Nothing! Bye, Mom! Bye, Queen C’yra!” Glimmer rushed out, grabbing onto Adora and the loaf of bread and teleporting out of the room.

Queen Angella turned to C’yra. “So, is that a yes?”

“I’ll talk to Milo and Catra.” C’yra didn’t give an answer, but she didn’t have to. The Queen of Brightmoon already knew what she was going to say. So she smirked slightly as C’yra turned to leave.

“I’ll be in touch.”

Chapter Text

Glimmer transported herself and Adora into Glimmer's room.

"What was that about Glimmer??" Adora complained, rubbing her head.

"Here," Glimmer shoved the half-eaten bread loaf into Adora's arms, "eat your stupid bread." Adora shrugged and ripped off a large piece of the loaf, shoving it into her mouth. "I was eavesdropping on their conversation!" Glimmer stated, "My mom's trying to pimp you out!" Adora ripped another piece of bread out of the loaf, cocking her head in a questioning manner, "She's trying to marry you off to the Princess of Half Moon!"

"What exactly is that?" Adora asked, crumbs of bread spewing out of her mouth onto her jacket, onto the ground, onto Glimmer.

"God, sometimes you're so dense!" Glimmer sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Marriage is like... your partner... but like, sexually."

Adora's mouth dropped. "Your mom fiddling with my sex life??"

Glimmer groaned, "No, no, no... not like that. It's like a girlfriend... but forever."

Adora didn't seem to catch on. "So, your mom's trying to set me up with someone... to have sex forever."

Glimmer made another loud groan noise, a hand smacking her forehead in frustration. "Is she at least hot?" Adora tore another piece off the bread but Glimmer smacked it out of her hand.

"Can you stop eating! This is serious! This is serious adult stuff!"

Adora narrowed her eyes. "I'm mature. I'm sure it'll be fine."

Glimmer gave her a look. "Adora. You are not mature."

The other girl shook her head, "I'm very mature, I'm leading the rebellion to victory right now!"

Glimmer sighed and put her hand on Adora's shoulder. "You're good at war, you're not good at feelings. Look," Glimmer moved, so she was directing in front of Adora, "you grew up in a military compound that never showed you love. If this thing goes through, it's gonna be a big deal for you! You're gonna be connected to another person for the rest of your life! I don't think you understand that!"

Adora starred at Glimmer, eyeballing her, trying to figure out exactly what was going on, "I've had sex before, Glimmer."

Glimmer's face screwed up, and she made a gagging noise. "Ew! Adora, I don't wanna know!" Adora furrowed her eyebrows, confused, taking another bite of bread. "I'm serious. In the Horde—"

"This isn't just about sex! Also, I don't wanna know about your Horde sexcapades. Ugh! Where's Bow when you need him!!" Glimmer pulled out her communication pad, rapidly typing on it.

"Go for Bow!" Bow's voice rang out, "Hey guys! What's up?" Glimmer shoved the pad into Adora's hands, making her drop the bread.

"Bow! Explain marriage to Adora!"

Adora looked down at Bow's face on the screen. Her friend's eyes widened, confusion spread across his face, "Well, uh, when you really, really love someone you marry them."

Glimmer grabbed the pad out of her hands. Adora immediately knelt down to pick the bread up again, taking a large bite out of it. "My mom's trying to put her into an arranged marriage!"

Adora could hear Bow's surprised gasp, "With who??" 

Glimmer's eyes darkened, "Princess Catra of Halfmoon."

Glimmer's eyes darkened, "Princess Catra of Half Moon."

"Isn't she the one who—"

"Not now Bow!" Glimmer growled. Adora looked at her confused, "Did she... do something to you?" Bow's laugher sounded from the communication pad. Glimmer angrily hung up the call, grabbing Adora's wrist, "C'mon, we're going to the library!"

In a poof, the only thing that was left in the room were several bread crumbs.

***

Queen C'yra was only fifteen minutes late to her daughter's birthday dinner. It was a record.

They were having fish. It was Catra's favorite. The Queen of Halfmoon quickly rushed into the room, planting a kiss on her husband's lips and one on her daughter's head. "Sorry I'm late! You both know how Angella can be." Catra made a displeased sound.

King Milo chuckled, running a hand through his fluffy orange hair. "I had Ashli make your plate. She skipped out on the greens. Told me you wouldn't them, anyway." C'yra chuckled, shoving a piece of fish into her mouth.

Queen C'yra had a very commanding presence about her. Her long, jet black hair and tail stood in stark contrast to her vibrant blue eyes and the pale fur that covered her body. She had many, many scars on her body. The most noticeable was a long mark that ran from just below her hairline on the right side of her head to the opposite cheek, just barely missing her eye. She and Catra shared a heart-shaped face and the wild, unruly hair. Though Catra's hair was a tad lighter.

"Angella says hi, Catra," her mother said. Catra nodded, shoving an entire piece of bread into her mouth. C'yra watched her do it, a faint smile taking over her face, her mind drifting back to Adora standing in the kitchen, her back hunched, going to town on that bread. A slightly awkward silence washed over the table until C'yra cleared her throat. "Me and Angella talked about the rebellion... the war today." Catra's ears flicked up, alert, her eyes observing her mother. C'yra looked nervous. Her tail was flicking back and forth, her gaze directed at her plate.

King Milo also lifted his head. "Oh? What did she have to say?" There was a roughness to his tone that was not there earlier at Catra's celebration.

Catra could see her mother visibly stiffen, her arms crossing in front of her. "She-Ra is on their side now." The loud clanking sound of two forks being dropped rang out across the room.

"She-Ra?" Catra's voice was small, questioning. She felt like a kitten again.

Everyone knew the marvellous stories of the powerful warrior princess She-Ra, how she fought beside Halfmoon and so many other kingdoms to preserve the good in Etheria. "Did you see her?" King Milo asked in a hushed, amazed tone.

C'yra nodded, shoving another spoonful of fish into her mouth, gulping it down. "Not in her transformed form, but I met her, yes. She's young, probably around your age, Catra." Something in her mother's tone ticked Catra off to the fact that there must be more to the story.

Her eyes narrowed, and she gave her mother a hard look. "What else?"

Queen C'yra shifted uncomfortably in her seat, her eyes trained on the decorative table in front of her. "Queen Angella wants you to be connected to the Tiger's Eye." Catra and Milos' eyes widened.

"You couldn't possibly mean--"

"I can't do that! I'm not getting married!"

"She wants to arrange a marriage between you," Queen C'yra hesitated for a moment, seeing the look in her daughter's eyes, "and She-Ra."

***

Glimmer was making Adora read every book she could find about marriage.

The two were sitting at a table in the back of the library, next to a grand window that overlooked the castle grounds. Adora was growing tired of the reading. She couldn't see to understand the concept that Glimmer was so adamant about teaching her.

"Out of every damn princess on Etheria... of course, mother had to pick Catra ," Glimmer was muttering to herself, as she sat next to Adora, shoving books into her arms.

"What's so bad about Catra?" Adora asked.

Glimmer shoved a book roughly into her chest, growling, "Catra is insufferable!"

A small squeak left Adora's lips in reply. "Does she look like that woman?" Adora asked, trying to picture what this insufferable princess could look like.

Glimmer shook her head. "Her hair is lighter and her fur is more tan." Adora sat there and thought hard about what that would look like.

"Anyway!" Glimmer clapped her hands. "I will not stoop down to Catra's level! If you have to marry her, I am gonna make you the best wife anyone would ever want!"

The sound of someone chuckling made both girls twist their heads to the left. Queen Angella stood next to one bookcase, an amused look on her face. "I knew you were listening in on me and C'yra's conversation." The queen strolled over to Adora and took a seat next to her.

Glimmer turned a bright pink color, stammering out, "I... uh.. didn't mean to!"

Queen Angella shook her head, "Hush, Glimmer. Adora," she turned her attention to the young woman at her side, "I only am willing to do this if you're comfortable with it. This is a major step in life and I don't want to force you into it if you're not comfortable with it."

Adora shrugged. "I'm willing to do anything to help the rebellion." She stated simply. Glimmer looked displeased. But Adora couldn't bring herself to care. She was She-Ra, and she had a plant to save.

***

"WHAT?!" Catra shrieked, jumping up from her seat.

C'yra sighed, "Look, Catra. If you get married and go through the ceremony to connect to the Tiger's Eye... all of Etheria would be stronger for it. By connecting yourself with the runestone you could join the Princess Alliance, the tides could turn in this war!"

Catra paced back and forth in the room. "You can't control me like this! I can't fucking marry someone I don't know!" Catra seethed.

"Language, Catra," King Milo growled, leaning back in his chair, staying neutral in the situation.

"Listen, kitten--"

"NO!" Catra was red in the face, anger growing with every word she spoke. "What game are you playing?? You HATE the rebellion! They left us!"

C'yra sighed, her hand traveling up to her throbbing temple, "Catra. This is a war we're talking about. A war that YOU can help win. I know this seems unfair to you. I understand that. But please... just... meet the girl. You might be more open to it than you think."

Catra grabbed her plate of food and stomped out of the room, loudly slamming the door, leaving her parents sitting opposite of each other. "You were extremely helpful," C'yra snapped at her husband, who rolled his eyes.

"Forgive me.” His first words had a bit of a sarcastic bite. Yet, his shoulder’s unteased and he sighed, adjusting his tone. “I'm still a little shocked. You're serious... She-Ra is back? She wants to marry Catra?"

C'yra sighed, sinking lower in her chair. "Yes, she's back. I don't know what's going through her mind. Queen Angella was going to talk to her later today." Milo nodded, hesitantly. They sat in awkward silence for a good few minutes.

"She has a point, you know," Milo said, standing up, walking over, and standing behind his wife. His hands traveled down to her shoulders, massaging the tension out of them and down her neck. "This is kind of coming out of nowhere. Why join the rebellion now?"

"It's bad out there, Milo," C'yra spoke softly. "Entire towns being burned to the ground without a care for human life. I've seen Horde bots chase down people, innocent civilians, and shoot them down." Milo hummed and continued to work at his wife's shoulders. "I just... this could be what the war needs." Milo nodded quietly.

"Is She-Ra safe, will she protect our daughter and Half Moon?" There was an edge to his tone that didn't go unnoticed by C'yra.

"She will arrive at Half Moon later this week and you can make that judgment for yourself." There was a slight smirk on the queen's lips. Milo nodded and leaned over, pressing a soft kiss on the top of C'yra's head. "I'll go check on our daughter."

"Please." C'yra reached out, grabbing his hand before he could leave. "Can you try to talk to her? She listens to you." He squeezed her hand in response before dropping it and making his way to Catra's bedroom.

Leaving C'yra by herself with a plate full of food in front of her, images of the war just outside Half Moon's borders flashing through her mind.

***

Catra's room was dark as she had her curtains covering the entire window. She could see only a crack of the morning light shooting across the floor. Her bed was nothing extravagant, but it was extremely soft and Catra was asleep, curled up in the middle of it. Soft snores escaping her lips—a peaceful expression on her face. Pictures were strewn across the walls of the bedroom; most of them were of her and her parents, but there were a few sprinkled in of Catra and her childhood friends—many of whom were soldiers for Halfmoon now.

There was a soft knock on the door. It caused Catra to whine, pulling her pillow closer to her body. "Catra, get up," Ashli, one of the staff members in the castle, spoke calmly, "I've laid out your robes. She-Ra is arriving today."

The mention of She-Ra's name caused Catra to bolt up. As much as she was dreading meeting the powerful warrior princess (and her future spouse??), she also knew that it was She-Ra and she needed to be on her best behavior. "Coming!"

She flung the door open, revealing Ashli. She was an older Magicat who Catra had known her entire life. She had dark fur and dark hair, with vibrant green eyes. There were smile wrinkles around her eyes, but there was also a dullness that Catra had just noticed. She knew Ashli had lost a child in the war a few years ago and had taken it hard.

"I brought the gold ones. I know they're your favorite." Ashli winked, causing a deep blush to flood to Catra's cheeks. She quickly grabbed the clothes from the older woman and shut the door. Magicat robes had two pieces. The bottoms were a thick material that fit snug to Catra's body and were a deep red color with gold lining the sides and the cuffs. The top part of the robe was much more intricate. Catra wore a turtleneck long-sleeved shirt underneath her robes. This one was also a deep red color. The robe itself was long, almost cape-like in appearance. Intricate designs that were specific to Catra's family lined the gold robe in white. Catra fiddled with the clasps on it for a moment, her nerves making her hands shaky. She did her best to tame her thick, dark hair, staring at herself in the mirror. Her gold/blue eyes stared back. She fixed her headpiece, so it was fit snug on her head and tried to get the fur on her black ears to stop sticking up. Eventually, she made her way to the throne room and took her seat in between her parents. All three dressed in a variant of gold, red, and white—Half Moon colors—but each had a distinct style to their dress. Queen C'yra wore a dress, while King Milo had on a dapper suit with his robes.

"Good morning, Catra," her mother whispered. Catra just shot her a glare in response.

The doors to the throne room creaked open. Catra recognized princess Glimmer of Bright Moon right away. She had grown taller since the last time Catra had seen her, but it was the same old Sparkles. A tall, dark-skinned boy walked beside her. Catra thought it was odd that his armor seemed to stop just below his chest, showing off his stomach to everyone. Walking just behind them was a tall, blonde-haired girl. She seemed to take in the throne's room entirety, her bright blue eyes wondering across the stain glass windows that told the ancient stories of the Magicats. Catra smiled to herself. The girl had a bit of a dopy look on her face. Small strands of her hair seemed to have come out of the high ponytail and were tickling her cheeks—she kept trying to blow them out of her eyes. Catra could clearly see the hand of the sword poking out from behind her back.

"That's She-Ra? I thought she'd be a little taller." King Milo muttered under his breath. Queen C'yra rolled her eyes and responded, "that's Adora. She transforms into She-Ra."

Adora stumbled up the steps, her feet tripping on the last step, which sent her sprawling to the ground. Catra, with her quick reflexes, could shoot out of her throne and grab the girl just before she hit the ground. Adora lifted her gaze up to meet Catra's eyes, her own widening— pupils dilating. Catra felt her cheeks turn a deep red color, matching her shirt.

"Uh, hi," Adora squeaked out, her grip tightening on Catra's arm.

"Hey, Adora."

Chapter Text

She was remarkably beautiful.

Adora thought as she peered into Catra's eyes. One of her eyes was a deep blue, full of curiosity, while the other one was a golden yellow color, full of kindness and warmth. The fur covering her body was a tan color and her hair was a dark brunette and almost seemed to explode off of her head, stretching out in all directions. Adora could feel the girl's sharp claws pressed into the skin of her arm—but not with enough pressure to break skin. She dressed in beautiful, intricately designed robes, which brought out the contrast in her eyes even more.

Catra's eyes suddenly narrowed, her gaze turning into a glower. Adora gulped and a small voice in the back of her head screamed at her, 'this is just a political thing, don't expect her to actually like you.' So, she screwed up her face into a neutral expression, clearing her throat. She let Catra put her up to her feet and kept her eyes on the floor as the Magicat sat back in her seat. Adora didn't know exactly what to do, so she dropped to her knees, holding her sword out in front of her, bowing her had forward so it leaned against the handle.

"Your Majesties," Adora greeted. She squinted up to the three rulers of Half Moon. Queen C'yra had a regal, almost coldness about her as she looked down at her. Though Adora swore she could see a speck of amusement in the way, her lip curled up into a smirk. King Milo was smiling kindly at her, almost sympathetically. Princess Catra wasn't looking at her. She was staring off to the side, her arms crossed, her face scrunched up angrily.

"Adora," the queen's voice was just as demanding as Adora remembered. "It's good to see you. I hope the trip was kind."

Adora, still kneeling on the ground, nodded her head vigorously. "Yes, there were no troubles." There were a few Horde bots, but it wasn't an issue for the best friend squad.

"Princess Glimmer and... Bow?" Adora turn to see her friends standing at the bottom of the stairs. Bow nodded his head to confirm his name. "Come up here, won't you?"

Slowly, the two climbed the steps until they stood on either side of Adora. Glimmer grabbed the back of Adora's shirt, yanking her up. "Stop doing that! You look ridiculous," Glimmer whispered harshly into Adora's ear. The other girl turned an intense pink color.

"We would love for you all to join us this evening for dinner," C'yra crossed her legs in front of her, staring each of them directly in the eyes as she spoke, "however, in the meantime, I'll have Catra show you to your rooms and then," She shot a look at her daughter, "she will give you a quick tour of Half Moon." The princess made a loud, forceful exhale in response, still refusing to look anyone in the eye.

"Thank you, your majesty. That is very kind of you." Adora went to bow, but Glimmer grabbed the back of her shirt again to stop her from doing so.

"Please, call me C'yra. There's no need for such formalities here in Half Moon."

C'yra and Milo stood, giving each guest a quick handshake. "I expect my daughter to be on her best behavior," Milo stated, giving Catra a hard look. With that, the couple strode out of the throne room, leaving Catra alone with the Rebellion's most prominent members.

There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment until Catra spoke, "Hey Sparkles, you don't look much taller." Adora noticed that the girl's voice was raspy, sarcastic. There was a small smirk on her face as she watched Glimmer turn bright red in the face.

"Catra!" Glimmer hissed, "You know my name."

A soft chuckle escaped Catra's lips, "I sure do, Sparkles." Adora narrowed her eyes at the girl sitting on the throne in front of her.

"I would appreciate it if you stopped bothering my friend."

Catra's eyes snapped up to Adora's. She looked like she was about to retort something back, her mouth opening slightly, but it quickly shut. "Of course, I apologize." Catra stood up, her hands smoothing over the crinkles on her robe. "Follow me, I'll take you to your rooms."

Catra led them out of the gigantic throne room and into the winding halls of Half Moon castle. Adora watched as the princess extended her hand out, fingers tracing the intricate etchings on the walls while they walked in silence. Glimmer slipped her hand in Adora's, squeezing it gently, letting her know she appreciated Adora standing up for her. Bow trailed slightly behind Adora and Glimmer, his eyes glancing behind them every few moments, making sure they weren't to be ambushed.

"Sparkles er... Glimmer," Catra quickly glanced at Adora, at the sword, "this is your room." She waved a hand toward a large wooden door on the left side of the hallway. "Bow-boy, that one is your room." Catra lifted her other hand and pointed to a door on the right side of the hall.

There was a pause, Bow, Glimmer, and Adora looking at Catra expectantly.

"Oh," They could clearly see the blush rising to Catra's cheeks, "Adora, uh. My mom wanted you... to stay in my room."

All three of the Bright Moon residents stared at Catra, dumbfounded looks on their faces. Adora had a light blush on her cheeks, almost matching the deep red color of Catra's. Glimmer's face shifted into an angry grimace, cursing Queen C'yra in her head for a moment. Bow looked like a confused puppy dog until the realization crossed his face. He turned to Adora with a smirk.

"Anyway," Catra clapped, "I'll leave you two to drop off your things. Adora... uh... follow me," Adora nodded, giving her friends one last glance before turning around and falling into step with Catra. The two were silent for a while. Catra continued dragging her fingers along the wall and Adora watched the tense girl's actions curiously.

"I'm sorry about this whole... arrangement." It was Catra who broke the silence first. Adora continued to look at her curiously until the girl turned her head to look at her—only then did Adora snap her gaze away.

"It's okay, I have to help the rebellion any way I can."

Catra's eyes narrowed. She looked at Adora, hard, trying to figure out what angle the girl was coming from. "You seriously don't care that Queen Angella is messing with your personal life?"

Adora looked up at Catra again. She didn't look angry like before in the throne room, mostly just confused. "I have to help with the rebellion in any way I can," Adora repeated. Catra just stared at her a little longer, shook her head, and returned her gaze back to the walls of Half Moon. The rest of the walk to Catra's room was silent.

"I'm going to get a mattress pad for the ground. You can take the bed," Catra spoke quietly once they reached her room. Catra's clawed hand grabbed the handle to the door, swinging it open. Adora gasped, taking a step into the room.

It was nothing like her room in neither the Horde nor Bright Moon. Framed pictures of Catra with her parents and other Magicats painted the walls of the room. There were a few posters of what looked like music interments to Adora. The bed sat pushed back against the far wall. It looked soft, but not unbearably soft, like her first bed at Bright Moon. Above the bed was a grand painting of Catra and her parents. She was much younger in the picture, probably only a few years old. Her mismatched eyes were bright; happy. King Milo had one of his hands on baby Catra's shoulder, the other resting on his wife's shoulder. Queen C'yra had Catra in her lap. Adora noticed that the scar on her face wasn't there. She wondered if there was a picture out there of her with her parents, but she quickly shook that thought from her mind. Adora took another step into the room and spotted a dresser leaned up against the right wall of the room. On top of the dress were a few multicolored pots with flowering plants on top that looked very well cared for. A watering can placed next to them. There was a wooden organizer on the other wall. Adora wondered what was inside. She thought she could see a little string of yarn peeking out of one drawer. Next to the organizer sat a long bookshelf that was filled with books of all sizes. Above the bookshelf, there was a gigantic quilt. Adora gasped, feeling drawn to it. She slowly walked towards it. Each box had a different shape in it. Adora recognized one as a fish, one as a spear. One box had three hearts in it. In the middle box, there were characters of a language Adora couldn't read.

"It says my name in Magicat." Catra's voice brought her out of her trance. Adora jumped, turning around to face the princess of Half Moon. The girl looked slightly embarrassed, but Adora couldn't understand why. She pointed up at the quilt, at the middle box.

"It says Catra," she repeated. "Each box is a representation of my life. That one there is a fish. I got it when I went on my first hunt. The spear means I finished my basic training. That one is my family." Catra pointed at the three hearts. She described to Adora what each box represented, while Adora gave Catra her full attention.

"My mother sewed it for me. There's only one box left." Catra's ears flattened against her head as she pointed to a blank spot at the bottom corner of the quilt.

"What's that one for?" Adora asked, an interested look on her face. Catra cleared her throat and turned away from the blonde.

"Uh. Marriage."

Adora almost choked on her spit, whipping her head around to look at the blank box again. For the first time, the thought of marriage stirred something in Adora's chest, being a part of Catra's quilt. She quickly suppressed the feeling, though, turning back to Catra.

"Are you sure you don't want the bed? I'm used to uh..." Catra didn't know she had been a Horde soldier, "I'm used to sleeping on the ground."

Catra turned and gave her a weird look. "No, no. It's fine. You're a guest here and will be treated as one."

Adora gulped and nodded. "We should probably get back to Glimmer and Bow." Catra nodded quietly, reaching out her hand as a gesture that she wanted to take Adora's bag. Adora quickly shed herself of the bag that was dropped over her shoulder, shyly handing it to Catra.

"I'm going to put this next to the nightstand for now." Catra lived the light bag with ease. "Do you not have any other clothes??"

Adora stumbled over her words, "Uh... I have a dress? It's red." Catra gave her another weird look.

"Maybe we can get you some traditional Magicat clothes while we're out in the city," Catra said, more to herself than Adora. The blonde still nodded her head awkwardly.

"Alright let's go find your dumb friends." Catra grabbed onto Adora's wrist, pulling her out of the room and into the hallway.

Once reunited with Bow and Glimmer, the foursome made their way out of the castle. It sat on a slight hill with a path that led from the entrance of the building, down the hill, and into the bustling city of Halfmoon. The entire place was guarded by a large wall which, in turn, was guarded by Magicat soldiers. Halfmoon was settled deep in the Whispering Woods, Adora knew as she Glimmer and Bow almost couldn't find it, so Adora thought it was odd for Half Moon to have so much security. However, they were in a time of war.

"I hope you found your rooms comforting." Catra's tone differed from before when they were alone in the Throne room; more regal. Glimmer shot a glare at the other princess. "Yes, thank you. Princess Catra," Glimmer said through gritted teeth.

"The sheets are lovely!" Bow exclaimed, a big smile on his face. "Very spacious, as well."

A small smile spread across Catra's lips at the boy's excitement. It wasn't often that Half Moon got visitors, and even if it was Sparkles and her friends, Catra was glad that they were comfortable in Half Moon.

"I think Adora wanted to get some new clothes," Catra stated. Glimmer snapped her attention toward her friend—a glare on her face. Adora grimaced. She wished Glimmer could be civil and not make things awkward. "So, let's make our way to the city center. I know some wonderful stores."

The group marched on into the thick of the city. Adora found herself amazed by how busy Half Moon was, how loud it was. Magicats of all different coloring were outside in the streets, some were selling food at little stands, some were working—carrying wood and other supplies to different buildings. There were a few soldiers patrolling the streets, but they seemed friendly. One even stopped to give a small kitten a lollipop before continuing her route.

"Princess Catra!" A group of kitten squealed, tumbling over themselves to get to the princess. They stopped mid-run when they noticed Glimmer, Bow, and Adora, frozen, staring at them. Adora wondered if they had ever seen a non-Magicat.

"It's okay little ones," Catra spoke in a warm, calming tone, "these are my friends."

The group of kitten hesitated before continuing to run at Catra. A few of them jumped up at her. She lifted one lucky one into her arms. Adora watched the interaction curiously. She had never really seen a group of children handled with so much attention and care. She felt a light tug on the bottom of her jacket. Looking down, she saw one of the smallest kittens of the group looking up at her with peer wonder.

"Er..." Adora cleared her throat, "hello small child."

The kitten cocked her head questioningly. "Up!" She reached out her hands as to ask Adora to pick her up. Adora, not knowing what to do, bent down and picked the small child up by her armpits. The kitten had big, bright, green cat eyes. The fur covering her body was light, almost white, and her hair and tail were a blonde color. She giggled happily as Adora held her awkwardly against her chest. Adora felt several peers of eyes burning into her side. Looking over, she noticed that Catra, Glimmer, and Bow were all staring at her. Glimmer looked annoyed, her arms were crossed over her chest and she wore a frown on her face. Bow had heart eyes galore and looked like he was almost ready to reach out and hug Adora and the small kitten. Adora couldn't read Catra's look. She could tell she was neither angry nor annoyed, though. Her eyes kept flickering from the kitten in Adora's arms to Adora's eyes.

"Celia," Catra said, "come here." The blonde kitten wiggled out of Adora's grasp, plopping on the ground and running towards Catra.

"I like that one," Celia stated, pointing at Adora. Suddenly, the rest of the group of kittens rushed towards Adora, picking at her clothes. One pulled her down so she was kneeling.

"Why are you dressed so weird?'

"Where are your ears?"

"Why do you have this poof in your hair?"

"Can I play with your sword?"

Catra's eyes widened. "Okay, alright. No playing with Adora's sword." She walked over to the group before something bad happened, ushering the kittens away from her.

"Where's Madam Magnolia?" Catra directed the question at one of the older kittens. He thought about it for a moment.

"She went into the store to get some food and told us to wait outside." He replied, a sheepish look on his face.

"Did you all stay put?" Guilty looks spread across the kittens' faces. "I'll take that as a no."

A loud voice shouting out names caused everyone to turn around. A plump, tan, older Magicat was running toward them with bags in her claws.

"Princess Catra!" The woman rushed out, out of breath. "I'm so sorry for them. I turned my back for a second and--"

"I know Magnolia." A kind smile crossed Catra's face as she placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "They're just little rascals."

A relieved look crossed Madam Magnolia's face. She turned toward the kittens. "Come along now, children. It's time to go back to the orphanage."

Orphanage.

Orphanage.

The word rang in Adora's ears. Those kittens were orphans. Like her. Catra was treating them with so much kindness. She stared at the princess, the light, genuine smile on her face as she knelt down, saying goodbye to each of the kittens. Adora felt a weird sensation spread through her body, her mouth dry. Catra turned to look at her for a moment, and their eyes connected. Catra gave her a grateful smile, and Adora had to clasp her hands together to keep them from shaking.

"Princess Catra, please come visit us soon. I'm so bored," Celia pouted, "and can you please bring Miss Adora?"

Catra glanced at Adora again, who gave her a slight nod. "Me and Miss Adora will come by soon, okay? I promise."

The answer seemed to please Celia and the rest of the orphans. Madam Magnolia led them away from Catra, Bow, Glimmer, and Adora. Adora couldn't figure out how she felt at that moment, but she knew one thing for sure.

She felt differently about this arrangement than she did before

Chapter Text

Adora was kinda an odd person.

Catra watched the way she walked, alert, head-turning at every little movement. She was stiff, her back ramrod straight. Catra wondered for a moment if it was because she was in a new environment, or if she was always like that. She thought back to the moment they had in Catra's room, how intensely she was listening to Catra talk about her quilt. Adora wasn't as tense as she was now in the center of Half Moon, but she still had an awkward alertness about her that made Catra wonder if she ever truly relaxed. Catra snuck a glance at Bow and Glimmer—Bow was enjoying himself. He had purchased some iced juices from one of the food carts and given them to Adora, Glimmer, and Catra. Catra had declined the offer, telling him she had already had one that day. Glimmer had taken the treat but hadn't eaten it—giving it to Adora when the girl inhaled hers. The look of elation on Bow's face made Catra smile to herself. She had taken a liking to the young man and his kindness—though she wouldn't admit it.

Glimmer's attitude was annoying Catra.

She didn't know why exactly the Princess had an issue with her. She knew she had played some kinda mean pranks on her when they were younger before the Horde had attacked Halfmoon, but Catra assumed she would be over it by now. They were both technically adults. Catra could tell that Glimmer's sour disposition was making Adora anxious as well. She could detect it in the way Adora would quickly glance at Catra when Glimmer muttered something under her breath.

"Alright, here we are," Catra stated, motioning towards a modest building off to the side of the road. "Clothes time!"

They trekked into the store. The owner of the store's ears perked up when she heard the door open. "Princess Catra! Oh! And friends!"

"Hey Gleda," Catra said, a warm smile painting her face in greeting, "Adora here," Catra plopped a hand down on the blonde girl's shoulder, "needs some more clothes."

"Oh! I've heard about you." Gleda adjusted her glasses, peering at Adora excitedly. "You're the She-Ra! It's an honor to meet you, Miss." The Magicat reached out and grabbed Adora's hand, shaking it vigorously. Adora smiled politely, but there was a slight hint of an embarrassed blush on her face.

The store owner circled Adora, looking the young woman up and down. Adora's cheeks turned an even darker shade of red, shifting self consciously.

"I know just the thing! Of course, you'll have to sew the tail holes but it'll bring out your eyes!" The woman rushed to the back of the store. Loud rustling noises and the sound of hangers clanking against the floor rang out across the open room. Gleda came back with an assortment of clothes that were all different shades of red. She reached out and held a top up against Adora's chest. It was a silky material, long-sleeved—a button up-tunic like shirt. Something that a Magicat would wear at a party. There were Magicat symbols along the collar.

"What do you think, Princess Catra?" Gleda asked and the Magicat Princess smirked, blatantly checking Adora out.

"Lookin' good blondie."

Adora tried to hide the blush that continued to spread across her face with her hands, but it didn't work well for her.

"Looks great, Adora!" Bow said cheerily, elbowing Glimmer in the side and glaring at her when she rolled her eyes.

"I like it," Glimmer mumbled.

"Good, great. What about this one?" Gleda held up a long-sleeved, white, fitted shirt not unlike the one Adora had on under her jacket. Except, instead of the Horde symbol on the back, the shirt had a little patch of Half Moon on the chest.

"Oh! Yes! Adora, get that one too!" Bow exclaimed excitedly. "It's much better than the one you're wearing now."

They went through the whole pile, deciding whether Adora should keep the clothes. Most of them she ended up keeping, though. Catra and Glimmer both tried to pay for the clothes, but Gleda refused to accept their money, telling them it was enough that the clothes were going to She-Ra. Adora said thank you about fifteen times to the store's owner. A seemingly permanent blush painted across her cheeks. The group made their way back to the castle, Adora carrying about four bags full of clothes in her hands. On their way back, Magicats were stopping them every few seconds to chat with Catra or to shake Adora's full hands. A few even seemed to say hello to Glimmer. It was a slow journey, but it gave Adora more time to study the city. Once back at the castle, Bow and Glimmer went to their rooms to get ready for dinner. Catra and Adora, again alone, walked towards Catra's room.

"I hope you liked Half Moon's town center," Catra stated, sticking her hand out to trace the Magicat characters that were etched into the walls. Adora glanced at her, a small smile spreading across her face.

"It was cool. I've never really been anywhere like it."

Catra glanced at her, slight confusion spreading across her face. "Is it not like the towns in Bright Moon?"

Adora paled for a moment. "Ah. I'm not too sure. I'm not from Bright Moon, really. I've only been there for about a month."

"Where are you from originally?"

Catra could hear Adora gulp. She watched the girl curiously. She looked pale. Her eyes were downcast, clearly uncomfortable. Catra felt guilty for a moment—she hadn't realized it was a sore subject for the young woman.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to," Catra said. Adora glanced at her, a grateful look on her face.

When they got into Catra's room, Adora placed the shopping bags down next to her bag that was leaning against the nightstand.

"You gonna wear some of your new clothes?" Catra asked, a hopeful look on her face.

A sheepish look crossed Adora's face. She turned around and dug through the bags, pulling out the red tunic. "Do you think this one would look nice?"

Catra smiled and nodded. "I'll... uh. I'll leave so you can change," Catra stuttered out awkwardly, turning her gaze towards her feet and leaving the room.

Out in the hallway, Catra sighed, looking at the shut door. She wasn't expecting to actually like the girl her mom was trying to marry her off to. It was easy to talk to her, and Catra wanted to talk to her. She enjoyed messing with Adora; she enjoyed seeing her blush—it made her look so... cute. Adora wanted to learn about Magicat culture and that excited Catra. She wasn't like Glimmer, who Catra thought was kinda stuck up. It had only been a day and the Princess of Half Moon felt herself becoming attached to Adora. She wondered about the life Adora lived before that had brought her to Half Moon. How did she find the Sword of Protection? Where did she grow up? What did her parents do? Catra snickered to herself, picturing two bumbling blonde idiots trying to teach Adora basic skills.

Adora swung the door open, and Catra's heart stopped. Seeing Adora actually in the tunic differed from seeing Gleda hold it up to Adora's body at the store. The red brought out Adora's complexion and the blue in her eyes. She looked much more innocent without the jacket and the sword—pretty, Catra thought.

"Does it look okay?" Adora asked, feeling a little out of her element without her jacket. Catra smirked.

"You look beautiful, Adora," Again, a blush flushed through the girl's cheeks.

"C'mon, m'lady." Catra extended her arm for Adora to hold on to. "Let's go eat."

Adora was hesitant to touch Catra, the princess noticed. She almost retracted her arm, but Adora quickly clutched, looped her arm through Catra's before she could.

"Do you think there'll be bread?" Adora asked.

"God! I hope so!" Catra exclaimed. Both girls giggled.

There was bread. Lots of it, actually.

It was a big feast of a dinner. I had cut a gigantic turkey up. Multiple fresh fruit were mixed in a bowl, there was salad, multiple types of bread, some type of casserole, potatoes, corn. Catra thought she had taken a generous serving until she glanced at Adora's plate. She had piled mountainously high it with potatoes, bread, and turkey.

"Dude, that's like all carbs," Catra whispered. Adora rolled her eyes, bringing up one of her arms to flex.

"Well, She-Ra doesn't get her muscles from eating your wimpy salad." The statement sent Catra into a fit of laughter. Which caused Adora to giggle.

"What's so funny over there?" C'yra asked from across the table. Catra could see the gleam of amusement in her eyes.

Catra flattened her ears against her head, embarrassment and irritation at her mother stirring in her core. "Nothing, mom. Adora's just an idiot."

Glimmer angrily bit into an apple from her spot next to Adora. Bow was looking between Adora and Catra. His eyes light up with a knowing look. A knowing look that was eerily similar to the one on King Milo's face.

"Oh please," Adora chuckled, taking a monstrous bite of bread then continuing to talk while chewing said monstrous bite of bread, "Catra's the idiot." The bread was spewing everywhere, and Adora had a bit of butter smeared across her cheek.

"Yeah, sure blondie. You got a little something." Catra smirked and motioned to Adora's cheek. The girl flushed red and quickly grabbed a napkin, furiously whipping the butter off of her cheek.

Everyone was watching the two girls interact, even some of the castle staff.

"This might be easier than we thought," Ashli murmured into C'yra's ear as she leaned over to refill the queen's water. C'yra said nothing back, but there was a small smirk on her face when she raised the glass towards her lips.

"So," Milo clasped his hands tightly in front of him, "how were everyone's days? Why don't we go around and say our highs and lows?"

It was a game that he liked to play often, but not usually in front of company—especially not as important as She-Ra and the rebellion leaders. Catra gave him an exasperated look, groaning out loud and sinking further into her chair when he just returned her look with a cheerful smile.

"Well, uh," C'yra started, looking a bit perplexed and uncomfortable at being vulnerable in front of everyone, "my high of the day was meeting you three and welcoming you to Halfmoon... I guess my low was having to figure out how to fix the plumbing situation in the castle."

There was an awkward silence as everyone turned to look at Bow, who was sitting next to Queen C'yra. The young man wasn't paying attention, too busy playing with his food until Glimmer shoved her elbow hard into his side, causing him to yelp and look up.

"Oh! Is it my turn?" Bow asked, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, "Well, my high of the day were those iced juices we had in town and my low... er... I accidentally forgot one of my arrows back in Bright Moon."

Glimmer nodded respectfully before turning her body to face everyone and announcing in a loud, regal voice, "My high was being able to get here safely and my low was having to get up early this morning to get here safely."

Everyone turned to Adora who was sweating profusely and stuttering awkwardly, "I... uh... I enjoyed getting clothes." She looked at Catra for validation. The Magicat simply smiled. "And er... I..." Adora took in a deep breath and in a rush of one breath, she rambled, "there wasn't anything that I didn't like it's all been great and you've all been lovely hosts and I'm very grateful for everything and the food is great and I didn't find a hair in my potatoes at all." Afterward, she panted loudly, trying to regain her breath. Glimmer's hand came up to slap herself in the forehead.

"Well, I'm not sure how to follow that..." Catra said in a good-natured tone, giving Adora a wink, "but my high of the day getting to see the orphans in town and my low of the day was watching Adora be an idiot." Adora scoffed but smiled afterward, trying to cover it by shoving even more bread in her mouth.

"C'yra stole my high." Milo gave his wife a look. "So I'll just have to say my low. My low was having a load of paperwork about this high." King Milo stood up and raised his right hand high into the air, trying to show how high his stack of papers was.

After that, the conversation fell into an easy groove. C'yra and Glimmer discussed the rebellion—Bow and Adora pitching in with their own remarks every so often. Catra and Adora continued to tease each other, whispering funny insults into each other's ears until the other burst out in laughter. Bow and King Milo talked about Bow's projects and King Milo's feelings.

"Catra," C'yra spoke quietly, so only her daughter could hear. Everyone else was listening to King Milo tell a story about his time growing up in Half Moon before the border went up. "Can I speak with you after dinner, please?"

The younger Magicat hesitated a minute before nodding. She was mad at her mother, sure, but she also knew she hadn't given her mother enough time to explain herself. She didn't want to drive more of a rift between each other. So, once dinner wrapped up, Catra told Adora that she would see her later, back in the room. The young woman nodded, telling Catra that she, Bow, and Glimmer were going to go back to Bow's room for a bit before bed. C'yra led Catra out of the dining room, through the halls of Half Moon's castle and into her and King Milo's chambers.

"Would you like to sit on the bed?" C'yra asked, her voice soft. Catra plopped herself down on the bed in response.

C'yra sat down next to her. A soft groan of pain leaving her lips, one of her hands fluttering down to her ribs, holding them awkwardly. Catra's eyes widened with concern.

"Mom? Are you okay??" Catra hesitantly wrapped one of her arms around C'yra's back. Her mother looked tired. Her usually vibrant blue eyes were dull and bloodshot, and her face was twisted into a grimace of pain.

It was a moment before C'yra could catch her breath. "Yes... yes, honey. I just was hit a little too hard today when I trained that new group of cadets."

Catra was still staring at her mother worriedly. "Maybe you should slow down a little... I mean you're not young... you're not me any more mom."

C'yra chuckled and shook her head. "You aren't ready to train our soldiers yet, Catra. You will be someday... soon I hope."

"But I'm ready, mom. I want to help more," Catra responded. There was a hint of emotion to her voice that wasn't there before.

"I didn't bring you in here to talk about that," C'yra sighed, "I wanted to explain myself... the whole Adora situation."

Catra nodded slowly, retracting her hands from her mother's back.

"First, I want you to know that I will not force this on you. I promise I will not force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you want Adora gone, I'll chase her out of Half Moon myself." Catra rolled her eyes, moving her hands behind her body and propping herself on them. "I put her in your room so you could get to know her. She's... kind of an awkward person I'm sure you could tell," Catra snickered and nodded, "so I thought she might talk to you if you were both confined to the same room."

Catra thought that her mother's reasoning made some sense.

"However. You will be the queen of Half Moon someday, probably someday soon. Being able to access the full power of the Tiger's Eye is going to be important, you'll gain access to powers you never knew you could have. And having someone like She-Ra," C'yra motioned towards an ancient portrait of the warrior princess that hung on the wall near the door, "by your side to protect you... that's monumental Catra."

"It's just..." Catra trailed off, "I always dreamed of marrying someone that I picked... that I wanted to marry."

"Can I tell you a secret?"

Catra's eyes snapped to her mother who was grinning mischievously, "What??"

"Your father and I had an arranged marriage."

Catra's eyes almost bulged out of her head. "What the fuck!"

The queen rolled her eyes at her daughter's language. "It's true. I was older than you. My mother had just been killed by Horde... leaving me as the Queen of Half Moon. I hadn't even thought about being courted... and then my father arranged a marriage between your father and me. Milo was the son of one of my mother's top generals and... it just made sense."

"But... but you two are so..." Catra was struggling to find the words.

"We love each other, yes. I'm in love with your father and he's the only person who I've ever loved... in that way. It was strange. I think my father knew we would work for each other. When I look at Adora," C'yra smiled softly at Catra, "she seems like someone you could grow with. I'm not saying you two are going to fall in love immediately. Though at dinner..." C'yra trailed off, a knowing look in her eyes.

Catra huffed, shoving her mother lightly, wary of her side. C'yra snickered. She had the same laugh as her daughter.

"Give it a week, Catra. Then you can give me your answer, okay?" Catra hesitated before nodding.

"Thank you, mom," Catra murmured, leaning over to rest her head on C'yra's shoulder.

"I love you, Catra. More than anything."

A few hours later, Catra was making her way back to her room. Her chest felt lighter knowing that she both had a week to decide and knowing exactly where her mother was coming from. She carefully opened the door, not knowing if Adora would be inside the room. It was dark, but Catra, because of her nocturnal vision, could see that Adora was on the bed, and turned toward the wall. Catra tip-toed through the room, making sure she wasn't making any noise, and slipped herself into some pajamas, then curled up on the fluff mattress on the ground. She looked up at the young woman on the bed, watching her chest rise and fall.

Adora wasn't asleep.

The girl seemed to be resting, though, so Catra left her alone. She put her head down and suddenly felt exhausted. Within a few minutes, she was asleep, peacefully on the bed.

However, what seemed like a few minutes but was really more like an hour later, Catra woke up to heavy footsteps on the floor of the room. She blearily peered up and saw Adora standing awkwardly in the middle of the room, staring at the door—as if she was deciding whether to go open it.

"Can't sleep?" Catra said gruffly. Adora jumped. Catra knew that if she had been born with a tail, it would be bushy.

"Uh, no. Sorry I didn't mean to wake you up. I'm not good at sleeping in new places." Adora sheepishly scratched the back of her neck.

Catra slowly lifted herself out of her warm, comfortable position. "Where were you going?"

Adora froze. "Uh. Just to go get a glass of water or something, I guess. I'm not really sure..."

"Wanna go up on the roof with me?"

Adora's eyebrows furrowed, confused. "I go up there when I can't sleep sometimes," Catra explained simply. Adora opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out.

"C'mon weirdo," Catra gruffed out, grabbing Adora's hand and going over to a window, throwing it open. They both peered down, and sure enough, there was a small ledge about three feet below the window that would fit both of them comfortably, but snugly. Catra jumped down first and then looked up at Adora, a challenging look on her face.

"You coming, blondie?"

Adora narrowed her eyes and then swung her legs over the window, dropping next to Catra—not as gracefully. Catra settled herself down in a sitting position on the bit of roof. Adora followed suit. On the little ledge, the two young women could see the shining street lights of the city of Halfmoon which seemed to stretch out for miles. At the end of the city, there was a gigantic wall that was the border to the rest of the Whispering Woods—which Adora had crossed earlier that day. Catra leaned back further so she was on her back, her arms crossed behind her head as she stared up at the moon that looked a little lonely in the starless sky. Adora eventually, also, leaned back, so she was in the same position as Catra.

"My mother sometimes tells me ancient Magicat stories, and she told me that there used to be tiny lights in the sky, like the moon but smaller." Catra stated. Adora glanced at the Magicat girl. Her long brunette hair was fanned out against the roof. There was still a little reminiscent of sleep in the girl's mismatched eyes, but she looked relaxed and there was a little bit of a smile on her face.

"It must've been beautiful," Adora stated, not taking her eyes off of Catra.

"Mmmhm," Catra hummed in response, "I'm sure it was."

They continue to stare up at the sky.

Eventually, they both drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

Adora's body turned onto its side, facing Catra, mere inches from the Magicat

Chapter Text

"Catra?"

A loud voice rang out across the empty room. Ashli stood outside, rapping on the door loudly. The castle staff member tried to avoid walking into the young woman's room unannounced after an incident that involved Catra, one of her school friends, and a lack of clothes.

"Catra I'm coming in okay?" Ashli slowly creaked the door open. Both of the beds were empty. Blankets from both the mattress pad and the actual bed were strewn onto the floor. Ashli's eyes knitted in concern. She wandered around the space for a moment, trying to think where the two princesses would be. She noticed there was a breeze coming into the room and turned her head to find the window had been pulled all the way open. Ashli shivered a bit and walked over to the window, reaching out to close it when something caught her eye.

Catra and Adora were passed out on the little section of the roof just under Catra's window. Both girls were facing each other, Catra's tail draped over the dip in Adora's waist. The young Magicat had her hand placed in between Adora and herself. The blonde girl's hand was placed on top of Catra's holding it in a loose grip. Ashli's eyes almost bulged out of her head—her hand slapping over her mouth to stop the sound that was threatening to slip out. Quietly, Ashli snuck out of the room and got King Milo and Queen C'yra—bring them into the room. This time, when all three of them peered out the window, both girls had scooted a little closer to each other, almost touching their foreheads together. C'yra could snap a quick picture before the flash and the whispered giggling woke Catra up.

"Ugh," Catra groaned, stretching out all four of her legs at the same time. Her eyes blinked open, and she saw Adora's sleeping face and the light grip placed over her hand. A small smile spread across her face until she heard the giggling again. Catra snapped her gaze up to see Ashli and her parents all peering out of the window, blatantly staring at Catra. A small shriek escaped Catra's lips, which caused Adora to violently wake up, pulling a knife out of her shoe and jabbing out in front of her at nothing. The force of the jab mixed with Adora not setting her feet on the surface of the roof properly made the young woman surge forward, tumbling toward the edge, which was a thirty-foot drop. Catra, again with her quick reflexes, could grab Adora's waist and pull her back—into her lap. Once Adora gained her bearings, she turned her head to look at Catra who was underneath her.

"Uh, good morning."

There was another click and a flash. Catra growled, turning towards her mother, "Mom! Stop!" Adora glanced up at the window, scrambling out of Catra's lap when she realized they were being watched.

"Breakfast is in thirty minutes!" King Milo said in a sing-song tone, grabbing a snickering C'yra's hand as he turned from the window and walked out of the room—his red robes making a whooshing sound.

"I, uh," Ashli rubbed the back of her head awkwardly, "I put your clothes on your bed, Catra. I... I'll leave you two." The older Magicat awkwardly scampered off, following Catra's parents.

"God," Catra groaned, her hands pushed hard into her face and dragging them down until they reached her chin, "They're never gonna let that go."

Adora grinned guiltily at Catra. "I'm sorry, I should've woken you up--"

"Adora," Catra interrupted, "you were asleep before me, it's fine. It was..." Catra blushed and turned her head away, "It was nice being out here with you."

Adora's eyes widened, an almost debilitating tingling sensation spread throughout her body, starting in her stomach. She stammered out, "Uh, I... Thank you. For suggesting that."

Catra kept her head turned away from Adora, but a small smile grew on her face. "C'mon dummy, let's get ready for the day."

"Dummy? That's a new one," Adora grinned. Catra rolled her eyes and easily pulled herself up into her room. She held out her hand for Adora to take. The blonde girl gulped, her eyes connecting with Catra's for a split second. It differed from the first time the two had interacted. There was something shifting between them. It was slowly shifting, but Adora could feel that something felt different from the day before.

Today, Catra was wearing white robes with gold trim—it was just as intricate as the one she was wearing the day prior. She wore a red, long-sleeved, turtle-neck sweater underneath the robes and tight black pants with a white stripe down the side. Adora wore the new, white compression shirt that had a Half Moon patch on the breast and her regular red jacket, belt, brown pants combo. Catra stood, staring at herself in the mirror, adjusting her crown so it framed her face perfectly. Adora stood off to the side, watching the girl fondly as she was trying to tame her wide hair.

"You're too smug for your own good, you know that?" Catra grunted, her eyes connecting with Adora's through the mirror. Adora shrugged.

"I don't know. I enjoy watching you do your hair. I wish my hair was like yours."

Catra scoffed, "No, you don't. It's way too much work. I curse my mother every day for giving me her hair genes."

Adora didn't respond. She just continued to smile at Catra, who rolled her eyes. "C'mon, idiot, we're gonna be late for breakfast."

Just like the night before, tons of food sat on the table when the two girls entered the dining room. They were the last to arrive. Adora noticed Glimmer looked a little less annoyed today than she had the day before. She wondered if Bow had talked to her. Catra and Adora took their seats next to each other, Adora next to Bow and Catra next to her mother. Immediately, Adora piled pieces of toast onto her plate, along with eggs and heaps and heaps of bacon. Catra filled her plate with fresh fruit and made herself a bowl of oatmeal.

"So," King Milo said, "what's everyone's plan for the day?"

Quickly and rushed, Bow got out, "Me and Glimmer have to do some Rebellion stuff so we'll be gone until dinner."

Adora turned and looked at her friends, confused. "Rebellion stuff? What kind of Rebellion stuff?"

Glimmer shook her head. "It's nothing, Adora. You're excused from it."

"What? I'm She-Ra! You need me to--"

"Nope." Bow smirked, "It's Rebellion stuff that you and She-Ra are gonna stay out of."

Adora frowned, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair. A slight pang of sadness hit Adora's chest at the thought of being excluded. Catra was watching Glimmer and Bow carefully, trying to figure out what they had up their sleeve.

"Well. I'll be out with the new cadets all day," C'yra stated, whipping her mouth with a napkin.

"And I'll be out in the city at a charity event," King Milo said. Catra's ears perked up.

"What charity event? I can come I--"

"Oh, no, Catra. There's no need for that." King Milo waved her off. "They only requested my presence."

Catra's eyes narrowed, looking back and forth between her parents and Adora's friends. They all were smirking gleefully into their food.

"What about you two? What are you going to do?" Milo asked, a fake noncommittal tone in his voice.

"Oh, I don't know," Adora said, oblivious to the ploy that everyone seemed to be in on except her and Catra. "I'm sure we'll find something."

The rest of the breakfast was fairly boring. Glimmer and Bow seemed to be off in their own world. As did C'yra, Milo, and Catra, who seemed to argue silently with their eyes—leaving Adora to wolf down as much food as she could. Bow and Glimmer left first, running off together, giggling. Milo and C'yra left soon after, going different directions from each other. Catra and Adora sat alone at the table.

"So," Catra began, turning to Adora, "What do you like to do for fun?"

Adora thought about it for a moment.

"Fight." It was the only thing she could come up with.

"Fight?" Catra turned her body towards Adora, looking at her incredulously. "No, c'mon. What do you do when you're not fighting?"

Adora squirmed uncomfortably in her seat. She couldn't think of anything. In the Horde, it was all work and no play.

"What kinds of things did you do with your parents as a kid? I'm sure it wasn't all fighting." Catra crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at Adora.

A sharp pang hit Adora's heart. She had never realized how much she missed growing up in the Horde until she was out. She wondered about what her life would've been like if she was raised like Catra or Glimmer—with loving parents. Most of her life, Adora was taught that it was fight or be killed. She had never stopped to think about anything other than that. Shadow Weaver had always told her she had to be the best, that she couldn't have any silly distractions like toys or hobbies. No one had ever been there to tell her differently.

Catra must've noticed the shift in Adora's mood. Her tail wrapped around Adora's wrist, causing the girl to turn her attention to the Magicat beside her and not the floor. "Well... Y'know, I could show you the things I like to do around here." Adora smiled softly, nodding.

Catra brought Adora down through the castle's winding halls, down a couple of flights of stairs and out into the back of the castle. Behind the castle, there was a massive garden filled with different plants. Some were vegetables, there were some different flowers, off to one side was a massive grove of trees that seemed to run for miles and off to the other was a vast field where fences separated different animals that were lazily grazing on the grass. Adora's breath hitched for a second, taking it all in. Catra quietly kneeled down and picked a rose off of the plant, picking off the thorns. It was a white rose, big, bright, and beautiful. When Adora turned her attention back to Catra, the girl quietly held out the flower.

"Here." A bright red tint painted Catra's cheeks. "This is from one of my rose bushes."

Adora carefully took the rose from Catra, clutching it tight to her chest, heat rushing through every part of her body—the tingling sensation back. "You grew all of this?"

Catra laughed quietly, shaking her head. "Not all of it, no. Most of the flower bushes are mine, though. I come out here on my days off... Sometimes I ride my horse through the tree grove and I read a book under the apple trees, they're my favorite fruit."

"A horse?" Adora's eyes lit up. "You have a horse?"

Catra snickered, "I didn't take you for a horse girl, Adora."

"I love horses! I... uh... I have a horse. His name is Swift Wind. He, er, talks and flies." Catra's eyes widened.

"Oh, uh. Mine doesn't do that..." Catra chuckled, "C'mon, I'll show you some of my favorite flowers and then I'll show you around the stables."

Adora slowly slid the rose behind her ear. It was bright white in contrast with her darker blonde hair. Catra had to turn away from Adora so the girl didn't see her face flushing red again. Catra led Adora through the rows and rows of flowers that she had been growing since her early teen years. There were a few Magicat gardeners out picking vegetables and fruit to take back into the castle or to go sell to different stores in Half Moon. Catra greeted each worker kindly. She seemed to have a good relationship with everyone she knew—except Glimmer. The flowers Catra was growing were beautiful. Roses, daisies, tulips, hydrangea, lilies. Adora was drawn to a plant with beautiful red flowers with yellow middles. Without thinking, Adora reached out and grabbed it, picking it off the branch. She turned to Catra and held it out. Catra's face paled as she looked at the flower. For a moment, Adora thought she had done something wrong until Catra's trembling hands took the flower from her.

"This is a camellia," Catra stated. "Exquisite aren't they?" Adora nodded in agreement, watching the way Catra held the flow close to her chest. She didn't really understand Catra's reaction to her giving her the flower, but she told herself not to think too hard about it.

After Catra finished showing Adora all of her flowers, they made their way toward the stables. Adora was in heaven. She immediately ran to the closest horse and placed her hand out for them to nudge. It was a beautiful brown horse with a white stripe down the center of its face. The horse complied, stretching their face out so that Adora's hand connected with their snout.

"Oh my God! It loves me!" Adora squealed, rubbing her hand up and down the horse's snout.

"This is Juniper," Catra smiled. She had never seen Adora so animated, "she's a sweetheart."

"Juniper," Adora sounded out the name, carefully, "hello, Juniper."

In response, the horse sputtered, rubbing her snout into Adora's hand.

"I bet my friend Swift Wind would like you," Adora murmured, "he talks, though, so you might find him annoying."

Catra stated back, watching Adora greet each horse—only supplying the girl with their names as she watched. The red camellia was still clenched tightly in her hand, Catra refused to put it anyplace else. When Adora was done with the horses, Catra took her back to the gardens. They walked through the tree groves for a little while. Catra showed her how to pick the fruit out of the tree without causing more to fall. The conversation was light, filled mostly with them teasing each other. The white rose was still tucked snuggly behind Adora's ear, and it made her look even more beautiful every time she threw her head back in a full-body laugh. After a while, Catra took her back to the castle. This time, the pair went up instead of down. Adora was panting by the time they reached their destination, out of breath from climbing so many stairs. They walked into a large, multi-floored room filled with books from top to bottom. There were a few different tables sprinkled throughout the massive space, a few Magicats occupied, some of them.

"Whoa." Adora let out a gasp. It was even bigger than the library at Bright Moon.

"Us Magicats like our stories," Catra said. She looked around, quietly making sure she wasn't disturbing the Magicat scholars who were working. "Follow me."

Still holding the camellia, Catra walked up the stairs and toward the back of the library. Adora followed obediently. In the far back corner was a small room with a table and a few chairs.

"This is where I come to unwind and chill—especially when the weather's bad," Catra explained. "I like to read through the hold Magicat myths and legends."

Adora looked around, nodding to let Catra know she was listening.

"This one is my favorite." Catra pulled out a thick, old, loosely bound leather book from a shelf on the wall next to the window. She slammed it down in front of Adora, taking a seat next to the girl. They were sitting far too close for two people alone in a room, but neither seemed to notice. The red camellia was placed carefully on the table in between them. Catra flipped open the book. Adora couldn't read it because it was in Magicat characters. However, there were pictures on the page that helped her comprehend some of it.

"This is an old story about a Magicat hero named C'yra—that's where my mother got her name, of course—she's the queen of Half Moon," Catra points at the headpiece on the head of the Magicat figure in the picture. It was the same headpiece that was wrapped around Catra's head, "she goes off to fight in a war," Catra turns the page, a picture of the Magicat hero, claws unsheathed, tearing into a non-Magicat, "It was a war against the First Ones—"

"First Ones? Why were the Magicat's fighting the First Ones?" Adora asked, her head cocked in confusion.

Catra glanced over at Adora. "We were trying to defend our plant from them. They were trying to take over."

"But the First Ones were the ones that settled this plant. What do you mean they were trying to take over?"

Catra shook her head. "Magicats were in Etheria before the First Ones."

Adora's eyes widened. "Really?" Catra rolled her eyes at Adora's expression.

"Yeah, dummy, now listen to the story." Catra flipped another page, "but she was leaving behind her wife and kittens, which made her extremely upset and caused her to act irrationally," Catra's fingers brushed over a picture of this heroic C'yra warrior stood next to another, slightly smaller, Magicat. About five young kittens were at their feet, scrambling around each other, playing with each other while their mothers watched on.

"So two Magicat women can have a child?" Adora was perplexed, leaning in to look at the picture closer. Catra groaned and rolled her eyes again.

"Yes, dumbass. Magicat magic makes it so any couple can have kittens, now will you listen??" Adora shut up, sitting back in her seat.

"She was going into battle without a care for her life—only wanting to protect Half Moon... her family. She got critically injured during one battle," Catra gestured to a picture of the hero down on the ground, holding her stomach while blood pooled around her, “and while she was laying there, half-dead, She-Ra appeared to her, healing her with her magical powers. Ultimately, C'yra—along with She-Ra—defeated the first ones... after She-Ra sacrificed herself. And now Half Moon lives without the threat of the First Ones trying to steal our magic." Catra finished, crossing her arms, proud of herself.

Adora was confused, slightly concerned. Everything Catra had just said about the First Ones contradicted everything Adora had been told about growing up about Etheria. She-Ra fighting against the First Ones? It made little sense. But Adora didn't want to argue with Catra. The girl had been extremely kind to her so far. So, Adora just nodded, her eyes not leaving the last picture in that chapter of the old book that was falling apart.

It was C'yra kissing her wife while her kittens smiled, their paws wrapped around their mothers in a group hug.

Chapter Text

"Adora, you are SUCH a dumbass!"

Adora whipped her body around. Bow and Glimmer were walking up to her through the rows of flowers. Both of her friends had smirks on their faces. Catra had left Adora a few minutes prior as an emergency had come up somewhere in the castle. Before she had left, Catra had told Adora to feel free to wander around and that she would be at dinner. The blonde went back down to the garden and was hovering around Catra's rose bushes, lightly touching the white flower in her hair.

"What? Why?" Adora asked, crossing her arms, defensively, "Aren't you two supposed to be going off doing rebellion stuff without me?"

"Oh please," Glimmer waved her off, "we only said that so you and Catra could be alone." Bow nodded, crossing his own arms.

Adora looked perplexed, "What?? I thought you hated Catra!"

"I do! She's horrible!" Glimmer exclaimed. Bow put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a look. Glimmer took a deep, calming breath, "I mean... Catra and I didn't get along well in our childhood. That doesn't mean that my opinions of her should influence yours. Which, obviously, you're starting to like her." Glimmer smirked.

"What do you mean?" Adora eyed them carefully, "I think Catra is very kind, yes."

Bow rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Adora. We saw you give her that red camellia!" Adora's eyes widened, she clenched her teeth.

"You've been spying!? On me and Catra!?" Adora gritted out through her teeth.

"Of course we have!" Glimmer said, throwing her hands up in the air, "You need help! You need to secure this marriage!"

Adora raised an eyebrow. Of course, she knew she had to marry Catra--that was always the plan, wasn't it?

"Me and Catra are getting married, remember?" Adora stated, "Angella said so."

"No, Catra is choosing whether or not she wants to marry you by the end of the week." Bow said. Adora's arms uncrossed--her stance becoming more insecure.

"What? I thought it was set in stone..." Adora trailed off turning her gaze away from her friends. A cold feeling of dread pooled in her stomach. She hadn't known she had to get Catra to want to marry her. Adora couldn't see why Catra would want to marry her. She started to feel slightly nauseous.

"God, you really don't listen do you?" Glimmer sighed, "It's fine though! I think she's really starting to like you!"

Adora couldn't hear Glimmer over the sound of her own heart beating in her ears. Catra knew barely anything about her--how was the girl going to react when she found out that Adora was an orphan from the Horde. She didn't know a lot about the history between Half Moon and the Horde but she knew for a fact that it wasn't a good history.

"Adora?" Bow's hand shook her shoulder a little, "Are you okay? You look a little pale."

Adora shook her head to clear her thoughts, looking up at her friend's concerned faces. "Hm? I'm fine. I gotta go."

"What? Where are you going, Adora??" Glimmer asked, her voice filled with worry. Adora just shook her head, keeping her eyes on the ground as she marched past them and to the castle. She climbed up the stairs, her gait slightly unsteady. Each step made her feel worse. She stumbled to Catra's room, throwing open the door and rushing into Catra's private bathroom. She fell to her knees in front of Catra's toilet, her knuckles white as she gripped the sides. Anxiety coursed through her veins. If Catra didn't like her she would disappoint everyone. The thought of Catra not liking her caused Adora to vomit violently into the toilet. The thoughts kept coming. Angella wouldn't be able to look at her without seeing a failure. The other princesses would figure out that Adora was a scam and not even consider Glimmer's offer. Glimmer's going to hate her. Shadow Weaver told her she always had to be the best. Adora retched again, this time the rose in her hair fell forward and skidded across the floor. After about a solid minute and a half, Adora's stomach calmed down, but her nerves didn't. She continued to kneel on the ground in front of the toilet, her cheek resting against the cold seat--flashbacks of Shadow Weaver and the Horde flashing like a slideshow in her mind.

She heard someone fiddling with the door, it caused her to scramble up on unsteady legs, flushing the toilet. She bent down and grabbed the white rose, throwing it back into her hair.

It was Catra. Of course, it was Catra.

The Magicat girl hummed an unfamiliar tune as she strolled into the room. The light from the bathroom caused her to turn her attention towards Adora. Their eyes connected, Adora gulped. Catra's eyes morphed from confused to concerned as she took in Adora's pale face and haunted eyes.

You're fucking up!

It was Shadow Weaver's voice that infiltrated her mind. Adora forced a bright smile, "Hey, Catra! I hope everything went well!" Her jolly tone sounded forced, it caused Catra's brow to crease in further concern.

"Yeah, it went fine. Just a little disagreement between some officers. You alright, Adora? You look... a little unwell." Adora just forced her smile bigger.

"Oh, I'm fine. Just excited for dinner! You know me, always eating."

Catra looked at her for a while, a frown on her face.

"I know we've only known each other a little while, Adora. But there's a solid possibility that we're going to be getting married. This might sound weird but I feel a strong connection to you and I want you to know that I'm here if you ever want to talk... about anything." Catra brought one of her hands to her chest. In her clenched fist was the red Camellia.

Adora felt like she wanted to vomit again. What was Catra going to think when Adora told her about the Horde? Guilt consumed her body picturing a look of betrayal on the Magicat girl's face.

"I... I like you, too, Catra," Adora stuttered, trying to shove her anxieties down somewhere they wouldn't come back up again, "you're... um... really cool."

That made Catra grin, though there was still a gleam of concern in Catra's eyes. "C'mon, dummy," Catra extended her arm like the night before. Adora gratefully took it.

However, Adora didn't eat much that night at dinner. Catra noticed.

And that night, Adora's eyes stayed open until morning. Catra noticed.

When Ashli came to wake them that morning, there were deep bags under Adora's eyes. The older Magicat glanced at Catra, a questioning look on her face. Catra shrugged and turned her full attention to Adora.

"Hey, Adora," her voice was soft, gentle, "if you're not feeling well... we can hang out in here for the day."

Adora shook her head, "I want to train. Etheria needs She-Ra in the best shape." Adora's voice was rough, her eyes looking everywhere but Catra.

Catra hesitated for a moment. It wasn't her place to tell Adora how to live her life. "Alright. Do you want to spar with me, today?" Adora finally met her eyes. The blonde girl gave a quiet nod.

"Okay... let's change and eat first... does that sound alright?" the blonde girl gave the Magicat another quiet nod.

An hour and a half later--after Catra had managed to convince Adora to eat a whole plate of food--the two girls stood facing each other. Catra was dressed in traditional Magicat armor. She had a golden breastplate that extended to her thighs, her forearms were covered in gold plated metal as well. Her helmet was gold and had two large triangles on the top for her ears to fit through. Adora, on the other hand, was only wearing a thick silver helmet--without the ears. Her ponytail hanging low on her neck. Adora was welding a staff as her weapon of choice. Catra didn't have a weapon.

"You better watch out, Adora. I'm pretty fast," there was a playful gleam in Catra's eyes. Adora liked it much better than the worry or concern.

"Well... I'm pretty strong," Adora playfully flexed her muscles.

Catra attacked first. Adora barely saw it coming. The Magicat had her claws unsheathed but had put on little caps so she wouldn't tear into Adora too much. Adora ducked at the last second, which caused Catra to leap right over her, landing on all fours behind Adora. The blonde whipped her body around, fast, twirling her staff until she retained a tight grip on it. Adora attacked second, swing the staff hard at Catra, but her sparring partner saw it coming. She leaned back so all Adora hit was air.

"Too slow," Catra smirked. Usually, Adora's completing side would have made it so she got angry at missing a shot. However, seeing Catra's good-natured smile all Adora felt was tingling in her chest.

Catra seemed to see that Adora was distracted and leaped at her, knocking her to the ground this time. Adora was laid flat out on her back, Catra swung a paw lightly down, lightly slapping Adora's face, causing Adora to giggle slightly. Adora bucked up her hips so that Catra was rocked off of her balanced stance straddling her. Adora rolled them over so that Catra was under her. This time, Adora, in slow motion, brought down her fist on Catra's cheek, making explosion sounds as her knuckles met the fur on Catra's cheek. Catra rolled her eyes at Adora's child-like manner. She scrambled off of Catra, letting her rise to her feet before she launched another series of attacks on the Magicat girl. Catra blocked each of her hits with ease then grabbed the staff pulling it forward until Adora's body brushed up against hers. She grinned at the way Adora flushed red, her eyes widening in shock, taking advantage of it. She wrapped a hand around Adora's forearm, bringing it over her shoulder before slamming the girl into the dirt, making her admit a loud groan/exhalation of air. She pulled the staff from Adora's arms and pointed it down at her neck.

"Hm, looks like Princess Catra of Half Moon reigns victorious over She-Ra, Princess of Power," Catra smirked. Adora glowered, grabbing the staff and trying to pull it away from Catra. But the Magicat girl had a tight grip on the staff so it only caused her to stumble slightly, before falling on top of Adora. Her face landed on Adora's chest, near her collarbone, while the rest of her body fit in between Adora's legs. Catra planted one hand on either side of her body and pushed up just as Adora sat up slightly. The sound of clanking of metal helmets rang out across the empty room as their foreheads touched, Catra's eyes suddenly flickered to Adora's. The girl looked less stressed than she had this morning but the bags were still plain to see. Catra had never really noticed how beautiful Adora's eyes were. She watched the way her eyes flickered in between Catra's eyes and her lips, Catra's own gaze falling on Adora's lips.

Adora suddenly tensed and pushed Catra off of her, stumbling to her feet, scratching the back of her head awkwardly.

"Heh, uh. I let you win that," Adora stammered. Catra brushed herself off, standing to her feet. She crossed her arms and smiled smugly at the blonde.

"Sure, Blondy," Catra tossed Adora her staff, "wanna go again?"

Adora had a determined look in her eye as she swung at Catra again. They went on like that for about an hour. Catra wasn't wrong about being fast and Adora wasn't wrong about being strong. The pair were pretty evenly matched and for the most part, it was a fair fight--though Catra seemed to like to take advantage of Adora when she was at her most distracted. The last match found both girls in fits of laughter after Catra had accidentally sneezed on Adora while on top of her. When they were done laughing, the young women just lay there on their backs, staring up at the sky. It was mid-afternoon so the sun was high in the sky, blaring down on them. Both of them had taken off their helmets to reveal sweat mops of hair. They were close to each other, Adora could feel the fur on Catra's arm tickling skin.

"Catra you're a super good fighter. Why doesn't your mother have you out there with her?" Adora asked, suddenly. Catra sighed, turning her head to look at the other girl.

"She's scared. She doesn't want to lose me," Catra hesitated, "again."

"Again?"

Catra was quiet a moment, "When I was young, around four or five, the Horde attacked Half Moon. The infiltrated the castle and one of the soldiers found me hiding under a table. They grabbed me and ran out of the castle, out of Half Moon. They were almost back to the Horde when my mother caught up to them. She took on five soldiers to save me and that's how she got that scar down her face, it's from one of the Horde weapons. Ever since then, my mother has been overprotective of me, doubting my abilities as an excuse not to have me out in the field. That's why I was so surprised when she talked about arranging our marriage--it means I'll probably be out fighting the Horde and not in Half Moon protected by the wall. I don't know Adora... Something changed her, she's different now. Quiet."

Adora refused to look at Catra. Her hand was balled up in a tight fist to keep it from trembling. She almost told Catra everything right there. About the Horde, about where she was from. But a voice, Shadow Weaver's, was screeching at her not to do it. So she kept her mouth shut and let the guilt rip her apart piece by piece.

"I'll protect you," Adora spoke eventually, "I will."

Catra turned her head to look at Adora again, a smile on her face.

"I know you will Adora. I'll protect you, too."

Adora wished she could shrivel up into nothing right there.

Chapter Text

Two days after Catra and Adora went sparring, Adora found herself being dragged through Half Moon once more.

"Hey! Adora! Do you want a fish on a stick?" Catra asked, a huge smile on her face as she whipped around to look back at the blonde girl.

"...fish on a stick?" Adora looked skeptical. Catra rolled her eyes, grabbing her hand and pulling her towards one of the vendors on the side of the street.

"Hey, Jaka," Jaka was a large Magicat, even bigger than Catra's dad. He towered over both young women and rivaled She-Ra in height. His fur and hair were dark brown and he had light orange stripes up and down the exposed fur on his forearms. His eyes were golden yellow, almost the exact color of Catra's. He had scars all over his body. The most prominent one rose up from his chest and went halfway up the side of his neck.

"Catra," the man's voice was kind, his eyes seemed to sparkle as he looked at the princess, "how's my favorite niece?"

"I'm great! Adora and I are going to the orphanage," Catra motioned to Adora who stood behind her. She was a little intimidated by the older Magicat, "but I wanted to stop by and get us some food, first." Catra beamed up at Jaka. Adora stood back, trying to figure out what a niece was.

"Ah," Jaka's large golden eyes twinkled, looking at Adora and Catra's linked hands, "two fish on a stick?" Catra blushed, nodding. "I know my Catra!"

His giant hands reached down into the cart and pulled out two sticks with a large, cooked, portion of fish on it. He handed one to Catra and the other to Adora, winking at the blonde girl when their eyes connected.

"Tell my older brother that he still owes me lunch after our last fish hunt," Jaka smiled, refusing the money that Catra tried to shove into his hands, "also that your cousins miss him, you, and C'yra." Catra rolled her eyes.

"I'll be sure to tell him. I'll make sure we visit soon. Mom's been busy and dad has had way too much paperwork for his own good."

"It was nice to meet you, Adora. I've heard a lot about you," Jaka stated as the girls turned to walk away. Adora's face turned a bright red color, biding the Magicat a quiet farewell.

"Who was that man?" Adora whispered to Catra as they continued to make their way towards the orphanage. She took a hesitant bite of the fish on the stick in her hand. Her eyes widened in delight at the flavorful taste and she took a much bigger bite.

"My Uncle," Catra furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Adora, confused, "didn't you hear him talking about my dad?"

Adora assumed an uncle must be the brother of a parent. She just nodded and hummed in acknowledgment.

"My dad's the eldest of seven kits, my mom the eldest of four," Catra went on, "most Magicats have multiple kittens in one pregnancy, but I was special."

Adora wondered if she had any siblings. She felt like she did but she didn't know why she felt that way.

"That's a large family," Adora stated almost bitterly. Catra didn't seem to notice, she just giggled.

"Yeah, a lot of them are in the Half Moon army, though. Some are stationed far out in the Whispering Woods so I don't see them often..." Catra paused for a moment, turning her head away from Adora to hide the blush that was creeping up her cheeks, "hopefully some of them will come... to the wedding."

Adora's eyes widened and she turned to look at Catra hopefully. The young woman didn't look back at Adora but the blonde could see the small smile on her face.

"Catra! ADORA!" A small, squeaky voice rang out. The pair turned to see the young orphan, Celia, running towards them. Her blonde hair was tied back today showing off her large, pale ears. She launched herself into Adora's arms, hugging the girl tight around the neck. Adora almost dropped the food in her hand. "You're here," Her voice was softer now, an excitement that only came with a promise fulfilled seeping through her body. Adora hugged the girl tighter to her chest. She willed the tears welling up in her eyes not to fall. She knew all too well the ache that came from an unfulfilled promise.

Adora carried the small Magicat toward the orphanage where the other kids were outside playing in the sunshine. The orphanage itself was a large building, probably two stories tall and a good 40 meters wide. It was strange to Adora that there were so many orphans in Half Moon, but she figured that it was a causality of war. There seemed to be way too many in Etheria. When the other orphans saw Catra and Adora coming, they stopped in the middle of their games and came rushing towards them. Madam Magnolia, who was sat in a chair under the shade of a tree also got up, smiling as she made her way over to the giggling gaggle of orphans that had surrounded Catra and Adora.

"Princess Catra!" One of the smaller orphans exclaimed, "Look! I made a necklace for you!" It wasn't a pretty thing. Only string and a few beads.

"Oh my gosh," Catra kneeled down, carefully taking the necklace from the young Magicat, "thank you, Kaika, it's beautiful!" There wasn't a hint of fakeness in Catra's tone as she slipped the neckless over her head, pulling down her turtle neck sweater to reveal about six more necklaces that all looked eerily similar. Adora's heart filled with admiration towards the Magicat princess, clutching Celia tighter to her chest. The orphan in her arms had started taking nibbles at the fish in her hand. Adora didn't mind all that much.

"Miss Adora," another orphan Magicat tugged at the end of her jacket. He was slightly bigger than Celia, with big copper-colored eyes. His fur was dark grey in coloring while his hair, ears, and tail were black, "I made this for you." He held up a little clay figurine. It was of Adora holding the sword up above her head. Adora carefully took it from him, examining it. It had great detail on it, especially for such a small figurine.

Adora looked down at the boy, fondly, "Thank you. What's your name?"

He shuffled his feet, nervously, keeping his eyes on the ground, "Yarrow."

"Yarrow? That's a lovely name," Adora grinned, Celia shuffled a little in her arms so she could look down at her friend.

"Yarrow helps me with school," Celia murmured into Adora's ear. She then pulled back and flushed a bright red color. Adora felt a small grin overtake her face as she looked between Celia and Yarrow. The young Magicat boy had also turned a bright red color, studying the ground intensely. The two clearly were harboring some feelings for each other. Catra's head turned their way and she waved Adora over.

"Yarrow!" Catra grinned when she saw the young orphan boy, "How's your schooling?" Celia was squirming in Adora's arms so she put the girl back onto the ground. She ran off, chasing a bird.

"Good Princess Catra," He bowed his head slightly.

"Yarrow, here, is the top of his class at school," Catra told Adora, grinning, "He wants to be on my advising court when he's older, isn't that right?"

The grey Magicat boy shyly nodded his head. He reminded Adora a little bit of herself at that age before Shadow Weaver had gotten full control over her training.

Adora was given a tour of the orphanage by Madam Magnolia while Catra played with the kids in the front yard. It was much bigger inside than it looked outside. Toys were scattered all over the space. There were a few different rooms with beds where the Orphans stayed and a gigantic kitchen. There was even a slide that started from the upstairs and snaked around the staircase down to the first floor. It was any kids dream, really. Adora wondered what it would've been like to grow up in Half Moon rather than the Horde, but she didn't dwell on that thought for long. When she was back outside, Adora was pulled into an intense game of hide and seek. She had never been very good at hiding, so each round she followed Catra to a hiding place--the girl seemed to be a champion at the game as they were always the last ones found.

The orphanage sat extremely close to one of the walled borders of Half Moon. The wall was huge, concrete, and dark in coloring. It was a stark contrast to the bright coloring of the building. None of the kids seemed to be very affected by the closeness of the wall--they had even set up a wall-ball court against it. Magicat soldiers patrolled the top of the walls. It was Adora's first time seeing them. Each soldier was dressed in a uniform. Big splotches of greens, browns, greys, and blacks patterned their bodies serving as camouflage to the Whispering Woods. Sometimes, Adora would look up and catch one of them looking down fondly at the orphans playing so innocently with each other.

"Show us the sword!" An older Magicat orphan exclaimed after Catra and Adora had been found on the last round of hide and seek.

Adora hesitated a moment. She looked at Catra who shrugged--it was up to Adora whether or not the sword was to be shown. After a few more orphans pitched in, telling Adora they wanted to see the sword, She finally complied. Loud gasps broke out across the group of children in front of her as she held the sword out in front of her with two hands.

"What does it do?" The same orphan asked, his eyes wide with wonder.

"Well, it changes me into She-Ra... and I can fight with it." Adora was still learning a lot about the complexities of the sword. She knew that it maybe had healing powers. Glimmer had also said something about it being able to change into different objects but it had only been a month since she had found it and she was struggling to make sense of it.

Suddenly, a loud alarm sound rang out across Half Moon. The noise was so loud, Adora dropped the sword to cover her ears. She glanced to her left and saw the sheer terror on Catra's face. All the orphans looked as confused as Adora but were suddenly being ushered by both Catra and Madam Magnolia into the orphanage. Adora picked up the sword and followed them. Underneath the stairs, there was a metal hatch on the ground. Catra had it lifted up while all the orphans were rushed underground. Adora could tell something was majorly wrong. She looked up at Catra, her eyes wide.

"The Horde's here," was all Catra could manage to say, her voice was unsteady.

Without thinking, Adora pulled the sword out from behind her back, raised it up high into the air, yelling, "FOR THE HONOR OF GRAYSKULL!"

All the Magicats in front of her stared in awe as Adora, in a flash of bright light, was transformed into She-Ra. Catra had thought Adora was tall before but now she stood in front of her as an eight-foot-tall, buff, warrior princess. Catra felt her mouth go dry, naughty thoughts filling her head. She quickly shook them away, turning back to the orphans and Madam Magnolia who all stood in shock.

"C'mon, you all have to get underground," Catra commanded, gently pushing Celia and Yarrow with her hands. A loud crashing sound caused the children to shriek, some of them started to cry.

Catra managed to get everyone underground and shut the heavy metal door, looking back up at Adora. "You're coming," Adora stated. It wasn't a question, only an observation.

"I'm not going to stay back this time," Catra was seething, her claws unsheathed. Adora nodded once before running out of the orphanage, Catra only a step behind her.

Adora could smell the oil of the Horde tanks. She watched as part of the wall began to crumble and Horde soldiers tried to force their way into Half Moon. Magicat soldiers were scrambling to keep them out, some had bows and were shooting from the trees, others had swords and were engaged in hand to hand combat. In a pink poof, Glimmer and Bow were in front of them. Bow, with only a nod, ran off to help the Magicat soldiers. Glimmer grabbed Adora and Catra's wrists, transporting them outside of the wall. There were about fifteen Horde tanks lined up outside Half Moon, ready to demolish everything in sight. Bots covered the remaining land as back up. Adora could see some of the Horde soldiers inside the tanks. With one big swing of the sword into the ground, Adora was able to disable the first tank that was digging into the concrete of the wall. There was confused yelling coming from inside the tank until Adora lept on top of it, ripping off the door. About five Horde soldiers were inside, terrified. They scrambled out and ran off into the woods. She could hear the sound of a bot gearing up to shoot on her left, she only had time to lift up her sword hoping that it would block the shot.

But it never came.

Adora opened her eyes and found Catra on top of the bot, wires in her hand from the bot after she had ripped it out. The Magicat girl smirked, tossing the wires off to the side. Adora felt warm inside but she forced herself to turn back to the task at hand. She had a battle to win.

One by one, Glimmer, Catra, and Adora took down the bots and tanks with the help of Bow and the Magicat soldiers that had rushed into the woods following She-Ra's lead. Everything seemed to be fine, the rest of the Horde tanks and bots that hadn't been destroyed were turning back, leaving the area. Adora watched them go, pride surging in her chest. She had defeated the Horde for the second time and was able to protect Half Moon--the place she was beginning to fall in love with.

"Adora."

Her blood ran cold. She whipped her head around. Shadow Weaver was walking towards her, clouds of black magic around her. Adora was so scared she transformed back into her regular body. However, she took a half step back into a fighting stance.

"Please. You remember what happened last time you tried that," Adora could hear the smirk in her tone. She cringed as she remembered the way the electricity coursed through her body the night in the Horde when Adora disobeyed direct orders. How she thought she was dying until her mentor suddenly stopped and let her go.

"Adora," Catra's soft voice broke her out of the memory, "who is that, how do you know them?"

"Oh, my dear protégé hasn't talked about me? I can't say I'm surprised..." Shadow Weaver trailed off.

"Protégé?" Catra whispered, slowly backing away from Adora, a look that Adora couldn't read overtaking her face. Each step that the Magicat took back felt like a stab to Adora's heart. She could see Glimmer and Bow standing close behind Catra, a look of concern on Glimmer's face while Bow determinedly held his bow up at Shadow Weaver to make sure she didn't move closer. Even further behind them, Queen C'yra stood watching worriedly. "You're from the Horde, aren't you?" Catra asked, her eyes narrowing. Adora gulped, her hands shaking as she continued to hold the sword out towards Shadow Weaver.

"Oh, she didn't tell you? Adora, I'm disappointed. It's something to be proud of, my dear," Shadow Weaver's voice held the same sickly sweet tone that it always did, whether she was in front of Adora or hidden inside the girl's head. It caused Adora's hands to shake more--so much that everyone could see the sword shaking.

If Adora had glanced to her side then, she would've seen Catra's face morph into concern instead of anger but she didn't. Her mind was a swirl of emotions that she was trying to hold together before she broke apart in front of everyone.

"Why are you here, Shadow Weaver?" Adora's voice was wavery, cracking as she spoke. Catra looked disturbed at the way Shadow Weaver was able to make Adora crumble right in front of her. She tried to reach out and grab Adora's arm in comfort but Glimmer grabbed her before she could. The Bright Moon princess shook her head, telling Catra silently that it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Can't I speak with my favorite student?" Shadow Weaver said, "I miss you, Adora." She took a step forward.

Adora clenched her teeth, hard, her knuckles turned white with the amount of pressure she was holding the sword. Queen C'yra watched the woman edge closer to Adora and saw the way the young woman shook in fear. Without much thought, the queen struck. She, having the power of the Tiger's Eye, jumped far and high into the air, holding out her claws above her head--ready to strike. A roar escaped her lips, queuing Shadow Weaver into the fact that she was being attacked. In a poof, the sorceress was gone and Queen C'yra landed on nothing.

Adora still stood, shaking, watching as the black smoke began to clear away leaving only the queen of Half Moon. C'yra's eyes were filled with worry and concern as they connected with Adora's blank stare but the young woman was somewhere far away.

"Adora--"

The queen was cut off by the sound of Adora's body hitting the ground.

Chapter Text

"ADORA!" Catra screamed as she watched her friend's body hit the ground, her head bashing into the hard surface of the Etheria.

This time Catra wasn't fast enough on her feet to catch Adora before fell--she hadn't seen it coming. However, she rushed over to the girl, dropping onto her knees next to her. Carefully, she reached over and held the back of Adora's head. She was pale but looked peaceful. It was the first time Catra had seen the girl in such a relaxed state. The Magicat princess felt the wetness of tears on her cheeks and she gently placed Adora's head on her lap.

"You're such an idiot," Catra murmured to the unconscious girl, leaning over and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead, "I'm so mad at you right now."

Glimmer suddenly poofed next to Catra, dropping to her knees immediately, looking down at the girl worriedly. C'yra was the next person to get to Adora, followed close behind by Bow. The queen reached down and grabbed Adora's wrist, feeling for her pulse.

"Her heart's beating way too fast," C'yra stated, reaching down and scooping the girl into her arms like she weighed nothing, "Glimmer? Will you teleport us back to the castle?" The princess of Bright Moon nodded solemnly, grabbed onto C'yra's elbow. They were gone in a poof of pink. Catra gritted her teeth trying to keep her emotions under control. She turned to Bow.

"What the fuck was that?! Who was that?? Did you know Adora was from the Horde?" She poked Bow in the center of his chest with each question. The young man looked slightly guilty.

"Er... yeah, I knew Adora grew up in the Horde. When me and Glimmer found her--" Bow paused, hesitating, "that's her story to tell. I don't think she was treated very well growing up. That lady, I think, was Shadow Weaver. Adora doesn't talk about her much but uh... I think Adora got really fucked up by her."

Catra sighed. Her mind flashed back to Adora holding her sword out towards Shadow Weaver. She looked so scared. She was shaking so bad the Sword of Protection was wavering in her grasp. Yet, her mind circled around to the fact that Adora hadn't told her about being from the Horde. She hadn't trusted Catra enough, apparently.

"Why didn't she tell me that," Catra asked, slight hurt in her voice. Bow hesitated before answering.

"To be fair, Adora hasn't really told anyone much about her childhood. Glimmer and I only know bits and pieces and have had to string together the rest through things Adora has implied. I think she... she has an extremely difficult time talking about that part of her life. She's only been out of the Horde for a month or two. She knows that Half Moon has lots of bad blood with the Horde. She, also, feels super connected to you. I can see it in the way she looks at you. I don't think she wanted to screw that up." Catra was quiet. Bow sighed and continued, "Adora is a hard nut to crack sometimes. She's so focused on everything around her she forgets to think about herself and her feelings. I want you to know, Catra, that her being here with you these last couple days is the happiest I've ever seen her." Bow reached out and placed a hand on Catra's shoulders, "I just need you to know that."

Catra smiled thinking back to all the fun that she and Adora had the past few days. She, then, frowned, anger surged through her body again. Adora hadn't told her anything about her upbringing while Catra had poured her heart out to her. She looked up at Bow.

"We need to get back to Castle and make sure Adora's okay. I... I need to talk to her." Bow smiled, sadly, and squeezed Catra's shoulders.

"Please don't hurt her too badly. She's much more fragile than most people think." Catra shook her head.

"No, no. I...I don't want to hurt her. I just need to talk to her. I need her to explain," Bow's smile turned into a smirk. Catra stood up and brushed herself off.

"Can I assume that there'll be a wedding soon?"

A pang of hurt hit Catra again. The wedding. Did she still even want that? Catra grunted and pushed him, "Shut up, bow boy." She hesitated a moment and held out her hand to help him up, "Walk with me to castle."

"Anything for you, your highness," Bow kissed her hand as Catra helped him up. When he was standing upright, Catra shoved him again.

"You're just as dumb as Adora," Catra muttered.

***

C'yra placed Adora gently down on Catra's bed. Glimmer hovered beside her, the worried look had not left her face.

"Glimmer, she'll be fine, okay? She's just stressed... and may have a concussion. She hit her head hard on the ground. Will you stay with her while I go get the Healers?" Glimmer nodded, sitting on the end of the bed by Adora's feet. The queen quickly rushed out of the room.

Glimmer looked at Adora laying in the bed. She reached out and tucked some of the hair that had escaped Adora's ponytail behind her ear. The girl stirred, cracking an eye open and then quickly shutting it. Glimmer's eyes narrowed, "I know you're awake, Adora."

Adora groaned and cracked both eyes open, then quickly shut them. "Mmm, head hurts." The words were slightly slurred. Glimmer sighed and scooted closer to her friend.

"You hit the ground pretty hard. Everyone's worried about you. Catra's worried about you." Adora cracked her eye open again.

"Catra..." Adora trailed off, "hates me." Adora turned away from Glimmer.

Glimmer frowned, "Adora." The girl didn't budge, "Adora look at me." Still, the girl hadn't moved. Glimmer sighed, again, reaching out and placing a hand on Adora's shoulder, turning her to face her again. Adora had both eyes open now. They were filled with tears. "Why do you think Catra hates you, Adora?"

Adora shook her head, mumbling something inaudible. "Adora." Glimmer's tone was hard, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"She knows," Adora muttered just barely audible, "she knows everything and she hates me."

"Adora," Glimmer reached out again, placing a hand on the girl's side, "Catra doesn't hate you." The blonde girl turned back away from Glimmer, "Adora. I'm serious." Adora just shook her head, a sob escaping her lips. Glimmer groaned, retracting her head and reaching up to her face, rubbing her eyes. Adora wasn't listening to her. The princess of Bright Moon was silent a few moments before responding.

"Did you know that in Magicat culture flowers symbolize things. Feelings, usually," it caught Adora's attention. The girl turned back to face Glimmer, again. Her eyes were red, there was snot coming out of her nose. She looked pitiful. "Do you remember what flower Catra gave you that day in the garden?" Glimmer's voice turned soft.

"A white rose," Adora responded. Her voice was wavery.

"Do you know what a white rose symbolizes," Adora shook her head, "It means young love, new beginnings... sometimes everlasting loyalty."

Adora was silent for a long while, "I fucked everything up." She said it fast, rushed. Glimmer barely understood what she was saying.

"What? Adora, what do you mean?" Glimmer reached over to touch her shoulder.

"I fucked it all up. It's all over and It's my fault--"

Adora's panicked rant was interrupted by the door being slammed open. Queen C'yra rushed into the room followed closely followed by two Magicats in matching red tunics. They were carrying what seemed to be a first aid box filled with different types of bandages and medical plants.

"Adora!" The queen exclaimed, making her way to the side of the bed, "You're awake? How are you feeling?"

Adora groaned slightly at the loud noise of people shuffling into the room. "My head," she whimpered, clutching the back of her skull, letting out a hiss of pain.

One of the Magicats in the red tunic gently pushed Glimmer and C'yra to the side while the other one looked through the box of medical supplies--looking for something at the bottom of the box. Glimmer heard the creak of the door opening, again. This time it was Catra and Bow standing in the doorway. Glimmer slipped away from Adora's bedside and walked over to them, gently pushing them out into the hallway, closing the door quietly--making sure to not distract anyone in Catra's room.

Catra looked like a mess. Her eyes were wide with worry but there were still some remnants of angry hidden in the way her shoulders tensed up. Her hair was more out of control than it usually was--she kept running her hands through her dark mane, causing it to frizz up more. Bow, on the other hand, looked much calmer. Though, Glimmer could see the concern in his eyes.

"How is she," Bow asked, softly. Glimmer sighed.

"She hurt her head pretty badly. I'm about 90% sure she has a concussion," Glimmer hesitated and turned to Catra, her eyes narrowing, "she, also, thinks you hate her."

Catra was silent. Bow shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"I'm going to make sure she's okay," Bow muttered after a minute of awkward silence, turning to walk into the room. It left Glimmer and Catra alone in the hallway.

"Y'know," Glimmer glared at Catra, "I really don't like you. I think you're rude. I think you have issues with control. I think you're stubborn and too set in your ways. But, somehow, Adora seems to have attached to you--to this arrangement." Glimmer paused, taking in the swirl of anger in Catra's eyes, "I suggest you take a walk and figure your feelings out before you go in there and hurt Adora more," Glimmer turned around and took a step towards the door. She whipped her body around once more, "Don't fuck it up," Glimmer said through clenched teeth--jabbing Catra in the chest, hard.

Catra stood in the hallway, her arms wrapped around her middle. Her mind was a mess. She was angry with Adora, that was true. However, she also wanted to make sure that she was okay. She wanted an explanation from her. The Magicat girl took a step toward the door of her room, her hand rested on the doorknob, tensing, getting ready to turn it, swing open the door and confront Adora right there. Catra paused. Glimmer was right. She wasn't in the right headspace to have a conversation with Adora at that moment. Catra let go of the door and turned away, heading down the hallway, down the stairs, and out of the castle into the garden.

She needed to think.

***

Adora's head hurt. Every twist and turn the girl made seemed to send a spike of pain down her spine. She couldn't stand the lights so she had Bow turn them off before he left the room. Though, since the sun had not set yet, it just made the room have a light grey hue over it.

She was alone now. C'yra had escorted Bow and Glimmer from the room a while ago to discuss the failed Horde invasion. The healers, as they had introduced themselves to Adora, also left a while ago, leaving her to rest and take some leaves that were supposed to relieve some of her pain. But Adora couldn't rest. And she didn't take the leaves. She kept thinking about Catra. About how the girl probably hated her. About how she fucked everything up. How Shadow Weaver was going to be proven right. She kept staring at the quilt on the other side of the room. The empty spot hurt to look at... knowing that she probably wouldn't be the one to help Catra fill it.

The door creaked open and Adora, as quickly as she could, turned around to face the wall.

"Go away Glimmer," Adora muttered loud enough so they could hear. Adora could hear the person place something on the dress not far from the bed. A chair was dragged across the room and placed next to the side of the bed. Adora could feel them moving around again, picking up whatever they had placed on the dress before sitting down on the chair beside Adora.

"Hey, Adora," Catra's raspy voice filled the room. Adora clenched her fists. She wasn't ready to be rejected, her head still hurt so bad. Tears welled up in her eyes. An awkward silence flowed through the room for a minute.

"I brought you dinner," Catra stated, her voice soft, approachable, "I'm sure you're hungry."

Slowly, Adora turned away from the wall to face Catra but refused to meet her eyes in fear of what she might see. She locked her gaze with the tray of food resting on Catra's lap. There was a bowl of soup, clearly still hot as steam lifted from it. There was, also, a plate with a thick, layered sandwich. Adora's stomach grumbled, she didn't realize she was starving until that moment. Struggling a little, Adora managed to shuffle herself into a sitting position with her back against the headboard. The tray was placed gently into Adora's lap. Immediately Adora grabbed the sandwich and dunked it into the soup, lifting it up to her mouth and chomping down. Dribbles of hot broth trickled down her chin and onto her clothes.

"I've never seen someone eat it like that," Catra chucked, good-naturedly. Quickly, Adora glanced up to meet Catra's eyes--she looked amused. She was, also, not in her traditional robes anymore. She had on a loose, long-sleeved, purple shirt and loose black pants. Adora quickly reverted her gaze.

"I like it like this," Adora murmured, dunking her sandwich into the soup for a second time. Catra just nodded, her eyes traveling around the room until she saw the bowl of medicinal plants on the nightstand.

"Why haven't you taken your medicine?" Catra asked, a hint of concern in her voice, "It'll make you feel better."

Adora glanced at the plants at her bedside. "I don't know," Adora said, almost inaudibly. But she did know. She wanted to feel the pain. She deserved to feel the pain. Catra's eyes narrowed. She picked up the bowl and took one of the leaves, shoving it into Adora's already open mouth. The girl sputtered for a moment yet had no choice but to chew the plant. One by one, Cara feed the medicine to Adora until the bowl was empty and the girl could continue eating her dinner. The Magicat leaned back against the chair, proud of herself.

The rest of the time Adora ate, the two were silent. Catra watched as Adora's hands slowly became shaky while the tension built between the two of them. When Adora was done, Catra carefully took the tray from her and placed it on the ground. She turned back and raised an eyebrow at Adora.

"Do you want to explain yourself?" Catra asked, not harshly but with conviction. Adora's hands trembled more. She opened her mouth to respond to Catra but all that could come out was a sob. Bringing her hands up to hide her face, Adora's whole body shook with pain and sobs as a wave of emotions hit her suddenly. Catra's shoulders dropped and she frantically got up from the chair, plopping herself down right next to Adora on the bed--her back against the headboard and her arms holding the young woman in a loose hug.

"Please don't hate me," Was all Adora could say, repeatedly, as she continued to cry and shake. Catra shook her head, nuzzling her face into Adora's neck as she continued to hold the girl in a loose hug.

"I don't hate you, Adora," Was Catra's response every time the girl repeated her plea. Eventually, Adora seemed to calm down enough where she wasn't sobbing anymore, nor was she shaking. She was numb, her head hung low. Catra didn't let go of her, her face was still nuzzled in the space where Adora's neck met her shoulder.

"So," Catra spoke, "you're from the Horde." Adora just nodded. "Why... why didn't you tell me that, Adora?"

Adora was quiet a while. Catra almost though she wasn't going to respond.

"I have to do this," Adora whispered, "I have to make sure you like me. You wouldn't like me if you knew where I came from."

Catra ignored the first part of Adora's statement. "I wish you had just told me when I gave you the opportunity," Catra murmured into Adora's neck, "I wouldn't have been angry with you. I'm only angry with you now because you didn't tell me earlier."

Adora started to shake again, tears welling up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. You don't deserve me."

Catra shushed her, gently. "Don't say that, Adora. I decide what I deserve, okay?" One of her hands traveled down Adora's body until she hit Adora's hand. She grabbed it, intertwining her fingers.

"Who was that, Adora? What did she do to you?" Catra asked, softly. Adora shook harder, her breathes started to come out in gasps. Catra realized she had made a mistake when Adora's eyes glossed over.

"Adora? Hey," Catra pulled back and shook the girl gently, "I'm sorry. I overstepped." Adora didn't respond, she was on the cusp of a full-blown panic attack. Catra reached out and placed her hand in the middle of Adora's chest, on her sternum. She could feel the harsh beating of the girl's heart.

The pressure on Adora's chest grounded her, her breathing slowed and her heart rate decreased. Life seemed to flow back into the girl. She blushed a bright red and turn away from Catra, embarrassed. Catra reached out with the hand that was paced on Adora's chest and cupped one of her cheeks, "Adora, it's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Adora shook her head, "I should be stronger. I'm an idiot--"

"Hey, hey, hey," Catra gently tapped on Adora's cheek bring her attention back to Catra, "you are an idiot but not because you feel anxious or upset talking about trauma. You're an idiot because you got soup all over your jacket." Adora let out a slight whimper of a laugh. Catra smiled, softly.

"I forgive you, by the way," Catra leaned back into Adora's neck, "I understand why you didn't tell me."

Adora looked at the girl, perplexed, "You're not angry?"

"I'm still angry with you for not telling me but less than before. I'm more worried about you, Adora," Catra looked up into Adora's eyes, "you scared me earlier... during the battle... and just then," Adora scoffed and turned away.

"I'm fine."

"You're not," Catra stated, "but I'm going to be there for you until you get better and then afterward."

"You still want to marry me," Adora breathed out, slumping forward out of relief, "I didn't fuck it up."

Catra cuddled in closer to Adora, "I went to the garden earlier. I was going to come in here and check on you but I was still so angry. I needed to clear my head, be alone with my thoughts for a while," Catra didn't mention the angry one-sided confrontation she had with Glimmer, "I was pacing up and down the flowerbeds until my body stopped in front of the camellias and I came to a revelation." Adora looked at her confused. Catra pulled away from the girl for a moment, leaning over the side of the bed and picking up a bouquet of red camellias, placing them in Adora's lap.

"Do you know what red camellias symbolize, Adora?" Catra asked, her voice low. Adora felt her mouth go dry. She shook her head.

Catra cupped Adora's cheeks, looking down at her lips and then back up to her eyes, silently asking for permission. Adora felt her mind go on the fritz as her whole body tingling with want rather than pain or panic. She managed to give Catra a small nod before the Magicat girl crashed their lips together. Adora's hands went straight to Catra's hips, pulling her tighter into her body. Catra's tail subconsciously wrapped around Adora's back. The kiss wasn't crazy passionate but it held so much feeling that Adora felt her head spin--but not because of the concussion

Catra pulled away after a few seconds, leaning her forehead against Adora's. She reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair behind Adora's ear, her mismatched eyes boring into Adora's pale blue ones.

"They mean desire, Adora."

Chapter Text

"I was almost part of the Horde."

Adora turned her face to look at Catra. The Magicat girl had scooted closer to Adora, her arm was draped across Adora's chest, resting in the crook of her shoulder. Catra's head rested on the left side of her chest, listening to the soft beating of Adora's heart. Her tail was resting on Adora's stomach, patting against the taut muscles there in a rhythmic pattern. Adora had an arm slung under Catra's neck, holding her close to her body while she lay on her back. Both their lips were swollen and bruised.

"I wonder if we would've been friends," Catra continued her thought. Adora chuckled and stared up at the ceiling, trying to picture Catra as a kitten in the Horde.

"I probably wouldn't have left if you were there," Adora murmured. Catra rose an eyebrow.

"Why did you leave?" Adora let out a loud, long sigh. Her eyes glossed over for a moment. Catra felt a pang of guilt hit her hard in the chest. She brought the hand resting on Adora's shoulder up to the girl's cheek, turning her face gently until they made eye contact. Adora blinked once and the glossy look left her eyes. They lit up, the area around her eyes crinkling as a smile grew on Adora's face.

"You're very pretty," Adora said, dumbly. Catra let out a loud laugh, leaning in to give Adora a lingering kiss. When Catra eventually pulled back, the blonde girl hummed contently, then frowned.

"I didn't mean to leave," Adora stated, gulping, "I was confused."

"What do you mean?" Catra asked, confused. Adora tensed in her arms. The Magicat girl gently turned Adora so she was fully facing her, purring loudly into Adora's neck. She dragged the hand on Adora's shoulder over her chest until it rested in the middle on her sternum, putting pressure there. Adora gasped quietly, sucking in a big gulp of air and falling limp into Catra's arms. She fully enveloped Adora into her arms, one of her hands traveled up Adora's back until it reached the back of her head. She began to softly play with the baby hair there.

It had been a long day for both young women. Adora had spent a good part of it crying and Catra had spent a good part of it half angry and half worried. It was dark now in Catra's room. The only light was from the moon peering in through Catra's open window--which left a pale stream of light across the floor. The bouquet of red camellias had been set gently on the nightstand along with a full glass of water and the empty bowl from the medical leaves. Adora was breathing in Catra's scent deeply. She smelled like a multitude of different flowers and shampoo.

Catra's hand traveled higher and she carefully pulled Adora's hair out of its high ponytail. Adora moaned, quietly, relieved to have her hair out of the tight ponytail.

"You don't have to tell me, yet. I'll be here for you when you're ready," Catra whispered into Adora's ear. Her nails were scratching the back of Adora's head, now, in a soothing manner. Adora closed her eyes at the sensation, her breath beginning to even out. Every few seconds her head jerked up as if she was willing herself to stay awake for Catra. The Magicat girl chuckled, softly.

"It's okay to go to sleep, Adora. I'll be here in the morning," Catra promised.

With that, Adora's eyes finally closed and soft snores began to escape her lips. Catra, proud of herself, laid back against the bed, pulling Adora into her. They had basically swapped positions. Now, Adora's hand was settled on the middle part of Catra's chest, her face nestled into the princess's neck.

It was the first night Adora had properly slept since arriving at Bright Moon a month and a half prior.

***

In the morning, Catra woke up first. She groaned, trying to stretch out her limbs but something stopped her from doing so. Catra peeked open one of her eyes to find Adora passed out on her shoulder, dead asleep, drooling on her nightshirt. The princess grinned to herself, shifting her weight slightly so she was more comfortable. Adora didn't budge and the drool spot on Catra's shoulder was growing larger.

"I'm so gonna give you shit for this when you get up," Catra snickered, relaxing back into the bed.

Adora woke up, startled by Ashli's knocked, about an hour later. She, accidentally, shoved Catra off the bed when the loud knocks woke her. The Magicat girl landed on her butt with a loud thump.

"Catra?" Ashli's worried voice rang out, "Everything alright in there?"

Catra groaned slightly, rubbing her ass as she made her way to the door, "I'm fine, Ashli!"

Catra cracked the door open, shielding an anxious Adora from Ashli's view. The older Magicat rose a questioning eyebrow at Catra.

"How's Adora?" She asked and Catra scratched the back of her neck, awkwardly.

"Good, good. Just woke up."

Ashli pushed the girl's clothes into her arms, "Would you like breakfast here or are you two coming down to the dining room?"

Catra hesitated a moment, looking back at Adora. The girl looked like she needed to stay in bed a few more hours and take some more pain medication.

"We'll have it in here... maybe lunch as well. Could you let the Healers know that Adora's awake and in need of medication? Also, could you let my parents know that I'm calling a formal meeting later this afternoon in the throne room? Sparkles and Bow-boy should be there as well." Ashli crossed her arms.

"Glimmer and Bow?" She stated, cocking her head. A displeased look on her face.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Catra waved her off, "you know what I mean."

Ashli gave her a slight nod and ducked away. Catra turned back around to face Adora, slowly walking towards her.

"First, you drool on me. Then, you push me out of bed? And to think! I kissed you last night... many, many times," Adora looked panicked.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to push you off the bed, I swear! I just wake up super violently, it's a habit I developed in the Horde and I can't figure out how to--"

Catra climbed into Adora's lap, cutting her off.

"You're screwing with me," Adora breathed out, her hands going to Catra's hips.

"I want to be screwing you," Catra responded cheekily, causing Adora's cheeks to go bright red.

"Oh, uh, I, right now?"

Catra giggled and leaned down to kiss her, gently. Her hands cupped Adora's face, thumbs caressing the girl's cheeks softly. Adora's hands tightened on Catra's hips. After a moment, Catra pulled away.

"No, not right now. We can take this slow, okay? As slow as two people who just met and are now gonna get married can be. Also, you need to brush your teeth, nasty."

Adora shot Catra a look, "So do you!" The girl retorted.

Catra just smirked, climbing off of Adora and walking to the middle of the room. Her hands went to the bottom of her nightshirt and pulled up. Adora's eyes bulged out of her head as the shirt was tossed to the side, leaving Catra, shirtless, in front of her. The princess was extremely fit, Adora had already known that from sparring her, but she wasn't prepared to see abs or Catra in a bra so early in the morning. She had stripes up and down her side, like the ones on her forearms. There was an absence of scars on Catra's body, Adora noticed, a pang of insecurity hit her chest. It was all washed away when Catra's hands went to her pants, slowly starting to pull down.

"Catra!" Adora whimpered, "What are you doing?"

"I'm changing into my robes," the princess said innocently, a mischievous look in her eyes. She pulled the pants slightly lower to reveal the top of a pair of boxer briefs.

"Uh! I'm... going... uh... Bathroom!" Adora squeaked out, grabbing the bag with her toiletries and clothes, sprinting into Catra's personal bathroom that was off to the side. She could hear the princess's loud cackle as she slammed the door shut. Groaning, softly, Adora walked to the sink and splashed some cold water on her face before opening the bag and getting ready for the day.

She put on some of the Magicat clothing that Catra got her the first day in Half Moon. It was a red tunic with fancy gold trimmings around the collar and cuffs. She, also, put on a pair of black, tight, pants, making sure she had on her signature belt as well. She brushed her teeth, her hair, and got ready for the day knowing that she was going to have to face the Queen and King at some point. The thought sent a burst of pain into her skull, like a knife being stabbed into her occipital bone. With one last look in the mirror, Adora turned away and walked out of the bathroom.

Catra had on a black, long-sleeved turtle neck shirt. Her pants were gold with a black strip. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her princess robes were draped over the seat to her desk--she had the gold ones today. The gold ones were Adora's favorite. She could also see Catra's headpiece set carefully on the desk.

"You look good, today," Catra's eyes lit up when Adora walked out of the bathroom.

"As do you, m'lady," Catra said, giving Adora a bow. She rolled her eyes at the Magicat's antics.

A light knock on the door caused their attention to shift. The two healers from the day prior strode into the room with their box of medical supplies in their hands. Adora was urged to get back into the bed and lay back down on her back. They began to feel around her head to make sure there weren't any odd dents or cracks now that the swelling had gone down. Once she was clear, they left her another bowl of medical leaves on the nightstand and walked out of the room.

"Are you feeling any better today?" Catra asked, softly. As she sat down on the chair next to Adora's bed. Adora nodded, reaching over to grab the bowl on the nightstand, carefully eating the leaves.

"Thank you," Adora stated, hesitated before adding, "for last night, I mean. No one has ever, uh. Held me like that before."

Catra's heart clenched. Adora had been deprived of so much at such a young age, it made her heart hurt, "Well, you better get used to it, beautiful."

"Beautiful? That's much nicer than idiot."

"I can be nice, idiot."

"And there we go again," Adora smiled, causing Catra to smile. Being around Catra, knowing the girl felt something towards her, made Adora feel warm inside. Something about the Magicat girl was different, Adora had never felt so strongly towards someone before. Catra was funny and always up to something. But she was also kind and gave so much instead of taking. She was in control of herself, confident, powerful. Something Adora couldn't say about herself. She wanted to be near the young woman all the time--like an addiction.

Catra didn't respond to Adora. She just smiled, going over to her bookshelf and pulling out a few different books. She climbed back onto the bed, sitting beside Adora with her back against the headrest, plopping the books on the nightstand on her side of the bed. Catra picked up one of the larger books and held it out in front of herself and Adora, quietly beginning to read the Magicat scrip for the other girl. A few minutes later, Ashli brought them breakfast. Toast, bacon, sausage, eggs, hashbrowns for Adora. Fruit, yogurt, oatmeal for Catra. They ate their breakfast next to each other while Catra continued to read the book, only stopping to answer Adora's questions until there was another knock on the door.

Queen C'yra and King Milo walked in. Neither of them had on their robes, like Catra, nor their headpieces. Adora flinched when she saw who had walked into the room. Catra silently placed a hand on Adora's back, rubbing gently, trying to convey to her that it would alright.

"Adora," the Queen stated, her regular, cold, regal look on her face, "we came to ask how you were feeling. You weren't at breakfast this morning."

Unsteadily, Adora responded, "I, uh, feel better." Her hands were clutched together in front of her, trying to stop the shaking. The King and Queen must be so upset with her, she had lied to them just like she had lied to Catra. The princess noticed Adora's white knuckles and didn't hesitate to reach over and grab her hands with her own, softly prying them open until Adora's fingers fit in between hers. Her parents noticed the action. Milo's eyes lit up and a small smirk grew on C'yra's face.

"I told Ashli to get us breakfast," Catra stated, protectively, "Adora wasn't well this morning."

C'yra cocked an eyebrow at her daughter's defensive attitude and then shifted her attention back to Adora, "I apologize for not protecting you yesterday, Adora. That must've been very traumatic for you."

Adora's eyes went wide, "You're... you're not mad at me?" Catra's parents looked at each other, confused.

"Why would we be mad at you, Adora?" Milo asked, gently, "Is there something that we should upset about?"

"I... I'm from the Horde! I lied to you! I'm a terrible person--" Catra shushed her, with a finger, before she could spiral into another panic attack, leaning her forehead into Adora's temple.

"Adora," C'yra spoke, calmly, almost warmly, "I knew you were from the Horde before the battle. The way you fight, your jacket, it all points to the Horde. I'm not mad at you for that, one cannot control the environment from which they were raised."

"Also," King Milo's voice was deep, soothing, fatherly, "you never lied to us about the Horde--we never asked."

"You're not a terrible person," Catra murmured into Adora's ear, leaving a soft kiss there. Adora relaxed into the bed again, Catra threw an arm across her stomach.

"When did that happen?" Queen C'yra asked after a moment, gesturing to Catra and Adora cuddled up on the bed.

"Er, last night," Adora said, her face flushing. The King's eyebrows skyrocketed towards his hairline.

"Did you use protection?" He asked, and Catra's eyes widened.

"Dad! No! Stop! Nothing like that happened," Adora flushed an even darker color, thinking about earlier that morning when Catra had basically stripped in front of her.

"So, is this what your formal meeting is about?" C'yra asked and Catra nodded. Her mother grinned. It was the first time Adora saw such a big smile on her face.

"Alright. We just wanted to check on Adora. We'll see you later in the throne room, then," C'yra nodded her head once, Milo gave Catra a kiss on the cheek and Adora a kiss on the forehead. The couple walked out of the room.

"What's the meeting about?" Adora asked, quietly, when they had left.

"I'm making a formal proposal for your hand in marriage," Catra responded, playing with Adora's hair.

"Am... uh... am I supposed to do anything?" Adora asked, nervously. She didn't know what a formal proposal would entail. Catra shook her head.

"No. Don't worry about it, please," Catra cupped her cheek again, her fingers wandering hovering over the bags under Adora's eyes, "just rest for now. I need you to be well-rested for the meeting, later."

Adora just nodded, turned towards Catra as she began to read, again. Bow and Glimmer visited later that day, bring their lunches to the room. The foursome talked amongst themselves, Glimmer and Bow didn't ask about the lingering touches between the two young women--only giving each other quick knowing glances. Glimmer seemed a little more civil towards Catra than she normally was, which made Adora happy. It was a good time for each party involved. They left after a while, leaving Catra and Adora to get ready for the meeting in the throne room. Adora watched from the bed as Catra slipped on her golden robes and placed her headpiece snuggly on her head. Catra's headpiece was solid red in color. Adora had noticed that Queen C'yra's was red like Catra's but had gold accents on the outside with gold Magicat script in the middle on her forehead. The King's was the opposite, gold in color with red accents and red Magicat script in the middle. When Catra had finished placing the headpiece on her head, she turned around to look at Adora, grinning with her arm extended for her to take. Adora smiled and looped her arm around Catra's, holding on tight.

When they walked into the throne room, Adora became extra nervous. The King and Queen sat on their respective thrones, looking tall and mighty (though Milo gave Adora a wink). Beside them in bleacher like seats sat about twenty Magicats. Each of them were dressed in traditional Magicat clothes, like the ones Adora was wearing. It was a far cry from the clothes most of the Magicats in Half Moon wore--which showed that they were of upper-class status. Each of them also wore a headpiece similar to what Catra, Milo, and C'yra wore. However, they were much thinner and were black in coloring. Glimmer and Bow sat in chairs close to this council looking strangely out of place.

"Queen C'yra, King Milo," Catra addressed her parents by their formal titles, "Advisory council. Bright Moon representatives. I have come before you tonight to ask Adora of Bright Moon's hand in marriage." Small, collective gasps broke out across the advisory council.

"Princess Catra," One of the members spoke of the council spoke. He was an older, greying, Magicat with a thick stomach and too many whiskers. His voice was whiny and high pitched, "You do know that this would be the first royal wedding between a Magicat and a non-Magicat. Correct?"

Catra's eyes hardened. Adora felt the muscles in her arm tighten.

"Yes, Sir Kippa. I understand that. However, there are no rules against it."

Muttering broke out across the advisory council.

"Adora of Bright Moon," Adora didn't expect to be addressed--apparently Catra assumed she wouldn't be addressed either as the young woman tensed again, "what say you about Half Moon?" Another Magicat asked--she was younger than the other one but had a hard look on her face.

"I, uh. I love Half Moon. It's beautiful. I like... the orphans?" It was a shaky response, stuttery and unsteady. The last part sounded like a question.

The Queen opened her mouth to respond before Adora could be badgered by questions, "Princess Catra, I approve of your proposal. You and Adora shall be married in a month's time."

"I second the Queen," Milo stated. Displeased rumblings broke out across the advisory council but eventually, they gave in and approved Catra's proposal.

"Uh, yeah! Catra and Adora should get married," Bow exclaimed. Glimmer smacked her forehead with her hand as members of the council gave Bow an odd look.

"I, Princess Glimmer of Bright Moon, also approve of Princess Catra's proposal. I, also, formally ask Princess Catra of Half Moon to join the Rebellion and the Princess Alliance."

More gasps and displeased looks were tossed around by the council.

"Queen C'yra, you can't honestly expect Half Moon to join the rebellion! Remember last time--"

Sir Kippa was cut off by C'yra's hand-raising.

"I accept," Queen C'yra was irritated at the council, Adora could tell by the way her teeth clenched, tightly, "Princess Catra will travel with you to Bright Moon and serve as a representative of Half Moon for the Princess Alliance." Adora felt Catra tense slightly against her, again. She glanced at the young woman. She looked a little distraught. Adora's hand, hesitantly, traveled down to Catra's and intertwined their fingers. The princess's mismatched eyes found Adora's and she gave the girl a grateful look.

Catra squeezed Adora's hand and then let go of it. She padded over to a table that sat away from the council and the King and Queen. Adora hadn't noticed it before. She fiddled with something for a while before turning back to Adora and everyone else. Clutched in her hands was a beautiful, golden, headpiece--identical to the one on her head except in color. Catra's hands shook slightly as she neared Adora, whose eyes were wide with surprise.

"Adora of Bright Moon," Catra's voice was wavery, "do you accept my hand in marriage?"

"Yes, I do," Adora's voice was surprisingly calm in contrast with the world of emotions fluttering in her chest. Catra nodded once and lifted up the headpiece to Adora's head, softly positioning it on her. Her hands, then, dropped to Adora's cheek, a shaky smile on her face. Adora could see the emotions swirling in her eyes.

"Then it shall be so."

Chapter Text

Ironically, the first time Princess Catra of Half Moon left the city after the wall had gone up it was raining.

She stood at her window, her packed bags next to her, staring out the window watching as fat raindrops spattered against the glass, distorting the view of her city.

Adora stood back by the bed, watching her fiancee. She looked conflicted, anxious even. She held her hands together tightly behind her back. Adora could see Catra's face in the reflection of the glass, there was a tight frown on her face, her mismatched eyes looked troubled and her eyebrows were turned down. Adora wrung her hands together, anxiously, trying to figure out how to ease the storm inside her partner's head.

"Er, uh, Catra?" Adora stuttered out. The princess turned around to look at Adora. A small smile grew on her face but her eyes still looked dark and sad. "Do, uh. There are plants in Bright Moon... maybe you could plant some flowers?"

Catra chuckled and walked over to Adora. She stood directly in front of her and reached both her arms out, rubbing up and down Adora's muscular arms. Catra, then, took a step closer, into Adora's bubble and gave her a quick kiss. She wrapped her arms around the blonde girl's waist, tucking her head into Adora's chest. Adora, quickly, wrapped her arms around Catra.

"I'd like that, Adora," Catra said, her voice wavered slightly. She gripped the girl tighter for a second and then pulled away, "Let's get going. The others are probably waiting for us."

Adora opened her mouth to say something but the words got caught in her throat. She ducked her head down and followed Catra obediently out of the room. The Magicat princess had her arm held out, fingers brushing over the etchings on the wall. Her head was hung low, studying the ground as she walked. Adora gulped, her grip on the bag got tighter, knuckles turning white. She looked away, turning her gaze straight forward, her heart couldn't take the sad look on Catra's face. Adora felt like she was ripping Catra away from her home, the only one she had ever known. Guilt seeped through her veins and throughout her body, it was almost debilitating.

Glimmer, Bow, and Catra's parents were waiting for them just outside the castle walls. Queen C'yra seemed antsy, her weight kept shifting between her feet. For once, King Milo was the one who stood stoic, tall, proud. Adora glanced at Catra, again. Her face had shifted into a neutral, regal, look. Adora gulped, her fingers fiddling with her jacket. Catra walked up to her parents, wishing them a quiet farewell while Adora stood back by Glimmer and Bow. The King smiled, but his eyes were sad. He leaned down and pressed his head against Catra's, whispering into her ear. The princess's eyes welled up with tears that she quickly wiped away. She gave him a hug, her face pressed hard into his chest. She then turned to her mother. The usually regal Queen C'yra looked distraught. Catra grabbed her hand, patting it, and smiling.

"Don't worry." Catra stated, "I'll be safe." Queen C'yra looked away for a moment. Adora swore she watched a tear run down her cheek.

"I know you will. It's your time to fight this war, Catra. I know you'll be more successful than me. I'll be waiting here, anxiously, for when you return, alright?" Catra rolled her eyes.

"It'll only be a month."

"A month too long," C'yra muttered pulling Catra into her chest. It was the first time Adora had seen the mother and daughter affectionate towards each other. When they pulled away, Catra smiled ruefully at her mother. They were just about to turn their backs to the castle when Adora heard her name being called. She whipped around to see Catra's parents beckoning her towards them. She glanced at Catra. The princess smiled and pushed Adora forward. The young woman walked unsteadily towards her future in-laws.

"You thought you could leave without giving us a proper goodbye?" Milo jested, knocking Adora in the shoulder playfully. C'yra rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Please take care, Adora," C'yra spoke softly for only them to hear.

Adora nodded vigorously, "Yes. I'll protect Catra, I promise." C'yra's expression softened, Milo smiled sadly.

"No, take care of yourself, Adora," Catra stated. Adora frowned at them, confused.

Catra's parents gave each other a glance, secretly agreeing with each other. They both leaned forward and wrapped Adora in a tight hug. Milo even pressed a fatherly kiss against Adora's hair. Adora floundered for a moment, her arms were frozen by her sides. Hesitantly, she reached up and hugged them back. After a moment her body relaxed and she pressed her face into C'yra's chest. Warmth spread throughout Adora's cold, wet body. She had always wondered what hugging a parent would be like and she assumed this must be the closest thing to it.

"We'll see you in a month," Milo smiled, "we're gonna throw you and Catra a rager." C'yra rolled her eyes, again. Adora just smiled up at them, giddily.

She jogged back to Catra and her friends, the smile still plastered on her face. Catra nudged her.

"You look happy," Catra said, Adora's smile made her smile.

"They hugged me... did you see?" Adora whispered back. Catra's heart lurched when she realized that Adora must not have been hugged very often as a kid--and never by a parental figure. She stuck her hand out, wiggling her fingers to let Adora know she wanted her to grab her hand. Adora complied, humming happily as she intertwined their fingers.

Catra took in a deep breath. She watched, nostalgic, as they passed the buildings of Half Moon one by one. They walked passed the school where Catra had once played with her peers, innocently--naive to the world at war just outside their borders. They passed the street corner where her uncle's food cart usually sat. Jaka wasn't out there today, business wasn't good when it was raining, Catra knew. It didn't stop her from wishing she could see his face once more before she left. They passed the concert hall--where Catra and her father had spent so many Friday nights together. They passed the Magicat place of worship, where Catra had spent so many hours on her hands and knees, praying for her mother's safety. Catra watched as trees that she and her cousins used to climb, sticks that used to play-pretend swords, and small patches of land that used to be kingdoms all passed by.

She knew she would be back. She knew that Half Moon was her home and she could never truly leave it but she didn't know how long this war would last. She knew that every day, minute, second that passed by she would be longing to be back home. She knew that when she did finally return home for good, she would be a changed person--hopefully for the better.

Adora was looking at her, worriedly. Catra wasn't oblivious, she knew that her sullen mood was making Adora anxious. She couldn't help it. She was scared and she didn't want to admit that to Adora.

"Princess Catra!" A small squeaky voice rang out. Celia, Yarrow, and the rest of the orphans stood off to the side. Their clothes were muddy, wet. There was a bright green ball in Celia's hands. "Are you coming to play?"

A lump formed in Catra's throat. She shook her head.

"No, I'm going away for a bit," Catra's voiced cracked. She let go of Adora's hand and walked over to the children, dropping to her knees, not caring that her expensive pants were probably ruined. Celia looked confused. She frowned.

"When will you be back?" Celia asked, reaching out to run a muddy hand through the princess's fluff hair.

"A month... but then I'll have to leave again," Celia frowned deeper.

"When will you be back to play?" The girl asked.

"I... I'm not sure," Catra choked out, tears starting to stream down her face.

"Don't cry, Princess Catra," Yarrow spoke up, his own muddy paw reaching out to whip the tears from Catra's eyes, "we'll be here when you get back. We can write you letters! Miss Magnolia is teaching us how!"

"I'd like that a lot, Yarrow," Catra murmured. One by one each orphan wished Catra goodbye. The princess wasn't wearing her usual traditional robes so she didn't mind as much that her shirt was getting ruined by dirt stains.

"You're leaving too, Miss Adora?" Celia asked, her eyes sad. Adora cleared her throat and managed to nod. "I'll miss you, too," Celia said, grabbing onto Adora's leg, tightly. Adora reached down and picked the girl up, hugging her tight to her chest. Muddy arms wrapped tightly around Adora's neck, tiny claws dug into Adora's skin. She didn't care much, though, finding comfort in the tiny Magicat's arms.

It was the most difficult part about leaving Half Moon for Catra, leaving the orphans. She knew that they would be protected, Madam Magnolia was a kind, respected woman. However, walking away from them felt like her body was being ripped apart. The only thing grounding her was Adora's tight grip on her hand. The girl leaned in and pressed a soft kissed against Catra's not muddy cheek. Bow gave her a sympathetic look. Glimmer even gave Catra a small smile.

Walking through the Whispering Woods was surreal for Catra. She barely remembered the life she lived before the wall and her mother had seen to it that Catra never left the city after it was built--as she was the reason it went up. Adora chuckled softly at the look in Catra's eyes.

"It's pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" Adora stated as they walked through the winding trees and brush, "My first time out here I got so disoriented..." Adora trailed off a moment. Catra squeezed her hand, Adora gave her a half-hearted grin, "I just mean it's pretty huge, right? Much bigger than I thought."

Catra nodded, thinking for a moment before responding, "The Magicats used to rule all of the Whispering Woods. I'm gonna make sure that wall comes down and that happens again."

Adora looked proud. "I believe in you. I'll help you any way I can." Catra tugged Adora's hand forward so the girl stumbled towards her. She caught her before she could fall, pulling her into a hard kiss, her arms wrapped around Adora's dirty neck. Adora kissed back just as passionately, grabbing Catra's hips. A loud cough broke them up. Glimmer stood in front of them, turned around so she was facing the couple, her arms crossed and her eyebrow cocked. Bow was practically shaking with excitement next to her.

"C'mon, lovebirds. We need to get back to Bright Moon before dinner," There was no malice to Glimmer's tone--in fact, there was a hint of amusement. Catra took it as a win.

So they trudged along. Adora's hand was still tightly intertwined in Catra's.

***

Bright Moon was just as pink as Catra remembered.

It was a far cry from Half Moon which was tucked deep into the Whispering Woods. Bright Moon seemed to be out in the open for all to see, something that made Catra slightly angry. Queen Angella was tall, but not as tall as Catra remembered. The last time Catra had seen the Queen she was a kitten and the woman had seemed much taller. She still looked elegant, graceful--opposite of Queen C'yra who had a much more rugged appearance with her dark coloring and multitude of scars.

"Princess Catra," Her soft, sweet voice echoed across the hall, "It's so good to see you, again."

Catra curtsied to the Queen, ducking her head submissively, "It's good to see you as well, Queen Angella."

"Dinner will be ready soon. I'll leave you to settle in... I assume you'll be staying in Adora's room?" The Queen grinned, almost giddily.

Beside her, Adora blushed a deep red color.

"Yes, I will be," Catra stated, simply. Angella nodded her head once, a charming smile on her face. She turned to Bow and Glimmer, beckoning them to follow her as she began to stride down the hall. Adora led her through the halls of Bright Moon. Catra gazed up at the large murals painting the walls.

The rooms in Bright Moon were large, pink, but didn't have any personality to them. At least Adora's didn't. There was barely anything in the room except the furniture that had been there before Adora arrived.

"This is my room," Adora scratched the back of her neck, awkwardly, smudge the little bit of mud that was still there, "It's not as cool as your room with all your pictures... but there's that waterfall."

Catra just hummed in response, tossing her bag into the closet. She pulled out some clean clothes and walked into Adora's bathroom to change. When she was done, she swung the door back open and while she walked out, Catra stated, "We're gonna get you some decorations. Adora decorations, not Bright Moon decorations."

"Uh... what are Adora decorations?" The girl asked, watching Catra as she jumped into the hard cot in the center of the room, grimacing at how stiff it was.

"Decorations of things you like, stuff you like to do," Catra responded, "God, why is your bed so hard?"

"Well, um. I had another one but it exploded. I sleep better on that one."

"It... exploded?" Catra asked, amused.

"It's a long story, okay!" For the first time that day, Catra let out one of her full belly laughs. Adora smiled.

"Well, I guess you'll just have to tell me after dinner," Catra said, cheekily. Adora rolled her eyes.

She extended her arm for Catra to take, "M'lady," she said--mocking Catra.

Catra grinned, happily taking Adora's arm.

"You're buff," Catra said, the hand not clutching onto Adora's arm traveled across her body to rub her fiancee's biceps.

Adora flushed a bright red.

Dinner was a quiet affair. Queen Angella asked about their trip to Half Moon, much of her focus on Catra. Yet the girl couldn't help but feel slightly lonely, wishing her father to be sat across from her, making sly comments about how close Adora was sitting to her. They ate chicken and rice with steamed vegetables. It was fine but Catra thought it could use some more seasoning. Glimmer, also, talked a lot more. It was her home, after all. She felt comfortable here. Adora still scarfed down her food like a wild animal, getting food all over herself, but Catra didn't want to make a joke because she didn't know how the Queen would receive it.

After dinner, Adora brought her down to Bright Moon's garden. It had stopped raining but the ground still had more than a few puddles. They walked shoulder to shoulder through the space, Catra's tail was wrapped around Adora's waist. It was much, much smaller than Catra's garden in Half Moon but the princess found it charming.

"I asked Angella and she told me you could plant some flowers in here if you'd like. We're leaving for Plumeria tomorrow but maybe sometime after that..." Adora spoke, softly.

"That's very kind of you, Adora," Catra responded but she kept her gaze low, not meeting her partner's eyes.

"Glimmer told me that the princess we're meeting tomorrow likes flowers... maybe you can talk to her about, y'know... flowers." Catra snorted.

"Perfuma doesn't like me much. I throw her vibe off," Catra smirked, "At least I did when we were kids."

"You know them... I forgot." Catra shrugged.

"I know most of them. Though, I've never met Princess Mermista... Magicats don't like water much."

It was beginning to get dark. All twelve of Etheria's moons seemed to be dancing in the sky. Quietly, Adora took Catra's hand and led her towards a bench that sat near the edge of the garden. They sat there and watched as the sky turned darker.

"Are you okay?" Adora finally asked.

Catra was quiet for a while. Adora thought she was wasn't going to respond to the question.

"No," Catra said, simply.

"Do... We can go back. I know you miss Half Moon. I'll take you back right now."

Catra shook her head and sniffled, rubbing at her eyes.

"No. I need to do this. I just wish I didn't."

They were silent for a long time.

"I'm really glad you're here," Adora said, quietly. She anxiously picking at her fingers.

Catra lifted her own hand, reaching over and placing it on top of Adora's so she would stop picking the skin. Adora glanced up at her and the princess managed to give her a small smile.

Though, she had no words to respond with.

Chapter Text

There was a reason that the Fright Zone got its name.

Large, gangly, metal buildings seemed to go on for a mile or two. You couldn't see the end of it. Smoke emitted out of the buildings covering the sky in a gross, grey/green hue. It was a busy place. Soldiers dressed in reds, greys, and greens marched the grounds in a synchronized fashion.

A loud buzzing sound came from one of the Force Captain's living quarters.

"Good morning world! Force Captain Scorpia reporting for duty!" The large, scorpion-hybrid woman exclaimed as she sat straight up in her bed. She swung her legs out of the bed and stood up, "Wake up, check."

Walking over to the small mirror on the wall of her room, Scorpia peered into it, picking at one of her teeth with a pincer and taking in her white, sleep tousled hair, "Lookin' sharp, check."

She took a step back and took a deep breath in, "Breath in a new day, check." She walked over to her hard metal bed and lifted the small blanket high into the air, letting it settle gently on the bed, "Make the bed, check."

She walked over to her dresser. On top of it was a picture of her as a child with her moms. Next to that was a large, push scorpion toy that she had gotten as a child from her grandfather. She smiled sadly at the picture and the toy. She missed being a kid sometimes. Now, she had responsibilities and people to supervise. The stuffed scorpion had been her only companion for so long. She wished most days that she could have someone to talk to about stuff. Personal stuff. She wandered back over to the mirror and sucked in a deep breath.

"Push down doubts and insecurities, check."

A loud beep echoed across the room and then, "Force Captain Scorpia. Please report to my quarters as soon as possible." Shadow Weaver's voice cracked over the intercom.

Scorpia sighed out, again. She patted herself down one last time before walking out of her room, walking across the Fright Zone towards Shadow Weaver's room. When she got there, she knocked awkwardly with her clawed hands.

"Come in."

She creaked open the door. The Horde's second in command stood in front of the Black Garnet, glaring into it. The only light coming from the room was from the runestone. Scorpia tensed, slightly, as she padded into the room. Even though she knew that the Black Garnet wasn't her runestone anymore, she still felt a buzzing need to be close to it, to use its power. An image was playing on the Black Garnet. Adora, one of the Horde orphans Scorpia remembered playing with as a kid, was wandering through the Whispering Woods. There was a young Magicat woman walking next to her, their hands were interlocked. Just ahead of them, a short girl with pink and purple hair dressed in purple clothes walked with a dark-skinned boy in a crop top. Adora and the Magicat girl were talking with their heads ducked, close to each other. Suddenly, the girl tugged Adora forward--causing her to stumble and almost fall over. She was caught by the Magicat and pulled into a searing kiss. Scorpia's heart fluttered, silently cooing at the young couple. She was a sucker for romance. Shadow Weaver growled and swung her arm forward in a wiping motion, abruptly clearing the Black Garnet of the image.

"Force Captain," Shadow Weaver seethed, "Your battle tactics failed during the attack on Half Moon." Scorpia frowned. She wasn't even at the failed mission. Though, she knew better than to argue with the woman. She had seen the horrors Shadow Weaver was capable of. "I'm giving you one more chance to prove yourself worthy to me. Your mission is to bring Cadet Adora back to me, alive."

"Er... Not to burst your bubble, Shadow Weaver, but why would you want Adora back? She left--" There was a loud boom, the black shadows around them grew larger and closed in on the Force Captain--almost touching her

"Do as I say," Shadow Weaver hissed. Scorpia, terrified, nodded her head.

"I will supply you with a small group of cadets and Force Captain Octavia. Do not fuck this up." With that, the sorceress turned away from Scorpia, the shadows following her.

The young Force Captain sighed, turning away and walking out the door. She could feel the beginning of a migraine pressing against her skull.

***

Catra, Bow, and Glimmer stood at the border between the Whispering Woods and Plumeria. The Magicat Princess hadn't been to Plumeria since she was a tiny kitten, however, she could vividly remember the beautiful flowers and plants surrounding the kingdom. It was one of the things that sparked her interest in flowers. It saddened her, greatly. Glimmer seemed to be thinking the same thing as she bent down and took some of the dead plants in her hands.

"Mom didn't say anything about the plants dying," She murmured, sadly.

Bow looked around for a moment, "I don't think she knows."

Catra was silent a moment. Something was missing. Someone was missing.

"Wait! Where's Adora?!" Catra said, a slight panic to her tone.

There was a loud grunt behind them. All three rebellion members whipped around. She-Ra stood up on a decaying tree root, the large wagon of supplies held up above her head. Catra's eyes widened when she noticed that She-Ra's clothes had changed since the last time Adora had transformed. Now, her headpiece resembled the one Catra had placed on her head days earlier. She was wearing pants instead of a skirt and the pattern on her chest looked different. Bow and Glimmer glanced at each other, knowingly.

"You're uh... you look different." Catra stammered out.

"Do I?" Adora glanced down, "I have pants!" Catra was too shocked to point out the headpiece.

"Are you going to be She-Ra the entire time we're here?" Glimmer asked, changing the subject.

"I told Queen Angella I would," Adora, as She-Ra, said slyly, "Besides. People like me better as She-Ra--"

Catra's eyes narrowed, "That's not true. I like you much better as Adora." Adora opened her mouth to respond but before she could, Bow cut her off.

"Hey, guys? What is that?!" Bow was turned around, pointing at a large plum of smoke coming from not too far away from Plumeria.

"It must be coming from the Horde camp," Adora's tone was serious, calculating. Catra turned to look at her fiancee. Her mouth was turned down in a slight frown.

"You're here!" A high pitched shriek rang out from their left side. All four of them turned. Princess Perfuma was rushing towards them in her vibrant pink dress, flower petals in her hair. She was taller than Catra remembered. The girl had always been short in her youth--even though she was older than the Magicat Princess. Time had seemed to be good to Perfuma. She looked radiant.

"Princess Perfuma! I'm Commander Glimmer of--" In a poof, a bouquet of flowers poofed into Glimmer's hand.

"Ooh! I get a hat!" Bow squealed as a flower crown was poofed onto his head.

Perfuma turned to Catra and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Catra," she seemed surprised. She paused before continuing, "Half Moon has joined the rebellion?"

"Hi to you too, Perfuma," Catra smirked, "It's been a while." Perfuma's eyes narrowed. For a moment, Catra thought she might retort like she used to when they were kids. However, the blonde princess just took in a deep breath and waved her hand. A lay of flowers circled Catra's neck. They were mostly Peruvian lily. Catra's shoulders relaxed. Friendship.

"I brought you this," Catra dug around in her bag and pulled out a cactus in a pot decorated with Magicat symbols. Perfuma screamed and coward behind Bow.

"You know I hate cactus!" Catra just smiled.

"I thought you may have gotten over it. Plus, I painted the pot myself!"

"It's true, I watched her do it," Adora's voice rumbled beside Catra. Perfuma turned and looked at She-Ra. She gasped loudly, her eyes widening with admiration.

"Oh my!!" Perfuma squealed, "Everyone," she turned to some of her subjects who had conjugated around, "come quick! It's... it's... look! The universe has heard our pleas and sent the legendary She-Ra to Help us save our home."

Adora looked awkward. She didn't seem to like the attention all that much. Catra wagged her tail, agitated. She didn't like how close Perfuma was standing to her fiancee. Adora suddenly cleared her throat.

"We've heard about the blockade and we've come to help!" The words came out rushed and stumbled. She paused a moment, "We brought food and supplied for you." Perfuma whimpered, clutching her hands together as she looked up at She-Ra. A few tears escaped her eyes.

"Welcome to Plumeria, She-Ra!" She exclaimed. The people of Plumeria rushed towards Adora, hugging her, shaking her hand. A baby even clung onto Adora's arm. Catra's tail whipped back and forth. She should be the one grabbing onto Adora's muscular arm.

Adora looked nervously at Catra, "Um, Catra, what's happening?" Before Catra could respond, Perfuma spoke again.

"Come with me, I'll show you around. You're gonna love it."

Catra couldn't help the growl that escaped her lips. Adora began to follow Perfuma around. Glimmer and Bow were right behind them. Catra jogged to catch up with them, making sure she was stood right next to Adora. Her tail wrapped around the young woman's waist, protectively. Adora gave her a soft smile, throwing an arm over Catra's shoulders.

"Our People have lived here in tranquility for thousands of years," Perfuma said, glancing over her shoulder to look at them. She frowned slightly in confusion when she saw She-Ra's arm resting on Catra's shoulders, "We're known for our beautiful flowers, our majestic trees." As Perfuma spoke, she was spinning around. The plants around her were dying as they spoke. "And this is the Heart-Blossom, the center of our Kingdom, and the source of all my magical powers!" Catra forgot how much she hated Perfuma's preppy attitude. The Heart-Blossom seemed to be the only plant that was okay in Plumeria.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Buttercup," Catra used her old nickname for Perfuma, "but what's happening here? Everything's dying."

Perfuma sighed and looked down, "We're going through a little rough patch, but I'm sure the universe will right itself soon."

"Well, what if it doesn't," Catra said. Perfuma shot a glare at her.

"We don't dwell on such negative thoughts, Catra."

"Everything is dead or dying," Glimmer said, softly. Catra gave her a bewildered look. Was Glimmer siding with Catra? Perfuma sighed again.

"Look, the blight hit right after the Horde arrived. We don't know why, and nothing I do stops it." Perfuma was quiet a moment. Then, in her usual fake cheery tone, she stated, "But we don't dwell on the negative. Look at the positive. The Heart-Blossom's still healthy and the She-Ra is here and the celebration's about to begin!"

"Celebration?" Adora muttered, confused. Perfuma whipped her hand and Adora had a bouquet in her hands and a flower crown on her head. The princess of Plumeria reach over and grabbed Adora's hand, ripping her away from Catra. The Magicat girl bristled, her fur standing up on its end, tail bushing out as Adora was dragged away from her. Bow hesitantly reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Catra?" He spoke, quietly "Are you alright?"

"Fine!" Catra hissed, "I just don't like Princess Preppy!"

Before he could say anything else, Catra stomped away toward where Adora was dragged off to. Glimmer and Bow reluctantly followed.

Adora was placed in the center of the clearing, a blanket placed underneath her. Bowls of food where being shoved into her arms. She was eating them but she looked nervous. Perfuma was walking around giving another speech about the great She-Ra and how she'll bring peace to Plumeria and Etheria as a whole. Adora's eyes connected with Catra and the girl relaxed a little where she was sitting. Catra's heart clenched but then fluttered. She felt terrible that Adora's anxiety was causing her to stress again but she also felt special. She was the one Adora was looking for when there was a crowd of admirers surrounding her. Catra made the quick decision to walk over to Adora, plopping herself down in her lap. She sighed in relief, reaching out to hold Catra while still being able to eat the food and hold the children being thrown at her. Perfuma gave them an odd look. Catra noticed her looking at her headpiece and the one on Adora's head. Her eyes widened.

"You're engaged!" It wasn't disappointment filling her tone, it was excitement, "Oh the universe brought you two together! I'm so happy for you, Catra!"

The Magicat princess didn't know what to say. She couldn't really say anything as now some of the attention was being placed on her and gifts were being shoved into her hands as well.

"We're so excited for you to heal our land and bring all the plants back to life." Perfuma popped her head in close to Adora and Catra, "Will you be doing it before the drum circle or after?"

"You want me to heal your land?" Adora stiffened underneath Catra. The Magicat girl didn't hesitate to take her partner's hand. She began to fiddle with her fingers, silently.

"Yes!" Perfuma exclaimed, "Like in the ancient story, 'She-Ra Heals The Forest And Brings The Trees Back To Life.'"

Glimmer spoke up, "I've seen her do way weirder stuff. This'll be a snap."

Adora tensed even more. Catra glanced at her, worriedly.

"Look. It's really not that simple. Plus, I don't like the look of that smoke. Maybe we should investigate," Adora said, pointing over to the smoke coming through the trees.

"We?" Perfuma chuckled nervously, "This is my power," a beautiful pink flower bloomed in her hand, "I grow plants. We're not strong enough to go against the Horde..."

"Fine," Catra sat up, "We'll do it then." She glanced at Adora, Bow, and Glimmer, "Right guys?"

"Oh, er. Uh. Sure. Yeah." Bow stammered out. Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Catra.

"You will?" Perfuma's eyes grew wide, "I could never repay you..." She trailed off.

There was suddenly a loud cracking sound. Everyone turned to look at the Heart-Blossom. Green, sickly, cracks spiraled around the tree right up to the Runestone which was dim. Adora and Catra shot up from they where they were sitting. They both ran to the tree, Bow, Glimmer, and the people of Plumeria following close behind.

"Please, She-Ra," Perfuma whimpered out. Shakily, Adora reached up her hand and placed it on the tree. She closed her eyes and started to glow a golden color. Yet, instead of healing the tree, more green spirals began to travel up the tree.

"Come on, do something," Adora whimpered. The golden glow started to flicker, "No..." Adora transformed back into her regular body, her head hung in shame. Everyone around them gasped. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to heal."

"Who are you?" A man spoke up. His voice was annoying and made Catra start to growl again, "And where's She-Ra."

It was all getting to be too much for Adora. Her hands began to shake--clenching and unclenching by her sides. Catra's tail wrapped around Adora's wrist, her hand easily slide into Adora's grasp.

"This is Adora. She was chosen to carry the sword of She-Ra and she's been working hard to be able to control it to the best of her abilities. All of this is new to her so cut her some slack," The last part came out as a hiss. A couple of Plumerians backed up. Adora squeezed her fingers in gratitude.

A loud explosion came from the smoking Horde camp. People began to cry and panic.

"I think we need to get into the Horde camp," Catra muttered to Adora. The young woman watched as more smoke began to flow into the sky.

"I think I have a plan," Adora murmured back. She turned to the people of Plumeria.

"I know the Horde. I think they're using one of their machines to poison your land. If we wanna save it... we have to destroy the machine."

"How can we trust you. You're not the She-Ra from the stories." The blonde man spoke again. Catra growled at him directly and he stepped back a few feet.

"You want She-Ra to fix everything," Glimmer spoke up, "but you won't even try to save yourselves? At least Adora's trying."

"I just need to make sure our people are safe," Perfuma said, her head hung, refusing to look at them, "We leave today." The people of Plumeria turned to leave them standing next to the Heart-Blossom.

"I failed," Adora whimpered, her legs unsteady. Catra noticed and grabbed her before they gave out.

"No," Catra spoke firmly, "Don't listen to them. You have a plan, remember? This doesn't end here."

Adora sucked in a deep shuttering breath. She was quiet for a while. She, then, straightened her back and nodded her head once.

"Yes. Follow me."

***

A half-hour later Catra found herself dressed up in Horde armor standing beside Adora, Bow, and Glimmer. The crept into the Horde camp, silently, watching the soldiers march up and down the walls.

"We need to find the machine," Adora whispered, "Every Horde camp is laid out the same. The shift changes every half hour. So we walk in when the shift changes in three, two, one..."

They walked into the camp without anyone noticing. Adora shoved open the door to the central building to reveal a large, green, machine that was pumping toxins into the ground. Glimmer gasped.

"You were right." She murmured.

"Of course she was right, Sparkles," Catra rolled her eyes.

"HEY!" A guard shouted at them. "What're you doing here?!"

"Uh..." Adora froze. The guard quickly smashed a red button off to the side, causing the alarms to go off.

"RUN!" Catra shouted, grabbing Adora's hand and pulling her away from the guard. Bow and Glimmer weren't far behind them. Shouts and the sounds of shots being fired at them rang out across the camp. Adora glanced back behind them, tackling Catra to the ground behind some barrels when a shot came too close to her. She silently placed a hand on Catra's furry cheek, making sure the girl was still there. She, then, grunted out as she grabbed a thick circular metal object and chucked it at the Horde soldiers running after them, knocking a few to the ground.

"Have I ever told you that you're fucking buff?" Catra exclaimed when they were up on their feet sprinting away again.

"It's come up once or twice!" Adora shouted back.

"Come on lovebirds!" Glimmer appeared beside them, grabbing their hands. In a poof, they were behind a wall. Bow was already there, his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath

"How many Horde soldiers can you take?" Adora panted out.

"Between one and zero," Bow said through his panting.

"I'll take them all... If you give me a minute," Glimmer groaned and slammed her head back against the metal.

"I'm ready. I can go now," Catra exclaimed, taking a step towards where all the Horde soldiers were. Adora snatched her hand before she could.

The sound of heavy footsteps caused reality to catch up with them quickly. Within seconds they were surrounded, guns pointed at their faces. Adora whimpered and held Catra's hand even tighter.

Then, a loud war horn wailed out, causing the guards to turn their heads. Green vines were twisting around the metal borders of the Horde camp. Suddenly in a sea of vines, Perfuma knocked down the wall, shouting.

"I've always said that the universe will repay the Horde one day. Well, I guess that day is today!"

"Maybe princess preppy isn't too bad," Catra muttered. Adora was shocked and couldn't respond.

Within seconds, the rest of the people of Plumeria rushed into the camp, beating the soldiers to the ground. Catra joined in taking great pleasure in punching Horde guards in the face. Glimmer teleported out into the battleground and was much too quick for any guard to get her.

"I'VE NEVER FELT SO ALIVE!" Perfuma screamed out, running over soldiers with her vines.

Adora snuck away, turning back into She-Ra with a mightly shout, "FOR THE HONOR OF GREYSKULL!"

She smashed through the walls of the building holding the machine poisoning Plumeria, hopping on top of it, and exclaimed, "For Etheria!" Before driving her sword into the top of the machine. A blue light spread quickly down the machine and across the camp and the rest of Plumeria. The sickly green spiral webs started to disappear. Exhausted, Adora dragged her feet out of the building and was met with Perfuma's arms around her waist.

"Thank you, how can I ever repay you?" Perfuma asked as she took a step back.

"Join the Rebellion," Glimmer said, "Help me reform the Princess Alliance. We already have Catra and you would be a major player for us."

Perfuma thought for a moment.

"Would I get to hit more stuff with plants?"

Glimmer chuckled and nodded.

"Count me in."

***

Later that night Adora and Catra were sat on the balcony to Adora's room. It was pitch dark outside with only the light of the moons keeping them comfort. Catra's feet were up on the railing and she was leaned back into her chair, arms crossed. Adora sat ramrod straight in the chair next to her. Her hands were gripping each other tightly, her gaze straight forward.

"Are you okay, Adora?" Catra asked, gently.

"Will you kiss me?" Adora pleaded. Catra grinned, sitting up and leaning over pressing a soft kiss on her lips. Adora hummed contentedly, relaxing a little.

"I was jealous a little bit, today," Catra whispered against her lips. Adora's eyes shot open.

"Why?" Adora whispered back just as quietly.

"Everyone was all over you," Catra explained, "I didn't like it. Until I realized I'm the only one that can do this..." Catra trailed off, climbing into Adora's lap and wrapping her arms around her neck, straddling Adora's hips.

Adora's heart was racing. She awkwardly placed her hands on Catra's thighs. The princess leaned in closer to Adora, pressing a light kiss on her neck.

"You know that you're not a failure, right?" Catra murmured, pressing another kiss on Adora's neck, "You saved everyone today." Another kiss.

"But I should've--"

Catra cut her off with a soft kiss on the lips. "Shoulda, coulda, woulda. I don't care about what you should've done. I care about what you did do. How resilient you are even when everyone puts you down. Adora," Catra cupped her cheeks, "you're my hero. Not She-Ra. Adora."

Tears filled in her eyes. Catra smiled, sadly, and began to whip away the stray ones that leaked out of her eyes and down her cheek.

Adora was still learning to let people love her, but it was okay.

She figured that a lifetime with Catra would teach her that.

Chapter Text

The council room smelled like bleach, Catra noticed.

It was probably too faint of a smell for the other Etherians to notice, but it was really distracting to Catra. She was sitting in between Adora and Glimmer dressed head to tail in her Magicat robes. Her headpiece was snug on her head. She couldn’t help but glance over at Adora. Sure enough, the young woman was proudly wearing her own headpiece—the one Catra had given her to propose. Adora could feel her fiancée’s eyes on her, she turned her head to look at the Magicat girl. A giant smile spread across her lips. Catra wondered what Adora would be wearing at their wedding. She assumed that she would be wearing traditional Magicat robes like Catra. The thought made a rush of heat speed through the Princess’s body.

She could hear Glimmer and Queen Angella bickering back and forth about what the next move for the Rebellion should be, but Catra wasn’t paying much attention. Adora looked stunning in the light of the room. Her blue eyes seemed to twinkle as the light hit them. Her honey-blonde hair was tied up in her ponytail but Catra kept imagining it down splayed across the pillow as Catra lay on top of her and—

“... needs to pass through the Salineas Sea Gate. It’s controlled by Princess Mermista now that her father’s retired. With her on our side, the Rebellion could control the seas. We need this alliance with her, Mom.”

Catra’s ears perked up. Salineas? That meant water. Catra’s tail bushed up at the thought of water getting on her. She shuddered thinking back to the bone-chilling sensation that rushed through her body when she had accidentally fallen into a stream as a kitten.

“Woah, woah, woah,” Catra stated before Angella could respond, “you wanna go to Salineas?” Glimmer shot a glare at Catra.

“Haven’t you been listening for the past five minutes?!” The Princess of Bright Moon growled.

“That journey is treacherous, Glimmer. I’m not sure,” Angella spoke up, interrupting the two bickering princesses before things got out of hand.

“Don’t worry, Mom!” Glimmer brightened as she turned back to face her mother, “With She-Ra, we can conquer anything!”

“And, uh. A boat,” Adora stammered out, “We’re gonna need a boat.”

Glimmer straightened her stance, “With She-Ra and a boat, we can conquer anything!”

“And an experienced sea captain.” Bow chimed in from his seat on the other side of Adora.

Glimmer gave Bow a death glare and grumbled, “With She-Ra, a boat, and an experienced sea captain,” She paused and through clenched teeth said, “we can conquer anything.”

Angella sighed, “Very well.” Glimmer fist-pumped and excitedly transported over to her mother, giving her a wet kiss on the cheek. Catra growled, her tail swishing back and forth thinking about the journey they were about to embark on. She hated water.

An hour later, Catra found herself huddled against Adora’s side as they walked into a Seaworthy pub in search of someone to take them to the Sea Gate. It was loud. Almost overwhelmingly loud for Catra’s sensitive ears. She hissed quietly and flattened them against her head, her eyes turning to slits as she watched for anything that could cause a problem.

Adora, on the other hand, happily hummed to herself as she pulled Catra in closer to her body—almost oblivious to the girl’s tensed body language. She was, also, looking around but she was looking at the different people of Seaworthy—she had never seen such an odd group of people. Bow and Glimmer were arguing next to them but neither Catra nor Adora were paying much attention.

“None of these people look qualified to sail a ship,” Catra muttered. Glimmer gave her a side-eye before walking up to the bartender.

“Excuse me,” She said in a sickeningly sweet tone, “we’re looking for a sea captain to take us to Salineas.” The buff woman nodded once and then pointed over to the corner of the room where a group of people had congregated to watch an arm-wrestling contest.

Catra rolled her eyes, “Do we have to pick the tool?” Adora cocked her head, questioningly.

“That guy,” Catra gestured over to the man Glimmer and Bow were walking towards, “he looks like a dipshit.”

Catra was right, of course.

“I am the one and only Sea Hawk,” the man was introducing himself when Adora and Catra had caught up to Glimmer and Bow. “Has my reputation preceded me?”

“No,” Catra muttered just loud enough for everyone to hear. Glimmer glared at her. Adora snickered.

“Your name is Sea Hawk?” Bow asked, his eyes wide with awe, “That’s the coolest name I’ve ever heard!”

“Captain Sea Hawk,” Glimmer’s voice was all business, “We’re interviewing potential captains to take us to Salineas. Would you like to apply for the position?” Catra snorted. They didn’t have any papers for him to apply with. That man laughed.

“Apply for the position? I am the one and only Sea Hawk. I’m offer only.” Catra rolled her eyes. She really didn’t like this man.

“Okay. Just because Sea is in your name it doesn’t tell us anything about your actual qualifications.” Adora snorted. Catra grinned, leaning back farther into her fiancée. She liked sassy Adora.

“Qualifications? I once ran the 50-klick Galebreath Gauntlet in less than 20 klicks. I maneuvered the Serpentine with nary a chip in paint of my bow. My shanties are considered so desirable, that sirens fling themselves into sea at the sound of them. And because I can tell you’re wondering, my mustache is naturally shiny.”

Bow leaned in close, “It is shiny!! You’re hired!” Glimmer smacked him hard, “Ow!”

“Whoa there, kids. What makes you think you can afford me?” The man was leaning on the table cockily now. Catra wanted to punch in his face.

“I assure you,” Glimmer’s voice was back to it’s fake, business-like tone, “money is no object.”

“Behold my fee,” Sea Hawk shoved a folded up piece of paper into Glimmer’s hands. The princess cringed slightly and carefully opened it, gasping, before shutting it again.

“Money… Might be an object.” Glimmer said. Her face suddenly turned down into a frown, “You know what? Fine. We’ll just find another sea captain.” They all turned away from the man and began to walk towards the exit.

“Uh, good luck with that,” the man said cockily. They turned to face him. “You won’t find another soul who knows the treacherous route to Salineas as well as I do. I brave it often to visit my close personal friend, Princess Mermista.”

“You know her?” Glimmer gasped. Catra rolled her eyes. She had no doubt that a Princess like Mermista would find the man in front of her horrendous and smelly. He stunk like three-day-old fish. The other three seemed to believe him, though.

“Do I?” He scoffed. Adora tensed next to her.

“Alright,” The girl spoke up. Catra gave her a surprised look. Adora was usually awkward and slightly shy, “here’s the deal.” Adora slammed her hand on the table. “We go one round, winner takes all.” Catra grinned, excitedly. Her tail traveled up Adora’s arm and brushed the tense muscle there, “you win, we leave you alone. I win, you take us to Salineas. At no cost.”

Butterflies fluttered in Catra’s chest. She couldn’t help the purr that quietly rumbled in her throat. Adora’s abrasive personality was turning her on. Glimmer—who now stood the closest to Catra—knocked her in the shoulder, giving her a hard look. “Knock it off,” she whispered harshly in Catra’s ear.

Catra just rolled her eyes. She grinned herself and sat back to watch Adora’s bulging muscles ripple as she fought to beat Se Hawk at arm wrestling.

She won, of course. Catra grinned happily, nuzzling her face into Adora’s neck. Her partner giggled quietly, wrapping her arms around Catra, “That tickles,” Adora whispered for only Catra to hear. Bow and Glimmer were too busy talking to Sea Hawk to notice them. Catra pressed a kiss on Adora’s neck, causing her cheeks to flush bright red.

“I can’t wait until we’re alone,” Catra murmured. Adora’s face got even redder.

“What are you two doing?!” Glimmer called out, “We gotta go!”

Catra smirked and untangled herself from Adora, purposefully swaying her hips a little more than usual as she walked toward Glimmer, Bow, and Sea Hawk. Adora stood back, her mouth dry and her eyes wide, watching Catra walk away.

“Adora!”

“Coming!”

***

Catra felt seasick.

They had only been at sea for less than ten minutes and she was already leaned over the side of the boat trying her hardest not to vomit into the dark blue waters. Gone was the confident seductiveness from before they got on the boat. Adora was stood at her side like a puppy dog. Her hand was hesitantly placed on Catra’s back, rubbing back and forth.

“You feeling okay?” Adora whispered worriedly, glancing over her shoulder at Sea Hawk, Glimmer and Bow. Glimmer was sat on a stool, looking bored. Bow was listening intently to the captain as he talked about setting his boats on fire. Catra would’ve mocked him if she didn’t feel queasy.

A wave swelled up, smashing against the side of the ship. Catra shrieked and stumbled backward into Adora’s chest. Her fiancée wrapped her buff arms around Catra, holding her steady. The princess didn’t feel so sick anymore. She sighed, maybe this whole sea thing wasn’t all that bad.

But then Sea Hawk started to sing and Catra wanted to tear off her ears.

It was quickly clear to Catra and the others, except Bow, that Sea Hawk may not have been as good a sailor as he claimed. He seemed to stumble doing basic tasks that Glimmer, Bow, and Adora could do without issue.

Though, Catra couldn’t help but snicker every time he said Glimmer’s name wrong.

And then, Adora impulsively turned into She-Ra and took out a sea serpent. Catra could only watch with her mouth hanging open while her partner leaped into the sky and brought her sword down on the beast.

“Adora what the hell!!” Catra called out from the boat, wrapping her arms around herself, defensively.

“Is this a thing she does often?” Sea Hawk asked.

“Yeah,” Bow responded, “It takes some getting used to.”

Glimmer groaned loudly and banged her head against the side of the boat, “I need this mission to go right or my mom will never give me another!!” She shrieked.

Catra scoffed, “So that’s why you have a stick up your ass.”

Glimmer whorled around and pointed an accusatory finger at Catra, “Don’t you even start Princess hairball!”

Catra rose an eyebrow, questioningly, “Princess hairball?”

Glimmer groaned and whipped around again, just as Adora popped her head up out of the water.

“Okay. Now I got it. We’re all good.”

“Adora!” Glimmer shrieked, “Get in the boat!”

“Someone needs to yank that stick out—”

“Catra! Don’t even start!”

***

Salineas was eerily quiet when they arrived. There wasn’t a person in sight. Catra shivered slightly at the weird energy the kingdom admitted.

“Where is everyone?” Bow asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Hmm. Very odd indeed.” Sea Hawk stated. Catra wanted to punch him in the face even more now, “If I know my Princess Mermista—” His tone quickly changed defensive as he looked at Bow, “—and I do, I do. Something’s amiss.”

“Halt! Halt! Halt, I say!” A voice from the distance shouted. One lone guard was stating above them on a bridge-type structure, waving a spear. He was the only person in slight. He sprinted down the steps, his heavy breaths echoing across the empty kingdom. When he reached them, he had to place his hand on his knees and try to catch his breath before talking.

“What’s your business in Salineas?” He breathed out, finally standing up.

“We wanna talk to the Princess,” Catra said, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Tell her Sea Hawk is with them,” The sailor shoved through Catra, “She’ll be excited to—”

Catra shoved him, hard, causing him to fall flat on his ass.

“Yes, yes,” the guard said, bowing to Catra and Glimmer, “I’ll take you to Princess Mermista right away.”

They were lead up the winding stairs that the guard had run down. They wandered into the palace doors and were led to the throne room. It was a large, beautiful room. Water surrounded the throne and there was only a small strip of land for them to walk to get to the throne. Rushing water fell down the wall in between beautiful paintings of Salineas. The throne itself was massive--double the size of Catra’s. It was decorated with coral and shells and a bunch of other beautiful ocean-related objects. Princess Mermista sat on her throne, her hand holding up her head as she stared blankly at the wall. She was extremely pretty, Catra noticed. Her long blue hair was in a braid down the side of her body. Her skin was a beautiful copper color. When she heard the footsteps of people walking into the room, she turned her head. Her face turned sour.

“Ew, who let him back in here?” She said in a monotone voice, glaring at Sea Hawk. Catra smirked to herself—she knew he had been lying.

“Princess!” Sea Hawk exclaimed, rushing towards her. He bowed on his knee in front of her, “Oh, it’s been so long. I’ve dreamed of you night and day since we parted.”

“Uh-huh,” she said sarcastically, her eyes flickered up to see Glimmer approaching her, “And who are you?”

“My name is Glimmer of Bright Moon. We’ve never met, but our parents fought in the Rebellion together.” The princess’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, yeah,” she said, “I remember hearing about the old Princess Alliance. My dad said it was a total disaster.”

Catra couldn’t help the snicker that left her lips. Mermista’s attention turned to the Magicat girl. Her eyes widened slightly and the corners of her lips turned up into a small smile.

“You must be Princess Catra,” Mermista stated, “I’ve met your mother, C’yra.” Catra gave the princess a small bow.

“Yes, I’m Catra and this is my fiancée, Adora,” She gestured towards her partner who stood awkwardly at her side.

Before Mermista could respond, Sea Hawk was on his knees again, “I didn’t think it was possible but your beauty grows greater with each passing day.” Catra growled and grabbed his jacket, pulling him up to his feet.

“Will you quit it? I’m trying to talk to my new friends. Adora, Catra, Croptop, and Twinkle.”

Catra let out a loud belly laugh, clenching her sides as she tried to suck in breaths.

“I like her,” Catra stated through laughs, nudging Glimmer who shot her a death glare.

“You’re not so bad, yourself,” Mermista stated, groaning as Seahawk tried to sit down next to her.

“So, Princess,” Catra crossed her arms over her chest, “where is everyone. This place is a ghost town.”

“Everybody fled because the gate is falling apart or whatever,” Mermista sighed.

“What?!” Bow, Glimmer, and Adora all exclaimed at the same time.

“Yeah, I know, right? It figures I’d inherit a kingdom that’s crumbling but it’s totally fine. I’m handling it.” Mermista stood next to her window, her arms crossed over her stomach as she blankly stared out into the barren kingdom, “It’s just kind of inconvenient because the Horde won’t stop attacking us.”

“Why is the gate falling apart?” Glimmer hurried over to Mermista’s side.

“I mean, who knows? But it’s getting weaker every day,” Mermista turned to look at Glimmer, “And if the Horde tries to attack us again, we’re pretty much dead.”

“That’s why we’re here,” Catra stepped forward, away from Adora, “we want to rebuild the Princess Alliance.” Glimmer looked at Catra, slightly startled. It was the first time Catra had seemed actually interested in helping her and not just for Adora, “We don’t stand a chance by ourselves. But… together, I think we could stop the Horde.”

The Princess of Salineas sighed, “You know more than anyone else in this room how horribly that went the first time. Why should I help Bright Moon? Why are you helping Bright Moon? It’s not like they’ve ever done anything to help either of us. I know the stories about you almost being taken by Horde soldiers, Catra. Where was Bright Moon then?”

“Mermista, if I may,” Sea Hawk started to hum a toon.

“No!” Catra and Mermista shouted at the same time. Mermista turned to Glimmer, clenching her teeth, “Why did you bring him here?! He’s so annoying!”

“I thought you’d said she liked you.” Bow stated, turning to Sea Hawk.

“We have a rich, complicated past.”

In the corner of her eye, Catra saw Adora turn around and walk towards one of the giant paintings that decorated the throne room. She was studying it, her eyes furrowed. Catra walked towards Adora, Mermista was being distracted by Sea Hawk and had lost interest in the heated conversation they were having earlier. She planted her feet next to Adora and looked up at the wall.

“This is First Ones’ writing,” Adora muttered. Catra looked at the girl, confused. How could she possibly know that it was First Ones’ writing?

“Um, Catra. What is your lady friend doing?” Mermista asked, her tone just as monotone as always.

“She’s uh, looking at the wall,” Catra responded.

“What does it say?” Glimmer called out from her spot beside Mermista.

Adora reached out and placed her hand next to the writing, “It says something about the gate. The First Ones must’ve built it. Looks like the gate gets its power from the Salinean Runestone. It could be that the gate is failing… because it’s losing its connection to the power source.”

Catra’s eyes widened, “You can read First Ones?” Adora nodded sheepishly. Catra leaned over and whispered into Adora’s ear.

“That’s kinda hot.”

“Can you fix it?” Glimmer asked. Adora was red in the face and she was looking Catra deep in the eyes but she managed to stutter out, “I… I can try.”

“Look Mermista. You need our help and we need yours. If Adora can repair your gate will you consider joining us? Please?”

Mermista groaned loudly and banged her head back against her throne, “I don’t know. I guess. Only if I can sit next to Catra during the meetings. And he,” Mermista pointed at Sea Hawk, “has to leave.”

***

Up close, the gate was magical. It was sparkling orange and fit in beautifully with the backdrop of the pink skies. It was flickering, though. Catra could tell that something was wrong.

“I really,” Mermista drew out the word, “hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Uh,” Adora let out a nervous chuckle, “yeah, totally. I got this.” Catra gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hm,” Mermista looked between them, “you two are kinda cute.” Catra beamed at her.

Adora held the sword up into the sky and yelled, “For the Honor of Grayskull!” In a flash of lights, She-Ra stood in front of them. All eight feet of her. Mermista was stunned.

“Wow. Okay. That’s different,” her face was burning red as she looked at She-Ra’s rippling muscles. Catra felt a surge of jealousy hit her but her mind flashed back to the night after Plumeria when she and Adora talked about her jealousy and calm quickly washed over her. Adora held out the sword to the gate and hung her head low, closing her eyes. A blue hue of light crept up the sword and into the gate—slowly causing the gate to begin healing.

“Is it working?” Bow popped his head closer to Adora. She screamed and lost focus—the healing energy sucked back into her sword.

“Don’t distract me!” Adora hissed, “This is a lot harder than it looks.”

She pointed her sword back at the gate and tried again. Catra was too busy watching She-Ra’s muscles to notice Glimmer transport back to where Sea Hawk was trying to sneak away.

“You’re one lucky bitch,” Mermista murmured to Catra. The Magicat princess snorted.

“I am the luckiest bitch in Etheria,” Catra responded, a smirk on her face.

They stood there and admired She-Ra for a long moment. Bow began to whimper beside them.

“Uh, guys? You might wanna see this,” He squealed. Mermista and Catra turned around to see a Horde ship approaching, quickly.

“It’s the Horde!” Catra yelped. A large beam of green light shot out of the metal ship, hitting the gate and shooting electricity up the sword and into Adora who grunted in pain and took a step back,

“Adora!” Catra exclaimed, reaching out for her. She was still buzzing with electricity and didn’t want Catra to get shocked so she dodged her grip.

“I’m fine, I’m okay,” Adora mumbled, turning around to face the ship.

“They’re coming right for the gate!” Bow exclaimed. Mermista let out a long groan.

“I... I just need a little more time. Keep them busy.” She-Ra held the sword up to the gate again. “Catra, go with them, please. I’ll be fine here on my own.” Catra gave her a pleading look but Adora had already turned around. Sighing, Catra followed Bow down to the rocky shoreline of the beach. She knew she was gonna have to get wet and was already dreading it. Mermista turned into a mermaid, though, and leaped into the water—which Catra found interesting. Bow motioned to Catra to grab onto him so she clung onto his back, her claws digging into his crop-top armor.

He brought his bow up and shot an arrow at the Horde ship. The two were suddenly propelled forward, being pulled to the ship by the arrow. Both of them landed gracefully on their feet. A dark-skinned girl, a skinny blonde boy, and a lizard man were in front of them. Catra let out a loud yowl and launched herself at the lizard man while Bow took down the other two. They wrestled on the ground for a while, Catra got some nasty swipes in on him. He managed to punch her once, hard in the jaw. The boat was rocking as Mermista tried to stop its movements from the sea. Catra finally managed to push the lizard man off the boat with Mermista’s help when she turned around to find Bow being held up in the air by a large, buff, half scorpion woman.

“Oh,” Bow gasped, “You’re big.” She smirked at him and then threw him over the side of the boat towards the propellers.

“BOW!” Catra screeched, running to the side of the side—watching in terror as he fell to his death. Suddenly, Seahawk swung in and caught him, bringing him back safely to his ship. Catra let out a sigh of relief.

However, she was quickly picked up by the back of her robes and held in the air by the same woman. The Horde soldier squinted at her, studying her for a moment.

“Your Adora’s girlfriend,” She stated. Catra scoffed.

“Fiancée, actually,” Catra stated. The woman narrowed her eyes.

“I might have to keep you here, sorry kitty,” Still holding Catra up in the air, she reached over and grabbed a bunch of rope to tie her up with. Catra struggled, kicked, and fought with the woman but she was much too strong for Catra to overpower. In seconds she was tied tightly to the side of the ship, watching helplessly as more fighting went on around her.

The worst part was that the ship showed no sign of stopping as it began to charge closer and closer towards the gate. Catra shut her eyes tight, praying to the Gods that someone would do something.

Catra watched as Adora fought with a large tentacled woman up by the gate. The woman seemed to have an issue with Adora as her hits came down hard and fast, Adora barely was holding her own. She had stopped trying to fix the gate and was now focusing her full attention on fighting this woman.

For a quick moment, Adora’s eyes flickered down towards the ship. Her eyes widened in fear when she saw Catra tied up on the boat. It distracted her enough for the other woman to land a hard punch into Adora’s stomach—making her kneel over and vomit over the side of the landing. A giant ball of water came flying through the sky, knocking the octopus woman off the strip of land and into the water with a loud splash. Adora hurried to stand up, running to the edge of the landing and locking eyes with Catra.

Catra could hear Sea Hawk scream, “Adventure!” From a short distance away. Her eyes widened, large and alarmed when she saw his ship tumbling toward the Horde ship, on fire. The rest of the crew on board screamed with fear and jumped off the side of the boat, leaving Catra alone tied up to the side. When the boat collided with the Horde ship, all Catra could hear was a loud booming sound and the hot heat of metal being melted. She was breathing in smoke, the ship was on fire. She let out a scream of pain as hot metal pressed against her back. There was a loud thud in front of her. Her gaze flickered up to see She-Ra bounding towards her. With one big yank, Catra was ripped from her restraints and tackled into the icy water below. There was a loud explosion and Catra and Adora were pushed further out to sea as a result of a wave coming from the destruction of the ship.

Catra was freezing cold. Her body was shivering out of fear and the coldness of the water. Her wrists hurt from pulling at the restraints. Her back still felt like it was on fire. Arms were wrapped tightly around her, hugging her as close to her chest as possible. Adora, not She-Ra, was looking at her, eyes wide with fear. In a poof, Glimmer appeared next to them and gripped tightly onto their clothing and in a second poof, Catra was lying on the ground of the landing, multiple concerned eyes searching her for injury. Adora refused to let go of her.

“Oh my God, Catra!” Glimmer freaked out, “We had no idea you were still on the ship!”

Shaking, Catra lifted her gaze to Glimmer but she couldn’t respond. Adora was gently eased from Catra by Bow. He talked to her quietly while Mermista draped a towel around Catra’s shoulders and sat next to her. She could see Adora turn back into She-Ra and hurriedly try to fix the gate.

“Good news is you were a badass out there,” Mermista said, almost kindly.

Catra let out a shaky laugh, clutching the towel closer to her body. She wasn’t hurt, she knew that. She hadn’t been there long enough to get burned but that didn’t give her any comfort. The phantom pains of what could’ve been still rocked her body.

“Also, I’m vowing to join the princess alliance,” Mermista spoke up again. Glimmer’s eyes widened.

“You are!?”

Mermista nodded. “The Horde attacked my home. I want to help you fight them. Plus,” Mermista nudged Catra lightly, “your fiancée can turn into a right foot lady with a sword and I want her on my side.”

“Good choice,” Catra’s voice was rough and wavering but they understood her the same.

***

Catra was quiet that night in Adora’s room. She had been checked out by Bright Moon’s medical staff and deemed okay. However, her mind still flooded with images of bright flames licking at her feet and the feeling of hot metal pressed into her back. Adora was laying next to her, a hand reaching out and rubbing Catra’s ears softly, intimately. Catra could feel that they were a little unsteady and she felt bad for freaking out her partner so badly.

“Do you want kids?” The question was blurted out of Catra’s mouth with no warning. Adora stopped her rubbing motion and looked at Catra, surprised.

“Um. I’ve never thought about it,” Adora responded. It was the truth. There was no such thing as family in the Horde.

“I think you’d be a good mother,” Catra stated. She was trying to get her mind off the violent images playing in her head. She wanted to replace them with images of Adora holding small, Magicat kittens in her arms—tossing them into the air and catching them. Teaching them to fight, playing hide and seek with them. Domestic things. Maybe cooking a pie.

“I think… I could be a mother if you helped me,” Adora's gaze turned soft. Catra let out a strange laugh but slowly began to relax into Adora’s touch.

The flames were slowly turning to birthdays with yarn and dancing and music. The heat on her back was turned to the pressure of holding small kittens for the first time while Adora held her from behind.

Eventually, Catra slept—held closely by the woman who could turn her nightmares into dreams.

Chapter Text

Catra woke up in a cold panic the morning of their trip to Dryl.

She gasped in air, her body hot in all the places that were almost scorched by the fire. Shakily, she turned in the bed to look at Adora. The girl was still passed out. Her arm was thrown over Catra’s waist in a tight grip while the side of her face was pressed firmly into her hip which made it so Catra could see all Adora’s sleeping face squishing up against her thigh, facing upwards towards her. Breathing in and out heavily, Catra reached out and began to scratch the back of Adora’s head—it was both an act of comfort for her and a loving gesture to her future wife.

Catra leaned back against the headboard of the bed. The coolness of the wood against her back was a nice reminder to Catra that she was safe—for now.

It was almost two weeks until their wedding. In less than a week, they would be going to Princess Prom which was being hosted by Princess Frosta. Catra sighed, her head hit the headboard with a thud. It was all moving so fast. Her hand drifted forward from the back of Adora’s skull to her cheek. Her fingers softly moved over the slopes of her fiancée’s face. They moved down Adora’s cheek, traced across her sharp jawline, and then over her soft lips. Adora stirred for a moment and snuggled closer to Catra’s hip, her grip tightening around her waist but she didn’t wake up.

Catra was scared. She would never admit it but she was terrified. Being thrust into battle for the second time in her life and almost being kidnapped then, furthermore, almost being killed had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

She knew it was only the beginning.

Now, more than ever, Catra craved the power that came with the Tiger’s Eye. She knew that once she was able to tap into it her worth to the alliance would go up. She glanced down at Adora again. Her hand moved over slightly and she placed her palm down flat against Adora’s cheek. Her thumb moved slightly back and forth just below her eye. The girl slept like a rock when she was actually sleeping. A small smile grew on Catra’s face. The first time she saw Adora she wasn’t expecting to genuinely like her. However, watching the young woman awkwardly bumble around Half Moon and the castle caused Catra’s heart to be placed in the young woman’s gentle hands. She wanted to help Adora create a life that was her own and not controlled by someone else or something else. She had already had so much taken from her and Catra vowed to not be another can of gasoline dosed on an already spread wildfire.

***

The castle of Dryl was set up on the side of a rocky mountain. The castle itself was cryptic and gloomy-looking—nothing like Bright Moon nor Half Moon. Strikes of lightning hit the sky in a random pattern. Each one made Bow squeal with excitement.

“Princess Entrapta will be a total catch for the Rebellion,” Glimmer was saying as the group of four slowly made their way towards the castle, “My mom’s gonna be so impressed!”

Catra snorted from her spot next to Adora, “Are you sure you can handle Entrapta, Sparkles?”

Since the incident in Salineas a few days prior, Glimmer was being fairly patient with Catra. Sometimes, the Magicat princess would catch her staring at Catra with a pitied look on her face. Catra would much rather have the Princess of Bright Moon’s stubborn prickly attitude than her sympathy.

“You know Entrapta?” Glimmer whipped her head around to look at Catra. The Magicat princess shrugged.

“Yeah, after the wall went up she was the only princess who would come to Half Moon.” Glimmer’s eyes narrowed.

“That doesn’t make sense. Entrapta is a notorious hermit. Why would she trek all the way to Half Moon?”

Catra hummed as if she was anticipating this response from Glimmer. “At first she kinda stumbled into Half Moon to do some of her weird social experiments with Magicats. Then she kinda just…” Catra paused for a moment, “became close to the locals. We still have her over a lot for celebrations.”

Adora frowned, crossing her arms. She didn’t like how close it seemed Entrapta was to Catra. Her chest twisted in slight jealousy and anxiety. Clearly Catra had a good relationship with this Princess… what if it had been something more?

“Well,” Adora’s tone came out a bit sharper than she was intending, “why is Entrapta so important?” The young woman’s voice tightened up when she said the other girl’s name. Catra, confused by the change in Adora’s mood, glanced over at her—studying Adora’s subtle mannerisms for a moment.

“She’s a brilliant inventor!” Bow answered Adora’s question, unaware of the tension slowly building between the rest of the group, “she makes robots and rehabs old tech left by the First Ones. She’s a pretty big deal in the Etherian makers' community.” Bow paused for a moment. All three young women were looking at him now, “Which I am a part of because I dabble in gadgetry myself.” He stated in a sing-song tone. He took out a mini bow and arrow from his breast pocket and shot it into the open air. It exploded with a small bang and tiny confetti twirled to the ground. Catra snickered when he brought up his hands and shook both of them, excitedly.

Adora, confused and slightly concerned, whispered to Glimmer and Catra, “What does any of that mean?”

Glimmer responded before Catra could even open her mouth, “It means if we convince Entrapta to join the Rebellion, she’ll invent all sorts of cool junk for us. And then we’ll finally have weapons that can stand up to the Horde’s.”

“Yeah,” Catra said, a smile on her face, “Entrapta’s kinda a badass. She’s someone I would want on my side.” Adora’s frown grew as Catra’s smile expanded. Catra quickly noticed that Adora’s mood was souring, again. She gently nudged her.

“Hey, what’s wrong frowny face? You were fine this morning,” Adora averted her eyes from Catra’s.

“It’s nothing,” Adora pronounced, slightly standoffish. It was Catra’s turn to frown. She thought back to the conversation prior and what part of it could have upset Adora so much. Then, it hit her. Adora was jealous of Entrapta. Catra almost laughed, jealous of Entrapta.

“You’re jealous,” Catra said, amused. She got closer to Adora, brushing against her side letting a soft purr erupt from her lips as she rubbed her face into Adora’s neck, “you shouldn’t be jealous, babe. Though, it is kinda hot.”

Adora’s face was a rich red color now. Glimmer and Bow were looking at them with smirks on their faces. Adora just sputtered out an “Okay,” which was enough for Catra to back down for a moment.

They were interrupted by a flashing red light. Glimmer and Catra’s eyebrows furrowed in concern while Adora looked at Bow with a confused expression. The young man just shrugged. Glimmer poofed herself up to the roof of the castle, studying it for a moment and then turning her attention back to her friends on the ground with an alarmed expression.

“Something’s wrong! The castle’s distress beacon is lit. They must be under attack,” Glimmer poofed herself back down onto the ground.

“Oh, Entrapta,” Catra groaned, bringing a hand up to rub at her eye. A stress headache was beginning to build which put an uncomfortable pressure behind her eyes. She didn’t want another Salineas.

“There’s been no report of the Horde in this area,” Adora rushed forward towards the castle.

“Whoa, wait! Be careful!” Bow exclaimed. Catra stopped rubbing her eyes and watched in horror as Adora tripped over a rock causing a trap door to open. Thankfully, Glimmer was aware of it and she was able to teleport over to Adora, grab her, and poof back to where she was standing before tragedy almost struck.

Catra leaped over the booby-trap, leaving Bow to shuffle around it awkwardly, landing perfectly on her feet and grabbing Adora roughly, studying her to make sure that she was alright. Once she deemed Adora okay, Catra smacked her on the chest—not hard but not playful either. Catra frowned, an angry expression on her face.

“Don’t do that, idiot!” Adora gave her a sheepish smile. She leaned over and quickly pecked Catra on the lips which caused the princess’s eyes to widen for a moment. Adora usually wasn’t the one to initiate touch, especially not in front of people. It didn’t really bother Catra because she knew that Adora wasn’t used to being touched so gently and therefore found it difficult to do. Catra’s frown turned into a smile which grew wider when she saw how red Adora’s face was.

“Alright, dummy,” Catra whispered to Adora so only she could hear, “I forgive you.”

Adora winced which caused Catra to reach up and put a hand on her cheek, “Are you okay?” Adora shook her head as if she was trying to shake something out of her head.

“This place feels wrong,” She stated, her gaze turning to look into the halls of the dreary castle, “It’s… nothing.”

Glimmer reached out and grabbed Catra and Adora’s hands. In a poof of pink, they were inside the castle. It was eerie and quiet. The dark walls didn’t help the feeling of anxiety that was pooling in Adora’s chest. The was a sudden creak and—out of pure instinct—Adora rose the sword high up into the air and whispered, “For the Honor of Greyskull,” transforming into She-Ra then whipping around towards the noise and yelling, “Hey! Who’s there?!”

Catra placed a calming hand on Adora’s shoulders, allowing her to relax, slightly. She turned around and they kept walking. Glimmer rose her hands up to her mouth, yelling into them so her voice projected louder across the empty space.

“Hello?! Princess Entrapta?” Her voice echoed against the metal walls, “We’re here to, uh, recruit you for the Rebellion!”

Bow, after finally making his way around the trap, came tumbling into the room, exclaiming, “Okay! We need to be careful. Entrapta has traps set up all over her castle,” He leaned over and groaned, trying to catch his breath, “They’re supposed to be really cool.” His eyes sparkled with excitement.

Before Catra could roll her eyes and make a smart ass comment, a loud explosion rang out and reverberated behind them. Suddenly, someone popped their head out of a hole in the ground, yelling out, “They’re coming! Get out of the square!”

Before Adora or Catra could ask who they were talking about, a humanoid robot that was missing more than a few limbs stumbled out of a dark hallway. “What the FUCK!” Catra screeched, grabbing Glimmer and Bow and pulling them away before they did something they would regret. The robot roared out an ear-piercing noise and began to run towards She-Ra, who jumped up into the air and landed a roundhouse kick to the robot’s face causing it to slam against the wall and fall onto it’s back on the ground. When it finally stopped moving, Bow squirmed out of Catra’s grip and jogged over to the bot, inspecting it. Catra stood where she was, watching the young man—interestedly. Adora and Glimmer wandered off, observing the rest of the room. They were kinda dumb when Catra wasn’t supervising.

“Looks like one of Entrapta’s designs. Why would it attack us?” Catra shrugged.

“Maybe Entrapa screwed something up,” She said, “she’s not perfect, y’know.”

Meanwhile, Glimmer and Adora stood in front of a door across the room. She-Ra was twirling the sword around, exclaiming, “Alright, stand back,” she paused for a moment, holding the sword back ready to shove it into the door. Glimmer stood at her side, shaking with excitement. Catra’s eyes widened, thinking back to the first trap they had encountered. She began sprinting towards them just as Bow yelled out.

“Careful!! It could be a—”

Catra managed to grab onto the back of She-Ra’s cape but it was too late. Adora was already mid-swing. Just before the sword could hit the door, the floor opened beneath them, causing them to fall. All three of them screamed in terror as they fell. Catra wrapped herself around the closest person, which she hoped would be Adora but was actually Glimmer. When they hit the ground, Catra’s ears picked up Bow’s screaming which was suddenly muffled by cloth or hands. She sat up and realized she had landed on Glimmer, sitting on the smaller princess’s stomach, comfortably.

“Could you please,” Glimmer rasped out, “GET OFF!” Catra smirked for a moment and rubbed her chin pretending to think.

“Hmmm,” Catra hummed, “I don’t think so.”

Glimmer growled and shoved Catra off. When they were standing, the gravity of the situation began to weigh on them. They were standing in a small cage, Catra nervously looked around to see if there was any way they could go back up from where they came but found nothing.

“Bow!” Glimmer exclaimed, “He’s all alone with those things. He needs us!” Glimmer turned to look at Adora and Catra with big pleading eyes.

“No shit, Sparkles,” Catra reached out and grabbed one of the bars of the cage and rattled it, “looks like we’re stuck here, though.”

“Come on!” Glimmer rolled her eyes, “I’ll teleport us out.” She grabbed onto their wrists. The first poof transported them into a small, cramped hallway. Catra and She-Ra were smooshed into the walls as Glimmer was squished in between them.

“The fuck you do, Sparkles?” Catra groaned. Glimmer didn’t respond. She grabbed their wrists again for a second try.

The second poof transported them onto the roof of the castle. All three of them shrieked, Catra’s fur bushed up as they stared down into a hundred-meter drop. The third poof they were falling into a death trap. The fourth, they were back in one of the, now familiar, dark hallways of the castle. Glimmer was sitting on top of She-Ra’s shoulders holding on for dear life while Catra was wrapped around her leg, holding on for dear life.

“Okay,” Adora panted out, “no more teleporting from now on.”

“Sounds like a good idea.”

Catra couldn’t say anything as her ears were still ringing. Glimmer hopped off of Adora’s shoulders and slowly Catra unclung herself from her legs. There was another thud, which caused Catra’s fur to bush up again while Adora and Glimmer gasped. All three of them whipped around. There was a drilling sound and one of the vents fell to the ground. Long dark tendril-like objects came out of the vent along with big red eyes which peered at them leeringly. Adora whimpered beside Catra—it reminded her of Shadow Weaver. The creature slowly began to walk down the hall towards them. With each step forward Adora’s hands began to shake more and more.

“Princesses!” A voice rang out, “I’m saved!”

Catra released a loud sigh of relief, reaching over and grabbing Adora’s hand for a moment, squeezing it comfortingly. The figure came out of the dark. A small woman with long purple hair in two ponytails and bright pink eyes gawked up at them. There were a few stains on the white part of her shirt and she had on a welding mask that she had lifted up to talk.

“Entrapta!” Catra basically growled, “What the hell!”

“Oh, Catra! It’s you! I almost didn’t recognize you,” The woman rushed out, beaming at the Magicat princess. She moved closer to them with her hair as mobile devices, looking down to inspect Catra for a moment. “You’ve gotten a little taller! I’m sorry I miss your birthday party…” Entrapta trailed off, “I was working on a new project!”

Glimmer cleared her throat causing both Entrapta and Catra to look at her and Adora.

“Oh! New subjects!” The princess of Dryl squealed, leaning over to look at them, “Welcome to Dryl! Things are usually really fun around here but right now it’s gotten a tinsy bit deadly.” Her hair shaped into a hand and began to pet Glimmer’s floofy hair.

“Entrapta,” Catra spoke up again, “this is princess Glimmer of Bright Moon,” she walked around to place her hands on Glimmer’s shoulders, “and this is my fiancée, Adora—Er… right now she’s She-Ra, though.” Catra wrapped an arm around Adora’s large waist.

Entrapta’s eyes got big, “You have a partner! Oh boy… I’ve sure missed a lot,” Her hair reached out and touched the headpiece on Adora’s head that was identical to the one Catra wore.

“In fact,” Catra smirked, “Adora was a little jealous of you and me earlier…” Entrapta looked confused for a moment. Then, realization spread across her face and she let out a loud cackle of a laugh.

“Don’t worry, Catra’s partner,” She patted Adora once on the head with her hair, “I have no sexual attraction to Catra. We are, um…” She paused looking for the right word, “friends.” Entrapta was quiet for a moment and then she exclaimed, “Come with me.”

Glimmer, Catra, and Adora glanced at each other for a quick moment and then began to follow the Princess of Dryl down the halls of the castle. “You’re lucky I found you,” the woman was saying, “I designed the castle as a labyrinth.” She was walking backward, “I’m the only one who can navigate—” She slammed into one of the pillars holding the castle up with a pained grunt.

“Which… Means you can help us find our friend?” Glimmer asked, hopefully.

“Absolutely!” Entrapa grinned at them, widely.

“Uh, Entrapta,” Catra spoke up after walking for a few moments, “I think we already passed this picture.” Catra pointed to a picture on the wall of a kitten with large green eyes laying in the center of a cushion. The princess of Half Moon eyed the picture warily.

“Oh, isn’t it cute?” Entrapa responded, her hair reaching over to rustle Catra’s hair, “I just love cats.” The princess of Half Moon scoffed while Glimmer snickered next to her. Entrap paused for a moment, “You might be right, though. I usually have my electronic map to get around but, well… like my bots, it’s sort of evil right now.” She held up a pad that looked eerily similar to Bow’s except it was glowing a bright red color, tendrils of red growing out of it like a bad rash.

“Why did you invent killer robots?” Adora blurted out and then covered her mouth with her hand, looking nervously at Entrapta. The princess looked at her a moment, it was almost like she was looking at her for the first time even though they had met earlier. With her hair, Entrapta took out a tape measure and began to measure She-Ra’s height.

“You’re abnormally tall,” She responded, her eyes bulged wide when she saw the sword behind Adora’s back, “Hello!” She said in a lifted tone, “I like your sword. It’s First Ones Tech. Can I touch it?” Catra blocked her before she could.

“Not right now, Entrapta, maybe later… after we find our friend,” She reminded Entrapta speaking slowly so she would understand. The purple princess clapped her hands, only once, but it was loud enough to activate a dormant bot that was hiding in the hallway behind them. Catra groaned when she saw it coming. Adora and Glimmer both screamed while Entrapta watched it come closer, animatedly. Catra was able to reach out, grab Entrapta by the hair, and drag her away before the bot came too close.

“Isn’t it just too cute?” Entrapta exclaimed looking behind them as they sprinted away. Catra shook her head while Glimmer just looked at the girl, incredulously.

Suddenly, Adora yelped and fell to the ground, holding her ears. The bot roared and got caught by one of the arches that supported the walls. Catra fell to her knees beside Adora, trying to get her to look at her.

“Adora, c’mon, we gotta go!” Catra whispered, frantically, trying to figure out what was wrong. The bot let out another screech but this time it was mixed with a yelp from Entrapta. Both Adora and Catra lifted their heads up to see Entrapta on top of the bot, her hair stuck between the wheels, trying to talk to it. Before Catra could stop her, Adora stood up and raced over to the bot, jumping on it and thrusting her sword right through the middle. The glowing, pulsing red substance began to spread up the sword, infecting the runestone. Catra could tell something wasn’t right and didn’t hesitate to jump up on top of the bot. She-Ra’s movements were violent, pounding down on to the bot harshly. Her eyes glowed a bright red. For the first time, Catra was scared of Adora.

“Adora?” Catra whimpered, taking a half step back. Glimmer teleported onto the robot next to Catra.

“She-Ra! Stop!” She screamed out, grabbing the sword and tossing it aside before Adora could take another swing. She-Ra stopped her movements. Her eyes were wide and vacant as the red slowly bled away to reveal Adora’s bright blue eyes. Catra could sense that Adora was going to fall before her knees went weak. The Magicat princess dashed over, sliding onto her knees to catch Adora before she hit the ground. Glimmer was peering over Catra’s shoulder, worriedly.

“Adora,” Catra shook her partner, “wake up, you idiot.” Her voice was higher than normal, almost getting caught on the lump in her throat, “You gotta wake up.” Catra felt tears well up in her eyes. She leaned over and pressed her forehead against Adora’s hoping that somehow it would get her to wake up.

A strand of Entrapta’s hair shot out and flicked Adora’s cheek, “Catra’s tall partner seems to be infected. She turned less tall.” The princess spoke into a recorder. She, then, turned to Glimmer, “How does it work?”

“She’s not an it,” Glimmer hissed, “She’s my friend! And what do you mean, infected?”

“It’s really fascinating.” Entrapta’s hair began to wiggle around excitedly, “I’ve been experimenting with a disc recovered from a mine in Dryl. It was a game-changer. It held more complete First Ones code than anything I’d ever seen before!” Her voice raised with each word and then she paused, “But it seems to have reacted with the First Ones’ tech that powers my bots. It infected them with some sort of a virus.”

“But how does that make Adora sick?” Catra asked, a few tears slipping from her eyes as she continued to hold Adora up.

“Well, I’d have to take her apart to be sure,” Entrapta held up a knife with her hair. Both Glimmer and Catra’s eyes widened in horror. “But it must’ve been the sword,” She motioned over to the sword that lay stuck into the ground, red spirals surrounding it.

“Nope,” Catra glared at her friend, “you are not cutting into my future wife.” Entrapta shrugged.

“Fine.”

“But,” Catra took a calming breath, “what you’re saying is we have to destroy the disc, right?”

Entrapta gasped in horror, “No, no, no. We can’t do that. The experiment isn’t complete!”

“I think we can safely say the experiment is a failure,” Glimmer retorted from her position on the floor next to Catra.

“But what if!” Entrapta stopped and hung her head in shame, “No, you’re right, it’s a failure.”

Adora began to move and grunt in Catra’s arms. The princess sighed in relief, patting Adora’s cheek with one of her clawed hands. “Hey, Adora.” She spoke in a soft tone.

“Catra!” She slurred out, “Glimmer! There’re four of you!” Catra and Glimmer exchanged a look. “That’s nice.” Adora, fumbling, reached out and patted Catra on the cheeks, stroking the fur there, “Mmmm, fuzzy lady!”

“How are you feeling?” Catra whispered in a quiet voice. Her eyes peering into Adora’s hazy blue eyes.

“Hmm? Is it the wedding already? You look sexy, baby,” Adora snorted and bent her body up, licking Catra’s cheek. Glimmer groaned in disgust while Entraps was watching them and scribbling down notes with her hair, “Why are we whispering?” She asked in a hushed whisper, copying Catra.

“Sound activates the robots.”

“WHAT ROBOTS?” Adora screamed, flinging her head backward.

“The ones that are attacking us!” Glimmer rushed out in a hushed whisper, taking a step forward.

“Oh, haha,” Adora snorted her head rolling forward and resting in the center of Catra’s chest in between her breasts, “Those robots. Mmm, boobs.” Catra blushed a vivid red color while Glimmer smacked herself in the forehead. Adora's breathing began to even out and Catra looked down at her, alarmed.

“Adora, you gotta stay up, alright?” Catra whispered into her ear, “It’s our wedding, remember? You know what that means? Right?”

Adora’s eyes burst open and she exclaimed, “We’re gonna have sex right now?!” Glimmer gasped at her best friend and Catra. The princess of Half Moon just winced and gave Glimmer a fake smile.

“No, no,” Catra was on the verge of breaking out into hysterical laughter, “we have to go say our vows, c’mon. We’re gonna do it in Entrapta’s lab, alright?”

“Mmm, yes,” Adora slurred, “I know what that means. All those words make sense.” Catra knew the girl was lying but she helped her up off the floor.

“Hi Glimmer,” Adora waved at the sparkly princess, “Catra’s taking me away!!” She leaned in closer to her friend while Catra was holding her waist steady, “I think we’re finally gonna do the thing.”

Glimmer just nodded her head, a pained expression on her face. Entrapta began to lead them through the winding halls but it was clear she had no idea where she was going. They passed the same portrait of Entrapta and some robots like fifteen times. Catra was holding Adora up while she stumbled around like a drunk person. At some point, the young woman just leaned completely into Catra and began to nibble on her ear lobe.

“I,” Adora hiccuped, “love you.” It took every cell in Catra’s body not to freeze up right there. She quickly glanced at Adora who was now humming quietly to herself trying to figure out how Catra’s claws worked.

“You big dumb idiot,” Catra muttered to herself. Of course, Adora chose now to finally say ‘I love you’ to Catra. The Magicat girl felt her heart beating faster in her chest. Adora loved her. At least this weird, drunk version of her did. It was enough to make her giddy.

Eventually, they found Entrapa’s lab. Adora was now half-asleep with her arms around Catra’s neck while her feet dragged across the ground when Catra walked. Entrapta began to try to open the code using a code but it electrocuted her, causing her to scream out, vibrating with electricity. Adora attempted to reach out and touch the princess’s hair which was now a bright yellow due to the electricity. Catra smacked her hand away, glaring at the girl. Adora just gave another snort-laugh and buried her head into Catra’s neck, kissing her there. It was the most affection Adora had ever initiated towards her fiancée and at that moment Catra vowed to herself that someday she would get her partner to be comfortable enough to kiss her whenever she pleased.

“Wow! The door is infected, too! That is so smart…” Entrapta grimaced, “And awful. We’re all gonna die.”

“It’s okay. I’ve got this one. I’ll just teleport into the lab,” Catra turned and gave Glimmer a look.

“You remember what happened last time,” The Magicat girl warned.

“Ooh! Teleportation! Tell me all about that!” Entrapta took out her notebook and pen, again.

“Sure. Maybe later,” Glimmer winced. Catra’s face was heating up as now Adora started sucking on her neck— which was definitely going to leave a mark. Glimmer walked up to the door and stood in front of it, teleporting inside. There were a couple of loud bangs. Glimmer screamed a few times and then she was back, panting. Her hair was a mess and her eyes wide with fear.

“That was not such a great plan,” Glimmer heaved out.

“I told you!” Catra grinned, cockily, “I’m so telling Mermista about this.”

Before Glimmer could respond, another robot peered its head around the corner. Everyone except Adora screamed and they took off in a mad sprint as more robots began to come out of the hallway. Adora was a dead weight on Catra’s back but the princess refused to let anyone else take her. They managed to run into a room and hide for a moment while the robots passed them, looking around for any sign of life. Just when they thought the coast was clear, another robot popped out of nowhere and they were sprinting, again. Suddenly, they were surrounded with no place to go.

“I don’t suppose either of you has any other magical powers that could help us right now?” Entrapta asked, her voice trembling.

Glimmer shook her head and Catra just gulped. She felt useless.

“I don’t have enough energy to teleport us all,” Glimmer rasped, her breathing still heavy.

A loud bang rang out and the room was covered in smoke. Bow and a group of what Catra could only assume were Entrapta’s staff ran into the room.

“It’s Bow!” Glimmer shouted. Adora’s head perked up from where it was resting against Catra’s neck.

“Yay! There’s a rainbow!” Adora shouted and Catra couldn’t help but roll her eyes, quickly pressing a light kiss against Adora’s cheek.

Entrapta’s kitchen staff and Bow were much more capable than Catra guessed they would be. While still fairly awkward, they were able to take down all of the bots in the hallway. She watched as Glimmer hugged Bow tight, maybe a little too tight. She raised an eyebrow. She definitely would be telling Mermista about that later. Bow was his usual charming self to Entrapta. He even kissed her hair instead of her knuckles when Entrapta awkwardly placed a strand of her hair into his open hand.

“Hi,” Adora said smugly, still latched onto Catra’s back.

“You okay, Adora?” Bow asked, raising his eyebrows in concern.

“Oh yeah, sure,” Adora hummed, “I’m totally,” Adora snorted, loud, and collapsed further into Catra making the princess stumble forward a bit.

Glimmer stepped in to explain to Bow what had happened while Catra dealt with an Adora who couldn’t stop trying to grab her tail. Catra suggested that she and Adora stay behind while they infiltrated Entrapta’s lab but Glimmer and Bow refused, telling her that the best friend squad has to stick together—which Catra thought was bullshit, dumb, and cheesy, holding no purpose but to annoy her. They all stuck into the lab through the vents. Catra had only dropped Adora for a moment, just to stretch her shoulders, when she heard Adora start yelling from the center of the room.

“Hey, guys! I found the bots!” The girl was stumbling around with the Sword of Protection gripped in her hands. The bots that had seemed to be sleeping started to slowly wake up and charge at Adora. Catra, without thinking, charged forward and tackled Adora to the ground—shielding her with her own body. Glimmer, thankfully, was thinking and teleported across the room and grabbed them both before teleporting on top of one of Entrapta’s machines so they would be far away from the bots. Adora screamed but Catra covered her mouth with her hand.

“Shush,” She whispered into Adora’s ear.

“Kinky,” Adora slurred out when Catra’s hand was lifted. Both Glimmer and Catra looked at her astonished. Catra couldn’t help but let out a loud laugh which made Glimmer cover her mouth with her hand.

Catra watched, amazed as fighting erupted below them. Entrapta’s staff seemed to have been trained in some type of fighting as they had no problem kicking bots to the ground. Adora was into it. She kept pretending to punch bots along with them.

After some time, Bow was able to shoot the infected chip with one of his special arrows which caused the robots to power down. Adora slumped slightly in Catra’s arms, again. Glimmer transported them down onto the ground before she could slip out of Catra’s grasp and fall to the metal ground.

“Wha-what happened?” Adora asked, looking at Catra—who still had her arms wrapped tightly around her fiancée. Catra just giggled and swung Adora around, pulling her into a searing kiss. When she pulled away, the Magicat princess reached out and began to trace the slopes and curves of Adora’s face just like she had done earlier in the morning.

“I’ll tell you all about it later… and probably Mermista, too.”

Chapter Text

Adora hadn’t been sleeping.

Catra could tell. It had been a few days since their visit to Dryl and the Magicat princess had suspected that Adora hadn’t slept a wink since. They had been wandering through the Whispering Woods after the incident in Dryl. They weren’t really going anywhere particular, just taking their time to get back to Bright Moon. Bow and Glimmer seemed off in their own world not paying much attention to Catra or Adora. Usually, that wouldn’t annoy Catra much but it seemed like she was the only one who noticed Adora’s dull eyes or the way her hands shook as she walked. When she tried to talk to the girl about it, Adora would just wave her off, deflecting, telling Catra that she was tired—which was painfully obvious.

Each night, Catra found herself laying snug against Adora. She used her shoulder as a pillow and her tail would always be wrapped securely around Adora’s waist in hopes that she could will her demons away with a simple touch.

It was a beautiful thought, just one that was simply not true.

Catra would fall asleep to Adora’s eyes watching her softly and wake up to them watching her, protectively—as if Adora thought that someone was going to take Catra away from her. The Magicat princess had a sneaking suspicion that Adora was watching over her the entire night instead of getting the rest her body was desperately craving.

Sleeping in the woods with the best friend squad, also, gave Catra more insight into how they functioned. One, Bow snored so loud that she sometimes felt the vibrations through the ground. Two, Glimmer literally just didn’t do her hair. Three, before Catra came along, Bow and Glimmer would sleep in Adora’s room every night.

It was sweet. They told her how Adora would have trouble sleeping and they didn’t think twice about laying out mats on Adora’s floor. However, it worried her. Catra hadn’t realized that Adora had trouble sleeping. Sure, when they were in Half Moon, there was that one night where Catra took her out onto the roof when she was creeping around in the middle of the night but it didn’t strike Catra as odd at the time. Since that night, Adora had slept like a rock when she was with the Princess of Half Moon. The young woman was almost always the first one to fall asleep and the last one up. It made Catra wonder if Adora had been catching up on a lifetime of lost sleep.

Now, however, Adora wasn’t sleeping at all. Her feet drug on the ground with each step. Her usual pristine ponytail was messy and strands of honey blonde hair fell into her eyes. Yet, she was alert. Her eyes scanning each clearing as if there was an invisible threat that only she could see. Her back was ramrod straight and she marched in such a specified pattern that Catra wondered if it had been drilled into her her entire life.

On the third night in the woods, Catra didn’t even feel Adora slip out of her tight grasp.

She woke up to the feeling of cold, dewy grass on her fur when Bow yawned too loud. She groaned, curling further into herself, not ready to start the day. She could tell something was off, though. Her arms felt like she should be holding something. Someone.

“Good morning, Glimmer, Catra,” Bow said in a cheery voice. Catra grunted.

“No,” Glimmer groaned, “It’s too early. Five more minutes.”

“But it’s a beautiful morning!” Bow exclaimed.

“No. Today’s canceled.” Catra muttered, her hands grasping at nothing.

“Go back to bed,” Glimmer added. Catra turned her body so she could see Bow and Glimmer. Her eyes still only partly open and her mind felt like mud. Bow was staring at Glimmer with a lovestruck expression on his face. Catra groaned and slammed her forehead into the ground.

“Stop eye-fucking Glimmer,” Catra mumbled. Bow was flustered, his face turning a bright red color. Then, everything seemed to come into focus. Catra sat up violently, her eyes directed at the spot next to her where Adora should have been. The ground there was wet as if there hadn’t been anyone there for a long time.

“Where’s Adora,” Catra said, frantically. Pure panic began to bubble in her chest.

Glimmer and Bow turned their heads, eyes widening with fear. Catra scanned the clearing and sighed in relief when she saw Adora standing by a clump of trees. Her back was ramrod straight like it had been for the past few days. Her hand was stuck out, leaning on a tree as if that was the only thing holding her exhausted body up. Worry began to replace the panic that Catra had woken up to. In a flash, literally, because Glimmer had teleported them, Glimmer, Bow, and Catra were standing next to Adora. The Magicat princess reached out and lightly touched Adora’s shoulder, causing her to flinch, hard, and gasp—her hand flew straight to her chest, clutching the material there.

“Sorry,” Catra’s eyebrows furrowed as more concern coursed through her veins, “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

Adora didn’t respond. Her gaze turned back to where she had been looking before—at a tangle of trees with a few rocks framing it. Her eyes were glazed over and her hands were shaking hard enough that when Catra grasped them hers started to shake, too.

“What’re we looking at?” Bow asked in an almost mocking tone. Catra’s teeth clenched. Did he notice how deep the bags under Adora’s eyes were?

“I don’t know,” Adora stated, her voice was rough and weak, “I heard a noise in the woods last night. I thought I saw something.” Catra’s grip was hard on Adora’s hand, trying to get the girl to look at her. Adora kept her gaze forward.

“What?” Glimmer joked, “Like a bunny? Maybe a butterfly.”

Catra growled at Glimmer causing the princess to raise her hands up in defense. Catra gently placed her hand on Adora’s shoulder which caused the girl to gasp, again, turning her head violently to look at Catra with wild eyes.

“Adora,” Catra asked softly, “did you sleep at all last night?” She wanted to ask about the other nights as well but thought it was better to bring that up when they were alone.

“Someone has to stand guard,” Her tone was hard. She ripped her hand out of Catra’s and began to walk away.

“What’s wrong, Adora?” Catra jogged to catch up with her leaving Bow and Glimmer behind looking pathetic and confused. “It’s not about being infected, is it? It’s okay to be scared about not having control.” Adora shook her head, her arms wrapped around herself. Catra, gently, wrapped her arms around Adora’s waist—burying her head in between Adora’s strong shoulder blades, “Please tell me what’s wrong. I’m concerned about you.”

Adora opened her mouth to respond but before she could, Glimmer poofed right in front of them.

“Adora! You’ve got to relax a little bit and I had the best idea. We’re gonna go to Mystacor!” Catra growled, again, tightening her grip on Adora. Why didn’t Glimmer realize there was something more going on than Adora not being able to relax.

“Mystacor?!” Bow panted out as he jogged to catch up with them, “No way!”

“Wait,” Adora’s voice sounded tired, she brought her hand up to rub at one of her dropping eyes, “what’s Mystacor?”

“It’s a secret, floating kingdom that’s home to all of Etheria’s sorcerers.” Adora stiffened slightly at the word sorcerer. Catra, in response, pressed a soft kiss to the back of her neck where her hair was just little blonde wisps. She could see that it had affected Adora by the white goosebumps that spread across Adora’s body and the way she shivered slightly. Glimmer was rambling on and on about Mystacor but Catra could only focus on Adora.

“Mystacor is protected by an invisibility spell,” Bow was saying, “so evil can’t find it!” For the first time in a while, Adora seemed to relax a little into Catra’s embrace. Pale hands gently covered Catra’s. They were cold but the Princess of Half Moon didn’t hesitate to open her hands so Adora’s fingers could fit inside hers.

“I think it’ll be good for you,” Catra murmured into Adora’s ear. The young woman thought about it a moment and nodded slightly.

“Awesome! We’ll have you relaxing in no time,” Glimmer smirked.

***

Red electricity shot out of the Black Garnet and up Shadow Weaver’s arms. Her chambers were dark like they always were. Scorpia was standing awkwardly at the edge of the room, her weight shifting from feet to feet as her pinchers snapped closed. Nervous tension filled the room. Scorpia didn’t want to be the one to break it.

“Force Captain,” Shadow Weaver drew out the words as she turned around to look at the woman, “How kind of you to join me.” She walked over to a goblet-type container looking into it. A black shadowy creature appeared in the green liquid.

“You, uh, wanted to see me?” Scorpia squeaked out.

“My shadow spies have found Adora. She’s on her way to Mystacor,” The reflection on the surface turned to show Adora walking alongside Catra, Bow, and Glimmer. Adora looked scared but her hands were tightly interlocked with Catra’s. “This is going to be too easy.”

“Well, um, I’ve never been to Mystacor, I’m not sure if I—”

“No,” Shadow Weaver shook her head, “You’re not going. You will only be standing at my door to make sure no one comes in here. I’ll be going after Adora myself.” Scorpia shivered slightly, her body pained for Adora. She didn’t know what the young woman did to deserved this treatment. “Clearly, no one else can be trusted to bring her back to the Horde.”

Scorpia’s heart dropped. She knew she had failed her mission. It was only right to let Shadow Weaver take over.

“And when I bring Adora back here, no one is to disturb us,” Shadow Weaver added, “I have a lot of wrong that I need to right.”

Scorpia shivered at the vague statement. Only in her darkest nightmares could she imagine what Shadow Weaver planned to do with Adora once she was back.

“Yes ma’am. I’ll make sure no one comes in.”

***
Mystacor was insane.

Catra had always heard about the place from her mother and father but had never imagined it to be so magical. There were floating rocks that held large, colorful stones. The city was built into the side of a floating mountain. There were large golden arches that welcomed them into the city. Young Etherian sorcerers gleefully ran across the open courtyard chasing each other with vibrate light shapes.

It was slightly overwhelming for Catra who had always dreamed of the stories her parents told her about Mystacor and what it was. She could picture her young parents here, before the wall went up, with Queen Angella and King Micah.

Adora was still extremely tense. She kept periodically looking back as if she believed something was following her. Catra, each time, glanced back a millisecond after her and each time there was nothing there.

“Just so you know,” Glimmer was yapping away, excitedly, “my Aunt Casta can be a lot. But don’t worry! I know how to handle her.”

“I’m sure you do, Sparkles,” Catra muttered.

“Is that my Glimmer!” A tall woman with long black hair exclaimed, running towards them with her arms stretched out wide. She was wearing a long blue dress with dark blue sleeves and a purple cape. There was a halo-type crown around her head with a small yellow star in the middle.

“Hi, Aunt Casta,” Glimmer was tackled into a hug which caused her to gasp slightly at the force at which the woman embraced her.

“It’s been so long since you’ve come to visit,” Glimmer’s Aunt scolded her slightly. Catra smiled wistfully. It reminded her slightly of her Uncle Jaka.

“And Bow,” Aunt Casta turned her attention to the tall young man, giving him a tight hug as well. She turned her attention to Catra and Adora who stood side to side across from Bow.

“And who is this!” She voice elevated slightly as excitement spread across her body.

“This is Adora,” Glimmer gestured to the blonde girl, “and Princess Catra of Half Moon.”

“Half Moon!” Casta exclaimed excitedly, “How’s C’yra and Milo? Good, I hope. It’s been way too long since I’ve last seen them.”

Catra bowed her head slightly and then turned her gaze up to look the woman in the eyes, “They’re both great, thank you for asking. Next time I see them I’ll tell them you said hi.”

“And Adora,” Glimmer’s aunt turned to smile at the girl brightly. Her eyes narrowed a minute when she saw the headpiece on her head. Her eyes flickered to Catra’s matching one, “is there a wedding soon to come?”

“Indeed,” Catra couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face, “In twelve days and,” Catra looked up at the sky, “four hours.”

Adora gave the woman a sheepish smile.

“Well, I am so glad that Glimmer is making more friends. I was so excited when she started to bring Bow around, I thought she was making him up!” Glimmer glared at her, Catra snickered. Glimmer shoved Catra slightly and cleared her throat.

“Oh!” Casta looked up at Glimmer, “You’ve done something to your hair?”

Glimmer smile faltered and her eyes narrowed, “What? Yes. I cut it.”

“I can see that,” Casta’s voice rose to a high pitch, “I also see you’re not wearing the sweater I knitted for you.” She began to pick at Glimmer’s robes. Catra covered her mouth to stop the chuckle that was begging to escape her lips. Mermista’s next letter from Catra was going to be extremely enjoyable. “Don’t you like it?”

“Sure, it’s great,” Glimmer pushed the woman’s hands off of her robes, “It’s just a little warm for sweaters right now.”

“But you’d tell me if you didn’t like it?”

“Yes,” Glimmer’s voice wavered, “I’d tell you.”

“I’m wearing the socks you sent me!” Bow lifted up his foot, proudly.

“Well, I’ve always been fond of this one.” Casta smiled goodnaturedly at Bow. “So,” The woman began to walk forward, “what brings you all the wat out here to visit your Aunt? Is it once in a blue moon already?” She laughed louder and more forced than what would’ve been normal for the situation. Catra wished she had brought popcorn so she could watch it all go down.

“We’re on a diplomatic mission, Auntie,” Glimmer’s voice grew serious, “I’m rebuilding the Princess Alliance—”

“My goodness, then you must be starving! I’ll have a feast prepared.” Glimmer facepalmed herself as her aunt turned away, “I’m sure your mother hasn’t been feeding you.”

The woman began to walk and they followed. Adora, for a moment, turned a little less rigid beside Catra. Her eyes were wandering, looking at each sorcerer that was in the yard. They were laughing, teasing each other, as they practiced. It wasn’t the magic she was used to.

“You’ve come at the perfect time. There’s an eclipse this evening,” Casta explained, “I’m headed right now to inspect the Lunarium for the ceremony. And nothing would make me happier than to give my favorite niece and her friends a tour.” She clasped her hands tightly in front of her chest looking at Glimmer pleadingly.

“Uh, er, Bow and I have had the tour before,” Glimmer paused before adding, “And we don’t wanna get in your way.”

“Well, Adora and I haven’t seen it,” Catra crossed her arms in front of her chest, “I think it’ll be fun.” Glimmer whipped her head around and glared at Catra who just smirked. They continued walking.

The inside of the Lunarium was beautiful. Sparkling diamond-shaped crystals floated around the room. Catra couldn’t help but watch the amazed smile that spread across Adora’s face as she looked up at the lunar lenses. The sparkles that they emitted reflected in the blue of Adora’s eyes. The young Magicat wished she could have a painting done of Adora staring up into them and keep it forever. Casta was yapping like Glimmer which caused Catra to tune her out.

Adora was so caught up staring at them she began to walk forward. Catra watched her go but didn’t follow. The young woman paused in front of one of the lunar lenses, tensing and violently turning her body around until she was facing towards the archway that led to the hallway. Catra whipped her head around to look were Adora was looking and saw nothing. She began to grow more concerned with Adora’s weird behavior. Was she seeing things that weren’t there?

Adora’s eyes narrowed and she began to jog out of the room, Catra quickly followed her. She stood alone in the wide hall looking all around for something that seemed to be invisible. Catra carefully placed a hand on Adora’s shoulder who flinched so hard Catra had to catch her before she hit the ground.

“Adora, what’s wrong,” Catra rushed out in a whisper. Adora opened her mouth to reply but Casta interrupted, sneaking up behind them with Bow and Glimmer trailing her.

“Ah, yes. The Hall of Sorcerers,” Adora wiggled out of Catra’s grip and tagged along at the end of the line the others had created. Catra follow, disgruntled. “These are the great ones who led Mystacor through the ages. This,” They turned to a large statue of a man with his head turned down holding a star-shaped object, “is Micah, my brother.” Her tone turned sad for a moment. Catra couldn’t help but glance at Glimmer. Her eyes were sad as she looked up at her lost father. “Glimmer looks just like him, you know.”

“Auntie. We’re going to avenge my dad,” Glimmer said and added, harsher, “and make sure that the Horde never hurts anyone else.” Catra couldn’t help but look at Adora. The girl’s gaze was turned down, studying the ground. “Mom believes in us and in She-Ra.”

“Well, if your mother believes, then who am I not to? She’s an angelic being after all. I’m just a common sorceress,” Glimmer groaned.

“Please, not this again,” Glimmer rolled her eyes and they began to walk forward again.

Only a few moments later Adora stopped dead in her tracks, staring up at one of the statues that had its face burned. You could still make out their eyes. She stared at it a long moment.

“What happened to her,” Adora’s voice was shaky. She felt like her knees were going to give out. The eyes were too familiar. They were the same ones she saw every night in her dreams.

“Light Spinner,” Casta’s voice was grave, “A scar on Mystacor’s past. She sought power and complete control above all else and she was cast out. Although some say she never really left. That she’s only biding her time, waiting to exact her revenge.”

Adora felt like she was going to puke. Her hands shook as she reached up and whipped a sweaty piece of hair out of her face. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from the statue. Memories began to flood her mind. The aftershocks of electricity bleed through her chest like an old friend.

“Adora?” Catra’s voice made it all snap away. The Magicat was looking at her carefully, her ears flat on her head, tail wagging anxiously. She carefully set one of her hands on Adora’s cheek. The young woman couldn’t help but sigh and lean into the warm touch, “C’mon, Glimmer and Bow wanna go to the beach.” Adora just nodded and allowed herself to be taken away by Catra’s soft hand. She couldn’t help but glance back one last time at the statues.

The beach didn’t do anything to help Adora.

She was finicky the entire time. Moving around, humming, doing anything but relaxing. Glimmer had gotten fed up with her anxious twitching and suggested that they go to the steam grotto—which Catra enthusiastically agreed to. Adora didn’t know what a steam grotto was but Catra seemed to be excited about it so she, also, nodded her head.

Mystacor’s steam grotto was gigantic. Giant pools filled with steaming hot water patterned the floor. Adora didn’t understand why Catra was so excited to come to the steam grotto, though. It was filled with water and Catra hated water. They began to get underdressed and then Adora understood. The Magicat girl’s tail was flicking up at Adora’s abs as she watched Bow and Glimmer get into one of the pools. A wandering hand, then, replaced said tail. Catra still had her robe on and was looking at Adora with hooded eyes.

They had promised to wait until their wedding to be with each other intimately. Catra told Adora that she wanted to make it special and that seemed to be a beautiful time to do it. But as time went on, that promise became harder and harder for both girls to keep. Long make out seasons in their bed at night became increasingly heated with each passing day. Adora kept feeling this pull at her chest that made her want to become more and more intimate with the princess. Every time she looked into Catra’s eyes she felt safe and wanted. It wasn’t anything she had ever felt before. Love.

Adora knew that she loved Catra she just couldn’t bring herself to say it. She was scared that Catra wasn’t going to say it back. Especially now when demons from her past seemingly have started to come back in full force and haunt her.

Glimmer pulled Adora away from Catra and led her into the pool, explaining to her that the pools were used as a relaxation tool by the sorcerers. Adora carefully followed her instructions. Catra was crouched down by the edge of the pool, watching her fiancée slowly start to relax. Adora looked up at her. She reached out for Catra’s hand.

“Please?” Adora asked, desperately. Her eyes were tired and her body was tired. She just wanted to sleep for a moment. Catra couldn’t say no. The young woman slipped off her robe and slowly slid into the pool behind Adora. She leaned back into Catra who wrapped her arms around Adora, securely. In minutes Adora was out, her head nestled in between Catra’s shoulder and neck. One of Adora’s hands was resting on the center of Catra’s chest right over her heart. Glimmer and Catra made eye connect with each other for a moment. The princess of Bright Moon’s eyes were soft and she looked at them warmly. Catra gave the girl a small smile, relieved that Adora had finally fallen asleep.

Eventually, they were all asleep. Catra’s soft purr snores and Bow’s loud train horn snores were the only thing that could be heard in the room beside the soft sound of rushing water. Catra’s cheek was resting against Adora’s head. Glimmer was leaned into Adora’s other side, the back of her head on her shoulder. Bow was on the other side of the pool with his arms out over the edges and his head hanging back over the edge.

And then Adora woke everyone with a loud scream.

She scrambled out of the pool causing Glimmer and Catra to fall towards each other hitting their heads together hard. Adora fell onto her knees on the hard pavement of the steam grotto, scraping them as she crawled towards her sword in the middle of the room. Darkness was enclosing in on her.

“No, no, no,” Adora whispered, her body couldn’t emit anything louder. She managed to stand up and waver her sword around threateningly at the black smoke surrounding her.

“Adora!” Catra screamed. Heterochromatic eyes appeared in front of her followed close behind by Glimmer’s purple eyes. The black smoke turned to grey-white steam again. Adora couldn’t help but drop to her knees, the sword clunking down loudly on the ground. Catra hurriedly sank down next to her, pulling her close to her chest.

“Shadow Weaver,” Adora gasped out, her breathing becoming sporadic, “Shadow Weaver.”

“Adora calm down,” Catra whispered into her ear, placing a gentle hand to the center of Adora’s chest, “hush, breath, please. Focus on my hand.” She began to softly rub Adora’s skin. For a few minutes, they could only hear Adora’s harsh breathing.

“She’s here,” Adora whispered when she could, “Shadow Weaver. She’s here.”

Catra glanced up at Glimmer, worriedly. Bow knelt down in front of Adora.

“Adora, there’s no one in here besides us.” Adora shook her head violently.

“No. I saw her,” Adora started to pant again and Catra shushed her.

“Adora, please,” Catra pleaded with her, “It’s okay. Shadow Weaver is far away, alright?”

“No, no. You don’t know what she’s capable of,” Adora whimpered. Catra closed her eyes and rested her head against Adora’s temple. Adora was right. Catra could only imagine what Shadow Weaver could do. She had a weird feeling that maybe in another lifetime she could empathize with Adora but not now in this one. She had no idea what Adora had been through to make her physically unable to sleep at night just so she could protect Catra from whatever games her mind was playing.

“I’m here,” Catra whispered, “It’s alright.”

Adora could only grip onto Catra’s arm in response.

Adora had asked to be alone. And Catra, Glimmer, and Bow and no choice but to agree. However, they found her back in the Lunarium about thirty minutes later, shards of Lunar Lenses scattered around her. There was a wild look in her eyes as she stood there as She-R. The sword was held out in front of her, shaking. She transformed back to Adora and the sword came tumbling out of her hands. She watched Casta tearfully pick up broken shards. Catra could only watch, helpless, as Casta ripped into Adora for destroying the Lunar Lenses.

“It’s alright,” Catra whispered as they walked down the halls to one of the bedrooms, “I’m staying with you. Casta’ll come around when Glimmer explains everything to her.

Adora only nodded her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

They lay facing each other on the bed. Catra was humming quietly as she stroked Adora’s hair. It was the song that her father had told her he danced to with Catra’s mother at their wedding.

“What is that?” Adora asked her voice as tired as her soul.

“It’s a song my parents like,” Catra looked at Adora’s tired blue eyes, “do you have any favorites?”

Adora looked at her long and hard, “I only know the Horde march.”

Catra stopped stroking her hair for a moment and then continued, “I’m going to change that.”

A few hours later, Catra and Adora both woke to screaming coming from the Lunarium. Both young women bolted out of bed and sprinted to the large, open room. Just as they were sprinting toward the Lunarium, Bow came sprinting out of it.

“Adora, Catra! We need to go,” The young man exclaimed running the other way. Both girls quickly turned on their feet and followed him. Catra felt odd about it. Something wasn’t right.

“Woah, wait. Where’s Glimmer?” Catra asked. Bow shook his head. Adora reached out and grabbed his shoulder but her hand fell through—as if he was made of shadows. Catra and Adora stopped dead in their tracks. A pit of fear began to build in Catra’s stomach.

“Everything that’s about to happen is your fault, Adora.” His tone was menacing. It was not Bow. His body changed black with burning red eyes, his voice changed into someone else’s. Shadow Weaver’s. “You’re to blame.” In a blink, he was gone.

Adora was frozen to her spot. Her hands were shaky and she couldn’t look away. Thankfully, Catra was able to grab her hand and snap her out of it, pulling her back towards the Lunarium. Everyone looked dead, they weren’t but they looked like they were. Catra lifted a shaky hand over her mouth to stifle the gasp that was trying to exit her lips.

“Adora,” The voice rang out again. They both looked up and in an instant, a shadow shot out and pinned Catra to the wall.

“So nice of you to introduce me to your beautiful pet, Adora,” The woman took shape in front of them, “I hope you won’t miss her too much when I take you back to where you belong.” There was a bolt of red electricity that shot out of the sky, striking Adora in the back. A scream ripped out of Adora’s mouth and she sank to her knees.

Catra struggled against the shadows pinning her to the wall. Tears were streaming down her face as she desperately called out to Adora, begging her to stay conscious. The electricity stopped for a moment and Adora fell limp onto the floor. Though her eyes were open and she was still breathing.

“The eclipse is nearly over, Adora. When it is, the shield will be down. The Horde will conquer Mystacor and bring you home to me,” Tears were streaming out of Adora’s eyes as she made eye contact with Catra.

“No!” Catra yelled out but a shadow shot out of the black mass surrounding Shadow Weaver and wrapped itself around the princess’s mouth. Shadow Weaver’s attention was drawn to Catra and the shadowy mass began to stalk toward her.

“You know,” Catra whimpered and cowered back when the entity stood in front of her, “I ordered the first attack on Half Moon. To think,” A black tendril reached out and caressed Catra’s face, “you could’ve been mine. I wonder how things could’ve been different.” Another tendril reached out and forced Catra’s chin up to look at her, “Maybe if I had been punishing you, Adora would’ve listened better.”

A cry rang out from behind them. Adora came crashing down onto the shadows causing them to scatter away from Catra.

“Do. Not. Touch. Her,” Adora growled out holding the sword shakily in front of her. Shadow Weaver chuckled and manifested in front of Adora who stood in front of Catra trying to shield her from the sorceress, unable to transform in She-Ra due to pure fear.

“Oh, Adora. Always quite the martyr. These people don’t care about you!” She waved her hands around at the people around them, “They want to use you for your strength!” Adora was trembling but continued to stand in front of Catra blocking her with her body. Shadow Weaver’s hand came out and placed itself on Adora’s cheek, “Return now to the Fright Zone. Rule by my side.” The woman’s head leaned forward and pressed against Adora’s.

Adora ripped away and shook her head, “No. I won’t.”

“I prepared you for greatness!” The woman floated back and became bigger, darker, scarier.

“But you never loved me,” Adora’s voice shook, “I’m not like you. I,” Adora paused and looked at Catra. Her partner’s eyes were wide and pleading but they were filled with so much love, “I love people. I love Catra… and Bow and Glimmer. I’m not cruel. I’m not bitter. This is who I am, not some pawn in your game. You hurt the people I love. Now, you’re gonna pay.”

The woman let out an evil laugh, “My dear Adora, you’re too late! In a few moments time, the Eclipse will be over and Mystacor will fall and it’ll all be your fault!”

Adora picked up her sword from where she had dropped it a few moments before. She held it up, out in front of her. Shadow Weaver was diving in towards her with great force. The sword quickly turned into a shield which shot out a blast of rainbow light causing the shadows to dissipate.

Catra could only watch, terrified, as Adora began to climb a giant crystal, Shadow Weaver manifesting again behind her, grabbing her.

“You were nothing before I took you in, Adora! And you will be nothing without me!” Adora tore out of her grip and began to jump higher and higher, Shadow Weaver chasing after her, “You’re weak!” Adora was standing face to face with the sorceress, the light of the eclipse the only thing dividing them.

“Adora. Enough of this, come home.” The woman’s voice had changed, it was softer. Catra shivered in fear of how easy the sorceress could manipulate herself. Adora shook her head and held up the shield so the light refracted back.

“I’m not going back,” she stated, “I’ve found a new home.”

She used the light of the shield and pointed it down, hitting where it needed to go, banishing Shadow Weaver away with a scream. The room lightened again. Catra dropped to the ground when the shadow restraints were ripped away. Adora staggered down from the ceiling, falling to her knees as soon as her legs hit the ground. People were beginning to groan, waking up from their slumber.

Catra didn’t care.

She sprinted as fast as she could to Adora, falling to her knees beside her. She cupped Adora’s cheeks and pulled her face into a hard kiss, tears running down her face. She brought their foreheads together so that their headpieces touched, her arms wrapping around Adora’s neck.

“You’re strong, you’re so strong. I care about you so much, you mean everything to me.” Catra paused for a second, “I love you so much, Adora,” Catra managed to sputter out through tears. A few tears leaked out of Adora’s eyes. She reached a shaky hand up and placed it on Catra’s cheek.

“I love you, too. You’re my home.”

Chapter Text

For a long time, Adora was quiet.

Catra was talking to Bow and Glimmer in a hushed tone, her hand placed securely on her fiancee’s back--right over the spot that Shadow Weaver had struck her. They were back in Bright Moon now. Casta, after seeing the back of Adora’s jacket burned in a spidery web of dark red lines and Catra’s pleading face, was able to transport them from Mystacor to Bright Moon instead of having them walk all the way back through the Whispering Woods.

As soon as they appeared in Bright Moon, the exhaustion and panic that had been welling up in Adora’s chest seemed to hit her all at once. She sagged slightly against Catra, her breath coming out in quick gasps. The Magicat princess wasted no time grabbing Adora’s waist and holding her up. Bow and Glimmer were looking at them, concern evident in their faces. Catra shook her head telling them quietly that they needed to get Adora back to the room.

Adora wasn’t really asleep. She was in a dazed state. Memories, from both that day and from the past, were rushing through her mind in no particular order. The only thing that was keeping her in the present was Catra’s soft touch. Her back hurt but it wasn’t excruciating. She knew that a new scar had probably been added to the mesh of pale, jagged skin on her back. Catra hadn’t been able to see that part of her yet but, at the moment, her partner’s touch on the part of her that had brought her all of her insecurities was the thing grounding her.

More tears welled up in Adora’s eyes. She wondered if she had been born unlovable. In her mind, an image of Catra clutching onto her face with tears streaming down her face flashed, like one picture in a slideshow that was her life. Catra loved her. She didn’t know why or how the beautiful girl could. For a split second, she curled into herself. Maybe Catra had been lying. Maybe this whole thing was still just a ploy to make Catra more powerful. Maybe, after the wedding, she’d just dispose of Adora like everyone else in her life seemed to have done.

Catra’s hand drifted up Adora’s back to her neck. The Magicat girl slowly began to scratch Adora’s head with her claws, lightly. It felt good. Within seconds, Adora had relaxed and uncurled herself. Her mind seemed to be moving slower, her eyes were dropping shut.

Maybe she was thinking too hard, was the last thought on Adora’s mind before sleep finally won and darkness flooded in.

Five hours later she woke with a jolt.

“You were nothing before I took you in, Adora! And you will be nothing without me!”

“You’re weak!”

“Return now to the Fright Zone. Rule by my side.”

Adora could fell the sick pressure of Shadow Weaver pressing her forehead into her own. It wasn’t gentle like Catra--who’s fur would sometimes tickle her skin making Adora’s stomach flutter. When Shadow Weaver did it, it was rough, Adora couldn’t pull back. Possessive. Like she was claiming Adora as hers.

“Adora?” Catra’s sleepy voice echoed across the mostly empty room. Adora couldn’t respond. Instead, she bent over the side of the bed and vomited onto the floor. Tears streaming down her face as she tried to control her body.

“Adora!” Catra’s voice was more urgent now, more awake. A hand wrapped around Adora’s hair, pulling it away from her face as she continued to get sick.

“I’m sorry,” Adora gasped in between retches, “I’ll clean it, I promise.” Catra’s hand that wasn’t holding Adora’s hair reached out and grabbed onto one of Adora’s trembling ones. It took a few minutes but Adora eventually sagged forward, almost falling off the bed and into her own vomit. Catra caught her and pulled her back up into a sitting position on the bed.

“Are you sick?” Catra asked hurriedly, her palm feeling Adora’s sweaty forehead, “Do I need to get the healers?” Adora just shook her head, her eyes were heavy. Her mind was a mess but her body felt fine. Catra was silent a few minutes, her body supporting Adora’s as the girl leaned her full weight back into her chest.

“Did you have a bad dream?” Catra’s voice was faint now but it was still audible. Adora managed to nod her head slightly. Gently, Catra laid her back against the mattress and slipped off of the bed, “I’m going to clean up.” Adora looked up at Catra pleadingly but the Magicat shook her head and let out a soft, humorless, chuckle. “No, you can’t help.” With a kiss on Adora’s forehead, Catra slipped into the darkness of the room.

Adora lulled her head to the side, away from where she had been sick. So many emotions were pulling at her chest. Guilt because Catra had to clean up her mess. Anger at herself for making the mess in her mind show on the outside. Panic still swirled in her chest as Shadow Weaver’s words continued to repeat in her head. She could hear Catra’s movements behind her. She was furiously wiping at the ground. It made her feel worse.

Thirty-ish minutes later, Adora felt the mattress dip down. Catra’s hands smelled like soap. She knelt beside Adora on the bed, carefully rolling the girl over until they made eye
contact.

“Would you like to take a walk with me? Get some fresh air?” Catra held out a hand in invitation. Adora hesitated a moment but grabbed Catra’s hand. Catra smiled at Adora but it didn’t reach her eyes like it usually did. They were both in pajamas. Catra shrugged a cozy robe over her shoulders so her booty shorts and sports bra were covered from late-night wandering eyes. There were lots of windows in Bright Moon. Adora’s pajamas were slightly more modest. A t-shirt and a pair of sweats. However, Catra was worried she would get cold so before they left the room the Magicat princess tore the blanket off the bed and wrapped it over Adora’s shoulders.

Adora’s breathing had gotten slightly slower with Catra’s hand clasped in her own. Catra led her through the twisting halls of Bright Moon like she had lived there forever. She brought Adora out into Bright Moon’s garden, taking her to their usual bench on the edge of the property that looked over the wide-open space below them. Adora sat down first, opening one arm open for Catra to fit into if she desired to. The Magicat princess grinned and snuggled into her side, Adora moved her arm down so the blanket covered them both. If one were to look at them they would only be able to see their faces peeking out of a small section of blanket that Adora left open. The sky was dark blue. Etheria’s moons were shining bright across the starless sky. Catra placed one of her hands across Adora’s body, resting it in between Adora’s shoulder and neck.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Catra murmured softly into Adora’s hair. The young woman gulped trembling slightly as Shadow Weaver’s dull eyes replaced the moons above them. She didn’t know what “it” Catra was referring to so she decided to start at the beginning.

“She,” Adora stuttered, “wasn’t very nice to me. Growing up.” Catra, of course, knew this already. It was evident due to recent events but she still nodded, supportively, giving Adora the strength to keep talking. “I don’t know. It was like…” Adora shuddered. Catra gripped her tightly, “she needed someone to get her anger out at so she chose me. I had to be perfect. Everything had to be perfect or she… y’know. Punished me,” A glazed look crossed Adora’s eyes. Catra pressed a soft kiss on Adora’s temple, reminding her that she was there.

“Do you dream about her often?” Catra questioned. Adora nodded.

“It’s usually…” Adora hesitated, “memories. Sometimes I don’t even have to be sleeping to get them.”

Catra didn’t react externally. Internally, her heart was breaking to bits and pieces. Everything Adora was telling her she had predicted was the case but to hear her say it out loud hurt more than Catra was expecting.

“I get that,” Catra breathed out, “sometimes that happens to me too.”

Adora looked at her, eyes wide in surprise. She studied Catra’s face for a moment. She looked more tired now than she had when they first met. “What do you see?” The was a hesitance to Adora’s tone that didn’t go unnoticed by Catra.

“Fire,” Catra stated, sounding far away for a moment, “sometimes I feel it on my skin, too. From the Horde ship.” Adora slumped slightly into Catra. She didn’t know how to comfort Catra as well as Catra knew how to comfort her.

“Does it… hurt?” She asked her voice tightening slightly. “Are you scared?”

Catra shrugged. “I think… before this, the war was just some faraway concept to me. My mom was so good at protecting me from it. Getting captured like that really put things into reality for me. War is relentless.”

“I’m so sorry,” A few tears pricked at Adora’s eyes, “I should’ve saved you. I should’ve seen it coming.”

Catra shook her head, “No. That wasn’t your responsibility at the time. You needed to fix the sea gate.”

“You’re always my responsibility,” Adora muttered, “I have to protect you.”

“You don’t have to do anything, Adora. I’m not asking you to do that.”

Adora’s tone turned slightly harsher, “I need to protect you.” Catra sighed and glanced up at Adora, their eyes connected for a moment.

“You also need to protect yourself, Adora.”

Adora didn’t respond. She looked away from Catra and back toward the sky. The Magicat princess placed her head back down on Adora’s shoulder, snuggling her face further into the nap of her neck.

“Do you usually get sick like that after nightmares?” Catra asked, changing the subject. Adora tensed slightly.

“I haven’t since coming to Bright Moon. Used to a lot in the Horde.” Catra just nodded. Adora sighed, “The other cadets weren’t always thrilled about it.”

“What were they like?”

“The other cadets?” Catra nodded, “Well. There was me, Kyle, Lonnie, Rogelio, and we always had an extra person but no one seemed to stay long. Shadow Weaver liked to keep that spot open in case someone with more potential came along,” Adora’s tone turned slightly mocking towards the end of her sentence, “But… I don’t know. It always felt like something was missing. It was lonely. I was lonely.”

Catra nodded slightly, “I think I understand. I had lots of friends as a kid, being a princess and all, but I never… I felt lonely, too.”

“I don’t feel like that anymore,” Adora whispered like it was a secret for only for Catra to hear. Catra smiled wide.

“Me neither, Adora.”

They were quiet for a long while, resting against each other. The sky was beginning to lighten in front of them, reminding them that a new day was upon them.

“Your red jacket is ruined,” Catra muttered against Adora’s chest. Adora chuckled.

“It’s probably about time I got rid of that thing,” She stated, “good thing I have those other clothes,” Catra smirked and ran a hand up Adora’s side.

“Seeing you in Magicat clothes makes me hot,” Adora choked on her spit.

“Catra,” She hissed out, giggling. The panic from before had gone away, for now. She knew that it wasn’t a forever fix but just being with Catra had settled her emotions for the time being. She was ready to start the day.

“What? It’s true,” Catra smirked. She withdrew from Adora and stretched her limbs. “We should probably think about getting ready for the day.” Adora pouted. Catra rolled her eyes leaning over and gave her a sweet kiss on the lips. Her pout turned into a giddy grin.

“Alright, okay,” Adora nodded once. “let’s do that.” She stood up--suddenly energized.

“You’re such an idiot,” Catra smiled, standing up as well. In the corner of her eye, a flash of pink caused her to turn her head. Laying on the flat railing that surrounded the edge of the garden was a beautiful, pink gladiolus flower. It had already been cut, a bow was wrapped around the stem--also pink. Catra gawked at the flower. It hadn’t been there before and she had no idea who could have put it there. With trembling hands, she took the flower and studied it for a moment. It was in perfect condition, practically glowing. She hadn’t seen any other gladiolus flowers in Bright Moon, it was strange. She turned around and met Adora’s confused stare.

“Where’d you get that?” Adora asked, perplexed, “I haven’t seen those ones in here.”

“I… I think they’re for you,” Catra stated, holding them out for the girl to take. Adora’s eyebrows furrowed, her head tilted in confusion.

“From who?”

Catra shrugged. It didn’t feel like a dangerous gift or a trick to the Magicat girl. Magic was exuding through the stem, she could feel it.

“It’s a gladiolus flower,” Catra explained as she placed the flower into Adora’s hand, using both hands to curl the girl’s hand into a fist so she could hold it, “In Magicat culture, they symbolize strength, see the stem is like a sword?” Catra’s fingers trailed over the long green stem, “Sometimes,” Catra grinned, “they mean infatuation. Traditionally… In Magicat culture, they would be used in arranged marriages where one person would give another a gladiolus flower upon first meeting them.”

Adora looked down at the beautiful flowers in awe.

***

“Force captain,” Shadow Weaver’s voice pierced through the dark room which Scorpia, again, found herself at the edge of--watching an infuriated Shadow Weaver pace back and force across from her. “So nice of you to join me.”

The sorceress had been angry since she was unable to capture Adora in Mystacor. Scorpia fiddled with a loose string on her shirt as the woman grew more and more agitated. Hordak had, apparently, told Shadow Weaver that getting Adora back seemed useless. Which made things exponentially worse.

“He just cares about his idiotic machine,” Shadow Weaver ranted, “he doesn’t understand that Adora will turn the tides in this war! That stupid girl,” Shadow Weaver growled. Scorpia just nodded her head, not wanting to upset the woman.

“You,” A finger pointed at Scorpia, “I’ve just created a plan for you. To redeem yourself.” A sick excitement bled through her tone, “We can finally put your princess title to use.” Scorpia’s eyes widened. For years she had been slightly outcasted by her fellow Horde members for being a princess. It was one of the reasons she didn’t really have friends. “That stupid ball that the princesses put on is tomorrow. You will go, bring a cadet if you must. The most important thing, though,” Shadow Weaver crept closer to Scorpia. Little red bolts of electricity shot from the cloud of black behind her, “Get that Magicat girl. The other two as well... if you can. Then, Adora will come running back.”

Scorpia could only manage to nod her head, silently. Usually, she was quite the chatterbox. Everyone knew that. However, something about Shadow Weaver instilled an immense sense of fear in her--so much so she found it difficult to speak.

“Bring Lonnie,” Shadow Weaver suggested, she was growing more and more excited as she continued to brainstorm her plan, “she’s somewhat capable. Octavia will just try to kill Adora. We don’t need that, yet. Adora needs to be taught a lesson first.”

Scorpia just stood still, nodding. Lonnie was nice. She sat with Scorpia during meal times, sometimes. They talked some on the mission to Salineas.

“Do this,” Shadow Weaver’s eyes were bright, drilling into Scorpia’s soul, “make sure Hordak and the Horde know how useful you are. You’re not just some princess, Scorpia,” A hand reached out and brushed against Scorpia’s face gently. It took everything in her body not to flinch back.

“With that Magicat girl, Adora has no choice but to come crawling back.”

***

After breakfast, Adora was back in her room. Catra had told her to go back as she had something to discuss with Glimmer. She had no idea what Catra would be talking to the princess of Bright Moon about. It didn’t seem like something either young woman would seek to do willingly. Though Adora had no objections and Catra told her that she’d be back quickly.

Adora sat on the bed not knowing what to do. She turned her gaze to the windowsill. The gladiolus flowers from earlier were sat in a vase shining brightly. They were a mystery to her. Who were they from? Why did they leave them? How did they leave them without Catra or Adora noticing?

Adora couldn’t dell on it too long because Glimmer, Bow, and Catra suddenly teleported into the room. There was a brilliant smile on Catra’s face and in her arms was a large box, which she happily dropped onto the bed next to Adora. Bow and Glimmer looked slightly excited, the pitied looks that they had given Adora that morning were gone. She leaned over and peered into the box, a hesitant hand reached out and pulled open one of the cardboard flaps revealing the contents inside. Posters, candles, lights, frames were stuffed into the box. Adora looked up at Catra, her eyes wide.

“We wanted to do something nice for you,” Catra explained, “I thought that it would be nice to decorate your room. It is your room and I think it should get a little more… Adorable.” The pun made Glimmer groan and Bow laugh with his whole body, hands clutching his stomach as he bent over. Adora didn’t know how to respond. She just stared up at her friends with wide eyes.

“This…” Adora waved over to the box, “is all for me?”

Catra’s smile grew soft. She hummed in affirmation, wrapping her arms around Adora’s neck and lowering herself into her lap. Glimmer fake gagged while Bow squealed.

“It’ll be fun. A fun day that’ll make tomorrow even more fun.”

Adora managed to nod. Her mind was working in overdrive. Not only did they bring all these materials to Adora for her to use but they also wanted to help Adora put them up. It all seemed a little crazy. Adora couldn’t believe this was real life. She was waiting to be woken up by Lonnie’s alarm and for it all to be a dream.

But it wasn’t.

“What do you think, Adora?” Glimmer implored as she held up two different strands of lights, “the rainbow ones or the twinkly ones?” Adora shrugged, “We’ll go with the rainbow. Fits you better.”

The princess began to teleport around the room, fixing the lights to the corners of the ceiling. Adora just watched her go.

“I found a horse poster for you,” Catra held it up, there was a small horse on it with text reading; ‘can I trouble you for a glass of water? I’m a little horse.’ Catra continued to speak, “I also found some of my favorite preformers that I’m gonna force you to listen to so you love them too.” She held up one poster with a bunch of Magicats on the front with instruments in their arms and another that was of just one Magicat. They were surrounded by flowers of all different colors. Adora could pick out a white rose, a red camellia, and a pink gladiolus.

“Speaking of,” Catra said, placing the posters down, “I think some jams would make this much more fun.” She took out a small machine from the box and placed something in it, a tune began to drift through the room. Someone was singing, Adora realized. It was a soft melody. Nothing like the Horde March. Catra must’ve been able to tell Adora was getting slightly overwhelmed. She placed the speaker down on the bed and held out her hand for Adora to take.

“C’mon, dance with me for a little bit. I gotta teach you some moves for tomorrow so you don’t look dumb out on the dance floor.” Adora scoffed and took Catra’s hand. She lifted her partner into a standing position and began to sway them slightly, humming along to the song. One of Adora’s hands was clasped in Catra’s--held in between them. The other was placed over Catra’s neck. The young Magicat had her other arm wrapped around Adora’s waist.

“My dad loves this song,” Catra said, a sad look flashed in her eyes. Adora frowned and opened her mouth to respond. Before she could Catra lifted herself up on her toes and kissed the taller girl. Adora’s grip around her neck got tighter as she moved against Catra’s lips, pulling the girl tighter into her body. Catra’s hand traveled slightly lower.

“Can you two not do that right now?” Glimmer groaned, “Me and Bow are here, y’know.”

Adora pulled back, grinning sheepishly, “Sorry, I forgot for a second.”

Catra laughed, loud. “Wow. Did you hear that Sparkles? I’m an amazing kisser!”

“I don’t wanna know!”

Adora leaned in close to Catra, her mouth brushing against the girl’s ear.

“You have no idea how good of a kisser you are.”

Catra flushed a bright maroon color but smirked as Adora returned to her original position.

“But it’s not like I like you or anything,” Adora said a playful smile on her face. Catra’s eyes narrowed and her grin grew larger.

It was hard to believe that that morning Adora had had such a terrible dream that made her get physically sick. Now, as she was twirled around in Catra’s arms, her smile was bright and genuine. She was giggling softly at the look on Catra’s face. Catra looked into the deep sparkling blue of Adora’s eyes. This light version of Adora was something she hadn’t seen often. Pride swelled in her chest at the revelation that she was at fault for it. She vowed then that she would try to make sure Adora felt like this as often as possible.

“Well, that’s too bad because I love you.”

Chapter Text

“I’m only a princess sometimes. Are you sure I should even go?”

Adora was jittery, nervously pacing back and forth in her room. Glimmer, Bow, and Catra were watching her. Catra sat on the bed with her legs crossed. Bow stood back against the wall, leaning on it with his arms crossed. Glimmer was pacing with Adora--way too excited for her own good.

“Of course! Every Princess is invited. That includes you!”

“Plus you have to be my plus one. It’ll be awful there without you,” Catra smirked, “Sparkles would talk me to death.” Glimmer, rather than responding, sent Catra a harsh glare which was promptly shrugged off.

“Okay, fine,” Adora murmured. She plopped herself down next to Catra, leaning into the girl with her full weight, “But you have to tell me how to be all… princessy.”

Catra scoffed, “Oh please. I’m amazing at being all princessy.”

“You are not!” Glimmer hissed, “Last princess prom you dumped the punch bowl on me!” Bow snickered from his position along the wall. Glimmer glared at him and Catra shrugged in response.

“You probably deserved it.”

“For what? Dancing?”

“Yeah, probably. You dance like an old man.”

“Okay, okay,” Adora said, clapping her hands to get everyone’s attention as she sat up straight, “that’s enough. I really, really want to do this right, you guys.” Adora gazed down at the long scroll of rules that wrote out exactly what, where, and how to do things. Her chest tightened slightly with anxiety.

“Don’t worry, babe,” the pet name slide past Catra’s lips like it was nothing, “I’ll help you.”

“Yeah! And I’ll also be right there with you! So will Bow since he’s going as my plus one,” Glimmer grinned at Adora and Catra. Bow stiffed where he was standing leaned against the wall.

“Uh, actually…” Glimmer didn’t even notice Bow was trying to talk.

“Together, the three--er--” Glimmer glanced at Catra, “four of us can do anything!”

“...About that…” Bow stood up straight and began to fiddle with his fingers awkwardly.

“It’s the best friend squad in action! Right, Bow?” Glimmer exclaimed in a sing-song tone and whipped herself around until she faced Bow.

“I’m going with Perfuma,” Bow grimaced.

“WHAT?!” Glimmer shrieked.

“Awkward,” Catra snickered. Adora flicked her ear, shaking her head in disapproval.

“You mean... I’m going to have to be a fifth wheel?!” Glimmer growled, stalking her way up to Bow and violently poking his chest in frustration.

“Can we, uh. Have this conversation outside?” Bow asked, his eyes darting between Glimmer and the young couple sitting on the bed.

“Fine,” Glimmer muttered, marching towards the door--grabbing Bow’s arm and dragging him away as she went.

The door slammed shut with a loud bang, shaking the walls. Adora grimaced while Catra chuckled.

“She’s so in love with him it’s painful,” Catra stated. Adora looked at her, eyes furrowed in confusion.

“Wait, what? How can you tell?” Adora asked, plainly.

“By the way she looks at him.”

Adora studied her partner for a moment. “There’s a look? A love look?”

Catra cackled a little, placing her hand on Adora’s back. “There sure is. But don’t worry too much about it. You already got it down.” Adora smiled as she watched Catra dissolve into a fit of laughter. Her nose crinkled when she laughed; it made Adora want to bend over and kiss it. However, there was no time to waste. Adora had to start studying so she didn’t screw things up.

***

Scorpia was more than a little nervous.

Lonnie had agreed to be her plus one to Princess Prom. It was much easier than Scorpia thought it was going to be, but she was still a little nervous.

“So, what’re you gonna wear?” Lonnie asked as they made their way to Scorpia’s room.

“I’m… not too sure. Honestly,” Scorpia shrugged, glancing at the cadet beside her, “What are you wearing?”

“Oh,” Lonnie grinned, “I know exactly what I’m wearing.” Scorpia cocked her head questioningly.

“I’ll put it on and then we can find something for you to wear that matches me, ‘kay?” Lonnie gave Scorpia a comforting pat on the back, shaking her hand out afterwards. “Damn, you’re strong! You have to tell me what your routine is someday as a repayment for me going to this prom thing.”

Scorpia beamed at the smaller girl. “That sounds amazing! And Lonnie?” She hesitated a moment, causing the cadet to look up at her. “Thank you so much for coming with me to this.”

Lonnie gave her a soft smile. “You’re a good Force Captain, Scorpia. Your plan is brilliant. Plus, it’ll be fun to get out of the Fright Zone for a bit.”

Scorpia gave her a sheepish grin, rubbing the back of her head. “You really think so?”

“Of course! Don’t let Shadow Weaver get to you; she’s just upset that her plan failed. I know Adora, and I know how to distract her. We’re gonna show Shadow Weaver that we’re better than she’ll ever be.”

Scorpia’s mind drifted back to the interactions between her and Shadow Weaver. She hadn’t been under the sorceress’s command as a child--and she thanked Hordak every day for that. However, because she wasn’t around much as a kid, she also didn’t understand Shadow Weaver’s obsession with Adora, or why it was so pressing to get her back.

“Uh, Lonnie,” Scorpia stammered as the pair walked into Scorpia’s room. Lonnie looked up at her with a bright, excited look in her eyes, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Scorpia, you are my commanding officer, remember?” Lonnie chuckled, before continuing, “you can ask me anything.”

“Why is Shadow Weaver so hell-bent on getting Adora back?”

Lonnie’s expression got dark. Her mouth curled down and a myriad of emotions crossed her face. Scorpia was nervous for a moment that she had overstepped some unspoken boundary or broken some unwritten rule that the cadets had amongst themselves.

“I’m sorry, we don’t have to talk about it—”

“For as long as I can remember,” Lonnie interrupted, her hand coming up to stop Scorpia from blabbering on more, “Shadow Weaver has had this... obsession with Adora. I don’t know where it came from or why, but it’s always been ‘Adora’s the prodigy’, ‘Adora’s the leader’, ‘you all need to listen to Adora’, stuff like that.” Lonnie swallowed, taking a deep breath before continuing, “But Adora…” Lonnie trailed off. There was a distant look in her eyes that clued Scorpia into the fact that this was a tough subject for her. “She was a mess, honestly. Sure, she was a prodigy in the classroom and the simulation, but I’m sure you knew that.” Scorpia did know that. Everyone knew that.

“What do you mean she was a mess?” Scorpia asked quietly, partly afraid of the answer she would get.

“She…never slept. Not a full night through, anyway. She was almost always kept separate from us, frequently left completely alone per Shadow Weaver’s orders. Her punishments…they were worse than ours, based on the things Adora said sometimes and the wounds she came back with. I just…I wish she could’ve had someone, y’know? We all cared for her, but I don’t think she ever could see it. Not with Shadow Weaver’s voice in her head, telling her she couldn’t rely on anyone, telling her that she had to do it all on her own.” Lonnie sighed, her face downcast as memories swirled through her head.

“Is that why she left?” Scorpia’s voice dropped down low, hoping not to be overheard.

Lonnie’s face furrowed, her eyebrows knitted. “I don’t know. She was promoted one night, and the next she was gone.”

“The princesses kidnapped her,” Scorpia concluded. Lonnie nodded her head.

“That’s always what we have been told. Kidnapped, then brainwashed.”

***

Catra was looking at the dizzying amount of information Adora was scribbling on papers hanging around on the walls in an organized mess. Pictures of different princesses, the castle of the Kingdom of Snows, and the invitation scroll were all displayed haphazardly on the walls of Adora’s room—covering up the new decorations that had been placed the day before. Catra was slightly worried about all of it. Adora seemed a little unhinged, and it only got worse when Glimmer teleported into the room.

“Oh good,” Catra sarcastically drawled, “you’ve joined us. Hope your lover’s quarrel resolved itself.”

Adora turned sharply towards them when she heard Catra begin to speak to Glimmer.

“Glimmer. I’ve been studying the invite. Advanced prep will be the key to success. So, I’ve divided the rules into base parts.” With a slight whooshing sound, Adora brought her pointer stick to the scroll, “Dance rules, etiquette rules, rules for greeting the hostess,” she nodded her head once and then walked forward towards the table where Catra was sitting. She had created a fake map of the banquet hall with little figurines around it. She cleared her throat before talking again, “I then broke down the ballroom into quadrants and I’m familiarizing myself with the targets,” A deck of cards was thrust into Glimmer’s hands. “Ask me anything.”

Glimmer hesitated a moment. Catra shot her a dark look. Glimmer shivered and looked back down at the cards.

“Princess Frosta.”

“Ruler of the Kingdom of Snows. It’s her first time hosting the ball, she has the biggest kingdom outside of Bright Moon and Half Moon, neutral in the fight against the Horde. Allies with the Star Sisters, who are friends with Mermista but not Sweet Bee—who is dating Peekablue, as you can tell by the string. Up means friends, down means frenemies…” Glimmer turned her gaze to Catra, her eyes narrowed as Adora continued to speak. Glimmer’s attention snapped back to Adora as she exclaimed, “Oh! And also, I made an obstacle course!” Her tone got higher as she gestured over to her ‘obstacle course’--which was a mess on the ground across from Catra. “I’m feeling good! I’ve prepared for any and all possible scenarios and I am so ready for this ball.”

Glimmer was stunned. “Well, uh. That’s great Adora. Have you and Catra picked out what you’re wearing?”

Adora’s eyes widened and she looked at Catra, panicked.

“I got that all figured out,” The Magicat princess smirked, shrugging nonchalantly. “I had my dad send over some formal wear from Half Moon.”

“Oh thank the spirits,” Adora breathed out, slumping over slightly in relief.

“Oooh,” Glimmer was almost shaking in excitement, “you know what that means!”

Catra and Adora looked at each other, confused, and then looked back to Glimmer.

“IT’S MAKEOVER TIME!” Glimmer exclaimed. Catra winced and Adora’s eyes widened at the sheer unbridled enthusiasm radiating off of the smaller princess.

Adora tried to wave Glimmer off, saying “Oh, I don’t know about that. I need to study, remember—oh!” Glimmer cut her off by grabbing her wrist, pulling her away from her monstrosity. Catra only watched, eyebrows raised in amusement.

“Catra!” Glimmer turned to her sharply, “Where’re the clothes?!”

“In the closet, Sparkles,” Catra chuckled. Adora stood awkwardly by Glimmer’s side while she dug through the clothes in Adora’s closet. She pulled out a beautiful red dress that would be long enough to reach Adora’s thighs when worn. It was slim, long-sleeved, with a turtleneck collar. Gold fabric lined the dress, forming intricate patterns and bordering the bottom of the dress. It looked similar to the fancy dresses that Queen C’yra would wear under her robes. Adora reached out and felt the silky fabric of the dress; it felt soft and dreamy.

“This?” Glimmer asked as she held it up to the light. Catra’s smile got ten times bigger when she saw Adora’s awed expression.

“Yep, there it is.”

“And this one is yours?” Glimmer held up a suit. The jacket was red like Adora’s dress, with accents of gold identical to the color of the button-up shirt underneath. There was a black bow tie hanging around the collar, perfectly matched to the black dress pants, which had a gold stripe up the side.

“We’re matching?” Adora squealed looking towards Catra.

“Of course we’re matching,” Catra rolled her eyes playfully. “You are my date, remember?”

Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Stop flirting and get into your clothes!! We have a ball to get to!”

***
The Kingdom of Snows was cold.

Adora was shivering slightly as she stood in front of the magnificent palace. Her dress may have had long sleeves, but the material of it was light enough that she could feel every chilled breeze going through her body.

“You cold?” Catra leaned over and whispered into her ear. Adora shrugged, trying to tough it out. “Here.” Catra took the heavy jacket off her shoulders and wrapped it around Adora.

“But—”

“Nope,” Catra kissed her cheek, cutting her off, “I have fur, you don’t. Plus,” Catra leaned even closer to Adora, “you look hot in my clothes.”

Adora’s eyes widened and she playfully smacked Catra’s arm. The jacket was extremely warm. Catra was slightly smaller than Adora but the jacket was supposed to fit a bit bigger on the Magicat princess so it fit Adora’s shoulders perfectly. It smelled like Catra, Adora noticed as she took in a big breath through her nose.

“I have something else for you,” Catra whispered for just Adora to hear. She looked at her partner, confused. Catra pulled out two red camellias from her back pocket. Gently, Catra brought the flower up to Adora’s hair, pinning it to the side of her head.

“Beautiful,” Catra murmured, her hand trailing along Adora’s cheek, brushing the skin under her eyes with her thumb. With shaky hands, Adora took the other flower out of Catra’s hand and clipped it to the breast pocket of Catra’s shirt. Her hands then gently placed themselves on Catra’s sternum.

“You’re beautiful,” Adora emphasized, her hands slowly trailing up to Catra’s neck, wrapping around until her fingers were playing with the baby hairs that trickled out of Catra’s ponytail. Catra smirked, her hands moving to Adora’s waist.

“Ugh, can you two stop being so in love?” A familiar monotone voice interrupted them.

Mermista was standing right behind them in line. Her eyes held amusement, accompanying a small smirk on her face as she looked between Catra and Adora.

“Oh!” Catra’s cheeks grew hot from the knowing look on the sea princess’s face. “Mermista! Uhm… how much of that did you see?” Mermista’s smirk grew wider.

“All of it.”

Adora awkwardly scratched the back of her neck, looking at Mermista sheepishly. Catra’s eyes narrowed when she noticed Sea Hawk standing there next to the other princess. She looked at Mermista questioningly.

“Don’t even start, furball.” A sharp glare was shot back at Catra who just started to laugh.

“Um. Hi. I’m here, too,” Glimmer waved awkwardly from her spot in front of them. She was in a big, poofy purple dress, her leg was tapping impatiently against the ground. She wasn’t one for waiting in lines, “I, also, saw the entire thing.”

“Don’t mind her, Mermista,” Catra scoffed, extending her arm out for Adora to take as the line moved forward, “she’s just pissy because her boyfriend came here with Perfuma.”

“Oh,” Merista’s eyebrows shot up to her hairline, “my cold toes are tingling because of this drama. Tell me more.”

“He’s NOT my boyfriend!” Glimmer hissed out. “Stop being ridiculous.”

The banter went back and forth until they had to be searched for weapons. Catra had to pry Adora’s sword out of her hands because the girl refused to let go. They walked as a group into the ballroom. It was huge, blue, and still just as cold as it was outside. Adora wrapped Catra’s jacket closer to her body as she took in the sight before her.

“It’s huge!” Adora gasped. Catra hummed in response. It wasn’t quite as big as the ballroom in Half Moon, but it was much bigger than the one in Bright Moon.

“Soak it all in,” Catra sang, “as this is kinda a big deal. A princess’s first ball is a huge rite of passage.”

“Where was your first ball?” Adora asked as they lined up to greet Princess Frosta.

Glimmer turned around, a hard look on her face, “It was in Half Moon. It was the last ball before the wall went up. Catra, here, was not a very gracious host.”

Mermista snorted, “That was you that poured all that punch on Sparkles? Spirits, we still talk about that in Salineas.”

“My dear Mermista is right!” Sea Hawk piped up, “I have also heard the great tale of punch being spilled on Princess Glimmer.”

Glimmer, red in the face, huffed and turned back around.

“No one screw this up! I need Frosta on our side.” She growled, loud enough for them all to hear.

One by one, each princess greeted the Princess of the Kingdom of Snows. When it was Adora and Catra’s turn, the Magicat Princess gently led her fiancée up the steps to Frosta’s throne. Adora immediately bowed, not looking at the princess, as she counted to three lowly under her breath so only she and Catra could hear. When she picked her head back up, her eyes widened at the scene before her. Sitting there on the throne was a small girl, probably no older than twelve. She had a stone-cold look on her face, wearing a blue-hued dress that had white fur wrapped around the collar and the wrists.

“That’s Frosta?” Adora whispered to Catra, not so quietly, “She’s like, ten!”

“I’m eleven and three quarters,” the girl in question spoke up, face hardening even more. Catra gulped and bowed, trying her best to fix the situation quickly.

“Revered hostess. We come into your hall under the ancient rules of hospitality. I bring greetings from Half Moon with my fiancée,” Catra gestured to Adora at her side, “She-Ra, the legendary warrior.”

The crowd behind them gasped and began to chatter amongst themselves. Adora’s hands rubbed together awkwardly, feeling bad about incorrectly calling the princess ten. She studied the young girl’s face. Her eyebrows had gone up silently when Catra said She-Ra. Her gaze was a little softer.

“You are welcome in the Kingdom of Snows under the ancient rules of hospitality. Leave conflict at the door. And please, enjoy the ball.” She put simply.

Adora and Catra bowed one more time and then were escorted down the steps, meeting up with Glimmer.

“What the hell, Adora!” Glimmer hissed, “You can’t call Frosta a little kid!”

“Well, I didn’t know she was!” Adora growled back.

Catra rolled her eyes. “C’mon, ladies. Let’s try to enjoy ourselves tonight, alright?”

Adora and Glimmer grumbled as they looked away from each other. Adora’s arms were crossed over her chest, while Glimmer had her nose up in the air. Together, they waited patiently for Mermista and Sea Hawk to finish greeting Frosta. Once they were all together, they slowly migrated towards the edge of the dance floor, close to where the food lay neatly arranged on buffet tables.

“I’m already so bored,” Mermista whined, “This would’ve been so much better if I was hosting.”

Glimmer narrowed her eyes at Mermista. “You would’ve been even more bored then! Because you have to greet everyone when you’re hosting and until that’s done you can’t dance. It’s terrible.”

Mermista just shrugged. A screeching sound made all of them turn their heads towards the pillar next to them. Entrapta, still in her grease-stained outfit, was sliding down the pole, oblivious to the scene she was making.

“Adora! Catra! Other one! Are you here to watch the social experiment, too?” She pulled her goggles up and peered down at Adora from her perch.

“Entrapta,” Catra groaned, “what are you doing?” Entrapta pulled her goggles back down over her eyes and turned to look out into the dance floor.

“Different groups are thrown together and forced to mingle. Hierarchies form and break. It’s the perfect place to observe behavior!” Entrapta squeaked.

Catra’s tail whipped back and forth as she narrowed her eyes at Entrapta.

“Remember what happened in Half Moon? You have to promise me not to stalk people like that, again, alright?”

Entrapta lifted up her goggles again and peered at Catra warily. “Yes, yes. Fine. I will not follow subjects into the bathroom.”

“Ew. Why would you do that,” Mermista fake gagged and Sea Hawk stared at her worriedly.

“It was in the name of science!” Entrapta said, excitedly.

“Well. Alright, I guess.”

Entrapta whipped her head around again, “Where’s Bow?! I wanna show him my new recorder.”

Glimmer’s face soured, “He’s… coming later.”

“Why didn’t he come with you? Aren’t you guys friends?”

“Why would you think we’re not?” Glimmer retorted, her voice hard and defensive.

“Oop, awkward,” Mermista whispered to Catra.

“Where’s the popcorn when you need it?” Catra giggled back.

“There he is! Bow!” Entrapta called out across the room. Bow, in a fancy suit and bowtie, was walking down the steps of the palace, Perfuma on his arm. They were turned to each other, laughing. Glimmer’s face turned even darker. She huffed and puffed until Adora placed a hand on her back, hesitantly, trying to get her to calm down.

“They’re matching,” Glimmer spat out, “That’s our thing!”

“They’re also going to the ball together… as a pair, Sparkles.” Catra spoke up, “Like… Adora and I are matching. It’s just a thing you do.” Glimmer shot Catra a death glare.

“Oh, feelings seem to be getting hurt,” Entrapta whispered into her recorder.

Bow’s laughter echoed across the room and Glimmer’s shoulders seemed to tense up tighter.

“They’re making up their own inside jokes! What?! Is Perfuma his new best friend?!”

“You sure you see him as just your best friend?” Catra chuckled.

Mermista’s eyes widened, “Oh… I see what’s happening here.”

Adora looked first between Bow and Glimmer, then between Mermista and Catra, confusion written all over her face. Entrapta, down on her haunches, began to crab walk around them, whispering nonsense into her recorder.

“...People are just walking around in circles…”

Mermista crossed her arms, glancing down at Entrapta with a strange look. “Don’t really know what’s happening there…”

Entrapta’s head popped up again, this time over Sea Hawk’s shoulder, “This is the best social experiment I’ve ever been to! No offense, Catra.”

“None taken,” The Magicat princess shrugged, leaning closer into Adora’s side.

“Ughh,” Mermista groaned, “I’m looking to see if they have a kelp bar here.”

Sea Hawk followed her like a lost puppy, exclaiming, “To the buffet!”

Catra shrugged and watched them go. When she turned around again only Glimmer and Adora stood there.

“Where’d Entrapta go?” Catra asked. Adora shrugged and Glimmer stiffed--her posture as straight as a pole. She roughly grabbed Adora, pulling her away from Catra--who floundered for a moment before regaining her footing. Adora squeaked out a, “Hey!” But Glimmer was already talking.

She laughed loud and fake, Adora pulled tight into her chest, “That’s so funny, Adora! What a funny inside joke the two of us just came up with!” Catra was confused until she heard the soft sound of footsteps approaching. She turned to find Bow and Perfuma stood in front of them. Adora looked dumbfounded but allowed Glimmer to pull her down so she was hunched over slightly.

“The She-Ra! Glimmer!” Perfuma’s voice was just as dreadfully cheery as normal, though the cheery tone dwindled for a moment, “and Catra!” It returned as she continued speaking, “It’s great to see you!”

Bow giggled, “Perfuma was just telling me about a winged horse that ate all the apples in Plumeria and then flew away! Sound familiar?” Adora rolled her eyes. Catra gave her a confused look which Adora responded with a look telling her everything would be explained later.

“Sure, whatever. Isn’t this fun? Adora and I are having such a great time here, together.” Catra narrowed her eyes. She didn’t want Adora to be sucked into Glimmer’s ‘get Bow back’ scheme so she grabbed Adora’s hand and led her away to the buffet table while Glimmer continued to talk.

“Look!” Adora squealed, almost crushing Catra’s hand, “They have cake!”

“You like cake, blondie?” Catra laughed. Adora nodded her head vigorously and took a generous amount of chocolate cake, plopping it onto a plate. She immediately began to shove it into her mouth.

“Here! Try some!” Adora giggled. She took a fork and scooped up a nice sized forkful of cake, carefully leading it into Catra’s mouth. It was surprisingly good, Catra noted.

“It’s good,” Catra smiled as she took in her fiancée’s chocolate-smudged face. Licking her thumb, Catra reached out and smeared the fudgy chocolate remnants off the corner of Adora’s mouth. She, then, leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss on Adora’s lips.

“Things seem to be getting sexual in nature,” a whispering voice brought Catra out of her happy daze, “subjects appear to be… kissing.”

“Entrapta!” Catra growled turning abruptly towards her friend. The princess of Dryl was hanging upside down--her hair holding onto the second floor as she held the recorder up to her mouth.

“Oh!” Entrapta seemed a bit surprised, “I apologize. Was that too far?”

Catra sighed and rubbed her temples. “Yes, Entrapta. Adora and I were having a moment.”

The purple-haired princess held up the recorder to her lips again, “It seems as though I ruined the subjects ‘moment’. Note–look into this term at a later date.” In a flash, Entrapta was gone once more.

“Ugh, I’m sorry about that—Adora? Are you alright?” Adora was frozen, staring at the entrance to the room. Catra followed her gaze and felt her body stiffen. The scorpion woman who had tried to take her hostage and had almost gotten her killed was standing at the top of the stairs. Her black dress was half shoulderless and had a red belt made out of red crystals. Attached to her arm was a smaller woman with beautiful dark skin and shoulder-length, dark colored dreadlocks. Her suit was a light purple-red color and she had on a red dress shirt underneath. Her pants matched her suit and her bow-tie was neatly done.

“No, no, no!” Adora whispered, “This can’t be happening!”

Adora grabbed Catra’s hand and pulled her towards the throne where Frosta sat. The two Horde soldiers stood in front of the princess, ready to greet her.

“Revered hostess! You can’t let them in! They’re from the Horde!” Adora panted out as soon as she stood in front of the princess of the Kingdom of Snows, Catra stood loyally at her side.

“Revered Hostess,” Lonnie spoke, her tone authoritative and commanding, “This is Princess Scorpia. She was invited to this ball. She is not here to cause trouble.”

“That can’t be true!” Adora exclaimed, her voice squeaky and filled with anxiety, “Shadow Weaver sent you didn’t she!”

Guilt flashed through Lonnie’s eyes but only Adora could read her expression.

“Princess Adora!” Frosta growled, “The rules clearly state that all princesses and their chosen guests are welcome.”

“Please,” Adora’s tone turned desperate, “You, you have to understand! They’re up to something, you have to—”

“That’s enough!” Frosta shouted, “You look at me and see a child, but I have worked too hard to gain respect only to throw it away because you feel they’re up to something. For centuries, the All-Princess Ball has been neutral ground. I will not dishonor that legacy. Scorpia is a princess. Princesses get plus ones. They stay.” By the end of Frosta’s spiel, her voice was hard and cold as her glare.

Adora, dejected and riddled with anxiety, turned away walking down the steps. Catra watched her go and then turned to Frosta.

“I don’t think you realize what you’ve done.” She cast a quick glance at two Horde soldiers who were trying to keep a steely disposition. The Magicat turned away without another word and followed Adora down the steps.

“They’re gonna take me.” Adora whispered, panic lacing her voice. “I just know it. Shadow Weaver wants me back, they’re going to make me go back to her.”

Catra shook her head, “I won’t let that happen.”

“Adora! What was that!” Glimmer’s voice called out, “Why are they here?!” An angry glare was shot at Scorpia and Lonnie who were walking towards the food.

“I… I think they’re here to take me back… to Shadow Weaver. Lonnie, she—” Adora sucked in a long breath, trying to calm herself down. “We grew up together. She knows how I function.”

Glimmer’s eyes glistened with concern at first, then quickly steeled over with determination.

“No. That won’t happen. Catra and I will protect you.” Adora nodded, weakly. Catra was scared but refused to show it. She nodded at Glimmer, before turning and noticing Adora still paralyzed with anxiety.

“Hey,” Catra nudged her, softly, “What do you say to a dance? I’ve been wanting to dance with you all night, and I’m not gonna let Shadow Weaver’s pawns ruin that for us.”

Adora seemed hesitant to agree, but Glimmer put a hand on her shoulder, “I’ll watch Scorpia and Lonnie. You go with Catra, alright?”

Adora slowly nodded her head and slipped her hand into Catra’s. The Magicat princess smiled and led her onto the crowded dance floor. It was slightly overwhelming at first: bodies were everywhere, dancing and moving in time to an upbeat song that Adora couldn’t recognize. She stood stiff and awkward at Catra’s side as her partner began to dance along with everyone else in the crowd. Catra was mesmerizing. The way she moved sent shivers down Adora’s spine. Catra raised an amused eyebrow at her, noticing the look directed her way. The song changed, suddenly, going from a peppy tune to a slower, more charged song.

“M’lady,” Catra extended a hand. Adora blushed slightly, but didn’t hesitate to take it. She glanced behind her a moment, trying to find Glimmer, Scorpia, and Lonnie in the crowd, but she couldn’t see anyone. She and Catra were in the thick of the dance floor, surrounded by countless swaying couples. Catra pulled Adora close to her chest and hummed along to the song as their bodies rocked slowly.

“This is a pretty song,” Catra murmured, “It reminds me of you.” Adora leaned in closer to Catra and nuzzled her face into the crook of her neck. Catra’s scent filtered through her nose and made her feel safe. Her fiancée’s jacket was still over her shoulders, and she could feel the stem of the red camellia in her hair, both tokens of Catra’s affection reminding her of how much Adora herself cared for the princess holding her close.

“I love you,” Adora breathed out. She could feel Catra smile against her temple.

“I thought you didn’t like me?” The young woman joked, her thumbs rubbed the area above Adora’s hips. Adora smirked into Catra’s neck.

“I don’t like you. I love you.”

“I love you, too, Adora,” Catra admitted, softly, “I can’t wait to marry you.”

The song changed again to a much more upbeat song. Everyone around them began to partner up, hands held out in front of their body as they circled around each other. Adora looked at Catra, confused.

“Follow my lead,” Catra stated, simply. Her body was turned to the side and her hand was extended out in front of her body. Adora mirrored Catra’s stance and gently pressed her palm against Catra’s. They circled each other like everyone else in the ballroom was doing.

“I love that crown on you,” Catra flirted, a smoldering look in her eyes. “I can’t wait to take it off later.”

“Catra,” Adora’s cheeks heated up. Their hands lowered so both their hands connected by their waists--still circling each other.

“What? I can’t help that my fiancée’s hot. Alright, blondie. Time to change partners!” Catra rose one of Adora’s hands up in the air and twirled her away.

Adora was suddenly face to face with Lonnie. Both their hands were connected as they stood frozen on the dance floor. Pure panic began to bubble in Adora’s chest. Guilty hazel eyes met terrified blue.

‘I’m so sorry, Adora,” Lonnie murmured, twirling Adora around once, “I really don’t want to do this. You don’t deserve any of this. I hope you know that.”

‘What? Lonnie what are you talking about--” She was suddenly spun away, this time into Perfuma’s arms.

“Have you seen Bow, or Glimmer?” Perfuma basically climbed into Adora’s arms and was lifted gracefully into the air, “He went to get his cummerbund and Glimmer followed him, but that was a while ago.” Adora began to spin her around carefully, “Right around the same time that Horde Princess left.” Perfuma was set back down onto the ground. The panic began to bubble over and Adora’s breaths began to come out in spurts.

She was back dancing with Lonnie. “Lonnie,” Adora huffed out, her mind frazzled. “Lonnie what did you do?”

“Adora, please breathe,” Her old friend pleaded with her. “I don’t want you to hurt yourself. I didn’t want this myself, but you have to understand! Shadow Weaver would have my head!”

Adora was twirled around again. Catra’s back hit her front, Adora could feel her ear wiggling slightly against her temple. She moved her head so that the headpiece connected with the side of Adora’s head. A light kiss was placed on Adora’s cheek. Suddenly, before Adora could react, Catra turned in her arms, hands wrapping around her so claws dug into her skin lightly and she was thrown back, dipped to the ground, secure in Catra’s strong arms. Warm, familiar lips came crashing down on hers, and for a moment the blind panic disappeared.

Until Catra pulled away, her expression turned from soft to concerned.

“Adora, what’s wrong?” Catra rushed out, urgently.

“Lonnie,” Adora gasped, “Bow, Glimmer.”

Anger flashed in Catra’s expression. “What happened??”

Adora could only shake her head, looking helplessly towards Lonnie. Catra’s eyes followed her gaze. Lonnie’s eyes connected with the Magicat princess, a small smirk playing on her lips. Adora could see the scared, wild look in her eyes as Catra growled and leapt towards Lonnie, tackling her to the ground. Both of them tumbled down the stairs. Catra landed on her feet but Lonnie hit the ground, hard.

“What did you do!” Catra hissed, pulling Lonnie up by her suit. The horde soldier chuckled.

“Doesn’t matter. You’ll figure it out soon enough,” Catra’s eyes widened and she dropped the young woman, letting her fall and hit the ground with a loud thud. She was a target. They were going to take her to use as a weapon against Adora.

“Adora—” Catra tried to call out but Frosta interrupted her.

“OUT!” The young girl stomped her foot, hard, against the ground, “Both of them, OUT!”

“Revered hostess,” Catra attempted to explain, but was immediately cut off by the sounds and vibrations of explosives going off. The crowd began to start screaming, people rushing around the room trying to find an exit.

In seconds Catra couldn’t see Adora anymore. Dread began to fill her stomach. A set of rough hands grabbed her. She tried to fight back but whoever it was was much too strong for her.

“I’m so sorry, Kitty,” Catra felt like a needle had pierced through her shoulder--there was a hard sting, followed by a burning sensation, before her world quickly faded to black.

Adora’s only focus was Lonnie, who was now up off the ground. She took one look at Adora and began to sprint away. Adora, fueled by anger and panic, began to chase after her, dashing through the long, jagged halls of the castle. Pieces of the broken castle were floating into the air, aligning back in their proper positions. Adora watched as Lonnie glanced over her shoulder at Adora and hopped onto one of the pieces of building. Adora quickly followed her, and soon they were face to face high up on a ledge that dropped a good fifty meters down onto the ice bridge that trailed up to the front entrance of the castle.

“Lonnie,” Adora growled, fists clenched at her side.

Lonnie shook her head, a sad look in her eyes. “Why’d you have to leave, Adora? None of this would’ve happened if you’d just stayed!

“I...I,” Adora stuttered, “I didn’t mean to leave.”

“I know, Adora, I just wish it was different,” Lonnie seemed to withdraw into herself, her arms crossed. She stayed put where she was across from Adora--who was a good ten meters further from the edge.

“I... “ Adora gulped, “I was confused. I didn’t mean to leave…” She trailed off. It was a confusing, vague statement but Lonnie understood.

“She’s only gotten worse,” Lonnie muttered to herself as she shook her head slightly. “I… I’m so sorry Adora. For everything.” Lonnie turned and hovered over the edge for a moment.

Adora’s eyebrows sprang to her hairline. Lonnie was going to jump.

“LONNIE! WAIT!” Adora lurched forward but it was too late. Lonnie dropped off the side of the ledge, body plummeting to a ground that Adora couldn’t even see. A shaky hand reached up and covered her mouth, a loud sob ripping through the air.

The sound of an aircraft forced Adora to look up. A Horde ship was rising up from where Lonnie had fallen. Inside of it, Catra, Glimmer, and Bow were all tied up and unconscious, leaning against one of the walls. Lonnie and Scorpia sat in the two co-pilot seats. The guilty expression was back on Lonnie’s face. Scorpia looked confident but there was a flicker of fear in her eyes. They didn’t say anything—just flew away. The gust of wind from the craft caused the red camellia to blow out of her hair and Catra’s jacket to ripple on her shoulders.

She had never felt so alone.

Chapter Text

Catra woke up on cold concrete.

She groaned, rolling over onto her side. Her mind was foggy. There was a blaring red light in the center of the room that made her wince and bring a hand up to shield her face. She tried to make out what was in front of her but her vision was blurry. She could make out certain shapes, but the room was also dark and it was hard to see. Grey, criss-crossed lines obscured her vision. .

“Ah, Princess. I was wondering when you’d wake,” A raspy voice rang out across the dark room. “Your friend woke a while ago, you know, and we’ve been waiting patiently for you to join us.”

Catra widened her eyes. The blurry image of Shadow Weaver standing in front of her came into focus. Long, scarred fingers began to rattle the bars of a cage. My cage, she realized as her mind processed what the gray lines in her vision were. Dread began to pool in her stomach. The sound of electricity rang through her sensitive ears, causing them to fold back against her skull. Catra raised her head off the ground, looking around to figure out what was happening. Behind Shadow Weaver, Glimmer was suspended in the air. Her head was bowed, arms out with red spurts of electricity warping around them. A pang of anxiety struck Catra’s heart and she scrambled up to her feet, clawed hands wrapping around the bars of her enclosure.

“What did you do to her?” Catra hissed, spitting into Shadow Weaver’s face. The sorceress scoffed and took a step back. One of the sleeves to her robe came up to rub the saliva off her mask. “Don’t you realize Adora is going to come save us?”

“Oh, I’m fully expecting Adora to come here, but I very much doubt it will go as you think.” Shadow Weaver’s voice rasped out, a chillness to her tone that made Catra shiver. With a wave of her hand, dark smoke coalesced in the air, holding the Sword of Protection aloft, before disappearing back wherever it came from. She gasped upon seeing it, realizing that Adora would be taking the loss of her friends even worse with the additional loss of her sword.

“You know, you’re much braver than you were last time we met.” A dark chuckle echoed across the walls, bringing Catra’s attention back to the sorceress in front of her. “You should be less concerned about others, and more concerned about yourself!”

With a loud crackle, red electricity shot through Catra’s body on the last word. She couldn’t do anything but writhe and scream on the floor. Images of Adora at various ages being subjected to this treatment flashed through Catra’s mind, and the Princess of Halfmoon couldn’t decipher whether they were real, or if they were just her mind playing tricks on her.

When the magic ceased, Catra collapsed back onto the floor, heavy pants escaping her lips. Aftershocks from the electricity caused her body to twitch uncontrollably, and the ringing in her ears was so loud she couldn’t hear Shadow Weaver leave the room, nor the door closing with a loud bang.

“...-atra, Catra! Catra please, get up,” Glimmer’s hoarse voice calling out to Catra finally began to make sense as the ringing in her ears began to subside.

“Glimmer,” Catra groaned, curling further into herself.

“Catra, talk to me, please,” She could hear the tears in Glimmer’s voice. “Please, you have to be okay.”

“Wha—what happened?” Catra rasped. Her body was still shaky and weak, but she managed to turn onto her side so she could face the other princess. Glimmer’s head was raised slightly, her usually vibrant eyes dim and damp with tears.

Glimmer explained, “We… We were taken from Princess Prom. Bow’s here, too. Somewhere else, though, I don’t know where. Scorpia knocked us all out.”

Catra groaned, remembering the stinging sensation and frantically looking for Adora. Adora. Her partner was probably a mess, blaming this whole fiasco on herself. Catra could only imagine how poorly she would be taking all of this. A pang of worry hit her chest, causing her heartbeat to stutter slightly as she imagined Adora crying.

“Catra?” Glimmer’s voice was even quieter this time. Catra’s eyes flickered up to the princess of Brightmoon, taking in her downcast expression. “I’m scared.” Her voice broke, a tear sliding out of her eye and down her cheek.

“I’m scared, too, Glimmer.” A hint of a smile tugged at Glimmer’s lips when Catra said her real name. They were quiet for a while. Catra couldn’t stop her mind from replaying the images of Adora getting struck by Shadow Weaver’s magic.

“Catra?” Again, her eyes lifted until she was making contact with Glimmer’s. “I’m sorry.” Catra’s eyes furrowed, confused. She tilted her head slightly to the right.

“I wasn’t the nicest when we first met. I… When we were kids you were so, so cool, and I always wanted to be friends with you but…” Glimmer looked away for a moment, “everyone always liked you so much better than me. I got jealous of that, and I took it out on you when I shouldn’t have.”

Catra chuckled softly. “Glimmer, I was an ass to you when we were kids. It should be me that’s apologizing to you. I’m sorry: I was lonely and didn’t know how to play right.”

“Truce?” They locked eyes again.

“Truce.” Catra agrees, a smile growing on her face.

“You’re really good for Adora, by the way.” Glimmer added, “She’s… a lot different now. Well—she seems comfortable with you. The first month she was in Brightmoon before we traveled to Halfmoon...it was really rough. I think she loves you a lot.”

“She loves you too, Glimmer.” Catra smiled. “I remember how she stuck up for you when we first met. You’re a good friend to her, and I’m so glad that you two met. I think you saved her more than you know.”

A small blush painted Glimmer’s cheeks as she looked to the ground.

“Do you think we’ll get out of here? Do you think Bow’s okay?” Glimmer whispered just loud enough for Catra to hear.

“I don’t know. All we can do is hope, I guess.”

***

It was Mermista, Perfuma, and Sea Hawk who found Adora.

The girl was in a near catatonic state, staring down at the loose flower that sat beside her on the ground.

“Adora?” It was the softest Mermista’s voice had ever been since Adora had met her, but it sounded very far away despite the princess being right next to her. A hand was laid on her shoulder as Mermista asked, “Are you alright?”

A gentle hand was placed on Adora’s back, a bouquet forming in her lap. Blue eyes flicked to the flowers, examining them. It was a mix of all types of flowers, but she could only see the white roses. Her hands trembled as she grabbed the flowers. A loud sob ripped through her chest. She could feel Sea Hawk’s heavy hand on her other shoulder.

“Shush,” Perfuma knelt beside her, “It’s okay. It’s alright.”

“NO!” Adora screamed punching one of her hands into the hard surface of the castle—hard enough that the skin over her knuckles broke. She couldn’t say anything else as her tears began to drip onto the ground, her breathing getting heavier and quicker with each sob.

“Adora,” Mermista’s tone was calm. However, when she reached over to grab the young woman’s bleeding hand, her hands were shaking, “we’re gonna take you home, to Brightmoon. Entrapta’s coming, too.”

Adora didn’t respond. Guilt was building up in her chest. She was supposed to keep them safe. What was Angella going to say? What were Bow’s parents going to say? What were Milo and C’yra going to say when they found out she didn’t protect her fiancée?

Entrapta cleaned her hand while they rode on one of her hovercraft machines back to Brightmoon. She was oddly quiet and even fairly gentle with Adora’s wound. She worked with surprisingly nimble hands while her hair flew all over the place, grabbing wraps, ointments, and other medical supplies.

“I’m scared, too, you know?” Pink eyes bored into Adora’s when Entrapta had finished working on her hand. “Catra’s my only real friend.”

Adora felt her heart clench. She looked away from Entrapta towards the wall of the hovercraft and gritted her teeth. Tentatively, a small hand reached out and took Adora’s. Blue eyes peeked down at Entrapta. She seemed uncomfortable, but confident.

“I don’t usually like to touch people,” Entrapta stated, “But I think I can make an exception right now.”

With that, Adora broke down again.

It took a few hours to get back to Brightmoon. The Kingdom of Snows was a long way from most of the other Kingdoms. When they got there, Adora immediately went to Queen Angella, who she was sure was in the War Room. What she wasn’t expecting was to find Queen C’yra next to her, a hand placed on Angella’s shoulder. Both women seemed to have just gotten done crying when Adora entered. She felt her knees go weak as guilt threatened to take over her body.

“Your majesties,” Adora breathed out.

“I should have never let her leave this castle,” Angella murmured, her face turned down towards the table. She looked up, directly at Adora. “And now, I’m faced with an impossible decision. As leader of the Rebellion, how can I surrender myself to our enemy? And yet, as a mother, how do I—?” Angella stopped and sighed. A tear trickled down her cheek. C’yra looked up at Adora with a small smile.

All Adora could do was watch. Her words were caught in her throat. She knew that Hordak had made a deal with Angella but she also knew that Shadow Weaver was really the one in control in the Fright Zone and her ultimate objective was Adora.

“I’m going to accept Hordak’s terms. Glimmer is all I have.” Angella spoke up, again.

“You… you can’t!” Adora practically screamed, “They won’t hold up their end of the bargain!” Panic began to settle in Adora’s chest. She could only imagine what Shadow Weaver could be, no, would be doing to Catra, Glimmer, and Bow at that very moment.

“A rescue attempt is too risky. If we had She-Ra we might have a chance, but without the Sword of Protection…” Adora looked to her empty hands, the guilt was back again in full force, tears running down her face.

“They want me,” Adora whispered. Both queens turned to look at her with questioning eyes. “Shadow Weaver, she—she orchestrated this, and I know she only wants me. I should go, I can convince her to let them go.”

“But at what costs, Adora?” C’yra spoke this time, leveling a look of grief and affection at her. “Your life?” Adora quickly looked at the floor, unable to look at the grieving mother in front of her, unable to accept any comfort while her friends suffered because of her failure.

“I’m willing to risk that if it means bringing Catra, Bow, and Glimmer back.”

“I’m not,” The Magicat queen’s eyes were hard as she studied the young woman in front of her. “Catra wouldn’t be, either.”

“I’m going, whether you like it or not,” Adora growled, looking up at them in defiance. Angella opened her mouth to respond and C’yra’s eyes narrowed into slits. Before either of them could answer, Adora marched away—running out the door and into the hallway, small sobs threatening to escape her throat.

She wasn’t expecting Entrapta, Perfuma, Sea Hawk, and Mermista to be waiting for her.

“What’re you all doing here?” Adora asked, her eyes widening as she drew her hand across her face, removing the traitorous evidence of her weakness moments before.

“We’re the Princess Alliance.” Mermista spoke up first. Her voice was fierce, much different from her usual monotonous drone, as well as from the soft tone she had taken with Adora a few hours prior, “And the Horde took some of our own.”

“We’re ready for our first mission!” Perfuma piped up.

The sounds of claws on the marble floors caused Adora to flip her body around—almost hoping it would be Catra standing behind her. She found Queen C’yra behind her, instead. Her usual black, fluffy hair seemed limp and her vibrant blue eyes were dull. She reached over and placed a hand on Adora’s shoulders.

“You’re not alone in this, sweet child,” The Queen’s voice was tired but warm. For a moment hope surged in Adora's chest. She almost cried. She nodded her head and sucked in a deep breath.

It was time to face one of her greatest fears.

***

Adora hashed out a plan. Entrapta and Perfuma were to access the security tower to disable the lights. Mermita, to her disgruntled dismay, was to go through the sewer system and open the door for the rest of them. Adora, Sea Hawk, and C’yra would wait by the entrance and neutralize any guards on patrol. Then, Entrapta and Perfuma would regroup to their position and they would all enter when Mermista opened the door.

It almost went right.

Mermista was held up in the sewers which meant that C’yra, Adora, and Sea Hawk were held up at the door. Perfuma was having trouble reigning Entrapta in.

And then Scorpia showed up.

“Halt!” The woman exclaimed at Seahawk--who was the only one in the open area for her to see. Adora and C’yra were hiding behind metal scraps with their eyes wide. “Who goes there?”

“Me?” Sea Hawk stuttered, “I-I’m the...inspector! I’m here to inspect all the things.

Queen C’yra growled quietly, unsheathing her claws. “She is never going to believe that.”

Scorpia gave Sea Hawk a long, hard look.

“Inspector?” The two stared at each other for about thirty seconds without a word. Sea Hawk was sweating profusely and Scorpia’s eyes were narrowed at him. “Inspector! Oh, of course! I must’ve forgotten you were coming! We’re long overdue for an inspection, I do have to admit. But! I can assure you we are up to code,” Scorpia was leading Sea Hawk away from Adora and C’yra. He gave them one last helpless look over his shoulder. Scorpia’s voice seemed to get quieter as they walked further away.

Adora was dumbfounded. Panic was welling in her chest. C’yra must’ve noticed her shaky hands.

“Adora,” She said in a firm voice, “what’s wrong? You’re going pale.”

“I… I had a plan!” Adora exclaimed, “How did this happen? I—I made sure everyone knew the procedure, knew their jobs, but it still went wrong.” Adora looked up at C’yra with haunted eyes, “I understand if you want to punish me.” The magicat’s eyes widened. She immediately grabbed Adora by her shoulders and forced her to look into her eyes.

“Adora. Listen to me,” Slightly dazed blue eyes found C’yra’s steely blue ones, “None of this is your fault. If we don’t succeed, we do it as a team. You are a brilliant leader, but not all of this rests on your shoulders.”

Adora opened her mouth to respond but was promptly interrupted.

“Yeah, Adora! Don’t be too hard on yourself,” Adora whipped around to find Perfuma and Entrapta standing behind her. A bright green vine was wrapped around Entrapta’s waist like a leash, keeping her from running too far from Perfuma. “We’ll figure it all out!”

“Chances are about forty percent likely that we will fail,” Entrapta stated perkily, as if that would make Adora feel better. It didn’t.

“Where have you two been?!” Adora hissed, rubbing her hands together anxiously.

“I tried to get here sooner,” Perfuma’s voice was shriller than normal, “but harmonious teamwork with Entrapta can be... a challenge.” Entrapta nodded in agreement beside her.

The Queen of Halfmoon snorted, “Remind me to tell you all the story about Entrapta’s first time in Halfmoon after this.” C’yra gave Entrapta a warm look, walking over and patting the girl once, quickly, on the shoulder.

“We have to stay focused!” Adora growled at them through gritted teeth, “This is the Horde. You have no idea what kind of horrors Catra, Bow, and Glimmer could be going through right now!”

“Alright, okay,” Perfuma took a step forward towards Adora with her hands out in a nonthreatening manner. “Why don’t we try some simple breathing exercises?”

An alarm began to blare from inside the Fright Zone. All of them turned towards the sound—in particular, C’yra jumped, her tail bushing up.

“C’mon, we’re going in.” Adora's voice was confident, but her body language was shaky and riddled with signs of fear. They ran up to the door, posed for whatever threat was to greet them. C’yra had her claws out, standing protectively in front of Adora, Entrapta, and Perfuma. Adora struggled to get in front of the Queen but C’yra forcefully held her back.

“Could you not?” A familiar, monotone voice spoke up over the loud alarm. Mermista, dripping with sewer water, stood in front of them with her hands on her hips.

“Oh spirits,” C’yra wrinkled her nose as the smell of sewage began to trickle into her nostrils, “what happened to you?”

“Uhh, the sewer happened to me,” Mermista growled, glaring at Adora. A strand of purple hair slowly made its way closer to the water princess, who swatted it away without even looking.

“Okay, alright. We have to go in: we can’t waste anymore time.” Adora tossed a sympathetic look at Mermista before she rushed forward, C’yra hot on her trail. Entrapta and Perfuma weren’t far behind.

“Can I get a thank you?” Mermista called after them as she, too, began to move forward.

“Thank you!” Adora responded, glancing over her shoulder.

Horde soldiers were all over the hallways. Adora managed to pull them into a small clearing, though, before any could see them.

“We need to get to an information port,” Adora explained in a hushed tone, “I’ll hack into the database and identify the cell block Catra, Bow, and Glimmer are in.” C’yra and Perfuma were listening intently to Adora give instruction. Mermista had her arms crossed over her chest while her eyes wandered around the Horde walls.

“Hey, where’s the geeky princess?” Mermista asked. They all turned their attention to where Entrapta should’ve been, but the small woman was gone. C’rya sighed as she brought her hand up to rub her throbbing temple. Of course Entrapta was gone—this place was like a gold mine to her.

“Okay,” Perfuma sounded like she was on the verge of tears, “She is really putting a crimp in my harmony! Probably worse than Catra!” C’rya raised her eyebrows in amusement as Perfuma quickly stuttered, “No offence, Queen C’yra.”

“None taken. My daughter puts a crimp in my harmony as well,” the Queen chuckled and then added, “but do not worry. We’ll find Entrapta and Sea Hawk, as well as rescue my daughter and your friends.”

No one was going to argue with a Queen—even if they were all princesses.

***

The cold ground was a slight relief for Catra’s hot skin. It had been hours since she last saw Shadow Weaver. She was still sprawled out on the ground, feeling much too weak to even sit up. She could hear Glimmer grunting and groaning across from her while she tried to use her teleportation powers to get out of her bonds.

“Glimmer, give it a rest,” Catra managed to rasp out. The princess of Brightmoon shot her a harsh glare.

“You should listen to your friend, Princess,” Catra shivered as Shadow Weaver’s voice bounced across the walls and into Catra’s ears. “I should warn you. Any attempt to teleport through these restraints will only cause you pain.”

Catra shut her eyes, tight, shaking as Shadow Weaver’s footsteps got closer to the cage she had been placed in.

“It seems my Black Garnet doesn’t like your powers,” The statement was aimed at Glimmer but Catra knew that Shadow Weaver was about to do something to her. ”Besides, your mothers will be here soon.” Catra’s eyes shot open as she looked directly into the white, dreadful holes of the sorceress's mask. She opened her mouth to respond but Glimmer beat her to it.

“I know all about you and your mind games, Shadow Weaver. Adora told me, well… told us,” Glimmer cast a glance at Catra, “so, save it. And, by the way, she’s not a fan.”

Shadow Weaver chuckled, “Poor sweet, corrupted Adora. It was more than just mind games with her. She was almost completely under my control… You remember, don’t you, Princess? What that girl was like when you first met her?”

Glimmer’s glare dropped to the ground. A small shiver went up the other princess’s spine, causing Catra’s eyebrows to furrow in concern. She had no idea what Shadow Weaver was referring to, but clearly Glimmer did and was extremely bothered by the recollection.

“By the way, I’m not playing games. Queen Angella and Queen C’yra will be here soon. We’ll have a discussion about trading your lives for Adora’s, and I’m sure they’ll see fit to agree.”

Catra heaved her body upwards, “My mother would never give into you.” She hissed, a shock of pain traveling up her spine. “She loves Adora.”

“Enough to sacrifice her only child?” The smugness to Shadow Weaver’s tone made Catra feel sick. “I doubt it. Surely that insolent girl isn’t worth so much that your mother would choose her over you?”

“She is.” Catra growled, “My mother cares for Adora, more than you ever did! She will do everything in her power to protect Adora before she will let you get your claws in her again. Plus, you’re no match for my mother.”

“Oh?” The smugness was gone from Shadow Weaver’s tone, replaced with disdain and malice. “And what makes you say that?”

“You haven’t see her in battle yet, or you wouldn’t be asking that.” Catra’s eyes were hard, filled with determination as she faced the fallen sorceress down. “She is much more powerful than you.”

Sparks were flying in random directions behind Shadow Weaver as she angrily approached Catra. The Magicat princess flinched and backed up until her spine hit the back of the cage.

“No one is more powerful than me!” Shadow Weaver’s volume increases with her rage. Red electricity began to bore into Catra, again. Glimmer could only watch, tears streaming down her face as for the second time Catra screamed and writhed in agony, nerves set on fire by the red lightning coursing through her body. Her screams reverberated through the halls of the Fright Zone, punctured faintly by the crackle of electricity.

***

Queen C’yra’s ears perked up from the other side of the Fright Zone. She felt the blood draining from her face as her daughter's screams echoed in her ears. It was a noise that would haunt her dreams for the rest of her life. She knew that she would be the only one who would be able to hear the screaming—both a blessing and a curse. She couldn’t bear to hear Catra in such horrendous pain, but she was infinitely grateful Adora couldn’t hear it in the first place.

The walls of the Fright Zone caused the vocalizations to echo, and therefore C’rya couldn’t tell where the sound was coming from, but she could tell they were nowhere near where Catra was being held.

C’yra looked over to Adora, who was hunched over an information pad, rapidly typing away at the keyboard as prompts filled the screen in front of her. Mermista and Perfuma were looking over her shoulder, curiously.

“Okay, I found Bow’s cell, but I can’t find Glimmer or Catra anywhere,” A worried crease appeared on Adora’s brow, before she continued, “They must be holding them somewhere else… this isn’t good.”

The sound of a bot warming up caused them all to gasp. C’yra quickly jumped in front of them, growling. The bot slowly approached them but made no move to attack, so C’yra waited, tended to pounce if it made a single threatening move. Suddenly, Entrapta’s head popped out from behind the wall.

“It’s okay!” She said in a grand voice, “This is my new friend, Emily. I reprogrammed her.” Her hair whooshed to the side and then reappeared cradling Sea Hawk like a newborn baby, putting him into Mermista’s arms.

“Where have you been?!” Perfuma exclaimed, exacerbated.

“Where have you been?!” Entrapta countered.

Adora’s body tensed, “It doesn’t matter. We’re all together. Let’s finish this.” She stalked forward, towards a control panel. Everyone else looked at each other briefly before following her lead. When Entrapta realized where they were headed, she couldn’t contain her excited squeals. C’yra kept a close eye on her as she giddily fidgeted with the buttons.

“Bow’s cell is in section B, level 20. We’ll get him out first and then figure out where Glimmer and Catra are. Entrapta?” Adora turned her attention to the purple-haired princess, “can you get us up there?”

“Yes!” She screeched, “I can. I mean, maybe. I don’t know. I’m definitely going to try.” She began to rapidly push buttons and pull levers with her hair and her hands at an alarming rate. Bridges between the cells began to slam against concrete as Entrapta laughed maniacally

“Sea Hawk? Perfuma? You’re with me,” Adora turned to look at Catra’s mother.

“Mermista and I will stay here with Entrapta,” C’yra gave Adora a knowing smile.

“Onward, to the rescue!” Sea Hawk exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air.

C’yra watched as Adora, Perfuma, and Sea Hawk were slowly raised up. She tried to give her future daughter in law a supportive smile but it came across more like a wince. Suddenly, the were being shot into the air, their screams echoing across the metal walls.

“Entrapta!” Mermista hissed, annoyed. “Stop that!”

“Whoops! That’s not right!” Entrapta chuckled nervously, hitting another button. The platform stopped abruptly. C’yra could see the Horde soldiers in front of them.

“Oh spirits!” She bursted out of the room, claws out. The Queen of Halfmoon jumped high into the air, landing on the wall adjacent to where the platform had landed, her strong claws dug into the metal to hold herself up. Lonnie was already on the platform, standing up straight as she tried to reason with Adora.

“Adora! Just go back to Brightmoon, please!” Lonnie pleaded, glancing over her shoulder at Rogelio, who stood with his arms crossed next to one of the jail cells. “You're falling into her trap!”

“Who’s trap?” Perfuma whimpered as her eyes widened.

“Shadow Weaver!” The Horde soldier whispered-yelled, as if just saying her name would summon her.

C’yra felt a cold dread creep up her body. She jumped from her position on the wall and landed with a thud in front of the Rebellion members.

“Where are my daughter and Princess Glimmer being held?” C’yra growled, her eyes dark as she glared the young Horde soldier down. Lonnie took a step back, hands crossed out in front of her chest to protect herself. C’yra felt her hands warm and she knew that flames had erupted in her palms.

Being connected to the Tiger’s Eye gave C’yra many, many powers. Each Magicat Queen that was connected to the runestone was given incredible strength, endurance, and speed--meaning that they could jump higher and run faster than almost anyone. They were also given a power based on their identity, their soul, conferred by the spirits of the Queens who had come before. C’yra, who had basically been born fighting the Horde, always had a fiery personality and an ambition to fight injustice. She was given the power of fire, able to control and manipulate flames in manners such as throwing fireballs. When Catra was little, she would sometimes give the kitten a small fireworks show, but after the wall went up most of her time had been consumed with protecting their people. It had been a long time since she had used these powers, but it felt as easy as breathing air to the queen.

No matter who you were, clawed hands with fire exuding from them was an extremely intimidating sight.

“Please don’t burn me,” Lonnie was almost shaking as she brought her hands up to her face as a shield.

“Where’s Catra?” C’yra growled in a low, dark tone. Behind her, Adora shivered slightly at the tone the magicat was using.

“Shadow Weaver,” Lonnie mumbled, before gathering enough courage to look at C’yra directly. “Glimmer and Catra are with Shadow Weaver, in the Black Garnet chamber.”

Adora shook slightly as she digested the information. How could she have been so stupid? Of course Shadow Weaver had them in her quarters. It was the one place she knew she could overpower Adora, especially without the sword. C’yra’s shoulders tensed, slightly. She glanced back at Adora.

“I’m going,” Adora’s voice wavered. Catra’s mother shook her head, reaching her hand out tentatively to place it on Adora’s cheek in a kind, motherly manner.

“No, dear. I won’t let you do this alone.” C’yra’s tone was firm, but Adora had made up her mind.

“Please, your majesty, you have to stay here and get Bow back and lead the rest of the group out of the Fright Zone. You have to. I know Shadow Weaver. I beat her once already. I won’t let her win this battle either,” Adora’s baby blue eyes were swimming with guilt and dread. However, the way that she stood tall, almost proud, was much different than the girl who had collapsed at the sight of her old mentor only a few weeks prior. C’yra studied Adora’s face hard for a long moment. Finally, she nodded once, withdrawing her hand as she looked at the young woman in front of her with concern.

“I’ll take over from here,” The Queen of Halfmoon acquiesced. “Please be safe, Adora.”

“I’ll keep Catra safe, I promise.”

“I meant yourself, Adora,” C’yra gave her a hard look. “My biological daughter’s life is not the only one I’m concerned about.”

Her future daughter-in-law just gave her a sheepish smile and turned to jump onto a lowering platform, resolutely heading towards the place it seemed Adora feared most out of all the Fright Zone.

C’yra managed to snag Bow without any guards seeing. Lonnie, luckily, went directly against orders and led the Queen of Halfmoon, Sea Hawk, and Perfuma to Bow. Once he was free, Lonnie pulled them aside into a corner where they would be protected from the other guards’ gazes.

“Listen to me carefully,” She spoke in a hushed tone, “You all need to head east, down the corridor and into where Hordak keeps all the skiffs. If you’re quiet enough you won’t get caught. If I can find Adora, I’ll tell her where to meet you. Wait for her there.”

“Lonnie,” Bow whispered back, “why are you helping us?” Lonnie looked at all of them silently, opened her mouth to respond but hesitated. There was a storm of emotions in her eyes.

“It’s not for you, it’s for Adora,” Her voice was sharper, “Despite what you may think, I care about her. We all do.” Lonnie tossed back a look to Kyle and Rogelio, who stood guard behind them to make sure that no soldier would see them.

Bow nodded, carefully, “Just… just know that there’s always room in the Rebellion for you. All of you.”

Lonnie gave a curt nod, “Go now. I’ll find Adora.”

“Thank you, Cadet Lonnie,” C’yra spoke in her regal tone, placing a hand on her shoulder. The Horde soldier gave her a tight smile.

C’yra made sure all members of the rebellion were accounted for before they made their way back to where Lonnie had pointed them to. Entrapta’s newest robot, Emily was a great help to them unlocking all of the barriers so they were able to run with ease and stealth. Unlucky for them, a misstep accidentally sent off an alarm which caused a green fire to be shot at them, chasing them through each barrier.

“C’MON!” C’yra shouted, “WE HAVE TO GO FASTER!”

They picked up the pace slightly. Unfortunately, Emily, Entrapta’s bot, got caught on one of the ports. The princess of Dryl noticed, and quickly turned her body toward the machine.

“Emily!” She cried out. Everyone else paused and turned around as well.

“Entrapta!” Perfuma shrieked, reaching a hand out as if she could grab her but Entrapta was too far.

There was a quick moment where C’yra thought she was about to lose one of her daughters closest friends. However, instinct took over and the Queen of the Magicat used her enhanced reflexes and speedto surge forward, grabbing both Entrapta and the bot before the barrier shut for good. She gently sent them both down on the floor before collapsing to her knees next to them. Her breathing was ragged, due to exertion and the horrible thoughts of what could’ve happened. Perfuma rushed forward and pulled Entrapta into a hard hug, sobbing loudly. The rest of the group watched with empathetic expressions. The Princess of Dryl seemed uncomfortable but slowly began to pat Perfuma on the back.

“We almost lost you!” Perfuma cried out, “You can’t do that, Entrapta!”

Entrapta looked slightly guilty, “I apologize.”

“C’mon,” It was Mermista who spoke up. C’yra thought she spotted some unshed tears in the girl’s eyes, “let’s get going to the vehicle bay.”

Still slightly in shock, the group continued forward, hoping to escape this place soon.

***

Catra’s eyes were half way open as she sprawled out on her back. She could tell that people were talking somewhere near her, but she couldn’t identify who it was or what they were saying. She was so tired and she just wanted to rest. Every so often, a small bolt of electricity ran through her body, causing her to gasp and shudder.

“Catra!” Someone yelled. The familiar voice pierced through the haze of fatigue, a voice that Catra knew wasn’t supposed to be there. Feebly, she turned her head to meet the terrified blue eyes of the girl she loved.

Adora was crouched down, level with Catra’s eyes. Her hands were white and trembling as they gripped the bars of the cage much too tight. Behind her, Glimmer had her head raised, panic and guilt clear in her expression. Catra smiled slightly: seeing Adora made her feel safe, no matter what was going on.

“Catra. I’m going to get you and Glimmer out of here, I promise,” The tears streaming down Adora’s face made the princess of Halfmoon frown. She, shakily, lifted up one of her hands until it covered Adora’s fingers.

“Shh,” Catra rasped out, “don’t cry.” She rubbed her thumb over the exposed part of Adora’s hand.

“Catra,” she whimpered, more tears streaming down her face. In a great show of force, Adora was ripped backwards by a dark cloud. Catra could only watch in horror as Adora was slammed onto a metal examination table and strapped in tight.

“Shadow Weaver,” Adora struggled to get her question out, her voice sounding strangled. “What did you do to them?”

A loud chuckle emanated from the dark shadows across from Glimmer.

“I’m sure you know quite well what I did to Catra. After all, I felt it was only fair to treat her as you would have been treated, seeing as she is your…betrothed.” Shadow Weaver spat the word out as Adora tensed in her restraints, teary blue eyes connected with Catra’s. “As for the princess, she is just being treated according to her station.”

Glimmer growled from where Shadow Weaver had bound her. She futilely tried to teleport once more, letting out another yelp of pain as it failed. Adora looked between her best friend and the only person who had shown her unconditional love. She turned quickly back to Shadow Weaver, her mind racing through her options.

“I’ll stay here with you willingly,” Adora rushed out, voice trembling as more tears poured down her face, “but you have to let them go first.”

“Adora, no!” Glimmer exclaimed, her eyes widening in fear as Shadow Weaver confidently strode towards Adora.

“Adora…” Catra’s weak voice carried across the room, despite speaking at the same time as Glimmer. The Magicat Princess tried, and failed, to push herself up to a sitting position.

“You are correct, Adora. You shall stay here of your wishes, because I am going to wipe your mind. You’ll have no memory of ever becoming She-Ra.” Shadow Weaver leaned in close to Adora, placing a hand on her cheek just as C’yra had done minutes before. Her grip wasn’t soft or caring like Catra’s mother had been, though. It was how it always had been: rough, possessive, sinister—as if her aim was to force Adora into submission. “Nor will you remember the time you spent with the Rebellion. Most importantly, I am going to wipe every trace of this…Catra from your mind. Everything will be as it once was, with you leading the Horde under my command.”

Adora’s eyes blew wide with shock as Shadow Weaver floated backwards, rubbing her hands together in pleasure before spreading them apart. red bolts flying out of her palms. She surged forward, her face inches from Adora’s, hands on either side of her temple.

“As for the princesses...once I’m done, you’ll be happy to have them as your prisoners.” Adora looked terrified, staring directly up at Shadow Weaver, her body language radiating weakness and defeat. Catra finally managed to push herself up, falling forward so her knees were on the ground. Her body pushed into the bars of the cage, using their strength to support her weight.

“Adora!” Her voice sounded a little bit more like itself as she called out to her love. “It’s okay, Adora. I love you, no matter what happens.” For a split second, Adora turned her attention towards Catra. Her eyes softened slightly as they locked gazes, but quickly twisted shut, her whole body seizing as Shadow Weaver clamped her hands down on the sides of Adora’s face. Screams of pain erupted from her body. Catra fell further forward, unable to tear her eyes away as strained sobs began to pour out of her body.

“No! Adora!” Glimmer shrieked in horror, tears streaming down her face. She turned her head and tried to get Catra’s attention, but the magicat princess was too busy watching Adora. The princess of Brightmoon sucked in a long breath. With sheer determination, power, and an overwhelming amount of pain, Glimmer was able to teleport out of her restraints. With a loud war cry, she appeared above Shadow Weaver, causing the sorceress to look up just as Glimmer landed a heavy left hook to the side of her face. Shadow Weaver was instantly knocked out, limp on the ground.

“Adora!” Glimmer screamed running to her best friend--who was laying on the metal stab with her eyes closed. “Are you okay? Do you know who I am?”

Adora’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment and then she peeked her eyes open, “Glimmer.” She turned her gaze slightly to Catra, who was watching the interaction intently. “Catra.” One of Adora’s hands reached up towards her partner. Catra sighed in relief, slumping back to the ground. Glimmer laughed through her tears and brought Adora into a tight embrace, then unstrapped her. Stepping on Shadow Weaver, who was still passed out on the ground, Glimmer bounded over to Catra and unlocked the lock outside the cage. The princess quickly grabbed Catra and pulled her to her chest, hugging her tightly in relief.

“I guess all we really did have to do was hope,” Glimmer whispered into Catra’s furry neck. The young woman chuckled, squeezing Glimmer back. Glimmer helped Catra up, only for her to be picked up in a crushing embrace by her fiancée. The blonde girl had raced over to Catra as soon as her head had cleared, wrapping her in a monstrous hug. She could feel Adora’s tears leaking onto her shoulder and she knew her fiancée could feel the way Catra was trembling in her arms. Glimmer stood back, respectfully, and let them have their moment. After a while, Catra pulled back, resting her forehead against Adora’s briefly before letting her and Glimmer help her out of the room.

A couple coordiors away from the chamber, Lonnie suddenly appeared in their path. Glimmer and Adora, jumped back while Catra looked up at the Horde Cadet with tired eyes.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” Lonnie spoke in a hushed whisper, “I spoke with your mom, Catra. They’ll meet you where all the skiffs are; Adora knows how to get there.”

“Why should we trust you?” Glimmer hissed viciously, fists clenched and raised. Lonnie put her hands up openly, showing she wasn’t going to fight.

“I understand you don’t want me to be the one helping you, because you need someone to be the bad guy, and that’s fine. I am the bad guy in this situation. I’m only doing this because I care for Adora,” Lonnie pulled the Sword of Protection out from behind her back. Glimmer’s eyes widened and Adora’s mouth dropped. Catra managed to raise an eyebrow, suspicious of what could be a trap.

“Lonnie,” Adora’s voice was soft, “why don’t you come with us, please? I don’t want to fight you, Kyle, or Rogelio anymore. I’m so tired of having to hurt the people I care about.”

Lonnie shook her head, “Maybe someday, Adora. Right now, I have to look out for Kyle and Rogelio. I need to protect them. They don’t wanna leave yet. They don’t know what it’s like out there.”

Adora looked at her childhood friend with sad eyes, “What if she finds out about this?” Adora waves her hand towards the sword quietly.

“I’ll have to hope I live to tell you the tale.” Lonnie put simply. She reached out and put a comforting hand on Adora’s shoulder as the other one placed the sword back into the hands of its owner. “You spent our entire childhood worrying about us. It’s time you worry about yourself for once.” A single tear fell from Adora’s eye. “I’ll see you out there. It’ll be just like sparing, okay?” Lonnie gave her a small smile and then was gone.

The rest of the way to the skiffs was naturally quiet. Glimmer and Catra kept silent, letting Adora have time to process everything that just happened, feeling their hearts break a little with every tiny sniff that left her. The walk was oddly simple and direct. They somehow managed to avoid coming in contact with any other soldiers before reaching the hanger. Adora almost collapsed with relief when she saw Queen C’yra standing next to a skiff. Entrapta, her new robot, Perfuma, Mermista, Bow, and Sea Hawk were all already on top of the machine. Glimmer immediately ran up onto the skiff and jumped into Bow’s arms.

“Mom?” Catra gasped as soon as she saw her mother. C’yra ran up and scooped her daughter into her arms. Adora stood back and watched, a small smile on her face.

“My baby, it’s okay. You’re okay. I’m here,” C’yra was purring loudly as Catra tucked her face into the nape of her neck, crying silently. “We’re going back to Brightmoon.” Adora saw Catra nod, holding tightly to her mother, before looking away to the ground, studying her boots. It felt like an intimate moment, and she didn’t want to intrude.

“Adora,” C’yra called out to her. The young woman looked up, surprised. “C’mere. You’re a part of this family too.” C’yra held Catra with one arm securely under her bottom, the other was open wide, an invitation for Adora to hug her. As tears welled up in Adora’s eyes, she bolted forward and wrapped her arms around C’yra’s waist, her strong facade crumbling quickly as she felt a powerful arm wrap around her in return.

“It’s okay, Adora. You’re here, Catra’s here. I’m here. Everyone is safe. Let’s go home.”

Chapter Text

There was a quietness that came over the Rebellion members as Sea Hawk steered the skiff back to Brightmoon. Bow and Glimmer were right next to each other with their hands linked, while Perfuma sat across from them picking absentmindedly at a flower crown with dark, sunken eyes. Entrapta sat on top of Emily, her face turned down into a frown. Mermista sat up on one of the edges of the skiff, her head resting in between her hands as she watched C’yra, Adora, and Catra. The Queen sat on the ground, her back resting next to Mermista’s calf. Catra was tucked into her side with her face hidden in the fur of C’yra’s neck and one hand wrapped tightly around her mother’s waist. Adora was lying on her back, head resting in Catra’s lap, her eyes staring up at the sky above.

“Good news is that we completed the mission without any loss of life or major injury,” C’yra stated, softly, “plus these two have a wedding coming up very, very soon that we have to start preparing for within the next few days.”

Catra withdrew her face from her mother’s neck and turned her focus down towards Adora. One of her clawed hands carefully dropped to the young woman’s scalp and began to massage comforting circles into her hair. “You’re still up for that, right? We can push it back a little bit if you need.”

Adora swiftly shook her head, “When is it?” She asked in a scratchy voice. With all the craziness happening around them, Adora had lost track of the days. The thought of the upcoming wedding sent a spike of nervous energy through her body--though she concealed it well.

“About five days,” C’yra answered, “Preparation will start in two days time, so we will stay in Brightmoon until then. Before we can begin, however, you must both choose a sponsor.”

“A sponsor?” Adora glanced up at C’yra, quietly. Catra’s hand traveled down until it made contact with her neck and she began to trace small patterns on Adora’s skin with the tip of her claws.

“Someone who will vouch for you in front of the court,” Catra explained, “They stand by your side during the ceremony, and walk you towards the Tiger’s Eye when it’s time. It’s usually your closest family member, although parents are not allowed to be a sponsor by tradition. Sometimes, in lieu of a family member, some people choose their best friend instead.”

“Oh,” Adora looked over at Glimmer. The princess locked eyes with her for a moment. A small smile tugged at her lips when she realized what Adora was going to ask her. “Glimmer? Will you do that for me?”

“Of course I will, Adora,” Glimmer agreed in a low, soft tone that was much different than her usual commanding speech.

“What about you, Catra?” Perfuma asked, brimming with curiosity. Her eyes weren’t as dull as before: weddings always excited her, even if they were for Catra.

“Entrapta?” The purple-haired woman’s head popped up. “Would you like to be my sponsor?”

“It sounds...” Entrapta paused, a tendril of hair scratching at her chin in thought. “Fascinating!” Her eyes lit up as she peered down at Catra from her position on top of Emily. Queen C’yra chuckled quietly to herself as she observed the interactions going on around her.

“There will be shrimp, won’t there?” Mermista asked in her familiar monotone drawl. Catra snickered and tossed a look up at her friend.

“No, because you’d eat it all.” Mermista shot Catra a dirty look but some warmth was beginning to come back into her brown eyes.

“Would you all like me to drop you each off in your Kingdoms, or are we all going to Brightmoon?” Sea Hawk asked from the back of the skiff. They all exchanged a look, nodding in agreement.

“I think spending some time together in Brightmoon would serve us all some good.” C’yra responded, giving Seahawk a warm smile.

***

The group traveled down the walkway that connected the Moonstone to Brightmoon’s castle, all looking worse for wear. Glimmer was leaning heavily on Bow near the front of the group, her tired eyes dropping to the ground constantly no matter how hard she tried to keep them up.

“Glimmer!” Angella’s frantic voice called out. They all looked up to see the queen flying towards them. She scooped Glimmer up off the ground in a tight hug, holding her out at arms length shortly after. “Are you hurt?!” She asked her daughter, searching her body for any wounds. When she couldn’t find any she pulled Glimmer into another tight embrace.

“Mom! You’re crushing me!” Glimmer groaned. Bow suddenly lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Glimmer as well, causing the princess to grumble.

“Wow, someone doesn’t like affection,” Mermista quipped. Catra snorted as she leaned further into C’yra’s side.

“You usually teleport out of my embraces.” Angella pulled back, a look of concern crossed over her face as she studied her daughter again. “What’s wrong?”

Everyone turned their attention to Glimmer with mild looks of concern. The princess of Brightmoon looked startled for a second but quickly gained her bearings.

“Nothing! I just need to recharge!” An obviously fake laugh escaped the girl’s lips. “That’s all!”

“Of course!” Angella took a step back, “I’ll lead everyone back to the castle while you recharge.” Everyone except Bow, Adora and Catra stepped forward to follow the queen. C’yra shot a confused look at her daughter who was still slightly unsteady on her feet.

“I’ll catch up with you later,” Catra gave her mother a small smile. C’yra arched an eyebrow, skeptically, but left the subject alone. She nodded once and turned back to follow Angella into Brightmoon.

As soon as they were out of sight, Glimmer grunted in pain. Her body turned a sickly red color as she glitched. Bow caught her and propped her up before she could hit the ground.

“Glimmer, what’s happening?” He asked in a hushed whisper. Catra grimaced sympathetically while Adora couldn’t do anything but stare at her friend in horror.

“I… I don’t know,” Glimmer was panting out her breaths, “I think she did something to me.”

No one had to ask what Glimmer meant by ‘she’.

Adora shuddered and Catra reached out, placing a sturdy hand on Adora’s back. Bow watched Glimmer with sad eyes.

“Does it hurt?” Adora whimpered. Glimmer looked at her best friend with guilt swarming in her eyes.

“No, no. Not that much,” She tried to be reassuring but another glitch caused her to squeal in pain. She almost keeled over but Catra caught her.

“Glimmer, you really should talk to your mom about this,” the princess of Halfmoon looked down at her friend with large, worried eyes.

“No!” Glimmer exclaimed in a panicked tone. “I don’t want my mom freaking out more than she already is, okay? Besides, I always feel better after I recharge.” She looked up at Catra with pleading eyes, “You and Adora need to go rest, anyway. I’ll catch up with you at dinner, alright?”

Catra sighed and looked over at Bow. He nodded his head in confirmation that he would look after Glimmer while she and Adora went to their room. “Okay, Sparkles. But if this isn’t better by dinner I’m telling your mom myself.” The smaller princess let out a half-hearted laugh.

“Go take a cat nap, lazy,” Glimmer, now fully standing up, gave Catra an affectionately soft shoulder punch.

“C’mon, Adora,” the princess of Halfmoon held out her hand for her fiancée to take. The blonde girl cast one last sad look at Glimmer before relenting, accepting Catra’s hand and allowing herself to be led back to their chambers.

She led Adora down the winding halls of Brightmoon. Queen Angella stopped them about halfway to their room, letting them know that the rest of the rebellion had been settled in separate rooms before asking if Glimmer was done recharging. Catra could only give the Queen a shrug in response, telling her that Glimmer was still recharging when the pair left, which wasn’t a lie. The princess was aching all over, her mind fried from all that had happened in the past 24 hours. She could feel the way Adora was nervously fiddling with her fingers, not really paying attention to her surroundings; it showed that she too was feeling the strain. Honestly, if Catra could get away with it, she would happily just sleep until their wedding day, but she was officially a Rebellion member now. Being a good guy was such a pain sometimes.

The young Magicat opened the door to their room, making sure Adora didn’t bump into anything on her way in. She walked Adora over to the bed and forced her to sit down while she went back to close the door. When Catra turned around to face Adora, the young woman had thrown her head into her hands. Adora’s shoulders were shaking as she attempted to hide the fact that she was crying.

“Hey, hey.” Catra rushed over to her partner as fast as her aching legs would allow her to. She took Adora’s hands in her own, frowning when she noticed one of them was bandaged. “It’s alright Adora. You’re okay, we’re out of the Fright Zone. Shadow Weaver isn’t here, and everyone is safe thanks to you. I’ve got you.”

Adora shook her head pitifully, leaning over so her forehead rested on Catra’s shoulder. Her non-bandaged hand reached out, pressing itself to Catra’s chest to feel her heartbeat. The princess sighed out and let her own hand reach up to cover Adora’s. She bent down so her lips were close to Adora’s ears, whispering steadily and softly to the distraught young woman in her arms.

“I’m right here, I’m safe. You saved me,” She repeated in a patient manner, her thumb rubbing the back of Adora’s hand in a soothing motion as her other hand kept her fiancée’s body pressed tight to hers. “I love you. I’m not leaving you. Nothing could ever keep us apart.”

“Were you scared?” Adora asked in a soft, pitiful whimper, “Did she scare you?”

Catra was quiet for a moment, but her thumb never stopped the soothing circles on the back of Adora’s hand. “I was scared for Glimmer, for what she was doing to her with magic. I was scared for you, for how she was affecting you without lifting a finger, but she never had me scared about myself.”

Adora brought her head up to look her fiancée in the eyes, puzzled. Her baby blue eyes were puffy and red from crying, which made Catra’s heart ache, “You were scared for me? Why? You were the one in a cage.” The Magicat girl gave her a soft, half-hearted smile as she brought her hand up to cup Adora’s cheek.

“I was worried about you the entire time. I know how hard you are on yourself.” Catra glanced down to Adora’s hurt hand, causing the blonde girl to squirm uncomfortably and look away. Catra lightly tapped Adora’s cheek, silently asking her to look back at her face. Shyly, Adora’s eyes locked with Catra’s once more. “I was afraid she was going to actually erase your memories. I don’t know what I would do if you forgot about me, forgot what we have together.”

“I could never forget about you,” Adora murmured. She leaned further into Catra’s embrace, her arms wrapping snugly around the young woman’s abdomen. Catra, being conscious of Adora’s less than stellar physical health, carefully maneuvered them so she was lying on her back with Adora cuddled tightly into her side. Absentmindedly, Catra began to rub Adora’s head. Her clawed fingers slowly untangled the hair tie from Adora’s silky hair, letting the blonde waves come tumbling down onto the bed. She took a couple of minutes to comb through the golden tresses, feeling Adora relax more with every stroke of her hand.

“What happened to your hand?” Catra asked quietly. She could feel the rough material of the bandage through the light, thin material of her shirt, and it worried her. Adora held her breath for a moment and then buried her head deeper into her partner’s side. “Adora,” Catra’s tone was patient but unyielding, letting her partner know that she wouldn’t let this go without an answer.

“I punched the ground,” Adora groaned, pulling herself closer to Catra. Her fiancée hummed in response, gently moving the bandaged hand closer to her face to study it for a moment.

“Why’d you do that, Adora?” Catra asked quietly, though she suspected she knew the answer.

“I wasn’t good enough,” Adora muttered, “they took you, and I was upset that I didn’t do better, didn’t work harder to prevent it. It was my fault you were taken to the Fright Zone.”

The Magicat princess sighed. Slowly and gently, she brought the injured hand up to her lips and placed a soft kiss over the wound. If Adora’s head wasn’t hidden in her side, Catra would’ve seen the blush blossom over the girl’s face. As it was, the burning red ears gave away how she was feeling to her betrothed.

“It makes me upset that you would hurt yourself like this, Adora,” Catra said, gently, “we need to figure out a better way for you to handle your feelings without you resorting to hitting things.”

“That’s what Perfuma said, on Entrapta’s hovercraft as we flew back here yesterday.”

Catra chucked as she began to play with the baby hairs on the back of Adora’s neck. “Well, for once Perfuma and I can agree on something, I guess.”

“Entrapta also, uhm, held my hand.” Adora’s words were muffled by Catra’s shirt but it made the Magicat girl’s ears perk up.

“Really?” Adora nodded her head in confirmation. “Well, I might have to go thank her for that later.” Catra let out a long sigh, letting her tired body relax further into the bed and her partner’s embrace.

Adora lifted her hand up, bringing a finger to poke Catra’s cheek. The princess opened her eyes, looking down at the anxious expression Adora had, before asking, “are you excited? For the wedding, I mean.”

“Mmhm,” The young woman dropped her head so it was buried in Catra’s side again, “I’m excited.” There was a slight quiver in her voice that made the young Magicat raise a questioning eyebrow.

“You know, if you’re having second thoughts… we could always reschedule.” There was a slight melancholy shift in Catra’s inflection as she glanced away. “We could also cancel it if you need.”

Adora’s head jolted up, her eyes wide and full of anxiety as they connected with Catra’s. “No, no, no. We can’t! Queen Angella will be even more mad at me, I’m not allowed to back out, I can’t!! I have to do this, I have to—” Her words were muffled by Catra’s shirt as strong arms pulled Adora up into her fiancée’s lap. The young woman frantically grabbed at the back of Catra’s shirt as her head was pulled into the magicat’s chest.

“Shhhhh.” The Magicat princess wrapped Adora up in a tight embrace as she hushed her shaking, distraught partner. Catra’s hands began to caress the blonde girl’s head and back in gentle, calming strokes. She began murmuring soft reassurances, telling Adora how it was all ok, that everything would be alright. After a couple endless minutes, Adora began to slowly go limp in Catra’s arms. The princess began to hum a soft song, a lullaby her mother used to sing when she was younger, hoping that it would bring her love comfort. She could feel the wet stain on the shoulder of her shirt as Adora sniffled right next to her ear. A pang of sadness gripped Catra’s heart. She knew Adora cared deeply for her, but some small part of her was still worried that the young woman was only in this for the politics. It was more than politics for the princess, and if it wasn’t the same for Adora, Catra wasn’t sure she could handle it.

“You love me, don’t you? You’re not just in this because Angella said to, right?” Catra couldn’t help but ask softly as a tear slowly slid down her cheek. Adora picked up her head and peered up at Catra, incredulous that such a ridiculous question was voiced. She quickly noticed the tears welling up in Catra’s eyes, her heart dropping as she noticed the distress in those mismatched jewels. Shaking hands cupped Catra’s face as Adora pressed a soft kiss to her lips. Her fiancée’s arms quickly wrapped around Adora’s neck as she moved up into the kiss. Catra’s tears slowly began to leak down her face as everything that had happened caught up with her, mixing with her insecurities about Adora’s intentions. Catra pulled back and quickly wiped them away, looking sadly at the beautiful woman in her arms. Adora felt heartbroken as she watched the princess’s dejected gaze settle on her.

Adora quickly looked away, refusing to meet Catra’s eyes. “Of course I love you.” She spoke in a tone so quiet, Catra almost couldn’t hear her. “At least… I think I do.” Adora’s hands tightened into fists, fingernails digging hard into her palms. “I don’t understand it.” Guilt welled up in the pit of Adora’s stomach and she gritted her teeth, doing her best not to cry. Soft hands reached out, gently taking Adora’s face between them and turning it so her eyes locked with Catra’s,

“What don’t you understand?” Her heterochromic eyes were softer, she stroked Adora’s cheek, gently.

“Why do you love me?” Adora gasped, struggling harder to hold her emotions in. “No, how can you love me? No one’s ever loved me. I don’t deserve to be loved, that’s what I’ve always been told.”

“Adora.” Catra’s voice wavered as more tears began to stream down her face. “So many people love you.” The blonde girl tightened her fists further, unsurprised as she began to feel warm trickles of blood dripping down her fingers onto the sheets beside Catra’s head.

“Why?” Adora whispered, “I don’t deserve it.”

A strangled cry escaped Catra’s mouth. She wrapped her arms around her fiancée’s neck and drew her into her body again. Adora fists uncurled themselves in surprise as she braced herself, leaving bloody hand prints on the bed sheet.

“You do, though,” Catra muttered into Adora’s ear, “you deserve so much love. You don’t have to earn love, please try to understand that. Angella will still love you if you want to call off the wedding. My mother will still love you if you want to call off the wedding. I will still love you if you want to call off the wedding.” The young Magicat slowly began to rock them back and forth in a soothing manner.

Adora was quiet for a long while.

“I don’t want to do that,” Adora responded, her voice was rough but held a touch of conviction. Catra could only nod as tears continued to leak from her eyes.

“Then we won’t. I would love to be your wife more than anything. I love you so, so much.”

Adora nodded into Catra’s neck as she whispered back, weakly, “I love you, too.”

***

At some point both girls had fallen asleep, sporting puffy red eyes and tear tracks running down their cheeks. Catra held onto her fiancée protectively, even after they had begun to doze, and Adora let herself be comforted, drawing strength from the embrace.They awoke a few hours later as C’yra came in to collect them for dinner. The Magicat queen’s eyebrows furrowed when she took in their emotionally exhausted expressions. Her blue eyes widened in horror as she saw the bloody handprints on the bed and the dried, flaking blood that ran down Adora’s wrists in streams.

“What happened!?” C’yra dropped to her knees next to the bed, grabbing Adora’s forearms and turning them so she could examine the injury. Catra, who hadn’t noticed the blood before that moment, jumped back as her own eyes widened in terror, shifting to worry and concern seconds later.

“Oh, Adora...” Catra murmured as she realized what must’ve happened. Slowly, the young woman reached out and draped her arms around Adora, nuzzling her face into the nape of her partner’s neck. Adora looked away guiltily as C’yra peered up at her with her worried eyes. The queen has a look on her face that reminded Adora of how Catra looked at her sometimes.

“Adora,” C’yra’s voice was firm but gentle, “will you tell me what happened? Please?”

“My nails...” Adora wiggled her fingers slightly in demonstration but still refused to look C’yra in the eyes. The older Magicat looked back down at the girl’s palms and noticed the crescent shaped marks that matched Adora’s blood stained fingertips. The marks were on both hands, the one that was already bandaged having taken less damage, possibly because Adora hadn’t regained her full strength in it yet. She sighed softly while gently laying Adora’s hands back in her own lap.

“Alright, I’ll be right back with a washcloth and some bandages.” C’yra paused for a moment. “And, I’ll tell everyone that we will be a little late.” The stoic mask the queen usually wore was gone. A patient, warm expression had replaced it, one that reminded Adora too much of the younger Magicat sitting next to her, face buried in the other girl’s neck.

After the queen left, the room remained silent for a moment. Soon, Catra began to quietly hum into Adora’s neck once more. The blonde girl could feel the vibrations on her skin, tickling her slightly as it lulled her into a state of relaxation. Her head slowly dropped down until it rested against Catra’s. Adora pressed a long kiss to the crown of her partner’s head, silently apologizing to her.

“It’s okay,” Catra spoke in a low tone. “You’re gonna be okay, Adora. I’ll make sure of it.”

Adora nodded, closing her eyes for a moment. She felt one of Catra’s hands drop into her lap and grasp her already bandaged hand. A claw softly traced the inside of Adora’s wrist, well below where the marks were.

“I really don’t like it when you hurt yourself,” Catra whispered for the second time that day.

“I’m sorry,” Adora whispered back.

The door creaked open again as the queen returned with medical supplies, shutting the door and quietly setting about her task. A warm, wet washcloth began to wipe away the hurt. A few more tears slipped out of Adora’s eyes and Catra’s thumb caught them. Cool ointment was applied to the burning crescent shaped marks before more bandages were wrapped around Adora’s palms--snugly, but not too tight that it hurt.

“Would you like to come to dinner?” C’yra asked, softly. Adora considered for a moment before nodding, letting herself be guided into a standing position by C’yra and Catra. She felt better as she began to through the halls of Brightmoon with two Magicats flanking her sides, though she was still somewhat upset at herself for making Catra cry. The dinning hall of Brightmoon was oddly quiet when they entered. Queen Angella had Glimmer sitting right next to her in the chair that used to be her father’s. There was a worried look on her face that told Adora she had found out about Glimmer’s glitching, along with everyone else it seemed. Perfuma was staring at the princess with large, concerned eyes startlingly similar to Bow’s—though he did hide his slightly better. Mermista looked just as disinterested as always, but there was a sprinkle of concern in her brown eyes when she tossed a look towards Glimmer. Sea Hawk looked slightly dejected and almost guilty, for some reason. Entrapta was studying the princess of Brightmoon with an intense gaze, obviously trying to figure out if she could help her.

“C’yra, Catra, Adora.” Angella’s lips twitched into a small smile when they entered. “I hope you all had a nice rest?”

Catra and Adora glanced at each other but C’yra gave her fellow queen a regal smile. “Yes, thank you, Angella.”

Their plates had already been set. C’yra and Catra both made the same grimace when they bit into the chicken to find it barely seasoned. Seeing their identical faces made Adora giggle quietly to herself. Catra looked up at her and a bright smile spread across her face. It was the first time she had heard Adora giggle in a while.

“So, C’yra,” Angella began, “Adora and Princess Catra are to be wed in the next few upcoming days. Is there anything you’d like me to do in preparation?”

C’yra chewed through her current bite of meat before answering. “If you’d like, Adora will need to be given away by a mother figure. I was planning on doing it myself, but if you’d rather do it…” Adora nervously looked up at the Queen of Brightmoon. Angella must be mad at her, Adora thought. Everything that happened was basically her fault, when you thought about it. A warm hand slipped into Adora’s, jolting her out of her thoughts. She spared a quick glance at Catra but the girl didn't look back at her. She just contentedly spooned a forkful of potatoes into her mouth.

Without much hesitation, Angella nodded. “It would be my honor to give Adora away at her wedding.” The queen sent a meaningful look at Adora, before turning back to her fellow royal. “Would you care to explain what exactly I would need to do?”

Adora almost wanted to cry. Angella was willing to give her away. She would be honored to give her away. It was almost too much. Catra’s hand squeezed hers gently, bringing her back into the conversation.

“—weddings are very traditional. Catra and Adora will be married in front of the Advisory Council and any Magicat citizen or Etherian representative that wishes to attend. We will hold it in the throne room, since that is the only space that will hold all those wish to be in attendance. In our weddings it is customary for mothers to give away their child, though substitutions are allowed in extenuating circumstances such as these. Catra will walk down the aisle first with me and her sponsor, Entrapta.” The purple-hair princess cheerily waved a strand of her hair at Angella. “The Advisory council will ask Entrapta a few questions about Catra to ensure that she is fit to be married. Then, you will walk down the Aisle with Adora and Glimmer, and the process will be repeated. When you are done, you will stand beside Adora while I, as the Queen, unite them in marriage through their vows. Adora will then be dressed in matching traditional robes with Catra, after which Entrapta and Glimmer will escort them out to the Tiger’s Eye while you and I-“ There was a slight twinkle in C’yra’s eye as she looked at Angella. “Begin the party.” Adora’s head perked up at the word party.

“Will there be cake?” She wondered out loud. C’yra scoffed and smiled warmly at Adora.

“Of course there will be cake! I’m not a monster. But back to the wedding: Catra and Adora will go through another ritual at the Tiger’s Eye and when they come back, Catra will show off her new powers.” C’yra smiled at her daughter who returned her grin, sheepishly.

“Won’t you lose your own power then?” Mermista asked, leaning forward a little bit in interest.

C’yra shook her head. “No, I will only lose my power when my spirit leaves my body.”

“When Catra gains her powers, will she become queen?” Perfuma asked, her body leaned forward similar to Mermista.

To the rest of Etheria, Magicats were almost as mysterious as She-Ra. Their customs and traditions were much different than their own Kingdoms and both of the princesses had spent most of their lives with odd rumors swirling around in their head about how Magicat culture worked.

“She will become queen when I retire or my spirit leaves my body.” C’yra put simply, casting a glance at Catra.

“Is it true that once Adora and Catra get married they may have a child together if they engage in sexual intercourse? Even though they both have vaginas, and lack the required apparatus generally needed for procreation?” Entrapta asked, a notebook open while she wrote down every word C’yra was saying.

C’yra blushed a bright red color and shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Catra groaned and threw her head into her hands while Adora’s eyes widened comically, eyes whipping back and forth between the Magicat women.

“Erm, yes. That is true. Magicats produce children through the magic of the runestone, and while having a same sex partnership is less common, they are still able to bear children.”

Mermista snorted, “I bet sex with She-Ra is magical.” Catra kicked her underneath the table, causing her to yelp.

“All Magicats are connected to the runestone?” Angella quickly changed the subject. C’yra pondered this for a moment.

“In a way, every one of us has some tenuous link to the Tiger’s Eye. So far though, only my lineage has been able to access its full potential.”

“So Adora and Catra… could have kittens???” Bow squealed, rubbing his hands together excitedly.

“It is possible, yes, if the spirits believe it is the right time for them.” C’yra seemed slightly uncomfortable again.

“Do you, uhm…” Glimmer cleared her throat awkwardly, looking slightly anxious. “Do you think it would be wise for me to stand up there in front of everyone? With this glitching?”

C’yra’s face softened slightly. “If you believe it is best for you to not partake in the ceremony, no one will force you. Though, I believe that no one will pay much attention to it.” There was a fierce, protective look in her eyes, indicating that C’yra would most likely burn anyone who had anything bad to say about Glimmer.

“I may be able to help with that!” Entrapta grinned wickedly. Everyone turned to look at her in varying degrees of confusion. “You believe that you’ve partly broken your connection to your runestone, correct?” Glimmer hesitantly nodded, prompting the scientist to continue. “I can make you a jacket that fully protects you from the runestone so you stop glitching until Adora finds a way to help you fix it. It’ll be so fun!” Entrapta excitedly clapped her hands. Emily, who was underneath her, bounced up and down slightly to express that she was excited, too. Angella and C’yra looked at each other.

“I suppose that you can try.” Angella sighed. “Thank you, Princess Entrapta.”

“Oh, you’re welcome! I’ll be back with a prototype as soon as possible!” In a quick series of motions, Emily maneuvered out of the room with Entrapta on top of her. One by one, Rebellion members seemed to drop off to go rest or work on something until it was only Catra, Adora, and C’yra left. Adora’s plate was mostly clean, with the exception of part of a salad that she didn’t care much for. Catra seemed to be done with her meal, her napkin placed neatly on top of her plate. C’yra was still eating.

“Adora?” The Queen glanced up to look at her daughter’s fiancée. “Would you care to join me for a walk in the garden tomorrow morning?”

The young woman gulped and combed a nervous hand through her hair. Catra gave her a reassuring smile.

“Uhm, sure, your majesty?” Adora murmured, her statement sounding more like a question in her confusion.

“Great! I’ll bring some cake if you’d like?” The queen’s eyes were trained on Adora’s every small move. Adora’s eyes lit up slightly at the mention of the sugary treat.

“That sounds wonderful.”

Chapter Text

Like she promised, Queen C’yra was knocking on the door to the girls’ shared room as the sky began to lighten. Sweet songs of different species of birds traveled through the cracked window of the room, cut through by the sound of the light rapt of knuckles on the door. Adora awoke quickly, taking stock of her situation as her mind shook off the dregs of sleep. Her body was tangled with Catra’s, their legs intertwined with her arms fully wrapped around Catra’s middle. When Adora reluctantly pulled away from the warm embrace, the Magicat princess let out a displeased whine, arms working to pull Adora back down into the bed.

“Catra, your mom’s here,” Adora spoke with a raspy tone, her eyes barely open.

“Screw her. Stay here, you’re warm.” Catra mumbled causing Adora to chuckle softly and shake her head.

“I’ll be back later, alright?” Adora fully pulled away from Catra. She threw her hair up into her usual tight ponytail and slipped on some pants over her sleep shorts. By the time she opened the door, Catra was fast asleep again.

True to form, the queen of Halfmoon proudly stood tall outside their door with a large piece of chocolate cake in a reusable container. “Adora.” C’yra gave her a warm smile “I assume my daughter wasn't too happy about you leaving the bed this morning.”

“Well...” Adora scratched the back of her head awkwardly. “No, no really. But—” Adora moved out of the way so C’yra could look into the room at her sleeping daughter. “—she didn’t stay too mad.”

“Sounds like my Catra.” A charming, crooked grin spread across her lips—one that was frighteningly similar to her daughter’s smile. C’yra extended her arm for Adora to take, as Catra had done so many times before, using the other one to gesture vaguely towards their destination. “Shall we, my dear?”

Adora looped her arm through the queen’s. She greedily eyed the beautiful piece of cake in C’yra’s other hand, her mouth watering slightly as thought about its likely delicious flavor. The older magicat led Adora to the garden, humming along with the birdsong as they walked. The flowers of the garden were a familiar comfort, one she was eager to experience once more. They were something that meant a lot to Catra and by association, that meant they were important to Adora as well. Outside of the castle the bird’s were much louder. She watched them circle around each other, swerving and diving in some unfamiliar dance. On a railing along the edge of the garden, right where Adora and Catra had found the mysterious gladiolus flower, sat a newly made bird’s nest. Inside were two mated birds who must’ve been keeping a few eggs warm. Adora couldn’t help but stare at them a while.

“It’s a little early for baby birds to have hatched yet.” C’yra’s voice brought Adora out of her thoughts. They were standing beside the bench that she and Catra had all but claimed as their own. Adora’s eyes met the queen’s, who smiled and asked, “Would you like to sit with me?”

Adora nodded and plopped herself down at the end of the bench closer to the nest. C’yra gracefully settled herself down next to her, placing the cake and a fork into the young woman’s lap. Adora hungrily scooped up a large piece with her fork and shoved it into her mouth, chocolate and fudge smearing all over her mouth as she did so. C’yra watched, slightly horrified yet still amused.

“Is it safe for me to assume that you didn’t get cake often in the Fright Zone?” Adora shook her head in response, not bothering to look at the queen as she piled more and more of the dessert into her mouth.

“We ate ration bars. The brown and grey ones were as diverse as it got.” Was Adora’s response, crumbs of cake spilling out of her mouth as she spoke with her mouth full. C’yra hummed in response, filing the information away to think about later.

They sat there in relative silence as Adora continued to munch on her cake. The queen observed other birds doing acrobatic tricks in the sky, while Adora could only watch the two nestled together on the railing, protecting their eggs. It didn’t take Adora that long to finish--she was used to short meals thanks to her precious schedule. Once she was done, she carefully put the container on the bench beside her so she wouldn’t have to hold it anymore.

“Was it good?” C’yra asked, turning her attention back to the young woman at her side as she saw Adora move from the corner of her eyes.

“Yes, it was very good. Thank you, Queen C’yra.”

“Please,” C’yra admonished, “it’s just C’yra to you. You’re a part of my family now, remember?”

Adora felt a lump form in her throat. She nodded quickly and turned her gaze away for a moment, looking back to the nesting pair. One of the birds was a beautiful red color, while the other was a contrastingly stark white. It seemed a little peculiar to her, but it’s not like she knew all that much about birds, so maybe it was just normal to be attracted to something different than yourself.

“It is quite strange to see two birds already nesting this time of year.” C’yra stated for the second time. “Usually they wait until it’s a bit warmer out, but I guess these two just couldn’t help themselves.”

“They’re very pretty,” Adora commented, glancing up at Catra’s mother quickly before averting her gaze again.

“They are,” C’yra agreed. Silence filled the space once more, making Adora fidget and squirm.

“What, umm... What did you wanna talk to me about?” Adora queried, shyly.

“Anything. Though, nothing you’re not comfortable talking about.” The queen’s answer was delivered softly, full of care and tenderness. Adora’s eyes snapped open as she made direct eye contact with C’yra. The queen sighed at her confounded expression.

“Look, Adora...” The queen shifted her so she was fully facing the young woman. “You do not seem to have had many healthy experiences in the past, especially with mother figures. I wish to change that for you going forward. I want to get to know you, to guide you when I can and support you when I can not. I promise you I will not be some prickly, overprotective mother-in-law.”

Adora cocked her head questioningly. “What’s a mother-in-law?”

C’yra laughed softly. “The mother of your spouse.”

“So, Catra… is my spouse? Does that mean she can’t be my girlfriend?”

“Catra will be your wife in less than three days, and therefore will become your spouse, yes.” Adora blushed and turned her head away. There was more silence between the two as the birds continued to call out through the morning air. Eventually, she turned back to the queen and began to speak.

“I made Catra cry yesterday.” Adora admitted, quietly. “I didn’t mean to, but it happened anyway.”

C’yra nodded in response. “Sometimes you will make your partner upset. That doesn’t make your relationship unhealthy.” Adora locked eyes with her again.

“I don’t want to hurt her at all.” C’yra hummed in agreement.

“No, no one should want to hurt another person. Sometimes it happens by mistake. You should try not to eliminate all strife between you two, but rather to minimize the conflict where possible.” Adora continued to watch C’yra, her body getting more and more tense as a question she didn’t want to ask bubbled in her chest. It was a question she had wanted to ask her entire life, but had never been given the right opportunity. Now was the perfect occasion, but Adora couldn’t seem to get it past her lips. C’yra studied her for a moment, reading the discomfort in the girl’s tensing muscles.

“You can speak freely, Adora. I won’t repeat this conversation to anyone unless you ask. Not even Catra. I promise, I’ll do the best I can to answer whatever question you want to know.” Adora was still for a moment longer but finally relented. The words seemed to burst out of her like vomit.

“Did Shadow Weaver hurt me by mistake? She always asked me to forgive her when I was younger. She said it was for my own good, but…”

C’yra sucked in a sharp breath. Out of all the things Adora could’ve said, she hadn’t expected those words to be spoken. The girl was staring at her with those large, innocent, glistening blue eyes, ones that had held so much pain and hurt for such a short time on Etheria.

“I don’t know Adora,” C’yra responded honestly, “I don’t know Shadow Weaver or how she thinks. But… sometimes a person will hurt another just to make themselves feel better. I don’t know much about how she hurt you, but I am willing to lend you a listening ear if you’d like to tell me about it.”

For a moment, Adora studied the queen. Her usually stern, steely-blue eyes were kinder, ears open to the young woman had to say. C’yra’s lips were curled up into that small, lopsided smile she shared with her daughter. Her hands were facing palm up in her lap, claws retracted. The pale fur that covered her body stood in stark contrast to her jet black hair and ears. In the morning light, Adora could see the jagged scars that covered the queen’s body much clearer; the marks that showed that she could somewhat relate to things that Adora kept trapped deep inside her chest. There was a slight pull in her heart that made her want to tell C’yra about everything; the abuse and the neglect, the flashbacks and the nightmares, her feelings of hopelessness and despair.

“I-I wouldn’t know where to start...” Adora stuttered. Her hands were clasped together in her lap, beginning to rub together in a soothing manner.

“The beginning is always a good choice.” C’yra gave her a soft, encouraging grin. “I always find it the best place to start.”

So Adora did. She stumbled and stammered out the story of her life in the Fright Zone: how she had no idea where she came from or if her parents were alive somewhere. She told C’yra about Shadow Weaver’s attachment to her and how she was often separated from the rest of her squad for singular attention. She skipped over much of the abuse that Shadow Weaver had put her through, not quite ready to relive those moments of her life willingly. Adora described what the education system was like in the Fright Zone, how she grew up resenting princesses and magic before she became She-Ra. She confessed that she sometimes still had prejudiced thoughts about the rebellion, despite now being one of its prominent leaders. The queen of Halfmoon sat quiet as she learned more and more about the young woman set to marry her daughter. It wasn’t everything, not even scraping the tip of the iceberg of Adora’s issues.

However, it was a start.

***

“Seriously Adora?! Can’t you stand still for like… two seconds?” Glimmer groaned.

Adora stood in front of a mirror, wearing a high-collared dress of brilliant gold and white. Glimmer was behind her trying to pin it back so Casta knew where to hem it but Adora kept shifting her feet back and forth causing the pins to tumble to the ground.

“Sorry!” Adora squeaked, cementing her feet to the ground and willing herself to stand still. Glimmer surged forward and began to start all over, only to be startled by the sudden opening of the door. Mermista—in a handsome white and red suit—burst into the room, causing Glimmer to drop the pins again. Entrapta, in the same white and red suit, was hot on her trails, riding Emily like usual.

“Mermista!” Glimmer growled, whipping her head around to glare at the slightly older princess.

“Hey, don’t yell at me.” Mermista put her hands up defensively. “Princess Catra of Halfmoon sent us to see if Adora was ‘smoking’ or whatever.”

Entrapta rose up onto the strands of her hair and glided over to Adora, examining her carefully. “It appears that the subject is not, in fact, smoking. She seems to not be on fire. Catra will not be pleased to hear this. Or, will she? I’ll admit, the complexity of relationships between organic beings has always amazed me. Perhaps there are some out there who prefer their friends to be on fire, but I didn’t think Catra—”

“Entrapta.” Perfuma, who was standing off to the side trying to organize the rest of the rebellion’s attire, “Catra was asking if Adora was hot.”

A purple strand of hair ripped off Entrapta’s right glove. A clammy hand reached out and felt Adora’s forehead, mechanically. “Subject has a normal temperature. I guess it makes sense that Catra would be concerned about whether Adora would overheat in her dress, since fainting in the middle of the ceremony would be unhelpful.”

Mermista rolled her eyes as she turned her gaze to the mirror and blatantly checked Adora out. The young woman in question felt her cheeks heating up as Mermista nodded in approval.

“You look beautiful, Adora,” Mermista said earnestly, “Catra is gonna faint when she sees you in that.”

“Oh Mermista!!” Sea Hawk’s sing-songy voice rang out from the opposite corner of the room, where the bathroom was. Everyone turned their attention there just in time to see Sea Hawk burst through the door, clothed in a bright and radiantly red dress which matched Glimmer’s and Perfuma’s. His smile was dazzling, blinding even, and he didn’t hesitate to bound over to Mermista and jump into her arms. The princess groaned and turned her head away, but everyone could see the red tint of her cheeks.

“Where’s Bow?” Perfuma asked as she finally pulled away from organizing the materials laid out on Adora’s bed.

“He’s still with Catra, making sure she doesn’t come in here.” Entrapta responded as she began to study one of the pictures of Catra and Adora that was hung up on the wall. “He mentioned something about traditions and I stopped listening.”

Glimmer sighed and turned her attention back to the task that she had been doing. “As much as I’d love you all to stay and bother me, I need to finish fixing Adora’s dress.”

“Fine, fine.” Mermista dropped Sea Hawk--causing him to land on his back, hard. “We’ll go back to the other room. We’re much cooler than you, anyway. Right, Entrapta?”

“Actually, I took the temperature as we entered this room and it is significantly colder than Bow’s room. I believe the window may have a crack.”

Mermista blinked at Entrapta, her face blank. She turned back to Glimmer. “See? Much cooler.” The Princess of Salineas grabbed Entrapta’s wrist and began to drag her out of the room, Emily rolling along behind them.

“I think my dear Mermista liked my dress!” Sea Hawk grinned as he stood up, smoothing over the wrinkles caused by his fall.

“You do look stunning.” Perfuma hummed, happily, her eyes twinkling. She squealed, “Oh I just love weddings!!”

“Guys, seriously?” Glimmer shot them a hard look while Adora gave them a wince of a smile as the princess of Brightmoon accidentally jabbed one of the pins into her skin. Both of them shot her an apologetic look.

***

“I heard you looked beautiful today.” Catra’s voice filtered into Adora’s ears.

Adora, who was leaning on the railing to the balcony of their room with her elbows, turned around so her back was pressed into the cold metal of the railing. Her partner was leaning against the doorframe, a fond smile on her face. They watched each other for a long moment. Adora was out of her dress, wearing a baggy Magicat-styled tunic that was blue and yellow in color with some black leggings. Catra, on the other hand, had on her one of her usual turtle-neck sweaters that fit under her robes, which were nowhere to be seen. She had on tight, fitted black pants with a red stripe down the side that matched the color of her sweater. Catra slowly walked towards her fiancée, who opened her arms wide for the other girl. Fluffy, dark hair brushed against Adora’s cheek as the princess leaned her body into her embrace. Clawed hands lightly rubbed at the bottom of Adora’s back through the tunic.

“I’m sure you were much more beautiful,” Adora contended. Catra scoffed and shook her head, causing her soft hair to rub once more against her partner’s cheek. They were quiet for a while, relishing in each other's company.

“How was your talk with my mom?” Catra inquired, quietly as she pulled her head away from Adora’s chest to look into her eyes. The girl beamed and her eyes twinkled. It was a startling contrast to the dullness that Catra had almost gotten used to since the Fright Zone.

“Your mom’s really nice. She makes me feel safe…kinda like you do, but different.” Adora pressed a light kiss to Catra’s nose. The Magicat princess’s face turned a beet-red color, painting over her freckles like a sunset.

“She’s okay, sometimes.” Catra chuckled, leaning her head back down into Adora’s chest. She added, “I’m glad you felt safe with her. She wants the best for you.” Adora hummed in response as she began to rub her hand up and down Catra’s side.

“What do you think your power’s gonna be?” Adora blurted out. She could feel Catra shake slightly as she laughed, loudly, at Adora’s abrupt question.

“Y’know, I have no idea. When I was younger I always thought it might have something to do with water because I felt like I was the complete opposite of my mother. Now, though? I don’t know...” Catra glanced up at her partner for a moment, then snuggled deeper into her chest.

“I would say that it’ll be being the sexiest person alive, but you already have that power.” Catra let out another, loud, snort laugh.

“I don’t think that’d be very effective in battle, Adora.”

Adora giggled, continuing with her ridiculous idea.“You could seduce all the enemies and trap them with your captivating eyes. It’s a foolproof plan. I would know--I’m an expert stragistist.” Catra rolled her eyes and smacked Adora’s chest lightly. Though, there was a clear smile on her face. She could get used to this playful side of Adora.

“You’re such a dumbass.” Catra articulated through her grin.

“Yeah, but I’m your dumbass.”

***

Adora was nervous.

She fidgeted with the end of her wedding dress, picking at one of the loose strings. Her feet kept shifting from side to side as she took quick glances at herself in the mirror of the Halfmoon room she was getting changed in.

“Stop that!” Glimmer swatted her hand as it reached over to pick at the string for the twentieth time.

“Sorry…” Adora murmured, forcing her arms to straighten out by her side and not fiddle with the loose string.

“Glimmer,” Queen Angella’s voice traveled reverberated throughout the room, “be nice. Leave the poor girl alone. She’s obviously nervous.” Adora tilted her gaze up to lock eyes with Angella through the mirror, casting the queen a grateful look. The tall woman was dressed in her fanciest Brightmoon robes which made her look even more regal than she usually did. Perfuma and Seahawk stood on either side of Angella in their matching red dresses, sporting encouraging smiles.

“But she’s gonna ruin the dress!” Glimmer shifted uncomfortably in the heavy jacket that Entrapta had made for her, though it was more of a vest to be honest. It was also the same red as the dress Glimmer had on, so one could only see it if they looked closely. The material it was made of was heavy and uncomfortable but, true to Entrapta’s word, it stopped the glitching. It was a short term solution to a major problem but Glimmer and Angella were eternally grateful.

“Adora.” Angella held out both her hands for the young woman to take. Hesitantly, Adora relented and gently placed her hands on top of the queen’s. “It’s perfectly normal to be nervous. It’s a very special day.” Adora nodded, shakily.

“Oh, you look so beautiful Adora!” Perfuma gushed, clasping her hands together, tightly. “I can’t wait until my own wedding.”

“I’m sure you’ll be much more beautiful,” Adora disclosed, “whoever it’ll be will be very lucky.” A light blush spread across Perfuma’s cheeks.

“I don’t believe in comparing beauty, but thank you for the sentiment,” the flowery princess stated. She stepped forward and waved her hand over Adora’s hair, which was down and loosely curled. A beautiful white rose appeared on the side of her head. Adora stared wide-eyed at it and quickly turned back to Perfuma, who seemed to understand her confused look.

“Catra may have requested it,” the young woman said with a sly grin. Adora’s fingers reached up and lightly brushed the outer edges of the flower, a light red tint covering her face.

“Adora!” A deep voice called out as the door opened. King Milo, dressed head to toe in his most elaborate, gold robes. His jolly golden eyes got brighter when they trained on Adora’s figure in the mirror. She truly did look beautiful. Her dress was white, long sleeved, and high collared in the traditional Magicat style. Gold accented the flowered patterns of the dress, wrapping up around the collar of the dress, around the wrists, and flowing down around the bottom. It had a long train and was made out of a delicate, silky material. Adora’s headpiece was fit snugly on her forehead as usual and the golden color complimented the dress perfectly.

“Catra won’t be able to keep her eyes off of you!” The king joked as he stepped forward and slung his arm across Adora’s shoulders. The young woman gave him a shy smile as they locked eyes with each other through the reflection of the mirror. Adora had thought that Catra and C’yra shared similar mannerisms, but as she studied the Magicat king she was blown away by just how similar he and Catra looked. Both of them shared the tan fur that covered their body, along with the stripes. Catra even had her father’s eye shape and his nose.

“Angella.” Milo turned to his old friend, a broad smile on his face. “It’s so good to see you!” The queen of Brightmoon gave him a small bow and an easy smile.

“Milo. It’s been much too long,” the queen responded with a small twinkle in her eye.

“I came in here to tell you it’s almost time. Those of you who aren’t Adora’s sponsor or Angella, could you kindly follow me? We’ve set up a section for you all to sit.” Perfuma and Sea Hawk stepped forward without a second thought, ready to follow the king. “Angella, I assume C’yra showed you where to wait?” The queen nodded and Milo grinned.

“Alright, everyone else follow me,” Perfuma and Sea Hawk followed the king, obediently, as he gave Adora’s shoulder one final squeeze and left the room. Just as the door shut, Sea Hawk shot Adora a bright smile, giving her two thumbs up. She managed to give him a shaky smile in return.

“Are you ready, Adora?” Angella asked, calmly. A hand gently gripped her upper arm. Adora turned to see Glimmer beaming at her encouragingly, giving her a thumbs up with her free hand.

“Yes, I’m ready.” Adora answered and the hand on her arm gave her a reassured squeeze.

Both Glimmer and Angella had been prepped the day before when the Rebellion had gotten to Halfmoon. Adora and Catra had spent their time with Milo and Ashli choosing different foods that they wanted to be served at the afterparty so Adora wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to be doing—which she suspected was C’yra’s plan all along.

Angella and Glimmer lead her through the familiar twisting halls of Halfmoon. Adora couldn’t help but reach out and drag her fingertips lightly along the carvings on the wall like Catra did. They stopped when they reached the double doors that lead into the throne room. Angella led them just inside the massive room, to a corner just adjacent to the doors. They stood with their backs to the wall. Adora couldn’t help her wandering gaze.

There seemed to be millions of people there. Every seat in the room had been filled by a body. Adora could see Mermista, Sea Hawk, Perfuma and Bow all sitting in a row right next to the platform that held the thrones where King Milo sat. She did a double take when she saw that a fourth throne chair had been added for her, making her heart swell with love. For a split second Milo and Adora’s eyes locked, again, and she couldn’t help but smile back when his face broke out into a charming grin. Her eyes drifted up and over to the advisory council that sat in blencher-like seats above the thrones. They were still in their traditional Magicat robes with their thin, black headpieces. Adora shuddered, worried about what questions they would attempt to ask about her. A quick flurry movement in the corner of her eyes caught her attention. Turning her head to the left, she saw the orphans all hanging over the railing of the seats waving at her to get her attention. She chuckled quietly to herself and waved back. She could clearly make out Celia and Yarrow as the horde of orphans were ushered back to their seats by Madam Magnolia. Jaka also waved at her from his seat close to the platform with the thrones. Multiple small kittens were climbing into his lap and a beautiful Magicat woman, who could only be his wife, was helping wrangle them into seats.

“They seem to like you here.” Angella observed with a small smirk.

Adora shook her head. “No, they like Catra. They only like me by association.” Glimmer scoffed, rolling her eyes at the bride in front of her.

“That’s a lie. I’ve seen the way those kids cling to you, how the people all smile as you walk by. They love you here, Adora.” Another blush began to creep up her neck as she scratched the back of her head awkwardly, looking away with a small smile on her face.

The double doors swung open with tremendous force causing everyone in the room to fall silent as they whipped their heads around to see what had made the noise. Entrapta, seated on Emily, strode into the room with Catra and C’yra on either side of her. Small gasps and murmurs broke out across the crowd at the sight of a rogue horde bot. Entrapta was wearing the suit that had been fitted for her a few days prior--the same one Bow and Mermista were wearing up in the front of the room: a white suit with a red lapel, bowtie, and buttons. Emily’s bottom half was painted to be matching with Entrapa. C’yra was in white robes with red accents. She tossed a quick wink at Adora as she walked by. Her brain registered these things in passing, as her eyes were focused solely on her partner.

Seeing Catra took Adora’s breath away. She had on a black suit with a gold tie and lapel. Her dress shirt was red and her pants were black with a gold strip down the middle, skin tight. The Magicat’s hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail and her red headpiece sat perfectly on her head. Adora felt her mouth go dry. Catra didn’t seem to see her as she walked by. Her gaze was held up high, confidently. Heterochromatic eyes swept the room blithely but never once looked behind, shielding Adora from her line of sight. The Magicat Princess walked straight up to the platform and cooly forced her chin up so she was glaring at the Advisory Council. C’yra strode forward and took her seat next to her husband, signaling the start of the ceremony.

“Princess Catra,” Sir Kippa, the Magicat who had given Adora a rough time the last time she was in front of the council, spoke in his squeaky voice, “we meet here today to bind you and Adora, She-Ra Princess of Power, together in the confines of marriage. Is this correct?”

“It is.” Catra confirmed, giving him a tight nod in response. The corners of his lips turned down slightly into a frown before he schooled his reaction.

“Who have you chosen as your sponsor?” The older man asked, glancing down at Entrapta with a sour expression.

“Princess Entrapta of Dryl, Sir Kippa.” Catra gave the woman a firm pat on the back. Purple tendrils of hair snaked down to the ground and lifted Entrapta up and off Emily. The robot settled quietly on the ground in a domestic manner and the crowd seemed to relax slightly.

“Hiya!” Entrapta gave an excited wave to the grumpy man.

“Uh… Good afternoon.” Sir Kippa stuttered, taken aback by the woman’s casual manner. He cleared this throat and looked pointedly down at Entrapta. “Princess Entrapta of Dryl, I will say that it is odd to have a sponsor not be of Magicat descent, especially for a royal wedding. What qualifies you to be held in such high regard?”

She could hear the growl growing in C’yra’s chest from across the room. The queen of Halfmoon seemed about ready to jump out of her chair and onto Sir Kippa, but Catra held up a hand as a gesture that told her mom to wait for Entrapta to speak. Adora shifted her weight, uneasy as her thoughts began to race. If they were starting out so harshly on Entrapta, she feared how hard they were going to be on her and Glimmer.

“Actually! Yesterday, I was looking through some of the public records held here in the library and I found that I am not the first person of non-Magicat lineage to be active as a sponsor in a wedding.” Entrapta spoke with her usual, factual tone. “In fact, this will be the twentieth royal wedding where people of non-Magicat descent will act as sponsors. So, technically speaking, to denounce anything I say would be denouncing anything they had said.”

A smirk grew on Catra’s face as a frown sprouted on Sir Kippa’s. “Very well. The council will permit this...deviation. I assume that you understand your role as a sponsor, Princess Entrapta of Dryl?” The older Magicat eyed the princess, suspiciously, but the overt aggression was gone from his voice.

“Oh, yes. Of course I understand,” Entrapta seemed to be growing slightly annoyed with the man. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and studied him as he continued to speak.

“What is your relationship to Princess Catra?”

“Catra is my friend. She was my only humanoid friend for awhile, but now I have other humanoid friends!” Entrapta answered, a small smile on her face. She glanced behind her shoulder at the rebellion members sitting in the crowd nearby. Bow gave her a thumbs up.

The Advisory Council seemed slightly concerned by the answer but no one seemed to want to ask what exactly a non-humanoid friend was.

“In your opinion, do you think that Princess Catra and Adora, also known as She-Ra, Princess of Power, should be allowed to marry?” Sir Kippa inquired, a slight sharpness to his tone.

“Absolutely.” Entrapta stated simply as she rocked back and forth on her feet, clasping her hands together tightly in front of her body.

“Could you please elaborate on that?” One of the other Advisory Council members asked from their spot in the back of the crowd.

“Sure.” Entrapta shrugged, nonchalantly. “I think that Catra should marry Adora because they are in love with each other.” Adora blushed and covered her face with her hands while Catra crossed her arms and looked up at the Advisory Council with a hard glare. Sir Kippa shifted, uncomfortably.

“Do you think Adora would ever hurt Princess Catra?” Catra’s hackles raised at the suggestion. Her teeth were bared as she gave the older Magicat a death glare. A pang of hurt struck Adora’s heart as the image of Catra crying popped into her mind. She lowered her head in shame. Entrapta’s snort of a laugh caused Adora to jerk her head back up.

“No, Adora is much more likely to hurt herself.” Entrapta waved them off, dismissively. Adora’s eyes widened and she couldn’t help but glance down at her scarred hands. “I have all my notes on Adora’s psyche if you’d like me to read th—”

“Let’s move on.” Catra interrupted, grabbing Entraptra’s hand before she could pull out one of her recorders or notebooks. “I’m not sure Adora would appreciate that.”

“Oops! You’re right, friend not subject… sometimes I forget.” Entrapta grinned, apologetically.

“Very well…” Sir Kippa glanced to the back of the room where Adora stood, studying her for a moment. “Let’s move on.”

Entrapta was questioned for around fifteen more minutes. She was fairly effective at getting her point across in her own way, though some of her expressions made little sense to most people. The Advisory Council had no room to argue with the facts and data she backed up her answers with. It made Adora slightly nervous because she knew firsthand that Glimmer, while much less socially awkward than Entrapta, had quite the explosive temper.

Music began to blare through the room and Adora was suddenly pulled forward as Glimmer and Angella began to walk up to the platform. Catra’s eyes locked with Adora and the rest of the world seemed to slip away into background noise. The Magicat princess was blatantly checking her fiancée out and Adora had never felt so beautiful. Once they had gotten up to the platform clawed hands immediately intertwined with hers. A heavy blush painted Adora’s cheeks red as she bashfully glanced up into her partner’s heterochromic eyes. Catra leaned forward until her temple brushed against Adora’s.

“You are the most breathtaking person I’ve ever laid eyes on.” The princess whispered into her ear, causing a small shudder to go down Adora’s spine.

“Adora, also called She-Ra, Princess of Power.” The high pitched voice of Sir Kippa broke them out of their moment. Catra let go of one of her hands but held on tight to the other as Adora turned to full face the Advisory Council. “Are you ready to bind yourself, body and soul, in marriage to Princess Catra of Halfmoon?”

“Yes sir.” Adora’s voice wavered slightly as her eyes flickered up to the old Magicat. Catra gave her hand a tight squeeze.

“Who have you chosen as your sponsor?” His eyes darted between Glimmer, Angella, and Adora.

“I’ve chosen Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon.” Glimmer stepped forward confidently, looking up at the council in slight defiance.

“Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon,” Sir Kippa began, disdain evident in his voice, “how exactly do you know Adora?”

“Adora is my best friend.” Glimmer stated simply. She gave Adora a soft pat on the back of the shoulder. The young woman gave her a grateful grin in response.

“Are you of the opinion that Adora and Princess Catra should be married?”

“Of course. Catra and Adora are much better together than they are apart. Anyone who thinks otherwise is just plain stupid.” Glimmer gave him a pointed glare.

“Glimmer...” Angella warned, quietly. Adora free hand clenched and unclenched, unable to keep from fidgeting. Sir Kippa returned the glare for a quick moment and then returned to the questions in front of him.

“Would Adora protect and serve Halfmoon as a royal princess and future queen to the best of her abilities?”

Glimmer scoffed before smiling slightly. “Adora protects and serves everyone each day, but especially those she cares about. She wouldn’t sleep if she knew that Halfmoon was in danger, and would give her entire being to make sure that every single Halfmoon citizen is safe.”

“Do you think that Adora would ever hurt Princess Catra?” The next question was a repeat of the one he had asked Entrapta. No question had been asked about Adora’s safety in the relationship during Entrapta’s questioning, and the assumption still sent a pang of hurt into the young woman’s heart.

“No. She wouldn’t. To assume otherwise would, again, be stupid.” Glimmer answered, harshly. Sir Kippa shuffled his papers and cleared his throat.

“Do you agree that Adora’s past allegiance to the Horde proves her unfit to be married to Princess Catra?”

A hushed silence fell over the crowd. Time seemed to stand still for Adora as her vision narrowed and a ringing noise filled her ears. How did he know of Adora’s past with the Horde? Who told him? Did everyone already know and just made a point not to bring it up, or was he showing her true colors to everyone for the first time? Adora felt her head spin, and most definitely would have thrown up if Catra hadn’t pulled her in close to her chest, shielding her from everything around her. The embrace was warm, familiar, and distracting. Slowly, her head began to uncloud, Glimmer’s angry voice filtering back into her ears as the ringing stopped.

“—Absolutely fit to be married to Catra! Adora was raised in an abusive, militaristic regime without any concept of love, so don’t you dare blame her for things out of her control! How dare you bring that up here, in front of all these people, at a ceremony that she is supposed to treasure in her memory for the rest of her life?! Yes, Adora grew up in the Fright Zone but she was a child! A kid! She figured out what they were doing was wrong and fled! Of her own free will nonetheless!! In fact, she just broke me, Catra, and our friend Bow out of the Fright Zone mere days ago, risking her sanity and her life in the process! Your line of questioning has been completely unreasonable from the moment this ceremony began! I understand you are uncomfortable with the fact that Adora isn’t a Magicat, but that doesn’t make it okay to treat her in such a shitty manner!”

“Glimmer!” Angella placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder, causing her to close her mouth and simply continue to glare at the Magicat. The queen of Brightmoon sent a look towards Sir Kippa that actually caused him to sit down out of fright.

“Princess Glimmer is right.” Queen C’yra stood from her throne. “You’ve crossed a line, Sir Kippa. I refuse to let you badger Glimmer with more inappropriate and irrelevant questions, and I hereby revoke your position as head of this council. Madam Dehla, would you please take over his duties?”

A much younger, kinder looking Magicat stood up from her seat with a deep bow. “Of course, Your Majesty. I would be more than happy to.”

“Are you okay?” Catra whispered into Adora’s ear. She had turned slightly in the embrace to watch Glimmer defend her, and now looked straight ahead. The young woman nodded, drawing away from her partner as she tried to stand tall once more. Someone’s hand fell on her shoulder, causing her gaze to flicker up. Her eyes locked with Angella’s, finding love and care gazing back at her in those purple eyes.

“It’s alright,” the queen muttered for only them two to hear, “don’t let some old bigot with a grudge ruin this for you. You deserve this, Adora. All of it.”

Adora sucked a breath in and gave the queen a quiet nod. The hand squeezed her shoulder, comfortingly, and never left.

Madam Dehla’s line of questioning was far less harsh and accusatory. She focused her questions on Adora’s role in the rebellion, the things she had accomplished thus far, and how well she got along with kids amongst other things. By the end, Adora almost forgot about Sir Kippa and his hard glare.

“It is of my opinion that Adora, the one known as She-Ra, Princess of Power, is more than fit to marry Princess Catra of Halfmoon.” The Magicat woman announced at the end of her questioning. Most of the other members of the council nodded their heads in agreement, and the few that didn’t had no inclination to openly defy that opinion. They feared a combination of both their queen C’yra’s wrath, and the wrath of an angry teenage girl who just happened to also be the Princess of Brightmoon.

“I second that opinion.” C’yra proclaimed with a wide smile as she stood from her throne. Murmurs of agreements broke out across the crowd. She made her way over to Adora and Catra, standing directly in front of them. To Adora’s right stood Glimmer and Angella while to Catra’s left Entrapta sat patiently on Emily’s back.

“Princess Catra, will you please take Adora’s hands?” C’yra spoke in a soft tone, giving her daughter a reassuring smile. Shaky hands clasped onto Adora’s. The young woman turned completely to her left so she was fully facing Catra. The young Magicat looked nervous for the first time she set foot in the throne room, and Adora was sure that the petrified look was reflected on her own face.

“Princess Catra.” Catra wrenched her gaze away from Adora with incredible effort, focusing on her mother. “Do you vow to protect and honor Adora as her wife, to hold and love her, through the good and the bad, until the end of your days?”

“I, Princess Catra of Halfmoon, vow to protect and honor you, Adora, as your wife, to hold and love you, through the good and the bad, until the end of my days.” The small smirk that spread on Catra’s face almost made Adora forget her own name. The young Magicat’s beautiful eyes were piercing and full of love, even if there was a small trace of nervousness left.

“Adora.” She violently pivoted her head to look at the queen, barely managing to stop herself from snapping into a salute. “Do you vow to protect and honor Catra as her wife, to hold and love her, through the good and the bad, until the end of your days?”

With much less sureness than Catra, Adora stammered, “I, Adora, vow to protect and honor you, Princess Catra of Halfmoon, as your wife, to hold and love you, through the good and the bad, until the end of my days.”

Catra was beaming at her now. Adora could see the small wells of tears that were building up in the corner of her eyes. A rush of warmth surged through the young woman’s body, and her grip on Catra’s hands tightened.

“Are there any objections to this union?” C’yra asked, a hard glare in her eyes as she analysed the crowd. No one dared to make a sound under her intense gaze. “Then, by the power given to me through the Tiger’s Eye, I pronounce you wife and wife. You may now kiss each other.”

Catra tugged hard on Adora’s hands until their lips met in a searing kiss. The loud cheering of the crowd was reduced to nothing as Adora reached up and gingerly cupped the side of Catra’s face and deepened the kiss.

Her first kiss with her wife.

Chapter Text

When Catra and Adora pulled apart an eternity later, the roar of the crowd was almost deafening. The young women just stood there for a moment, their bodies facing each other with their hands clasped tightly between them. Catra snickered, quietly, and leaned in closer to Adora so that their headpieces were touching. The rest of the world seemed to fade away until it was just the two of them, staring deeply into each other’s eyes.

“Adora, Catra.” C’yra’s voice brought them back to the present. Both girls snapped their heads up to look at the queen, who smirked at them and gestured off to the side at King Milo, who was holding two sets of Magicat royal robes in his arms. One set was red with gold accents while the other was white with gold accents. He quietly made his way over to his daughter and gently placed the white and gold robes over her shoulders, making sure they fit correctly before giving her a proud smile and a quick kiss on her forehead. Turning to his new daughter-in-law, Milo held up the other robe for her and helped her slip into it, fastening it so that her dress could still be seen underneath. He leaned in once more, pressing a kiss to Adora’s forehead which caused her to startle. He pulled back with a light chuckle. The king stepped back so he was at his wife’s side, clasping one of her hands in his and gesturing to the newly-wedded couple with the other.

“I present to you, Princesses Catra and Adora of Halfmoon!” Milo spoke with an authoritative voice, something that Adora rarely heard from him. The cheers were back, louder than ever as the gathered crowd showered them with joy. Adora shuffled her feet awkwardly, eyes glued to the floor as she began to feel out of place once more. Catra bumped her lightly with her shoulder, dragging her attention back up.

“It’s all for you, Adora.” Catra said in a hushed tone, giving her a gentle smile. “They already knew I was Princess of Halfmoon, so this is them cheering for you.” A clawed hand was placed securely on the middle part of her back, rubbing up and down, soothingly. Adora allowed herself to take it all in. She looked around the crowd, basking in the smiling faces and the excited eyes. Bow, Sea Hawk, and Perfuma were crying while Mermista looked upon them with genuine delight. Adora leaned to the side, slightly, until her temple rested on Catra’s, drawing her attention to their friends’ antics. She could feel the vibration of a chuckle spread through her wife’s body.

The robes were soft, Adora noted. She could get used to wearing them. A slight pang of dread surged through her body for a split second. She was now technically a crown princess of Halfmoon, yet she didn’t grow up with Magicat culture and still knew very little about it. Adora didn’t want to do anything to offend anyone or disrespect their way of life. She quietly pinned that thought in her head, vowing to bring it up to Catra later. After all, C’yra had told her that communication was key in any relationship and Adora wanted to be better at it. For Catra.

“Now, before we send them off to the Tiger’s Eye, I have a gift... for both of you,” C’yra words were intended for the newly-married couple, but said loud enough that the entire crowd could hear. On cue, King Milo walked forward with a large, folded bundle of cloth in his hands. He carefully placed it into Catra’s arms. Adora peered down at it as the young magicat began to unfold it. It was Catra’s last patch of quilt, a stitched picture of two interlocked Magicat head pieces--one red and one gold.

“Mom…” Catra looked up at her mother with a loving expression, words failing to describe her gratitude. C’yra gave her another smile back.

“Keep going, there’s more.” She urged, gesturing down at the cloth.

Hesitantly, Catra lifted up the piece of quilt. Beneath it was another piece of quilt, almost exactly the same as Catra’s. However, the headpieces were swapped so the gold one was on the left and the red one was on the right. The cloth was also blue instead of grey like Catra’s. Set carefully in the middle of this piece of quilt was a framed picture of Catra and Adora. It was from the first night they stayed in Catra’s room. They were asleep outside on the patch of roof beneath the window. Both girls were curled up, laid out on their side with their hands extended in front of them. Adora’s hand was resting, softly, over Catra’s.

“Wha—you framed this for us?” Catra was slightly speechless. C’yra grinned, widely.

“Yes, and this piece of quilt is the start of Adora’s.” Adora’s eyes shot up to C’yra’s, wide with shock. A heavy hand fell on her shoulder and she whipped her head around to be met with the smiling face of Milo.

“Think of it as a ‘Welcome to the family’ gift.” He spoke gently, for only them to hear.

Something in Adora’s heart snapped into place, and she suddenly threw her arms around Catra’s father’s neck. Luckily, he seemed to be expecting it and quickly steadied her, arms positioned across her back to support her. Adora’s body was trembling hard, so King Milo repositioned them so Adora was out of view of the rest of the room; only the people on the throne platform and the council behind them could see her shaking.

Entrapta, Glimmer, and Angella made their way over from the other side of the stage, making a show in front of the crowd as they studied the quilt pieces and the framed picture. Catra was watching her wife, carefully monitoring her reactions, but King Milo locked eyes with her and gave her a quick nod, letting her know that Adora was fine.

“I’m sorry..” Adora whispered hoarsely into the man’s shoulder, attempting to pull away in embarrassment. The king shook his head, gently pulling her back into his chest.

“No need for that. I will never object to a hug, especially from my family.” Adora made a quiet whine and wrapped her arms harder around Milo, her forehead pressed into his shoulder.

He quietly hummed the same lullaby Catra would hum to her when she woke up panicking after a night terror, or after a particularly hard day. For a moment, Adora felt like she was a little girl again, innocent and naive to the hurt around her.

It was a few more moments before Adora fully pulled away from him. She gave him a shy smile, receiving a charming, Milo smile in return. He gently led her back to Catra. The young Magicat looked relieved to see her and wasted no time grabbing Adora’s hand for a comforting squeeze.

“I think it is about time that Princess Adora and Princess Catra travel down to the Tiger’s Eye,” C’yra announced to the crowd, causing a joyous uproar in agreements. “Their sponsors will lead them out. In the meantime, this ceremony is cause for great celebration! So everyone please feel free to join me in the ballroom for food, drinks and music.”

Entrapta, Emily, Catra, Glimmer, and Adora all made their way off of the stage. Catra and Adora still had their hands interlocked, never shy about the affection they shared. As they walked off the platform and towards the door to the Throne room, flower petals began raining down on them. The citizens of Halfmoon had taken it upon themselves to congratulate them by tossing flower petals onto the couple. The orphans were out of their seats and keeping pace with Adora and Catra, waving excitedly while some of them tossing petals over the railing. Catra gave them an excited wave back which only encouraged their actions further. Adora chuckled and fondly kissed her wife’s cheek.

When they were out of the Throne Room, all four women let out a loud sigh and Emily made a mechanical powering down noise.

“Spirits, that Kippa dude can go eat shit!” Glimmer growled. Adora coughed out an odd, tense laugh in response while Catra rolled her eyes.

“Mom’s been trying to get him off the council for years, but she never had enough concrete proof of his bigotry.” She crossed her arms over her chest while Entrapta shrugged next to her.

“He was not very intelligent. I studied his body language when he was speaking. I’ll write up an analysis report and give you each a copy.” The three young women cringed slightly.

“Uh, thank you Entrapta. That’s… very kind,” Adora stated. Entrapta beamed at her and they continued their journey through the winding halls of Halfmoon. The Tiger’s Eye was situated underneath the castle, and while Catra had never been allowed into the room, she had a general knowledge of where it was. The chatter between them all faded as they kept walking. Catra knew when they were getting closer, and it showed in her body language. With each passing minute, Catra’s body got more and more tense. Her mom had never told her much about the ceremony to get powers; all the young woman knew was that she would be met by a spirit of one of her ancestors who would give her her powers.

“Are you nervous?” Adora asked quietly as they began to walk down the stairs towards the cave underneath the castle.

Catra considered for a moment lying to Adora and telling her that she was fine, but ended up abandoning that thought and responding, “Very.”

Adora squeezed her hand in acknowledgement. “I’m not quite sure how to help you,” Adora stuttered out, guilt seeping through her tone.

“You’re already helping me so much just by being here with me,” Catra reassured her wife. The corner’s of Adora’s lips curled up into a small smile and her grip on Catra’s hand got stronger, more confident.

The stairs were steep and meandering. More than once Catra had to reach over and grab Adora around the waist to keep her from falling. Entrapta was having a field day collecting samples of moss from the old, stoney walls that surrounded them. Glimmer wasn’t as impressed. She kept complaining about how she could’ve just teleported them to the Tiger’s Eye but C’yra had made it clear that the walk was tradition and must not be done by teleporting. At the bottom of the stairs was an old stone door that looked thousands of years old. Catra pushed it open and they were all immediately hit with a dewy, wet smell. The door led into a small chamber of a cave that barely held the four of them. At the far end of the chamber was a hole just big enough for a person to squeeze through, a golden light shining through it that allowed them to see their surroundings.

“This is where we leave you,” Entrapta said, glumly. “C’yra informed me that I could not go into the Tiger’s Eye cavern because she doesn’t want me to do testing on it.”

“That’s… probably for the best.” Glimmer chuckled.

“Alright…let’s go, Adora.” Catra’s voice wavered just slightly, but enough to alert the others in the room to her nerves.

“Wait, I’m coming with you?” Adora queried, her eyes widening significantly. Catra gave her a soft look, holding out a hand for her wife to take. Adora quickly took it and the young Magicat pulled her forward so their foreheads were touching.

“The spouse always communicates to the spirits of the Tiger’s Eye, too.” Adora tensed slightly in Catra’s arms. “Don’t worry. They won’t question you like before. They only give advice.” Adora nodded, hesitantly.

“Spirits, now that you’re married you two are going to be even more insufferable, aren’t you?” Glimmer scoffed, crossing her arms with a fond, playful smirk.

Adora blushed while Catra stuck her tongue out at Glimmer.

“It is quite fascinating how often Catra makes Adora blush. I’ve been counting ever since we were introduced and I—“

“You should tell Glimmer all about it.” Catra interrupted with a sly smirk directed at the Princess of Brightmoon. “Adora and I have to go talk to my dead relatives.” Glimmer frowned and shot the Magicat girl a death glare. Before Glimmer could open her mouth to say something, Catra tugged on Adora’s hand and pulled her towards the small opening. She helped her wife squeeze through it first, then followed directly behind her. She snickered to herself when she heard Entrapta’s voice reverberating throughout the small chamber that only she and Glimmer occupied now. When she directed her attention in front of her, her laughter stopped and she let out an awed gasp.

The Tiger’s Eye was huge, probably double the size of any of the other runestones. It was a mix of gold and brown in color, and it looked glossy as it shined. The light that came off of it was a beautiful gold, bathing them in its rays. Adora stood slightly in front of her wife and the light hit her in such a way that Catra’s legs went weak. Her ocean blue eyes were trained in front of her at the magnificent stone, the golden hue to the light of the room making them pop even more than usual. Catra stepped forward and wrapped her arms snuggly around Adora from behind, breathing in her scent. The young woman relaxed slightly into the embrace, sagging backwards and trusting in her wife to keep her upright. Catra placed a feather-like kiss in the spot between Adora’s neck and shoulder making her sigh.

“What do we do now?” Adora asked, twisting her body around slightly so she could look Catra in the eyes.

“We go over there and press our foreheads to it… I’m not sure if we’ll be able to see each other once we do it.” Adora nodded stiffly, trying her best to not let her worry show too much.

“Are you ready?” She asked, pressing a hesitant kiss on Catra’s jaw. Initiating affection was still difficult for her.

“Mmhm.” Catra hummed in response, the beating of her heart elevating as she reluctantly pulled herself away from Adora. “I’m ready.”

Hand in hand they made their way over to the Tiger’s Eye. The couple knelt down next to each other and with one last loving look, they leaned forward.

Adora felt wooshed forward. It felt like she was falling without a net to catch her. Her head spun and she felt sick. Suddenly it all stopped, leaving her standing in a beautiful meadow filled with different flowers. There was a stream just adjacent to where she was standing. Adora walked forward and knelt down by the stream, watching as fish darted around just below the water’s surface. It was peaceful...serene even.

“Welcome, Princess Adora.” A soft voice interrupted her thoughts, causing her to jump up and whip around. Standing across from her was a young Magicat Queen. Her hair was black like C’yra’s and pulled back into a messy ponytail. Her eyes, shockingly, were heterochromic like Catra’s. One was a light green color and the other was a golden yellow. The fur that covered her body was tan, slightly darker than Catra’s. She was wearing a set of royal robes that weren’t too different from those that Adora was wearing. The Magicat Queen was tall, much taller than either C’yra or Catra. Adora immediately bowed her head, her breath picking up slightly as the nerves hit her body in full force.

“Hello ma’am… er, I mean your majesty, Uhm, Queen?” The Magicat spirit chuckled quietly. Adora could hear the sweeping sound of her robes against the grassy floor as she walked closer. A clawed hand was gently placed on Adora’s shoulder.

“Please, my name is C’yra. You may call me that.” Adora’s eyes light up.

“C’yra, like The Queen C’yra from the story book?” The spirit nodded, a modest smile taking over her face.

“Yes it seems like my reign over Halfmoon was quite popular. Though, I half suspect that is due to Mara’s presence.” Adora’s eyes widened, comically.

“Mara?! That’s the name that Madam Razz kept calling me…” Her voice trailed off, confused.

“Mara was the last She-Ra before you,” C’yra explained, her voice somber. “We were… close.”

“In the story, it was said that she sacrificed herself…?” Adora looked up at C’yra again for comfirmation.

The queen sighed. “Yes, that is true. However, I am not here to talk to you about Mara; you will learn more of her in due time. I am here to talk to you about you, Adora.”

Slight disappointment pooled in Adora’s stomach. She wanted to know more about Mara and why she had to sacrifice herself… if all She-Ra’s had to do that in the end. However, she didn’t want to jeopardize Catra’s connection to the runestone by arguing with the queen’s spirit, so she glumly nodded her head.

“What do you want to talk about?” Adora asked, quietly. C’yra gave her a faint smile.

“Come with me, we have a lot to talk about.” Adora obeyed, dutifully following the queen further into the meadow until they reached the middle of the grassy field. On the ground was a blanket with two steaming cups of tea and a basket full of sugary treats. “Please, sit.”

Adora sat and C’yra followed suit, gingerly picking up her cup of tea, blowing on it softly before taking a sip. Adora copied her and was delighted by the slightly bitter taste of the drink.

“I’ve been watching you, Adora.” The queen commented, taking another sip of tea. “That is to say, I have been watching over you for some time now..”

Adora cocked her head, confused. “Why would you do that?”

“We only know of destiny and I knew it was your destiny to be married to Catra. I, also, knew it was your destiny to be She-Ra. I wanted to make sure you were… good enough.” Adora bowed her head, ashamed of what she had done that likely made her miss the mark.

“Are you here to tell me to stay away?” Adora asked hoarsely and the spirit’s eyes widened with shock. She shook her head, a heavy hand reaching out and falling on Adora’s shoulder again.

“No. I’m here to tell you that I’m proud of you.” Adora’s head shot up as she looked at the woman incredulously. C’yra continued, “Your life has been nothing but torment, neglect, and abuse yet here you are: one of the most powerful beings in the universe. You are such a selfless person, Adora, a good person. I tried to remind you how strong you were at times. Do you remember what Catra told you the meaning of a gladiolus flower was?”

“Strength…” Adora felt like she was being hit with one shock after another, realization striking her like a lightning bolt. “That was you?”

C’yra hummed in response, rubbing her thumb across Adora’s shoulder. “Yes, I did that. I needed to make sure you understood that you are a strong person, Adora. Taking on your abuser in such a fashion is no small feat, and to do it multiple times… I cannot imagine how hard this has been for you.”

Adora gulped, a small lump forming in her throat. A flash of what happened in Mystericor popped up in her mind, followed quickly by images of Shadow Weaver throughout her life. She looked down at her hands which were cradling the tea cup gently. “Yeah,” her voice shook, “yeah… it’s been difficult.”

“I have advice, if you’d like to hear it.” C’yra was watching her sympathetically. Adora glanced up and nodded, straightening herself up so she sat tall, hoping that her bravado would turn into true confidence.

“My advice to you is to be patient with yourself. Know that you are worthy of love and worthy of life, and allow yourself to be helped when you forget it. You’ve been through a lot, Adora, and you can’t will it away. Let yourself open up to people who you trust. I believe you’ve already begun this road.” Adora blushed, thinking back to her conversation with the current Queen C’yra. “Also know that it is alright to make mistakes. Everyone does. We’re all fallible.”

***

Catra felt like she was being yanked forward and stuck her hands out in front of her to break her fall. However, when she opened her eyes her feet were placed securely on the ground. Catra stood in the Whispering Woods in an open clearing, large trees and brush surrounding her. On the opposite end of the clearing, a figure was walking towards her out of the darkness. It took her a second to focus in, but she gasped as she realized who stood before her.

“Grandma..” Catra breathed out, her eyes widening. The woman in front of her chuckled and held her head up high, her calculating pale blue eyes giving Catra a once over. Her hair was dark brown like Catra’s, her fur pale like C’yra’s. She looked young, practically identical to the portrait of her wedding that the younger Magicat grew up with. She would stare at for hours, asking her grandfather all the small details of what her grandmother was like when she was alive.

“It’s nice to finally meet the beautiful child they named after me.” Queen Catra of Halfmoon stated, opening her arms wide for her granddaughter. Catra quickly rushed forward and wrapped her arms around the woman, burying her face in a strong shoulder. “I’ve spoken to your mother many times about you, y’know.”

“You’ve spoken to mom?” Catra pulled her head back and looked at her grandmother, confused. The older woman chuckled softly, reaching a claw up to Catra’s forehead and brushing away loose hair from her face.

“Your mother comes here periodically to ask for my advice, or for advice of another past queen depending on the issue. I will admit that sometimes we stray from the topic on hand and we end up talking about you and your father.” Queen Catra smiled as her granddaughter blushed.

“I didn’t know she did that...” Catra spoke softly as she pulled away from the older Magicat’s arms.

“You will be able to do the same, anytime you’d like.” Her grandmother responded with a large, charming smile on her face.

Catra nodded and studied the other Magicat for a long moment. “Are you the one that’s going to give me my powers?”

Queen Catra’s smile widened exponentially, “Yes, I was granted the honor of bestowing you with your abilities. I did the same with your mother, though I will admit that she was a bit of a mess. I think seeing me so soon after my untimely death hurt her more than she was willing to admit.”

“Why are you telling me this?” Catra queried, hesitant to hear the answer. She knew her mother had taken her own mother’s death hard, her father had told her as much. Though, since she had never known her mom to be a mess, it was a hard concept to digest.

“I want you to understand that your mother feels things deeper than you think she does. C’yra has always had issues showing her sadness or her hurt, as she believes it to be her weakness. She was bestowed the gift of fire because of her fiery temper, something that I’ve been told she passed down to you.” There was a slight twinkle in her grandmother’s eye as she locked them with Catra’s, whose face turned a light pink color. “However, I’ve also been told that you’re kindhearted, benevolent, and loving. You’ve shown people--both young and old--warmth and kindness, no matter their status or profession. I want to thank you for that, Catra.”

Catra flushed an even darker color, glancing away for a moment.“I… It’s nothing, really. I like to help people.”

“You do. I can tell it’s from a place of good and not a place of fraudulence. This is an incredibly unstable time for Etheria. This war has gone on for far too long and has cost many of us too much. It cost me my life which robbed your mother of her mother, and you the chance to know your grandmother growing up. I know of your wife, Adora, and how this war has cost her her childhood.” Catra’s head lowered as a sharp pang of hurt spread throughout her chest. She remembered being just a kitten and looking up at the portrait of her grandmother, watching as her mother’s face contorted into a painful expression. She felt the harsh, intense heat of the fire on the boat in Salineas brushing her legs. She could feel the numbness that took over her body after she had been almost electrocuted to death on the cold, concrete floor of the Black Garnet’s chamber. She could feel Adora’s arms trembling around her as she sobbed uncontrollably after waking up in a panic.

A hand fell onto her shoulder, shaking her out of her dark thoughts. Queen Catra looked down at her empathetically with a small smile.

“It is an ancient Magicat tale that those born with different colored eyes are destined for greatness. I know that you will end this war, Catra. You are an expert strategist, an excellent warrior, and frighteningly intelligent. Your mother seeks to protect you, we both know this. I blame my own death for her fear. However, the power that you will be bestowed, once you are able to master it, will become a leader in this rebellion and fight side by side with your wife.” Catra’s eyebrows furrowed in determination. The war needed to end, and she would do anything to make sure that happened.

“What is my power?”

***

Adora came into her body with a jolt. She was still kneeling next to the Tiger’s Eye, Catra’s knees touching hers. Queen C’yra’s words repeated in her head on loop, giving her a new perspective on the events of the past few months. It had been C’yra the First who guided Adora to the flower. She had been watching over her like a guardian even before she had gotten married to Catra. A surge of warmth filled her chest as she thought about it. Someone had been looking over her all this time, even if she couldn’t see it. Adora could remember times when she was in too much pain to get up for a meal, and she would find a grey ration bar on the side of her cot when she woke up from loss of consciousness. She wondered if that had been C’yra, too, or if it had been Lonnie? Maybe it was a mix of both.

Catra suddenly gave a loud gasp, her eyes widening as she drew away from stone and interrupted Adora’s thoughts.

“Catra!” Adora lurched forward and wrapped her wife in her arms. Catra gave a light chuckle in response, returning the embrace easily. “Who’d you talk to? Did you get your powers? It is something dumb? It’s probably something sexy and awesome, isn’t it?? Oh man you have to tell me! What is—”

“Adora!” Catra laughed as she interrupted her partner’s rambling. “I talked to my grandmother, and yes I got my powers. They’re… I’m not quite sure what they are but I can show you, I think.”

Adora scooted backwards to allow Catra some room to show off her power. Her spouse took a deep breath in and shut her eyes, her hand reaching out in front of her. With a quick flick of a finger, a small pebble that sat in between them shot up to the ceiling of the Tiger’s Eye cavern. Adora’s eyes widened and she quickly turned her gaze to Catra’s face.

“I can feel the energy of objects and manipulate it to whatever I want.” Catra explained, softly. “When I work at it I will be able to lift people, sense danger, even heal people to a certain extent… among other things.”

“Woah.” Adora’s eyes were cartoonishly wide, completely in awe of her partner. “That’s… you’re… that’s hot.”

“Adora!” Catra snickered and playfully smacked the young woman in the shoulder. Her face softened slightly as she left her hand on Adora’s shoulder.

“Did you... what happened to you?” Catra inquired. Adora gave her a small smile.

“I talked to your mother’s namesake, the first Queen C’yra.” This time it was Catra’s eyes that widened.

“You talked to Queen C’yra.” Her wife rushed out, scooting closer to Adora. “What was she like? You have to tell me everything.” Adora reached out and cupped Catra’s cheeks, peering into her lover’s heterochromic eyes.

“I think we should talk about it later, everyone’s probably waiting for us.” Catra nodded in understanding, but Adora could see the glint of disappointment in her eyes. “I will tell you one thing, though.” Catra perked up, staring at her with a hopeful expression.

“She reminded me of you.”

***

Both Glimmer and Entrapta demanded to see Catra’s powers as soon as the couple had squeezed through the chamber’s hole, but the young Magicat refused to show them until they got back to the party. The walk back up to the ballroom was long and tiring, and seemed to be even longer than it was on the way down somehow. Glimmer gave a sigh of relief as the finally exited the tunnels back into the palace proper. The double doors to the ballroom were shut as they approached them, but the four women could hear the music and laughter from inside.

“You ready?” Catra asked, holding out her arm for Adora to take.

“I feel like I should be asking you that.” Adora laughed nervously. Catra shook her head and leaned over to press a long kiss on Adora’s cheek.

“No need. I was born ready for this.” There was a steadfast determination in Catra’s voice that made her wife shiver with anticipation, a surge of warmth traveling through her body.

Entrapta pushed the doors open with her hair. Everyone seemed to stop and turn to look at the newly married couple, their gazes full of curiosity and excitement. As the group continued to walk forward, the crowd parted easily for them, words of affirmation and encouragement for all the women filtering through the air. At the very end of the room, four thrones sat on a lifted platform. They were less fancy than the ones in the throne room, but they made Adora gasp nevertheless. C’yra sat in the middle left throne, which was also the biggest, Milo sat on the one next to her at the end. Catra led Adora up the stairs to the platform and helped her into the far right throne as she took the throne next to her mother in the middle right.

Adora sucked in a breath, clutching onto the arm of her throne tight. It all felt extremely surreal to her. The way that Halfmoon, with few exceptions, had full heartedly taken her in as one of their own without judgement hit Adora hard. She had to work to keep tears at bay as she looked out into the crowd of smiling faces. Smiling faces that she was extra determined to protect. A tanned, clawed hand settled itself over Adora’s. Glancing to the side, Adora locked eyes with the brilliant smile of her wife. Catra leaned over.

“I can’t wait for later…” Warm, sweet breath tickled her ear. “When we’re alone.” Catra leaned in even further and niped Adora’s ear softly before retreating back into her seat. A bright, vibrant red color painted Adora’s cheeks. She refused to look at her partner in fear of blushing even more but she could hear Catra’s amused snickering.

“Princess Adora and Princess Catra have returned from the Tiger’s Eye!” C’yra announced to the crowd as she stood. “I’m sure we’re all wondering what gifts the spirits have bestowed upon my daughter. Catra…” The queen turned to look at her heir. Catra smirked and stood. She didn’t say anything, just raised one of her hands and closed her eyes, directing all of her focus on a bouquet of flowers clear across the ballroom. Catra gritted her teeth and pulled her hand closer to her chest, the flowers bolting across the ballroom and into her hand at the same time.

“Holy shit.” C’yra stated plainly, her eyes wide with shock. Catra gave her mother an amused smile and walked over to her wife, gently placing the bouquet into Adora’s lap. They were red roses. The young woman smiled and lifted them up to her face to smell--the color of the roses matched the blush that spread across her cheeks.

The crowd was quiet for a long moment before they broke out in loud, celebratory, cheers. Catra could see Glimmer’s eyes, wide with awe and Entrapta’s curious expression from their position at the bottom of the stairs that lead up to the throne platform. After a few minutes, the crowd died down and the music turned back on. Catra could see Adora eyeing the dance floor, apprehensively. The young Magicat’s heart dropped when she remembered the last time they had danced together. Catra stood up suddenly, startling Adora a slightly in the process. She stuck a hand out in front of Adora’s seat.

“May I have this dance?” Her wife’s eyes narrowed, a small smirk growing on her face. Adora took the hand and let herself be led down the stairs and to the dance floor.

“Catra!” Glimmer’s voice rang out. The couple turned slightly to find the Princess of Brightmoon rushing towards them with Entrapta hot on her trail. They skidded to a stop in front of them a determined look on Glimmer’s face. “That was crazy! Your powers are going to be a key element to helping the rebellion defeat the Horde!” There was a clear excitement in her tone.

“From my calculation… Catra has the potential to be the most powerful princess in the rebellion besides She-Ra.” Entrapta stated factually, which caused a cocky smile to spread across the Magicat princess’s face.

“When me and Adora get back from our honeymoon, I have some changes to our strategy that I would like to talk to your mother and the rest of the rebellion about.” Catra proclaimed, tugging Adora closer to her chest. Glimmer’s eyes narrowed at her slightly, yet she nodded her head.

“We’ll talk about it at the next meeting… you’ll be back for that won’t you?” Catra thought about it a moment.

“Yes, probably.”

“Adora! Catra!” It was Bow calling out for them, now. Behind him were Sea Hawk, Mermista, Perfuma and Princess Frosta from the Kingdom of Snows. His blinding smile put Catra at ease. Bow stopped in front of them and put a hand on both Adora and Catra’s shoulders. “Firstly, congratulations. You both look beautiful and those powers! You’re officially a badass now, Catra.” The young woman ducked her head and gave him a smile. “Secondly, I have someone here who would like a word with you.” He motioned behind himself to the youngest princess who stood towards the back of the group, shifting her feet awkwardly.

“Princess Frosta.” Catra acknowledged, slightly stunned. The young girl bowed her head to both her and Adora.

“Your mother extended an invitation to me for this ceremony. I will admit I was nervous at first, given that our first impressions of each other were not great. I wanted to come here to apologize to you… all of you. I was too focused on Princess Prom to see the real danger in front of us and by ignoring it, I caused you all great harm. I already apologized to the rest of the rebellion, so I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.” The small princess did seem genuinely guilty. It was hard for her to look Catra, Adora, or Glimmer in the eyes. Adora didn’t seem to know what to say but she did seem sympathetic towards the girl. Glimmer’s face was pulled tight and she was glaring at Frosta, harshly. It was Catra who broke the awkward tension. She, gingerly, squatted down slightly so she and Frosta were at the same eye level and held out one of her hands for the younger princess to take. The young girl hesitantly accepted the hand, her eyes boring into Catra’s.

“I forgive you. I understand why you did what you did and I, for one, would be overjoyed to have you join us in the Rebellion. In fact, I think Glimmer would love to show you around Halfmoon.” Frosta’s eyes lit up and she was practically vibrating with excitement. Glimmer shot Catra a death glare.

“Really?” The young girl asked, Catra chuckled and nodded.

“Right Glimmer?” Glimmer huffed and crossed her arms, turning away.

“Sure.”

“I’ll join!” Bow squealed, rubbing his hands together. Perfuma squealed with him.

“Ugh… I wanted to get the tour from Catra but Glimmer’s fine I guess…” Mermista crossed her arms, her eyebrows turned down in slight disappointment. Glimmer scoffed, crossing her arms, offended.

“Don’t worry Mermista! I know all the secret passages around the castle and I can tell you the entire history of Halfmoon!” Entrapta grinned and Mermista sighed.

“Oh, joy.”

“Mermista, we’re coming back to Salineas with you for our honeymoon. You can spend an hour with Glimmer.” Catra winked. Mermista gave the Magicat girl a wicked grin.

“Oh. I’m flattered. Good choice.” It was Seahawk’s turn to squeal.

Adora’s eyebrows furrowed and she leaned in closer to Catra to whisper, “What’s a honeymoon?” Catra giggled.

“You’ll find out soon, I promise.” Catra whispered into her wife’s ear. For the umpteenth time that day, Adora blushed.

“Ew, okay. They’re flirting. Time to go!” Glimmer fake gagged, grabbing Frosta’s hand and practically dragging her out of the ballroom while Perfuma covered the youngest princess’s eyes--the rest of the rebellion following.

Once they were out of sight, Catra turned fully towards Adora and wrapped her arms snugly about the young woman’s shoulders.

“Thank God, now we can finally dance.”

Adora smiled brightly and moved her hands to Catra’s waist. The two slowly swayed to the music for a while along with the other couples on the dance floor. Catra looked up once to see her parents dancing close to them, C’yra’s forehead resting against Milo’s. Her eyes were closed and there was a content smile on her face. Her father looked just as happy--he was clearly singing along to the slow song. Catra thought back to her grandmother’s words about her mother. Her heart hurt for C’yra. As much as she and Catra had their oppositions, the princess couldn’t imagine not having her mom for guidance at this time of her life. She made a quick note to make sure she spoke with C’yra before they left for Salineas.

“Princess Catra!” A small voice broke her out of her thoughts. There was a light tug at her dress pants. Catra looked down to see Celia peering back up at her with her innocent green eyes. She glanced at Adora for a split second, clearly asking permission to let the orphan girl into their slow dance. A wide, riant smile spread across her wife’s face as she nodded. Catra leaned down and lifted Celia up into her arms.

“Hey, little one. Where’s the rest of your friends?” Celia gestured to the side. Cantra glanced over and sure enough all the orphans were standing there, watching the interaction carefully. Catra laughed, “Well don’t just stand there! Come dance!”

The group of children happily surged forward. Adora picked up Yarrow and the young Magicat boy blushed hard, smiling softly at the new Princess of Halfmoon. A faster paced song began to play; Catra and Adora both swayed to the beat while the orphans copied them, carefully. Celia laughed gleefully, holding tight to Catra’s neck while Yarrow hid his face and his blush into Adora’s. They danced with the children for a long time. Eventually, the rebellion came back from Glimmer and Entrapta’s tour of the castle and wasted no time in joining the dance circle. Entrapta had a few older orphans around her, explaining to them in great detail the circuit board in Emily, who sat patiently next to Entrapta. Glimmer and Bow were holding hands with a few of the children, spinning around in a circle and laughing, loudly. Perfuma was creating flowers in everyone’s hair, doing her best to match their outfits or compliment them. At some point, Angella joined them--the orphans were extremely interested in her wings. Frosta was blushing while one of the older orphan’s talked animatedly to her. Some of the magicat orphans were running around Seahawk in circles while he told them a story about one of his ‘great adventures’. Surprisingly, Mermista stood patiently while the children climbed all over her, giggling to each other as they played with her hair.

Eventually, Madam Magnolia found them, apologizing profusely as she led them away. Catra took it upon herself to introduce Adora to the members of her family that had shown up--including some cousins that had come back from their positions as soldiers just to celebrate the wedding. The sheer amount of family that Catra had made Adora’s head dizzy. As a girl who had grown up with no family, seeing Catra’s close bond to so many people both hurt and reaffirmed that Adora was in the right place, a safe place.

Before they knew it, it was the end of the night and the party was dying down. Soon, only the members of the Rebellion were left in the ballroom.

“Mom! I think we’re gonna turn in for the night, we’re getting tired.” Catra fake yawned, her hand gripping Adora’s protectively. Mermista scoffed from behind them.

“Yeah, right. We all know you aren’t sleeping tonight.” The princess of Salineas muttered so only she and the newly wed couple could hear.

“Alright, Catra.” C’yra gave her daughter a tired smile, walking over and pressing a kiss to both Catra and Adora’s foreheads. “Don’t be too loud. I’ll remind Ashli to knock in the morning.”

Both girl’s faces heated up with matching bright red cheeks. Milo, who was standing a few steps away, laughed loudly.

“Honey, don’t tease them too much. We were just as bad.” Catra’s face twisted up into disgust which caused both her parents to laugh, loudly.

“ANYWAY! Adora and I are going to bed, we’ll see you all in the morning.” Catra lifted up her arm for Adora to loop hers around, the young woman happily complied.

“Seriously! Don’t be too loud my room is right next to yours!” Glimmer called out after them. Catra stuck her arm high up into the air, flipping the Princess of Brightmoon off. As soon as they were out of the ballroom, both girls looked at each other and giggled. They laughed as they ran towards Catra’s room wearing matching smiles, hands intertwined. Once they were in sight of the familiar door, Catra stopped abruptly, Adora skidding to a stop beside her.

“Catra? What is it--” Hungry lips collided with Adora, cutting her off. The young woman couldn’t help but moan softly, returning the kiss with just as much intensity. Catra pushed forward, causing Adora to take a few steps back until her back hit the door to their room. The Magicat princess’s hands lowered until they gripped Adora’s waist. Adora’s hands snaked up and wrapped themselves around her wife’s neck, securely as they continued to make out in the hallway.

Someone cleared their throat which caused them to fly apart, whipping their heads toward the sound.

Ashli stood a few feet away, her face bright red. She was holding a set of sheets close to her body.

“Um, well. Excuse me… I have to go… uh…” The older Magicat ducked her head down and rushed past them towards the guest rooms further down the hall.

“Fuck,” Catra breathed out, chuckling quietly. She took a step forward so her front rubbed up against Adora’s and she leaned over, resting her forehead against the young woman’s. “That was kinda embarrassing.”

Adora hummed in response, her hands reaching out and rubbing up and down Catra’s sides. “Maybe we should go inside your room.” The girl’s bright blue eyes were intense as they looked into Catra’s, taking the princess’s breath away with the passion they held.

“You are so hot, it should be illegal.” Catra reached out and fumbled with the door knob, pushing the door open as soon as she got a good grip on it. Adora backpedaled into the room and Catra wasted no time shutting the door and locking it. It was Adora’s turn to push her wife up against the door--though this time they were inside the room so no one could see it. Catra’s hands reached up and cupped the taller girl’s face, stopping her from leaning in and kissing her.

“Are you sure you’re ready for this? I don’t want you to think that I’m forcing you into anything you don’t want, that you have to do this because I am your wife.” Adora nodded eagerly and turned to press a sweet kiss on the inside of Catra’s palm, quieting her fears.

“I want you, Catra. All of you.” The Magicat girl’s eyes darkened and pulled Adora down so their lips crashed against each other again.

“Have you done this before?” Catra panted out between kisses. Adora giggled and nodded, pulling away for a moment to rest her forehead against the other girl’s.

“You’ll never guess with who.” Catra’s eyebrows raised suspiciously.

“I know them?” Adora nodded in confirmation. “I don’t know, tell me.”

Adora leaned in and pressed a kiss to Catra’s neck before raising her head slightly so her lips brushed the tip of Catra’s ear. “Lonnie… like once or twice. We were never together, together. It was more like an experiment.”

Catra’s eyes bulged and her breath got slightly heavier, “I can’t even be mad about that. Lonnie’s hot.” Adora snickered and pressed another kiss to Catra’s neck--this one longer.

“Yeah, she is but so are you.” Catra’s breath hitched, slightly, “What about you? Did you have any lovers before me?”

Catra smirked and nodded, “I was quite the catch in school.” Adora snorted and pulled away from her wife but grabbed her hand, pulling her forward towards the bed. She stumbled slightly as she walked, tripping over the trail of her dress which sent her tumbling down onto the soft bed and Catra wasted no time crawling on top of Adora, straddling her waist.

“Mmhm, my wife is smooth,” Catra laughed, leaning in and connecting their lips again. Adora smiled into the kiss and parted her lips, allowing Catra to deepen it. The young woman’s hands fumbled with the knot of string that kept Catra’s robe tight to her body. Adora eventually untied the knot and the robe fell to the floor.

“Should we pick that up?” Adora murmured against Catra’s lips, Catra shook her head.

“Leave it,” Catra replied, connecting their mouths again. Catra was able to get Adora’s robe off much easier as she was used to untying it. Her robe was placed carefully on the chair next to the bed.

“You’re wearing way too many clothes. They made it easier for you, I’m just in a dress,” Adora muttered, as she tried to untie Catra’s tie--the suit jacket had already been shrugged off leaving Catra in her vest, dress shirt and tie.

“Here, I can do it,” Catra’s clawed hands covered Adora and eased her hands off the tie, nimbly undoing her tie and quickly unbuttoning her vest and dress shirt leaving her in just chest binding and her pants. Adora’s hands reached up and smoothed over the ruffled fur on Catra’s sides, causing the young woman’s abdominal muscles to tense slightly.

“Turn around, Adora, so I can unzip your dress.” Adora tensed underneath her, her eyes going wide as if she had just remembered something. Catra’s eyebrows furrowed, her concern only growing as Adora’s breath got heavier and raspier. The Magicat princess reached over and pressed her hand softly to her wife’s chest as a comforting sturdy reminder that she was right there. The other young woman’s breathing quickly became calmer as Adora focused on the familiar touch instead of her warring thoughts.

“I’m sorry,” Adora squeaked, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, hey,” Catra’s hand traveled up to her wife’s face as she wiped the tears away from Adora’s cheeks, “do you want to stop?” Adora shook her head, violently, a small sob escaping her lips. Catra leaned down and pressed a long kiss to her forehead, “Adora, I understand if you do. Don’t say yes if you feel uncomfortable just because you think I want to do this.”

“I want to,” Adora hiccuped, her hands grabbing Catra’s and holding onto them tight. “I do. I promise.”

“Okay,” Catra breathed out, unsteady. “Do you want to tell me what’s wrong?”

“I… my back,” Adora stammered. “It’s not… it’s ugly.”

Catra arched an eyebrow, looking down at the young woman with an unimpressed expression. “I doubt that.”

“It is. It’s so ugly, Catra,” Another small sob rang out across the room, making Catra’s heart clench. The Magicat girl lifted her bottom half up, off of Adora’s stomach and onto her knees that were placed on either side of Adora’s body.

“Can I flip you over?” Catra asked, sweetly as her hands soothingly ran up and down Adora’s sides. Her wife nodded, hesitantly, as more tears leaked from her eyes. Catra gently turned Adora until she was face down onto the bed and the zipper to her dress seemed to be taunting her. She leaned down and pressed a kiss to the back of Adora’s neck, muttering against the skin, “Can I unzip this?” A hand pressed down on the top of the zipper lightly. Adora shivered and gave a tight nod. Carefully, Catra unzipped the back of Adora’s dress, moving the material away until the young woman was left in just her undergarments. Adora’s back had a myriad of scars, ranging from white, perfectly straight raised lines to angry red Lichtenberg figures from years of abuse from bolts of electricity.

“Oh Adora...” Catra sighed, leaning over until her forehead was resting against the skin between her wife’s shoulder blades.

“I told you, it’s ugly.” Adora whispered into the pillow, her body trembling with humiliation.

“No, Adora. Your back isn’t ugly.” Catra kissed the top of one of the most prominent scars, causing Adora to shudder. “These scars just prove to me that you are the most beautiful, strongest person I’ve ever met.” Catra continued to kiss along Adora’s back until each scar had been gently touched.

“I don’t understand what I did to deserve you,” Adora said in a hoarse, worn out voice. Her eyes filled with unshed tears. No one had ever touched her back so softly before.

Catra moved her body until she had locked eyes with Adora, again. A clawed hand reached out and lovingly brushed some hair back from Adora’s teary face. The Magicat princess leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss against Adora’s lips, tasting the girl’s salty tears.

“You deserve to be treated gently, Adora. You deserve to be loved. Let me prove to you that I can do that, please?” Adora’s tearful blue eyes connected with Catra’s. She gave her wife a small nod. The Magicat princess smiled in response.

“You’re kinda stuck with me forever, now.”

Adora let out a watery laugh, “I think that just may be the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Catra hummed and gave Adora another sweet kiss on the lips.

And she spent the entire night showing Adora how gently she deserved to be treated and how much she was loved.

Chapter Text

In the dark shadows of a Fright zone bunker, Cadet Lonnie leaned against the hard, concrete wall that backed her cot. Her eyes were closed but sleep had evaded her for days now. Her arms were crossed over her chest defensively, her foot tapping anxiously on the end of the bed.

“Lonnie!” A hushed voice whispered from a few feet away. Lonnie jumped, then whipped her head around to where the voice came from.

Scorpia stood in the doorway of the room, a bag clutched tightly in one of her pincers. Looking around to ensure they were alone, she beckoned Lonnie forward with the other. The young woman rolled her eyes, good-naturedly, and hopped off her bed making her way over to Scorpia.

“I brought snacks. I hope you like the grey ration bars better than the brown ones.” Lonnie chuckled.

“Scorpia, everyone likes the grey ration bars better than the brown ones, don’t you know that?” She chuckled, knocking the Force Captain in the shoulder lightly. Scorpia gave her a sheepish smile and they continued to walk through the empty halls of the Fright Zone.

“So, where exactly are we going?” Lonnie asked after a solid few minutes of walking.

“Somewhere we can talk privately. You’ve seemed extremely stressed ever since those princesses got away. It’s not your fault, y’know.” Lonnie felt a pit of guilt begin to build in the bottom of her stomach. She hadn’t told Scorpia about how she literally let Adora get away after she rescued the captives. She didn’t know if she could fully trust the older woman yet.

“Right…” Lonnie trailed off, her eyes fluttering over to the grimy, grease stained walls of the Fright Zone.

Scorpia brought her to a small section of roof that was situated just above Hordak’s Lab. Lonnie had to be hoisted up by the Force Captain so she could climb up onto the ladder that led to the roof. Scorpia was tall enough to get onto the ladder by herself. It wasn’t a hard climb, but it took longer than Lonnie expected--they ended up higher than Lonnie thought they’d be. Once both young women got up onto the roof, Scorpia plopped the bag of grey ration bars in between them, opening it up and shoving one into her mouth.

“So is this like your secret hide-out or something?” Lonnie asked as she leaned back against the metal sheet behind her. She grabbed a ration bar and took a generous bite out of it.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that. I found this place when I was younger, and I come up here sometimes to get away from it all.” Scorpia replied, her usual cheerful tone slightly dimmed.

Lonnie didn’t know how to reply, so she just nodded her head and looked at the ration bar in her hands.

“But y’know…” the cheerful tone was back, “sometimes, if you look through that window, you can see Hordak get mad at something and kick a table.” Scorpia nodded her head behind them, towards a window that sat just adjacent to their seat. Both of them leaned over to the side to look through the small glass pane. Sure enough, Hordak was in there, sat hunched over on a stool as he glared at a bunch of nuts and bolts. Lonnie chuckled.

“I guess the big man isn’t so scary after all, huh?” Scorpia shrugged in response.

“He’s usually too focused on whatever he’s trying to build in there to even attempt to be scary.”

Lonnie nodded and leaned back onto the metal sheet behind her back. “Have you met him? In person and all, I mean.” Scorpia turned and looked at her.

“Yeah? Haven’t you?” Lonnie scoffed and shook her head.

“Nah, they don’t treat us orphans with as much respect. Hordak doesn’t care about any of us. If he did we wouldn’t have put Shadow Weaver in charge.” Scorpia’s eyes narrowed slightly, and her mouth furled into a tight frown.

“You never knew your parents?” Scorpia’s voice was low and rough and her eyes stuck to the floor, not wanting to look her companion in the eyes. Lonnie sighed and placed a comforting hand on Scorpia’s shoulder.

“No… No, I never knew them. Shadow Weaver always told me that I was dropped off here in a basket but I have a hard time believing that after all the destruction I’ve seen the Horde cause… that I’ve caused.” Lonnie slowly retracted her hand and let it drop limply into her lap. Scorpia looked up at her friend with sorrowful eyes.

“I’m so sorry, Lonnie.” Scorpia’s voice wavered.

“It’s not your fault, Scorpia.” Lonnie sucked in a large breath. “You were born into this just like I was.”

Silence filled the air as they looked over the mess of metal that was the Fright Zone. Ugly, green and grey smoke swirled up into the sky, polluting it’s natural blue color. The sound of clanking steel toed boots on the concrete reverberated throughout the builds as a group of Horde soldiers marched towards the warehouse with a new bot. To anyone else, the sight, sound, and smells of the Fright Zone would be horrific, but to Scorpia and Lonnie it was all they’d ever known.

“Have you ever thought about just… leaving?” Lonnie whispered. Scorpia whipped her head around in shock, fixing her with a wide-eyed stare. The tension was thick between them for a long moment.

“No… no I haven’t…” Scorpia cleared her throat and looked down at her swinging feet. “The Horde has always been where I was headed. It’s all I’ve ever known.”

“I think… maybe the Princesses aren’t so bad.” Lonnie wrung her hands together.

“How could you say that?” Scorpia wasn’t angry, nor mad, but fear and confusion were clear in her expression. “We—the princesses are bad, remember? I… they have to be bad! They cast my family out.”

Lonnie turned to lock eyes with Scorpia. “But who told you that?”

Scorpia’s eyes widened even further, and if the situation wasn’t so dire Lonnie might have laughed. In a tight, broken voice Scorpia responded, “Shadow Weaver.”

The loud sound of Hordak’s laboratory door being slammed open interrupted their conversation. Both young women jumped in surprise and looked at each other with wide eyes. They maneuvered their bodies so that they were leaning over the edge of the platform and could see into the window of the chambers. Inside, Shadow Weaver’s shadowy form was gliding across the smooth concrete towards Hordak, who looked up at her expectantly.

“Shadow Weaver.” Hordak stated in greeting. He stood up from his hunched over position so they were level with each other.

“Hordak. You wished to see me?”

“Yes.” The man strode over to this throne and sat in it so that he could look down upon her. “I believe that I asked you to stop trying to get that insolent ward of yours back to the Fright Zone. It has been taking up way too much of your time and of my resources.”

Shadow Weaver scoffed and crossed her arms. “Using resources that you were going to use for what? Your failed portal?”

Lonnie and Scorpia could see Hordak’s back tense but they couldn’t see his facial experience. Though, both girls assumed he wasn’t thrilled with Shadow Weaver. His hand reached out but before he could do anything, Shadow Weaver’s hand shot out and a red bolt of electricity hit the man in the center of his chest. Lonnie winced as his screams echoed across the walls of his chambers--it reminded her a little too much of Adora. He finally collapsed onto the ground, tumbling down the stairs until his body lay limp at Shadow Weaver’s feet. For s split moment, Lonnie and Scorpia thought he was dead. However, a shaky hand came up, reaching for the sorceress. Shadow Weaver stood tall, looking down at the injured man.

“You didn’t think you could really beat me… did you Hordak?” There was a groan of pain in response. Lonnie silently bet herself that the woman was smirking underneath her mask. “Now, you will listen to me. Things are about to change around here. You are going to make sure I get what I want… and I’ll make sure you get your little portal.”

Scorpia and Lonnie exchanged glances with each other, a spike of dread shivering down their spine.

***

“You two look tired.” Glimmer remarked knowingly as she smirked into her plate of breakfast food.

Catra and Adora sat directly across from her sporting matching dark circles under their eyes. Though, their hands were interlocked and the smiles that spread across their faces were bright and genuine. With a flick of her wrist, Catra caused Glimmer’s plate to fly up into her face.

“You’re such an ass!” Glimmer spat out at her friend as she tried to clean herself and her clothes from the greasy food that was now covering her. Bow lurched forward to help her while Mermista smirked from her place on the other side of Glimmer.

“Glimmer, watch your language,” Angella hissed at her daughter. Glimmer glared at her in response while Bow hurriedly rubbed her cheek with a napkin.

“That will take some getting used to.” King Milo chucked, sipping a mug of hot tea.

“Catra you really should use your harmonious energies to help you solve conflict, rather than causing further chaos to spread.” Perfuma frowned in disapproval.

The Magicat princess tiredly waved them off while Adora gave Glimmer an apologetic grimace. Queen C’yra sat quietly at the head of the table watching her daughter and her daughter-in-law with a fond smile.

“So, when do you leave for Salineas?” Angella asked, whipping her mouth with a napkin politely.

“Tomorrow morning,” Adora replied with a light blush. Her thumb began to gently rub across the top of Catra’s hand. The Magicat girl responded by gripping her wife's hand tighter.

“Yes! We leave at dawn!” Sea Hawk exclaimed, slamming his hand onto the tale for dramatic effect. Mermista rolled her eyes, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“Why exactly did you choose to go to Salineas? Your hate of large bodies of water is well documented, so your decision to visit a country composed mostly of water territory is less than logical.” Entrapta asked Catra, staring over at her with a pen and notepad ready. She was sitting next to Queen C’yra on top of Emily, having forgone the chair set aside for her. Everyone turned their attention to the Magicat Princess with varying confused expressions.

“Well. I felt like the last time we went we didn’t get the best impression of it… plus Mermista has one of the most beautiful gardens on Etheria.” Catra responded through bites of egg.

Perfuma gasped in offence, clutching her chest. Catra rolled her eyes while Mermista gave a smug look.

“Oh don’t be like that. I was talking about the underwater garden, Princess Hippy.” Perfuma’s eyes narrowed into slits and if Adora didn’t know of her pacisit nature, she would be sure that the young woman wanted to choke Catra out right there.

The rest of breakfast droned on, dragging out longer than most of the breakfasts the rebellion shared due to Entrapta’s ramblings on the different hallucinogenic properties of a sea cucumber. Once everyone deemed it safe to start leaving the table, Catra reached out and caught her mother’s arm just before the queen of Halfmoon could fully turn her body away from her daughter.

“Can I talk to you?” Catra asked with pleading eyes. C’yra cocked her head, questioningly. “Nothing bad, I just want to talk to you.”

Her mom gave Catra a small smile and nodded her head carefully. “I’ll be out in the gardens if you’d like to join me for my morning walk.”

Catra smiled gratefully and plopped back into her seat.

“What’re you going to talk to your mom about?” Adora asked, almost shyly.

“I want to talk to her about my grandmother and some of the stuff she said to me,” Catra brought Adora’s hand up to her mouth and laid a soft kiss on her wife’s knuckles. Adora blushed momentarily and nodded her head. The blonde girl leaned over and pressed a lingering kiss to Catra’s lips.

“I’ll miss you. Hurry back to me.” Adora whispered into her ear, one of her hands gently trailing down Catra’s arm until she reached the crook of her elbow. Her arm wrapped around Catra’s bicep, her head falling forward until her forehead rested on the Magicat princess’s shoulder.

“I’m only gonna be gone for a little while, you know?” Catra smiled, basking in her wife’s clinginess.

Glimmer fake vomited into her hands. “That’s it! When we get back to Bright Moon, I’m making my mom enforce a ‘No PDA’ rule.”

With a flick of a finger, Glimmer’s cup of water lifted high into the air and tipped over, causing the liquid inside to splatter against the top of her head. Her shrieks mixed with Catra’s cackling laughter to fill the hall as she and Adora made their escape.

***

Catra found her mother standing with the flowers. In C’yra’s hands was a bouque of pink carnations. A small smile spread across Catra’s lips.

Pink carnations represented a mother’s undying love.

“Hey mom,” Catra spoke softly, “are those for me?”

C’yra turned towards her daughter with a gigantic smile. “Yes. These flowers always seem in full bloom when I walk into the garden. Have you noticed that?” The beautiful pink flowers were plopped into her hands.

Catra shook her head, she had never known the carnations to be in full bloom when she was in the garden, especially now in the winter months. C’yra didn’t seem to think Catra’s answer was odd, though, as she smoothly changed the subject without much more thought.

“What exactly did you want to talk to me about?” Catra let out a soft sigh.

“I saw Grandma in the Tiger’s Eye.” The queen of Halfmoon’s smile tightened just slightly while her sparkling blue eyes dimmed in turn.

“I figured you had.” C’yra cleared her throat and turned away for a moment.

“She told me you visit periodically.” Catra spoke in a soft tone that usually wasn’t reserved for her mother. C’yra crossed her arms tightly across her chest--a gesture that Catra recognized from her childhood. It was the way her mother always reacted when Catra’s grandmother was brought up.

“It’s true. I often visit the past spirits for advice. It usually is my mother who comes to see me.”

“Why did you never tell me that you could go visit the Tiger’s Eye to visit the spirits?” Catra asked, a slight twinge of hurt in her voice.

“I…” C’yra trailed off and looked up to the sky, collecting her thoughts before continuing. “I honestly could never bring myself to talk to you about it. You could only connect with the Tiger’s Eye in that way after marriage, so I didn’t think telling you about it was wise. Why tempt you with the knowledge that you could see your grandmother, but only years down the road?I couldn’t bear to let you suffer like that.”

“She told me I got your temper,” Catra admitted bashfully. C’yra chuckled in response.

“Therefore you got her temper. Where do you think mine came from?” A flash of a memory tore through the queen’s mind. She smiled quietly while her heart hurt with longing.

“You miss her a lot… don’t you?” C’yra locked eyes with her daughter. Catra was staring back, empathy written in her expression.

“Come, sit.” C’yra beckoned her daughter over to a bench that lay just a few feet away. Catra complied and within minutes they were sitting close enough to each other on the bench that the younger Magicat could feel the warmth radiating off of her mother’s body. She troubled with the revelation that this moment was a privilege she so often forgot she had.

“My mother was the most important person in my life,” C’yra began. Her eyes were focused ahead, trained on a patch of pink carnations that were (strangely) in full bloom. “From the moment I was born she was my closest ally, my favorite teacher, and my best friend. As you know, I was the first born out of my four siblings and therefore it was my duty to train to wear this crown,” C’yra’s fingers came up and brushed the top of the headpiece slowly. “However, my mother treated us all the same. She showed no favoritism towards me for being the heir. Growing up my family was close, competitive at times, but both my mother and father taught us to be graceful in defeat. Through the years, my mother juggled her duty as a parent with her duty as the queen of a kingdom deep in the throes of war.”

C’yra stopped to take a long, slow, and deep inhalation. Catra watched her mother quietly, afraid that if she spoke she would have to watch C’yra break into a million little pieces.

“My siblings and I would regularly go into battle with her. As the oldest, I was the most skilled in fighting due to my extra training, but my brothers and sister were always brilliantly skilled with their claws. We were all there the day she…” C’yra trailed off. With one hand she gestured vaguely towards the sky. For a long moment both Magicats were silently.

“I watched it happen,” C’yra’s voice was thick with emotion. “I… and then I got married to your father and we had you and I vowed to myself that I would never allow you the chance to watch that happen to me…”

Catra watched her mother with large, sad, hooded eyes. Her throat bobbed as she tried to hold back the tears that threatened to escape. A single tear slid down C’yra’s cheek, dripping down onto the bench.

“Mom… with the powers they gave me I’m going to have to be out on the front lines of the rebellion if we want to win.” Catra’s voice was quiet and gentle, the same intonation she had used so many times with Adora when she was struggling to handle her emotions.

“I know.” C’yra replied, hoarsely. “You’re ready, Catra. You’re a natural born leader if I’ve ever seen one, and spirits know the Rebellion needs that. Angella is too careful, Glimmer is too risky. Adora is an amazing fighter, but she lacks strategy and forethought. But you, Catra… you work with people’s strengths to augment the power and unity of your team. You are quick to react, and always have a solution to any problem. If anything happened to me… I know you would make an amazing queen.”

“I love you, Mom. I would never let anything happen to you.”

“I love you too. More than anything on this planet, Catra.”

***

“You two better not make out the entire trip. I’ve seen enough affection to last, like, my life already.” Mermista sighed, leaning forward to peer down at the fast moving water beneath the boat.

Catra peeled herself away from Adora’s arms to glare at her friend. The blonde girl flushed a bright red color. Mermista smirked but continued to look down at the water.

“It’s already bad enough that the only guest room available in the castle right now is the one right next to mine. I don’t need to watch you two suck each other’s faces when I’ll just hear it tonight.”

“I will shove this up your ass, don’t think I won’t.” Catra growled, holding up Adora’s sword.

“Not if I throw you into the water first--”

“Hey, Mermista, are the people of Salineas back?” Adora quickly changed the subject, carefully taking the sword from Catra’s hands.

An uncharacteristic soft smile spread across Mermista’s face. “Yeah, actually. Once you got the Sea Gate back up and running, people came back in waves.”

“Salineas is back to it’s busy, bumbling self!” Sea Hawk exclaimed from where he was steering the boat.

“That’s amazing, Mermista! I’m so happy for you.” Adora replied with a shy smile. The other young woman returned her smile and turned back to look at the water underneath them.

It didn’t take too long to get to Salineas. When they arrived at the port, the atmosphere was a complete one-eighty from the last time Adora and Catra remembered visiting. People of all different backgrounds were doing their daily business in the city. Multiple guards were lined up at the dock, waiting to escort Mermista back to the castle. Stores, restaurants, and venders were all up and running once more, packed with people bustling in and out. The loud buzz of a busy city filtered into Catra’s ears and she couldn’t help but grin to herself. A year ago, she wouldn’t have dreamed to think she would play a part in bringing Salineas its culture back.

Though there was another side of her that kept replaying her near death experience on the Horde’s ship.

Catra’s legs were slightly shaky as she exited Sea Hawk’s boat. However, Adora had her wrapped up in such a tight embrace no one would be able to tell. Her heart was racing slightly and her hand trembled as she reached up to grab Adora’s hand that was resting on her shoulder. Her wife’s eyebrows furrowed in concern.

“Are you alright?” Adora murmured for only them to hear. Catra gave her a small, shaky smile in response.

“Yeah, fine. Just excited.”

Adora seemed skeptical, but accepted the answer without much fuss. As they continued to walk, Catra felt her body become less tense, relaxing into Adora’s side. She could feel her wife’s smile grow against her hair. Mermista gave them an official tour of the castle before showing them to their room and letting them know they had free range of the entire castle. The newly married couple dropped off their bags and Catra’s immediately took Adora’s hand and tugged her out of the room.

“I want to go to the underwater gardens… and we can get dinner out in the city!” Adora’s heart fluttered when she looked into Catra’s bright eyes. She allowed herself to be dragged out of the room and out of the castle--giggling as Catra yelled to Mermista that they would be going out for dinner.

The streets of Salineas were nothing like the streets of Halfmoon. They were high up in the air, water lapping calmly beneath them. The people were kind, but there were no chaotic orphans bursting through walls and knocking people over. Catra wondered if Salineas even had an orphanage, they had stayed neutral in the war for so long. The Magicat princess sniffed and the smell of her favorite food, fish, wafted into her nostrils. It was obviously cooked differently than how they did it in Halfmoon, but it made her mouth water nonetheless. She dragged Adora with her to the nearest stand, getting them both something to snack on as they walked around.

The underwater gardens of Salineas were known throughout Etheria as a must see attraction. To get to them, you had to go down a bunch of stairs that led into a huge underwater cave that looked out into deep water below the city. Glass was put at the mouth of the cave to make sure no water got into the cave. Ever since Catra had heard of it as a kitten she had dreamed of visiting it one day. Getting to experience it now with her wife was a wish come true.

When they finally found the entrance to the underwater gardens and climbed down the stairs into the cave, Catra couldn’t help but tear up. In front of them grew a gigantic, multicolored coral reef that had many other colorful underwater plants surrounding it. Adora gasped quietly when she first laid her eyes on it, glancing over to Catra and sharing a glance of mutual awe. As they walked closer, they could see the underwater animals swimming around the reef, a multitude of colors and sizes and types. A small fish swam close enough to the glass for Catra to peer into its eyes.

“This is beautiful, Catra...” Adora breathed out, hand finding her wife’s to interlock their fingers.

The Magicat princess turned slightly to look at Adora. Light from the inside of the cave shone onto the side of the young woman’s face, the water in front of them reflected in her deep blue eyes.

“So beautiful.” Catra repeated, her eyes never leaving the side of Adora’s face.

For so long, marriage had been at the back of Catra’s mind, a distant thought she rarely remembered. She had never even dreamed of it being this wonderful until Adora walked into her life. Now, the young Magicat couldn’t picture a future without Adora in it, and she loved that fact.

Her wife turned her head slightly and giggled.

“Catra, you have to look forward to see the gardens!” A soft hand was placed on Catra’s cheek, fingers scratching the fur there. She leaned into Adora’s touch, her eyes softening as she studied the brave young woman before her.

“I’d much rather watch you, though.” Catra purred out. The rumble vibrated through Adora’s hand causing her to shudder.

They spent the rest of their time in Salineas’s Underwater Gardens wrapped in a tight embrace, taking turns watching the slow movement of the currents and watching each other.

***

That night both young women fell asleep quickly--exhausted from their trip and other, more strenuous activities. The beds in the castle were waterbeds, something both Catra and Adora giggled at when they had collapsed onto the bed earlier that night.

Adora, for once, slipped into a dreamless sleep, taking comfort in the fact that she was the big spoon. Catra, on the other hand, was not as lucky.

She dreamed of her and Adora in the midst of battle. However, instead of the entire rebellion fighting alongside them, they were alone and surrounded. She couldn’t tell what they were fighting against, it was just a mess of action.For a while they held their own but whatever blurred force they were fighting refused to give up. Suddenly, a wall of flames were barreling toward them. Catra felt herself being pushed, hard, and could only watch in horror as the burst of fire enclosed Adora. She tried to get up but it felt like the grass came up and tied her to the ground. All she could hear was her wife’s screams mixing with her own.

With a jerk and a sharp gasp, Catra woke up, panting. A nauseous feeling grew in the pit of her stomach which made a memory of Adora vomiting flash across her mind. Catra could feel arms wrapped tightly around her but it didn’t ground her like they did Adora. She felt claustrophobic. Without any thought, Catra tore out of the embrace and sat up, curling in on herself so her knees hit her chest.

“Catra?” A sleep voice called out. It only made a small sob wretch out of the princess’s mouth.

Adora heard the cry and was suddenly awake. The deep rooted anxiety that she had done something wrong took over and she was suddenly hovering over Catra like an older sibling who had just hit their younger sibling.

“Catra!” Adora squeaked. “Are you alright? What—What do I do? Are—do you regret the wedding? It’s okay if you do.” It only made Catra cry harder.

“Fuck… fuck.” Adora scrambled out of bed and began to pace the room, attempting to give Catra her space. She tried to think about what Catra would do when she was upset, but she could barely remember anything. Most of the time she was too deep in her head to be aware of what Catra was doing, much less focus on it.

Though she could remember the cool sensation of water filling her dry mouth.

“I… I’ll be right back!” Adora bolted out of the room leaving Catra curling up on the bed, crying.

Within seconds, Adora was back with a big, ice-cold glass of water. She gingerly sat down next to her wife and held it out, hesitantly. Catra peeked at Adora through the crack between her arm and thigh. Her body seemed to deflate instantly. A hand quickly reached out and grabbed the water from Adora and Catra leaned her head back, gulping down the water as fast as she could.

For a while they were quiet. Catra was resting her cheek on her knee watching Adora carefully while she anxiously fiddled with anything her fingers could touch. Catra let out a deep sigh.

“I’m sorry, Adora.” Her wife’s head perked up.

“What… er, why?”

“I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just...had a bad dream.” Adora nodded her head solemnly.

“Was it a bad dream, or was it a memory?” She asked, hoarsely, as she began to pick at the ends of the blanket. Catra’s eyes softened slightly. She reached out and grabbed Adora’s hand so she would stop finiking with the blanket.

“Just a dream. Would… could you please hold me?” Catra asked, her voice oddly high. Adora nodded her head, quietly, slipping into the bed behind Catra.

“What was the dream about?” Adora whispered against Catra’s head as her strong arms circled the Magicat’s waist.

“Nothing to worry about.” Catra replied, carefully running her fingers along Adora’s forearms.

Adora was too worried to push further. Catra was too stubborn to put more burden on Adora’s shoulders.

So they both pretended to slip off into sleep.

Chapter Text

Catra and Adora didn’t go straight back to Brightmoon.

Their time in Salineas was amazing. They spent days exploring every inch of the kingdom, sometimes with Mermista and sometimes alone. For both young women it was a therapeutic experience--neither went out much as children.

However, two days turned into three, then four. Soon a week had passed since the wedding and Adora began to get antsy. Her thoughts turned back to Glimmer being powerless and glitching. Catra could sense that something was bothering Adora but she could never get a concrete answer from her partner. Plus, her own nightmares had kept her much duller than normal.

When it was finally time for them to go back, they gave a quick goodbye to Mermista (who was secretly sad to see them go), and boarded Sea Hawk’s ship--Catra made sure to threaten to throw him overboard if he set the ship on fire while they were on it.

The trip across the waters was shorter than Catra wished. She spent the entire time half asleep leaning into Adora’s side while her wife watched the waves. The closer they got to land, the more tense Adora became.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Catra asked in a hushed whisper as Sea Hawk docked the ship.

“I…” The young woman trailed off, looking away from her wife. “Could you do something for me, please? You might not like it…”

Catra’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Adora awkwardly shifted her weight between her feet. “I… I need you to go back to Brightmoon,” she paused for a long second, “without me.”

Catra’s ears dropped and panic began to build in her chest. “What?! Where are you going?! You can’t just leave!”

Adora’s eyes widened, “No, no… no. I’ll be right behind you. I swear. I just… I need to figure out a way I can help Glimmer and I think… I think I know how but I need to go alone.”

Catra let out a sigh of relief. A clawed hand reached out and caressed Adora’s cheek. “If you think that would be the best decision for you… I will always support you.”

Adora’s eyes softened slightly, a pale hand reaching up to cover Catra’s. “Thank you, Catra. I promise I’ll come back to you as soon as I can.” The young magicat nodded in response.

Catra had no intention of letting Adora out of her sight. Terrifying images of different ways her wife could be injured, or killed, had been burning through her mind for days.

So she followed Adora, tracking her through the Whispering Woods. It wasn’t hard--Catra had been trained in tracking through her schooling. Adora was, also, heavy footed and not great at covering her tracks. The young magicat made sure she was always out of sight. Her wife never once saw her.

She led Catra to a large, crystal structure. It looked old as vines were starting to crawl up the sides. The young magicat princess could feel the magical energy seeping out of the ruin and it seemed Adora could feel it, too. With a loud creaking sound, the door that led into the beacon opened and Adora entered--Catra was hot on her trail.

“Hello?” Adora’s voice echoed around the empty chamber. Catra made sure her body was hidden. “I carry the sword of She-Ra and I’ve come here for help. Is anyone there?”

“Greetings, administrator,” A hologram suddenly popped up. Catra’s hand shot up to her mouth to hide her chuckle when Adora shrieked in surprise, stumbling backwards.

The hologram was tall, possibly even taller than Angella. Her face was angular with a sharp jaw. The light blue hue that covered her body made her look mysterious, almost ghostly.

“What is your query?” Adora steeled herself but Catra could tell she was still nervous by the way she rubbed her hands together behind her back.

“Oh… uh. I need your help to heal my friend. She’s been cursed… or something and I… I don’t know how to save her. People have told me that She-Ra could heal people with this sword. How… How can I do that?”

The hologram stared blankly at Adora for another long moment. “What is your query?”

Catra could see her wife becoming slightly frustrated. Adora scoffed lightly, putting her hand on her hip. For a moment the young magicat woman thought Adora might not do anything, however the girl threw her hand up in the air and yelled “For the honor of Grayskull!”

Catra had never watched Adora transform from behind before. She certainly enjoyed it.

“Administrator detected. Welcome, She-Ra.”

Adora stood there awkwardly for a moment as if she was contemplating her next move. She held up the sword for the hologram to see.

“How can I use this?”

The hologram straightened their posture and stared back, past Adora. Catra cursed quietly, ducking further behind the stone so that she wouldn’t be seen.

The monotone voice of the hologram reverberated throughout the room. “Subject: The Sword Of Protection. Classification: portable Runestone keyed exclusively to Adminstractor: She-Ra, Princess of Power.”

“Okay… But how do I use it to heal?”

“Query not recognized.”

Catra heard the defeat in Adora by the way she sighed. A tinking sound that must’ve been the tip of the sword hitting the ground rung out.

“The legends… they say the sword has healing powers,” Adora tried, again, “is that true?”

“One of the Sword of Protection’s many intended functions is to heal and restore balance.”

The sound of fabric rubbing against itself drifted into Catra’s ears. Adora responded, “Okay… but how do I do that?”

“Query not recognized.”

Catra was about to go beat up the ghostly hologram that was giving Adora such a hard time.

“Let me talk to Light Hope,” Catra risked peeking her head around the corner of the stone, again. The hologram was--thankfully--looking away from her. She could see the pent up frustration in Adora’s stance.

The hologram paused, looking at Adora for a long moment. “Light Hope?”

Adora nodded her head, gently, “Yes, Light Hope. That’s her name isn’t it? The woman I saw when I touched the sword for the first time… where is she?”

Catra watched the hologram silently move her gaze from Adora until their eyes locked. She couldn’t hold in her squeak.

“You will meet her in due time. But, first, you must let go.”

“Let go? Let go of what?”

Catra’s ears snapped against her head as she peeked around the corner of the stone one final time. This time, both Adora and the hologram were looking right at her.

“Catra??” Adora’s eyes widened and then narrowed slightly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“Unauthorized presence detected. Security protocol activated,” The hologram thrummed with a bright red energy and then disappeared. The room began to beat the same red color. Adora rushed to Catra’s side and pulled her up into a standing position.

“What are you doing here?!,” Adora’s voice was harsher than usual but her grip on Catra’s hands were gentle.

“I wanted to make sure you were safe!” Catra replied, urgently looking around. One by one the doors around them began to slam shut.

“You’re not supposed to be here!” Adora pulled her forward toward one of the doors that hadn’t shut yet.

“Shit, shit, shit,” Catra screeched as she looked behind her, “that lady’s got spiders?!”

Adora managed to glance behind her shoulder. Sure enough, large, gangly spiders had begun to congregate where the couple had just been standing.

“Hold on, Catra,” Adora spoke through gritted teeth. In one smooth motion she swung the Magicat princess around so she was carrying Catra bridal style. She dropped to her knees and was able to slide through one of the closing doors before it slammed shut. Both of them could hear the metal clanking of the spider’s legs against the door as they held each other, panting.

“Catra what were you thinking?!” Adora hissed. She held her wife tight to her chest, their heartbeats racing in synchronized beats.

“I didn’t think I would be coming here to get attacked by spiders!” Catra cried out, holding onto Adora even tighter. Her breath tickled the side of Adora’s neck. A fluttering feeling began to replace the dread coursing through the blonde’s veins.

Adora sighed and slumped further into the ground. “Okay… okay. We’ll talk about this later. First, we have to find a way out of here.” Catra nodded her head, silently, against Adora’s neck. Both young women stood from their crouched position.

For a long while the two wandered the halls, an awkward silence falling over them. Eventually, they came upon a wall with First One’s writing on it.

“What’s it say?” Catra whispered, squeezing Adora’s hand. Adora squeezed back and looked up at the wall.

“Eternia,” the wall fell forward into pitch blackness. Catra and Adora glanced at each other before stepping forward into the darkness. Adora lifted up the sword. Light lit up both of their faces but neither girl could see anything more than the other’s fearful expression. Still, it was a small comfort.

“What is this? The Infinite Darkness room?” Catra snorted. Her wife gave her a look. Catra smiled sheepishly back and glanced around again. “Wait… Where’d the door go?”

Adora squinted and beckoned Catra forward, “I think I see something.”

There was a red light flashing in front of them. The couple walked to it. Just as they reached it, the light flew back.

“What the hell--”

The light scanned both young women with a quiet hum. The light was blinding, forcing both of them to shield their faces.

When they put their hands down, they stood in the middle of a Fright Zone bunker.

“Adora, what’s going on?” Catra whispered. She gripped her wife’s arm in alarm.

“I don’t know--” The sound of whimpered crying interrupted them. The couple whipped around--they were met only with the sight of an empty bunk.

“Adora?” The young woman turned her head as her name was called. It wasn’t Catra who had called for her.

A young Lonnie--who looked around five to seven years old--was cautiously approaching the empty bed. Adora couldn’t help but let a stifled gasp slip out of her lips. She threw her hand up to cover her mouth. It was a memory. Her memory.

“Adora, what’s wrong?” Catra asked. There was a tightness to her tone that made Adora shiver. She couldn’t respond. She only shook her head and turned away from the young Lonnie.

“Adora… It’s alright. She… She’s gone now,” Lonnie whispered as she crouched down and peered under the bed. A small blonde head popped up. The child in front of them was clearly Adora; her eyes were watery, innocently, and blue, her face blotchy with red spots from crying. Lonnie held her arms open for Adora to crawl into.

From her position next to Adora, Catra felt uncomfortable. She felt like she was seeing something she shouldn’t be seeing. However, she, also, couldn’t look away.

“What’d she do this time?” Lonnie asked. Her voice was surprisingly mature for such a young girl.

Adora sniffled and snuggled in closer to Lonnie. A small, squeaky voice drifted out of her mouth, “She told me that I was being bad.” If Lonnie’s voice was mature, Adora’s was unformed and naive.

Lonnie made a sound of protest, “She doesn’t know anything. How could you be bad? You’re the best out of all of us!”

There was a watery chuckle in response. A smile grew on Lonnie’s face.

“I like it when you laugh. You don’t do it enough.”

“That was the first time she shocked me,” Catra jumped in fright when adult Adora’s voice sounded from right next to her. Her head turned and Catra found herself locked eyes with the same watery ones as the scared child in front of her. Catra looked back at the Horde’s crude bunked bed that looked like it could fall apart any moment. Young Adora was clutched onto Lonnie like a lifeline, her hands were shaking so bad that Lonnie herself was shaking with them. For a moment, the child looked up and it felt like she was making eye contact with her future wife but it was gone in an instant as another round of sobs rocked the child’s body.

“You were so young,” Catra mumbled, feeling tears prick the corners of her eyes. A hand was placed on Catra’s shoulder, prompting her to look back up at her Adora. Adult Adora.

“C’mon, let’s try to find a way out of here,” Adora’s eyes were on the ground. Her back was tense as she turned away. The hand dropped from Catra’s shoulder to her hand, gently tugging the smaller woman forward and away from the crying child.

As soon as they turned away, they weren’t in the Fright Zone anymore. Instead, they were standing on the soft grass of the Bright Moon’s yard. Childrens’ giggles rang through the air. Adora and Catra glanced at each other quickly. Their attention turned towards the laughter.

“Ha! I got you!” A young Catra screeched, a fist shooting up into the air in victory. Two other children were on the ground with their faces pulled up into pouts. Both looked to be from Elberon.

“Catra, you cheated!” A young Glimmer, suddenly, poofed next to Catra. The Magicat princess furrowed her eyebrows, her tail flickering as her childish eyes narrowed on the princess of Brightmoon.

“I did not!” the child’s arms crossed over her chest. “You can’t even say that. You didn’t want to play because you think playing Horde Soldiers and Princesses is stupid.”

“It IS stupid!” Glimmer put her hands on her hips. She leaned closer to young Catra with a dangerous look in her eyes.

“You just say that because you always end up being a Horde Soldier,” Catra smirked. She turned towards the two Elberon kids who giggled quietly.

“I’m a PRINCESS! I should be a princess!” Glimmer shouted. Her cheeks were turning a bright red.

“I’m a princess, too, and I can pretend to be a horde soldier when I play. I always win when I play Horde Soldier because it’s not hard to take over the Horde.” Catra plopped herself down between the two Elberon kids. The one on the left tackled her to the ground. They were suddenly wrestling in the dirt.

Glimmer huffed, “You’re supposed to be playing with me and not them!”

“Well you’re boring! You never wanna play the games I wanna play.” Catra grunted as she continued wrestling with the other kid. Glimmer teleported high into the air and let herself fall onto Catra. She hissed in response, pawing at Glimmer to try and get her off.

The older Catra chuckled as she looked down at her younger self with a fond expression. She turned to Adora, “I guess some things never change.”

“Where did those other kids come from?” Adora asked. She never pulled her eyes off the young Catra and Glimmer who were now the ones wrestling in the dirt.

Catra sighed and looked back at the two children.

“They were orphans from Elberon. My parents and I found them while we were coming to Brightmoon for a visit with Angella and Glimmer and invited them to come with us. Every time we would come up to Brightmoon we would find them and take them with us because they loved it. After… we built the walls, I never saw them again,” Catra explained, a small frown painting her face.

“What were their names?”

“That’s the thing,” Catra reached up and rubbed at her temple, frown growing exponentially, “I can’t remember.”

Adora took Catra’s hand away from her face and held it gently between her own, “C’mon… Let’s get out of here.”

They didn’t know which way to go. Adora wanted to go left, but Catra insisted that walking forward would be the best course of action.

Adora was the one to give in.

They continued forward. However as soon as they passed the wrestling children, they were standing in a Fright Zone training facility. Adora sucked in a long breath and Catra gave her a concerned glance.

“ADORA!” A screech echoed across the walls. Adora flinched and turned away from the loud sound. Catra watched, quietly, as a pre-teen Adora did the thing a few meters away.

“Look at me cadet!” The angry force captain was screaming into Adora’s turned head. The young teen shook her head which caused his arm to reach out and grip her face. He was a hybrid of some sort. Some type of clawed animal. His sharp claws were digging into Adora’s cheek. Bright red drops of blood began to stream down her face and drip onto the floor.

“Hey!” It was Lonnie who stood up, walking right up to the Force Captain, “You’re hurting her!”

Catra felt a small, involuntary smile grow on her face. It always seemed to be Lonnie sticking up for Adora, attempting to protect her. The smile quickly vanished when the man swung an muscled arm toward Lonnie--hitting her in the stomach and causing her to fly into a wall that was not far from where the teens were standing.

Rogelio roared in displeasure. He was about to charge the man while Kyle squeaked and tried to rush to Lonnie’s side. Both boys were stopped in their tracks as a red beam of light hit them--freezing them in position.

“What is the meaning of this?” Shadow Weaver’s voice rang through the room. It sent a chill down everyone’s spine--including Catra.

“Shadow Weaver!” The Force Captain froze and his hand retracted from Adora’s face, quickly, only leaving blood in its absence. Catra watched as her wife’s younger form began to tremble with fear, eyes darting everywhere but Shadow Weaver.

A willowy hand reached out, caressing Adora’s bloody cheek. Bright, red blood was smeared across the pale skin. The action forced the girl’s attention up to her masked face. The woman’s eyes squinted slightly, watching the blood seep through her fingers. She whipped her head around to the force captain who was now backing away with fearful eyes.

“What. Happened,” The woman growled, advancing with every step he took back.

“Adora… she… uh… she led her team into a failed mission. No one survived. I was… simply… instructing her,” Shadow Weaver gave him another dark look which made him squeal.

“How many times have I told you not to instruct Adora. Only I instruct Adora.”

The man nodded his head furiously, “Yes ma’am… I’m sorry ma’am.”

“Adora!” Shadow Weaver whorled around again. The young teenager stood to attention. Her tears mixing with her blood as she glanced over at a hurt Lonnie--who was groaning loudly on the ground not far away. “Have you learned anything from this training session?”

“I… Uh… I need to be better,” Adora cowarded away from her guardian as she took a step closer. The woman scoffed.

“Yes, of course. You always need to be better. You need to get better than... ‘better’. You need to be perfect,” Adora nodded, violently, which caused drops of blood to spatter all around her. “You know what happens when you aren’t perfect?” Adora shook her head. Shadow Weaver sighed and reached down to caress Adora’s cheek again.

“People get hurt,” she gestured over to Lonnie--who was struggling to stand up. Each time she attempted to stand her legs buckled like a newborn deer and she crashed back to the ground. Kyle and Rolegio weren’t far from her, groaning and holding their heads as the aftershooks of electricity surged through their bodies. A feeling that Adora knew too well. More tears piled up into Adora’s eyes, spilling over and streaking through blood and dirt.

“Sometimes, when you’re not perfect, people die.” A hand shot out towards the Force Captain--who was now attempting to sneak out of the facility. A dark rope-like shadow wrapped itself around his neck.

Before Catra could see what happened next, her wife grabbed her face and turned it so her mismatched eyes were locked with Adora’s ocean blue. A frantic look overtook the eyes that Catra loved so much. All she could feel were trembling hands holding her in place, sturdily.

“Don’t look,” Adora’s hoarse voice filled Catra’s ears--almost distracting her from the choked gurgling sounds and the younger Adora’s screams. “Please don’t look.” Catra squeezed her eyes close. When she blinked them open she and Adora were standing in the Castle of Halfmoon.

Catra reached out and pulled Adora in close to her chest, a small sob escaping her lips. Adora sucked in a deep inhale, attempting to calm her shaking body.

“I’m sorry,” the Magicat princess whispered softly, her hand stroking Adora’s hair. The young woman allowed herself to be comforted for a minute or two before pulling away.

“We can talk about it when we figure our way out of this hell hole,” Adora murmured.

“We don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Catra said, cautiously. She was a few steps behind Adora--who had begun marching down the winding Half Moon halls.

“I… I think I should and you’re the only one I want to talk about this with. If… uh… if that’s alright,” Adora cast her wife a hesitant glance. Catra nodded her head, eyes softening.

“Of course that’s alright, Adora. I want to help you… I want to free you of this pain so bad it hurts.” Adora quickly turned her head away so Catra wouldn’t see the tears building up in her eyes.

“Intesting… how strange!” A familiar voice reverberated throughout the hall. Both young women turned their bodies towards where the sound was coming from. A younger Entrapta--around eighteen to twenty years old--was studying the inscriptions on the walls of the Hallway. She leaned back on her hair, hand rubbing her chin thoughtfully.

A young Catra--probably ten or eleven years old-- tumbled into the hallway. She fell flat on her face, then bolted up into a standing position and tried to play it off smoothly. Entrapta turned at the thumping sound, eyes lighting up, happily.

“Oh! A young one! Can you explain this to me, young one?” Entrapta brushed her hand over the intricate cravings, “Some of this looks like First One’s writing but most of it looks… strange.”

Catra, who just noticed she wasn’t alone, bristled and jumped back. The fur along her neck and her tail were fluffed up.

“Who are you?! Why are you here?! How’d you get past the wall?!” She grabbed the nearest thing that could be a possible weapon--a lamp--and jabbed it at Entrapta in what Adora supposed meant to be a menacing gesture.

“Oh! Do Magicat’s use lamps to defend themselves? How innovative!” Entrapta began to rapidly scribble away on her notepad.

“No! We... “ Catra dropped the lamp on the ground making a loud clattering sound, “We don’t use lamps!”

“Oh… then why did you--”

“No more questions until you answer mine!” The young Magicat took a threatening step forward. Entrapta rolled her eyes and stuck the pen and paper back into her clothes.

“I’m Princess Entrapta of Dryl.” She put simply.

Catra’s eyes widened, “You’re a princess?!”

“Yes, of course I am,” Entrapta maneuvered herself with her tendrils of hair so she was sat down next to Catra, who followed suit by plopping herself onto the ground.

“How old are you?” Catra asked, peering up at the older princess with curious eyes.

Entrapta rubbed her chin thoughtfully, “I’m eighteen years, seven months, five days and six hours old. How about you?”

“I’m eleven… and three quarters?” Catra giggled, “I don’t know the rest of it like you do.”

“Perfectly normal! People usually think it’s weird,” Entrapta shrugged, nonchalantly.

“I think it’s cool,” Catra said with a large grin.

“You… think I’m cool?” Entrapta looked down at the child with large, sincere eyes.

“Uh… yeah! How’d you even sneak in here anyway! You gotta teach me!” Catra spoke, hyperly, “I could totally sneak around the castle and scare people!”

“Oh, of course. I already mapped out a whole blueprint of the Castle of Halfmoon!” Entrapta spoke with the same jittery tone.

“Wow… I forgot about all of this,” Catra chuckled as she watched her younger self and Entrapta spiral off of each other.

“You were a really good kid, Catra,” Adora watched the scene with a similar soft expression as her wife.

“I was so lonely after they put the wall up... and then Entrapta waltzed into my life and everything seemed like a fun game again… like it had with Glimmer,” Adora nodded her head, pretending to understand. In reality, they both knew she had no idea what the concept of a childhood was.

They had grown up so different yet somehow they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Adora was just learning how to function in life in a healthy and happy way while Catra was just beginning to understand the severity of war. Catra leaned in and pressed a long kiss to Adora’s cheek.

“Let’s get out of here,” she whispered into Adora’s ear. Her hand gently drifted down the young woman’s arm until their hands were intertwined.

They turned and walked away. They were only walking a few minutes before their setting changed again. Back to the Fright Zone. Adora tensed, not sure if she was ready for Catra to see another memory from her past.

“Now, now Adora. Struggling will only make this worse,” Shadow Weaver’s drawl sifted through the halls. Adora flinched, hard and grabbed Catra’s hand, rushing forward. The tears that had been building up in her eyes were slowly streaming down her face now. “You would think that a non-Etherian like you could handle pain better.”

Adora skirted to a stop, causing Catra to slide into her.

“What? What did she say?” Catra panted out, tossing Adora a confused look.

Without responding, Adora dropped her wife’s hand and ran forward--toward the Black Garnet chamber. Catra, confused, ran after her. Inside the Black Garnet chamber, a young Adora (maybe nine or ten) was strapped down onto the metal surgical table that Shadow Weaver had used when she tried to erase Adora’s memories.

It seems it wasn’t the first time.

“I… I don’t remember this,” Adora gasped out, clutching onto Catra with pure fear. The young Magicat could only carefully wrap her arms around Adora in response.

“I… I’m not Etherian?” The young Adora’s squeaky voice reverberated throughout the room.

Shadow Weaver chuckled. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to tell you as you’re never going to remember this. Yes, in fact, you are not Etherian. Lord Hordak himself was gifted you during his last failed… experiment. I don’t know what exactly you are… though I can feel the raw power radiating through you. You are not using your strength well, Adora. Skipping training today? I thought better of you.”

“It was only because Lonnie was injured--”

“ENOUGH! I don’t want to hear your pathetic excuses. Your closeness with your squad has derailed your training! I will not allow it.” With one swift motion, before the young Adora could respond, Shadow Weaver’s hand went straight to the girl’s forehead. Red electricity was pouring out of the woman’s hands and straight into her forehead.

Catra had to turn away, her face burrowing into the older Adora’s chest as the child in front of her screamed for mercy. Throughout the whole process, which lasted a few minutes, Adora stayed still, stayed good. She watched her younger self writhe and squirm with pain as Shadow Weaver erased her memories of a good childhood. Memories she didn’t know she had until that moment. So many thoughts were rushing through her head. Where did she come from? Was it all a trick? How many more memories of hers had Shadow Weaver erased? Was she closer to her squad when she was younger? What could’ve happened if things had continued that way?

With due time, Shadow Weaver’s hand withdrew from the young girl’s forehead. Adora lay limp on the table, a hand dangling over the edge. There was a pained expression on her face. Her mentor just reached out and gently caressed her cheek.

“This is all for your own good, Adora.”

***

“We have to get out of here,” Lonnie gritted her teeth, grabbing Scorpia’s pincers and pulling her away from the window.

“Leave?! We can’t just… leave!” Scorpia squeaked, allowing herself to be pulled away.

“No, Scorpia. We have to warn Adora and the other princesses. Shadow Weaver’s after something… and when she gets it the damage will be catastrophic!” Lonnie stopped and turned around in her tracks to look Scorpia dead in the eyes. The scorpion women’s eyes widened with horror at the pure fear in Lonnie’s eyes.

“Do you trust me, Scorpia?” Lonnie asked, quietly, her grip tightening on the bigger woman. Scorpia stared at her for a long moment and then nodded.

“Yes… Yes, I trust you.”

Lonnie glanced around her. She pulled Scorpia into one of the storage closets nearby. Darkness surrounded them. Scorpia could feel Lonnie’s legs brush up against hers as she inched closer. In a hushed tone, Lonnie began to explain.

“When we were kids Adora and I were really close… We were all close, really. There was a pact. A horde orphan pact that Adora and I made up… I can’t remember the exact wording of it but it basically said that no one would be left behind. We lived by that pact for years until one day…” Lonnie sucked in a long breath. Scorpia could feel the tension radiating out of the young woman in the dark closet. “Adora came back from the black garnet chamber… changed. It was like she barely recognized us. She was still her usually self-sacrificing idiotic self but every time she would stick her neck out for us it was like she didn’t know why she was doing it.”

“Do you think Shadow Weaver did something to her?” Scorpia gulped. There was a pit of dread growing slowly in her stomach.

“I know she did.” Lonnie responded, voice tight, “I… the day Adora left… I was the one who told her she needed to leave.”

“What do you mean?” Scorpia asked, not sure if she really wanted to know the answer.

“I was sneaking through the halls and I heard Adora’s screams coming from the Black Garnet chamber. It wasn’t… unusually to hear that but it sounded different--more panicked and more painful. I snuck into the room and saw Shadow Weaver with her thumb on Adora’s forehead like this,” Lonnie reached out and demonstrated on Scorpia. “I… I couldn’t bear to see Adora in pain like that so I found a piece of scrap metal on the ground and threw it out into the hall to distract Shadow Weaver enough that I could get Adora out of the chains. She was…” Lonnie paused and took a deep breath in. Scorpia placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Take your time, Lonnie,” The woman said so softly that Lonnie felt like she might be about to cry.

“She was just so confused! She barely knew who I was and weirdly enough… much less who she was. I snuck her out of the room before Shadow Weaver came back and forced her onto a skiff. She was regaining some of her memories as I helped her onto it but she was still so… confused about everything. I… I figured she would be safer away from the Horde and away from Shadow Weaver. Adora always had it the worse. She was beaten, starved, sleep deprived… had her memories erased. She needed to get out. Maybe she would find a town and they would care for her or… something. Anything was better than saying here with… Shadow Weaver.” Lonnie threw her head into her hands and let out a small sob.

“I didn’t know I would be making everything worse!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Scorpia rushed out, crouching down next to Lonnie and pulling her into a tight embrace, “you didn’t make anything worse! Have you seen Adora?! She is practically glowing! She’s got that… hot Magicat princess as her partner and all those wonderful friends!”

“Shadow Weaver got her again… and she almost did the same thing! I… I let Adora escape after Princess Prom. I gave her the sword and I told her to run.” Lonnie couldn’t help but rest her forehead against Scorpia’s shoulder--allowing her friend to hold her. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been comforted like this.

“I don’t blame you. I would’ve done the same thing. You were being a good friend, Lonnie.” The young woman let out a small gasp of a sob.

“I believe you,’ Scorpia continued, a determined look in her eyes, “We’re getting the boys and getting out of here.”

Chapter Text

“Adora,” Catra’s hoarse whisper reverberated throughout the hollow halls of whatever hell they found themselves in. Her wife was faced away from her, head dropped. Adora had been ignoring Catra’s calls for the better part of a minute.

“Adora,” Catra tried again to gain her partner’s attention. She took a hesitant step toward the young woman. The scene that had played out in front of them had vanished, leaving them surrounded by darkness. Only a small light in the distance remained to shine on them.

The Magicat princess reached out and placed a clawed hand on top of Adora’s shoulder. When her wife didn’t flinch away, Catra took a step closer so that her front was pressed against Adora’s side.

“I didn’t know. I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” Adora’s broken voice was so quiet Catra almost didn’t catch it. The princess didn’t respond right away. Instead, she leaned in closer to Adora, nuzzling her forehead against her wife’s neck.

“Don’t apologize, Adora,” Catra purred gently against Adora’s neck as if she was talking to a scared animal. “You have done nothing wrong.”

Adora’s shoulders slumped--whether from relief or exhaustion, Catra didn’t know. Slowly, Catra lowered their bodies to the ground and held Adora tightly. It was all she could really do, her own mind lost in a swirl of questions. Her wife’s hands shook as they snuck under her shirt and ran through the soft, tan fur on her back.

“You need to get out of here,” Adora whispered into her ear a while later. “Whatever force is doing this is willing to let you go, I can feel it. It—no, they just want me.”

Catra pulled back from Adora, incredulous. Her eyes were blazing with a range of emotions. “Adora, I’m not leaving you.” There was a finality to Catra’s tone that Adora usually wouldn’t challenge.

But this wasn’t up to Catra anymore.

“Catra, listen to me.” Adora retracted her hands from Catra’s back to grab her wife’s face, forcing her to look Adora in the eyes. “I need you to trust me. I need you to go back to Brightmoon and make sure that the rebellion keeps the momentum they’ve already garnered. I’ll return to you when I can. I… I could never leave you for long.”

Catra sucked in a long inhale. She leaned forward and rested her forehead against Adora’s.

“What’s going to happen to you?” The Magicat asked, hands wrapping around Adora’s neck. Her fingers began to play with the baby hairs that sat at the base of her wife’s neck in a sad attempt at self-soothing.

“I don’t know. Hopefully, I’ll get answers. I want to find a way to heal Glimmer, to learn more about this sword and what else it can do. Maybe...maybe I’ll even find out where I came from.” Adora’s eyes squeezed shut, tightly. For a moment they were quiet.

“I don’t care, Adora!” Catra began to speak, frantically. “I don’t care where you’re from, how you came here--none of it! All that matters is that it brought you to me.”

Adora gave a choked laugh and a sad smile.

“You might not care… but I do.”

***

Scorpia, Lonnie, Rogelio, and Kyle had, thankfully, been able to leave the Horde without any issues.

Scorpia had only taken one look back at the greasy, loud, mechanized compound that was once her family’s mighty kingdom. She quickly looked forward. She couldn’t afford to be caught up in her conflicted feelings about the Horde. She could feel the edge of the only picture of herself and her mothers through the small bag she had flung over her shoulder. The frame was digging into her back painfully, a constant reminder of what she was leaving behind.

They walked quietly for a long while. Even Scorpia found herself silent, lost in her thoughts as they walked. When she and Lonnie had found Kyle and Rogelio sprinting away from Hordak’s chambers, it didn’t take much to convince them to leave. It seemed like the boys had already thought about leaving the Horde. Probably for quite a bit of time, judging by the fully stocked packs the boys grabbed from inside the barracks.

The Whispering Woods were confusing. Scorpia wished they had thought to steal a skiff instead of walking the whole way to Brightmoon. Lonnie probably would have shot down the suggestion anyway, saying something smart about being stealthy as they left or another equally good reason. She was awesome like that. Without it, though, their trek to Brightmoon was going to be longer and harder on them. What if they got lost out here in the woods and died before making it to the rebellion? Taking a deep breath, the tall woman tried to center herself, counting her inhales and exhales as she pushed her anxiety back.

The thought of Brightmoon, more specifically the thought of what awaited them there, was making Scorpia very nervous.

She didn’t know if the rebellion would be able to find it within them to take in more defected Horde soldiers. She figured that since Adora was there, their ragtag, scrappy group may have a fighting chance. Maybe they would look past Scorpia helping the Horde--she was a princess after all. She couldn’t help but worry that they would find themselves imprisoned, though. It was always there, nagging at the optimism she tried to project out to the others.

Scorpia looked to her side, glancing over each of her friends. Lonnie seemed to be faring well: there was a thin sheen of sweat over her face, but she was keeping pace steadily. Rogelio was much the same, though Scorpia had to admit she wasn’t great at reading his expressions yet. Still, he looked fine. Kyle was another story, unfortunately. The young man was leaning hard into Rogelio’s side, panting heavily as sweat cascaded down his exposed skin. A frown formed on Scorpia’s face. She wanted to stop for Kyle, she really did, but she wanted to get out of the woods as soon as possible. Once they did, she would make sure he got all the rest he wanted.

There was a quiet thrum of static that only Scorpia seemed to notice before Princess Glimmer of Brightmoon and Bow blew through some brush on an odd-looking skiff. When they noticed the group of Horde soldiers, they didn’t hesitate to turn the machine off, throwing themselves off of it.

“What are you doing here, Horde scum?!” Glimmer exclaimed, landing in a fighting position. At her side, Bow carefully held up his bow, arrow already nocked and aimed directly at Scorpia.

“Please, wait!” Scorpia pleaded, her hands held up in a defensive manner. “We left the Horde. We want to join the rebellion. We… we have information you might want to hear.”

Neither Bow nor Glimmer backed down from their tense stances. Though, Scorpia swore she saw the young man’s face twitch into a small smile.

“What makes you think we would trust you? You all tried to kill us, multiple times!” Glimmer growled. Her eyes were lit with fury, and all of it was directed at the misfit group in front of her.

“Listen, Twinkle...or whatever your name is,” Lonnie took a threatening step forward, unwilling to back down. “Take us to Adora. Let us talk to her.”

Glimmer bristled with anger, “Adora’s not here. She’s in Salineas with Catra on their honeymoon, and even if—”

“Awh, they got married?” Scorpia cooed loudly interrupting Glimmer. Everyone paused and turned to give her an incredulous look. The large woman blushed a bright red. “Sorry, it’s just—they’re such a cute couple!! I’m so happy for them.”

Letting out a sigh as she shook her head, Lonnie looked back over to Glimmer. Grabbing her wrist in the other hand, she assumed a formal pose as she beseeched the girl once more. “Please, Princess, take us to Brightmoon. We need to talk to the Queen, if nothing else.”

“What makes you so sure that my mom would even want to listen to you, much less believe you?” Glimmer still seemed apprehensive, but her defenses had lowered slightly, and her anger was gradually cooling off.

Lonnie looked cautiously over at Scorpia, sharing a worried look. They hadn’t told Kyle or Rogelio what they had seen in Hordak’s chambers yet. The boys had followed them on the blind faith, assuming that Lonnie and Scorpia had a good reason for defecting. She wasn’t sure that her boys could keep calm if she spilled the beans, so Lonnie did her best to be vague as she answered.

“You just have to trust us, Princess.” Lonnie’s voice had lowered significantly, lending seriousness to her words. “The Horde’s a ticking time bomb right now: the Queen needs the information we have, and we need your help.”

“Glimmer?” Bow’s voice was hesitant, but filled with determination. “We, uh, never really discussed what happened in the Fright Zone, but Lonnie helped us escape while Adora was rescuing you and Catra. I...may have promised her and her friends a place in the rebellion?”

“She helped us too, gave Adora back the Sword of Protection when we ran into her on our way out. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s the reason we were there in the first place.” Once she finished talking to her best friend, Glimmer stared at Lonnie for a long, hard minute. She was obviously trying to find some ulterior motive behind the young woman’s words. Suddenly, her hand shot out, finger jabbing Lonnie hard in the chest, which caused the Horde soldier to startle.

“I’ll take you all to Brightmoon, but don’t think for a second I’ve forgotten the torture you put me through.” With that said, Glimmer stalked away towards the skiff, her hand darting over to grab Bow’s and drag him along. He gave them a forced smile before turning away, conversing with Glimmer in hushed tones as they walked back to their ride.

Lonnie’s face paled drastically, her teeth sinking into her bottom lip as she tried to suppress her guilt. Scorpia’s heavy claw rested on her friend’s shoulder in an awkward attempt at comfort, shooting the distressed woman a look filled with concern. Lonnie didn’t feel very comforted, but she smiled at Scorpia all the same, grateful to have such a wonderful friend by her side.

***

It took all the strength Catra had left to walk away from Adora.

Light Hope--or whatever the ghostly hologram’s name was--had happily let Catra go as soon as she left Adora alone. Nothing had stopped her as she made her way out of the temple. Her footsteps had echoed in the eerie silence, and before she knew it the large door had shut behind her.

“I’ll be back, Catra. You can’t get rid of me now.”

Adora’s last words pulsed through her mind like a tidal wave, endlessly repeating themselves. Catra’s head hung low, watching her feet keep a steady pace on the uneven ground of the Whispering Woods. She remembered tracking her wife through these trees mere hours ago, but it felt like days had passed. Adora had once mentioned getting lost in the woods right after she escaped the Fright Zone, wandering alone for hours until she found the sword and met Bow and Glimmer.

Now, Catra was alone, too.

She couldn’t remember the last time she was alone. Even when she was captured and tortured by Adora’s fucked up mentor, Glimmer was right next to her. Plus… this was the first time Catra had been without Adora since their wedding—no, since they escaped the Fright Zone together. With every step, the young princess felt like she was dying a little bit more inside.

She and Adora had only met a little over a month ago, but Catra had never felt this way towards another person in her entire life. No one had ever connected so deeply with her, nor made her feel so lost without them. A small groan escaped the Magicat’s lips as her hand reached up to rub at her heart through her chest, trying to ease the pain she was feeling from leaving Adora behind.

She wondered if Adora was faring any better. A small voice in the back of her head began to whisper, ”She doesn’t care. Adora was only in this for the rebellion. She doesn’t really care about you.”

Catra growled and rubbed at her temples in a sad attempt to get the voice to go away. Adora cared, she just wasn’t good at expressing it. She was just… awkward. Neglect and abuse would do that to a person. Not that Catra would know that personally. Still, the voice continued to nag at her until she felt the cool tile of Brightmoon’s castle underneath her padded feet.

“Catra!” Glimmer’s voice rang out. The Princess of Hafmoon lifted her head, eyes softening.

“Sparkles,” Catra breathed out. Never in her life would she have thought that seeing Glimmer would make her chest surge with warmth. Yet, seeing the memories of herself and Glimmer as kids had brought back the nostalgia of her childhood and with that, a new feeling of excitement at the sight of her childhood friend.

“How was the honeymoon? You look—well, frankly you like shit…. Wait, where’s Adora--” Glimmer’s progressively alarmed voice was cut off when Catra flung herself into the young woman’s arms, squeezing her tight. A small squeak escaped Glimmer’s lips.

“I’m so sorry I left you. You were always my friend even if I didn’t act like it. I was so lonely when the wall went up and I couldn’t see you anymore.” A tear slid down onto Glimmer’s shoulder, quickly followed by more dripping down Catra’s face. She could feel the princess of Brightmoon stiffen underneath her for a split second before collapsing into the hug, arms wrapping around her torso in an equally tight grip.

“It wasn’t your fault. War can tear people apart,” Glimmer spoke with a choked laugh, tears beginning to flow down her face as well.

They stayed like that for a long moment. Catra was the one to finally break the hug when she felt herself overcome by fear: for Glimmer’s health, for Adora’s safety, and for what was to come. Hugs and tears would have to wait.

“Are you alright? Still glitching?” Catra asked in a hushed tone as her hands gripped Glimmer’s shoulders in a sturdy grip. Her friend grimaced slightly but nodded her head.

“Still glitching. Entrapta’s vest has been working well, though.” Glimmer hesitated before adding, “I haven’t been able to use my powers.”

Catra gave Glimmer a stern, but concerned, look. “You shouldn’t even be trying to use your powers.”

The Princess of Brightmoon waved Catra off with a tight laugh. Her face sobered, quickly, and she looked up at the young Magicat with a slight panic in her eyes.

“You never answered me earlier. Where’s Adora?”

It was Catra’s turn to grimace. “We… She’s training. Trying to figure out…” Catra waved her hand around in a vague gesture, “all this. Your glitching, mostly. Figured she should probably do that alone.”

Glimmer’s eyes narrowed slightly, obviously not believing Catra’s excuse. Before she could say anything it seemed another thought crept into the princess’s mind, and her face turned white with terror.

“Catra… That means… Come with me. You need to see something.” Glimmer seized Catra’s hand and hauled her into the castle, ignoring her friend’s harsh, questioning comments. Glimmer brought her to a door that Catra couldn’t recognize.

“Is this… the guest room? Why’d you bring me--” Glimmer kicked the door open and shoved Catra into the room. When she entered the guest room, Catra blanched. Inside, held within magically constructed individual cages furnished with a single chair each, sat Lonnie, Scorpia, Rogelio, and Kyle.

“What… we have prisoners now?!” Catra whirled around, fixing Glimmer with an incredulous look.

“We… yeah. For now.” Glimmer responded, vaguely. She gestured towards the Horde soldiers who sat in different spots around the room--each of them positioned differently as they waited. Scorpia was sat up, her back straight with her head faced forward. Rogelio’s eyes were closed and he leaned against his chair. Kyle had his knees pulled up to his chest, arms wrapped tightly around his shins, with his face buried into his knees. Out of all of the defected soldiers, the one that interested Catra most was Lonnie. She was sprawled out on her back, feet leaning against her chair as she laid down on the hard tile floor. At their entrance, she tilted her head back, making eye contact with the Magicat Princess.

“Why did you defect?” Catra’s tone was surprisingly soft, almost timid. It was a general question that any of them could answer, but her attention was focused on Lonnie.

“Shadow Weaver is in control of the Horde.” Lonnie answered. Her face was drawn, taught--almost as if millions of thoughts were racing through her head. Catra knew that had to be the case. Millions of them were running through her own head, endless theories and predictions and worries spawned by that single statement. There was one thought that kept coming up, louder and louder each time: how Adora was going to react when she heard this?

Adora.

Catra squeezed her eyes tight, sending a silent prayer for her wife’s safety to anyone who would listen.

“Okay, so Shadow Weaver’s in charge now.” Glimmer broke the silence, voicing her confusion as she continued. “What does that… mean, exactly? Why is that such big news that you would break from the Horde because of it?”

Catra’s eyes opened, again. They immediately met Lonnie’s. The pure fear in Adora’s childhood friend’s eyes told Catra that they were thinking the same thing. The small nod of comprehension that Lonnie gave told Catra that the young woman understood that Catra knew the danger that was encroaching.

“It’s bad, Glimmer.” Catra responded without looking at her fellow princess. For a few moments, no one spoke. Then, Catra said, “Let them out.”

Glimmer’s head turned so fast Catra thought she might have gotten whiplash.

“What?! Catra, I know you just came home and Adora’s not here--”

“What! Adora’s not here?!” Lonnie sat up violently, knocking the chair over in the process. “Where is she?!”

Glimmer glanced at Lonnie with an awkward smile. She leaned in closer to the Magicat princess and continued talking to her in a quiet yet intense whisper.

“You can’t just make decisions like that, Catra! That’s a decision that the entire rebellion has to make.” Catra huffed and crossed her arms. She knew that Glimmer had a point.

“Call the meeting, then. I’ll be in the war room in twenty minutes.”

“Catra, I don’t think--”

Catra cut her off with a wicked look, unwilling to yield. “Glimmer just do it.”

Glimmer shook her head with a disbelieving sigh, leaving the room. Catra watched her leave, eyes watching the door slam shut with a calculating stare.

“Catra,” Lonnie sounded desperate, “Please, where’s Adora?”

Catra let out a heavy exhale. She turned her attention back to the defected Horde soldiers. Each of them was looking at her, nervousness and worry written across their faces. The unadulterated concern in each of their expressions caused a fault line to appear in Catra’s faux-collected demeanor. Her face fell slightly, her breath coming out a bit heavier. Her knees trembled, threatening to buckle. Adora was still in the crazy castle with those memories. All alone. She wondered if Adora was thinking about her. She wondered if Adora would come back soon.

“You alright there, Wildcat?” Scorpia’s voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.

The fault line ruptured.

Catra found herself on her hands and knees, breath coming out in heavy heaves. Her ears were flat to her head and a strong buzzing sound ripped through her senses. Claws ripped into the floor without reprisal, trying to hold onto a sliver of sanity. The memories--Adora’s memories--from the castle tore through her mind in a tornado of torture.

“Catra.” Her name was whispered repeatedly to her like a prayer. Whoever was speaking spoke in a quiet, sensitive timbre. Catra wasn’t sure how long she was on the ground but eventually, the repetitive calm of the voice brought her out of her panic.

Catra looked up and for the third time, her eyes connected with Lonnie’s hazel ones. They were muted, not as intense as Catra remembered from the memories.

The Horde soldier was on her hands and knees at Catra’s level.

“You alright?” Lonnie asked in a hushed voice. The Magicat managed to nod and sit back on her haunches. Lonnie mirrored her.

“Adora’s… training.” Catra murmured. Her clawed hands were fiddling with her tunic, poking little holes in the hem as she avoided eye contact.

It was quiet for a long moment.

“So, you just had a panic attack on the floor because… your wife was practicing?” Lonnie scoffed, eyes trained on every little movement Catra made.

“I…” Catra’s eyes fluttered up and connected with Lonnie’s again. They, then, drifted to Scorpia, Kyle and Rogelio. “I saw her memories. I know… how bad it was. Y’know… growing up how she did, how all of you did.”

Lonnie sucked in a gulp of air. Kyle looked down dejectedly while Rogelio’s gaze turned away from the princess sitting on the floor in front of him. Scorpia looked confused but didn’t speak up.

“I know you protected her Lonnie.” Catra’s eyes were soft with gratitude. “I owe you so much. You mean so much to her, did so much for her. It’s because of you that she was still around to meet me a month ago.”

Lonnie shook her head and looked away from Catra. Though, the Magicat girl could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

“No, I owe you, Catra.” Lonnie spoke in a hushed tone, filled with emotion. “I’ve never seen her like how she is when she’s with you… I never knew she could look so happy.”

The two young women sat there facing each other in silence. They were brought up on opposite sides of a war that was never theirs to fight. Their love--one platonic and one romantic--for Adora was what cemented their bond. An unspoken bond.

“I will get you out of here… All of you.” The sharp, determined look returned to Catra’s face. The Magicat girl stood from her seated position and dusted off her pants. A voice called out just as she was turning to leave, stopping her in her tracks.

“Are you sure you’re alright, Wildcat? That seemed like a nasty episode,” Scorpia looked concerned. Her dark eyes looked into Catra’s with a twinge of guilt--no doubt she was remembering how she almost left the young woman to burn in Salineas.

Though, Catra couldn’t seem to blame the large woman for that. It was war and they had been enemies. The only person she seemed able to hold a grudge against was Shadow Weaver.

She wanted to kill Shadow Weaver.

A pit of red, hot anger sat at the bottom of her stomach growing slowly by the second as she thought about the woman who raised Adora. She turned away her attention from Scorpia for a moment--gaze blistering into the floor.

“I’m fine.” The princess stated, not looking up from the floor. If she had, she may have seen Scorpia’s brow quirk in disbelief. “I’ll be back.”

The young woman stormed out of the room, a fire blazing in her belly. Her teeth were clenched as tightly as her fists. When she opened the double doors to the war room, Catra’s jaw was almost cramping from the strength of her gritted teeth.

Everyone was sitting around the table. For a brief second she wondered how Glimmer had managed to get everyone here so quickly. Though, that thought was quickly ignored as her determination to get the Horde soldiers out of their cages took over once more.

Catra sat down in her chair, placed between her mother’s and Adora’s empty seat. Catra’s chair was directly across from Mermista’s, who was looking at her with slight concern.

A soft hand pressed against the Magicat princess’s back. She smelled her mother’s woodsy scent as the Queen of Halfmoon leaned in closer to her daughter.

“Are you alright? Where’s Adora?” C’yra’s soft voice filtered into Catra’s ears. The young woman knew that everyone around the table was either blatantly staring at her or awkwardly looking everywhere but her.

Two new faces sat at the table. Netossa and Spinnerella. Catra recognized the two women. Spinnerella had babysat her a few times before the wall went up and Netossa would sometimes help. By the way the pair were sitting and their matching jewelry, Catra made the connection that they must be married.

Catra couldn’t face her mother. She knew that if she did her resolve would break and she would weep like a child in front of the members of the rebellion. She had to stay strong. She couldn’t let anything slip through.

“Catra,” Angella’s voice floated into the air from the head of the table, “why have you called this impromptu meeting?”

“I want to discuss having the Horde soldiers freed.” Catra said in an oddly unemotive tone.

An awkward silence filtered over the room. Everyone was looking at Catra now. The Magicat princess locked eyes with Glimmer for a moment. She was watching Catra with an understanding but worried stare.

“That, well...” Angella scratched her head awkwardly, “I’m not sure we can do that, Catra. I understand that you have sympathy for them, but they are Horde soldiers and I’m not sure that it’s safe for us to let them…” Angella paused for a moment, looking away, “free.”

“Do you know why they’re here?” Catra growled, her eyes flaming in anger. None of it was towards Angella but she was the only one that knew that. The hand C’yra had placed on Catra’s back, tensed. Her mother knew what the Horde Soldier’s claims were.

“We haven’t been able to conduct a full investigation into their claims, yet. They did just get here today, Catra.” Angella spoke with an extremely political, authoritative timbre.

“We need to take action. They can help us.” The Magicat princess countered, claws digging deep into the table.

“I understand why you would feel that way and I would like to move this along as quickly as possible given the circumstances but I cannot, in good conscious, let them free without knowing what they claim is true.”

Catra took a big, deep breath in. What the queen was saying made sense but she didn’t want to admit that or conceded that quickly. She had to think of another way to make sure Adora’s friends were freed. Maybe she could—

“Not to, like, interrupt but what are you two talking about?” Mermista’s monotone drawl broke through the tension in the air.

Angella brought a hand up to her temple, rubbing her forehead. Catra snuck a glance at her mother. C’yra was looking back at her, eyes full of conflict and understanding. She looked as mad as Catra. Maybe more. The Magicat princess had to look down, away from her mother. A silent tear trickled down her cheek because her mother cared about and understood Catra’s strife. The hand between her shoulder blades began to slowly, yet comfortingly, rub up and down her spine.

“The Horde soldier’s claim that Shadow Weaver has taken over the Horde and Hordak is acting as her… puppet, for lack of a better term.” C’yra was the one to answer. Her voice filled with the same amount of fire that radiated out of her paws.

“That’s... not good.” Mermista commented, wincing at the implication.

“So… Shadow Weaver’s in charge?” Bow rubbed his shoulder, anxiously, “Does… does Adora know?”

Again, everyone’s eyes were on Catra. The young woman sucked in a deep inhalation.

“No. No, she doesn’t.”

Entrapta looked around the room as if she just had realized that the blonde girl was gone, “Where is Adora? We will probably need her help if we want to take down Shadow Weaver.”

“Adora’s… training. Finding out answers about She-Ra.” Catra answered, vaguely. The heat behind her tone was almost fully cooled. C’yra squinted at her daughter, trying to figure out the fluctuation in her tone.

“So… Shadow Weaver may or may not be in charge… but we can’t let the Horde soldiers free until we figure out if that’s true.” Perfuma recounted, her hands rubbing together with mounting pressure.

“Sounds as though that is correct, yes,” Entrapta answered, factually. A light bulb went off in Catra’s head.

“I can go to the Horde.” Catra sat up, suddenly. The hand on her back stopped rubbing. “I can go to the Horde and sneak into the vents and spy on Shadow Weaver.”

“No, Catra. That’s much too dangerous. We’ve already infiltrated the Horde once and we almost lost Entrapta,” Angella stated, her volume raised slightly as if to prove she was putting her foot down. “We will have to find another way.”

The meeting went on for another two hours with no resolution. The Horde soldiers were to still be held in ‘prison’ until proof that their claims were true. Yet, Angella shot down every idea to verify the information as being too dangerous or using too many resources.

Yet, Catra had the solution. It was simple: the best way to fix everything, from Adora’s struggles to the soldiers’ situation, was to eliminate the witch haunting them all. She wasn’t going to stop until Shadow Weaver was dead.

Chapter Text

Memories swirled around Adora’s mind--both hers and Catra’s. She had dropped to her knees as soon as Catra was out of her sight, hands covering her ears as she curled over until her forehead rested against the cool floor.

“No, no, no, no,” Adora repeatedly muttered to herself as the memories grew louder and mixed together until they were just the worst parts of each one.

“She told me that I was being bad.”

“Well you’re boring! You never wanna play the games I wanna play.”

“You know what happens when you aren’t perfect?”

“You would think that a non-Etherian like you could handle pain better.”

Then, in a snap, everything went silent. Adora left shivering on the floor, her eyes shut tight as she prepared for the worse to happen. There was a presence behind her oozing magic and all she could think was that Shadow Weaver was back to finish off what she started.

“Hello Adora,” An unfamiliar voice reverberated across the hollow room, “You’ve come at last.”

Adora couldn’t answer, she just shivered and tried to shut her eyes tighter.

“You seem… scared, Adora. Do not fear. I have been waiting for you since you were an infant, but I could not reach you. I was unable to protect you from the Horde, but I watched you grow up from afar.” The voice spoke in a strange monotone timbre. It was so opposite of Shadow Weaver’s tonality that Adora felt a surge of bravery coarse through her body. She slowly uncurled herself until she found herself on her knees looking up at the strange ghostly woman from before.

“Are you…Light Hope?” Adora croaked, fear ebbing away from her body only to be replaced by anxiety.

“Yes, Adora. I hope you find my form not threatening. If you do, I will not hesitate to change it.” The hologram’s monotone voice had a slight edge of concern--Adora’s almost mental breakdown had clearly disturbed the entity.

“No, no… um… This form is fine.” Adora chucked awkwardly as she moved to stand up, facing Light Hope for the first time.

“I am sure you have many questions. Before we begin, an introduction is in order. I am Light Hope, Etheria's facilitator. I was created by the First Ones, as you call them.”

“The First Ones…” Adora trailed off, the memory of Catra reading the story of the Magicat hero, C’yra, leading her people in battle against the First Ones flashing through her mind. Next, the memory of meeting the first Queen C’yra during her wedding crept into the back of her mind. Remembering the Magicat’s advice filled her body with a warm feeling of strength in this strange situation.

“Be patient with yourself. Know that you are worthy of love and worthy of life, and allow yourself to be helped when you forget it. You’ve been through a lot, Adora, and you can’t will it away. Let yourself open up to people who you trust. I believe you’ve already begun this road. Also know that it is alright to make mistakes. Everyone does. We’re all fallible.”

“Who exactly were the First Ones? I’ve heard so many different things about them.” Adora asked, straightening her posture to seem stronger.

“The First Ones were explorers who journeyed from beyond the stars to settle Etheria. They built this place for you...the Crystal Castle.” Light Hope suddenly disappeared and reappeared next to Adora which caused her to squeak in fright--her posture quickly returning to defensive. “Adora, I've waited so long for you, and now the time has come for you to fulfill your destiny.”

“My… my destiny?” Adora faltered. She reached up absentmindedly and touched the golden Magicat headpiece. A quick image of Catra followed by a quick image of Shadow Weaver erasing her memories

“Yes: you are She-Ra, Etheria's champion. Appointed by the First Ones to protect and unite our planet. There have been many before you, but the line was broken. You are the first She-Ra in over a thousand years.” Adora remembered that Queen C’yra the first had talked about that last She-Ra.

“Since… Mara?” Light Hope paused her movement around the room, her program flickered. Adora rubbed her hands together, anxiously, as the tension in the room increased tenfold.

“Yes. I must admit I am surprised you know of her name. Mara was the last She-Ra before you. She struggled with a power that she could not control. Eventually, it became too much for her mind.” Light Hope stated carefully as she gave Adora a hard look.

Adora furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Everything that she had heard about Mara from C’yra in the Tiger’s Eye--which was, admittedly, not much--seemed to put her in a good light. Though, Adora could read the room and sensed that asking any more questions would not do her any favors.

Light Hope continued, “Everything on Etheria is connected. The princesses are granted power over the elements through their Runestones. As She-Ra, it is your duty to bring the princesses together. Only then can balance be restored to Etheria.”

Adora’s eyes widened slightly, “Oh, that’s all great but--”

“You are correct. It is great.” Light Hope interrupted, “When the princesses and their elements are in balance, Etheria functions as it should.” Light Hope began to project scenes of Horde, atrocities flashing in front of Adora like the memories had a few minutes before. “But the Horde is destroying us in their quest for power. There is no predicting what they will do next.”

Adora felt the thrum of her heart increase as the scenes in front of her got more and more intense. She couldn’t believe she had been stupid enough to believe everything that the Horde had told her. Having relieved some of her most traumatic memories--one of which was taken from her without consent--and seeing all the horror the Horde had enacted upon Etheria was making Adora’s head spin. As her heart rate increased so did her breathing. Black spots began to appear in her vision as Adora began to hyperventilate. Before she knew it, her knees had hit the ground and she was kneeling before Light Hope, again.

She could hear Light Hope’s voice but it distorted like she was underwater. Yet, even with Light Hope calling to her, Adora found herself alone in her panic. Her vision blurred and she hugged herself tightly, trying to give herself some semblance of comfort, pretending that her arms were Catra’s.

But it wasn’t working and Adora slowly felt herself lose consciousness, alone on the concrete floor.

***

Catra woke up the morning after the Rebellion’s meeting feeling numb.

She rolled onto her back. Her gaze drifted up to the ceiling of her and Adora’s room in Brightmoon. Her hand drifted over to Adora’s side of the bed and blinked her eyes, languidly, pretending for a moment that Adora was in the bathroom and would be back in a few moments.

Yet, the lack of warmth emitting from the left side of the bed brought the reality of Catra’s situation back to her. For a moment, Catra debated staying in bed all day but her determination to take down the Horde and Shadow Weaver beat out her urges.

It was much too early for her to do anything, everyone else was probably still asleep. Catra knew that if she was going to sneak into the Horde, she needed to have somewhat of a better understanding of her powers. She hadn’t really used them since the wedding.

She swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Catra breathed in and reached out, hand extended toward a picture frame that was hung up on the wall. The picture wiggled slightly but didn’t move forward. She dropped her hand slightly, took another deep breath, shot her hand out, again. Catra screwed her eyes shut and pictured the frame with the picture of her and Adora inside, pictured it flying into her hand. Suddenly the wood of the frame hit her palm and Catra opened her eyes, looked down to see the picture of her and Adora cuddling outside on the roof. The one C’yra got them for their wedding. Someone must’ve hung it up when they left to go on their Honeymoon.

The Magicat princess couldn’t help the tears that began to drip down her face and onto the glass. Her fingers reached down and rubbed the tears away, caressing her wife’s sleeping form. She wondered how Adora was doing without her.

Catra gently put the picture down on the mattress and continued to practice using her telekinesis.

While Catra was getting ready for the day, she debated who in the rebellion would be the best, most strategic, pick to take with her on her mission.

She knew Angella was out of the question. Even if she was on Catra’s side, she hadn’t fought in a battle since King Micah was killed. She also didn’t think that telling her mother would be a smart move. Catra knew her mom would fuck shit up--especially if she explained everything she saw about Adora’s childhood--but she was nervous that C’yra wouldn’t let her go through with her plan and would choose to do something drurastic herself.

However, most of the other members of the Rebellion could go either way.

Catra skipped breakfast in favor of checking in with the Horde soldiers. When she walked into the extra room where they were being kept only Lonnie was awake.

“Catra,” Lonnie grumbled, looking up at her with bleary eyes. “What’re you doing here so early?”

“I have a plan and I need you to help me,” Catra blurted out. Lonnie’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“I’m listening.” Lonnie leaned back so she could look up at Catra fully, amusement playing out on her face.

“I’m going into the Horde and I want to know the best way to Shadow Weaver’s room,” Catra’s tone was flat but her eyes were filled with rage. Lonnie’s countenance quickly turned concerned.

“Catra,” Lonnie started hesitantly, “I don’t think you’re thinking clearly. I would rather you be safe here until Adora comes back than you go and risk getting hurt.”

Catra crossed her arms and the fire in her eyes increased tenfold, “Lonnie, I don’t want Adora to come back to this fucking nightmare. It’s not her job to fix everything. We also have a shot at ending this war because it seems like we just need to take down this fucking hag. I need to let Adora work through her powers and hopefully when she gets back she can relax.”

Lonnie sighed and gave Catra a hard look.

“Look,” She took in a deep breath, “I see where you’re coming from, I really do, but you know that Adora will be much more appreciative to have a wife to come back to than a wife who got herself killed trying to take down the Horde by herself.”

Catra shook her head. “I won’t be going alone, I just have to figure out who to bring with me.”

Lonnie was silent a few moments, watching the princess shift her weight from foot to foot aggravatedly.

“Fine... get me a piece of paper and a pen and I’ll draw the best way through the Horde.” Catra gave her a small grateful smile and turned around starting to figure out how to sneak a pen and paper to Lonnie when the Horde soldier spoke up again, causing the Princess to look back over her shoulder. “And Catra? Please don’t do anything stupid.

Catra laughed, humorlessly, “I probably will.” Then, she left the room.

***

“Adora?” A monotonous voice rang through Adora’s ears.

The young woman groaned and groggily sat up.

“Oh, good. You are awake.” Light Hope was hovering near Adora, an edge of concern to her tone that went straight over Adora’s head. “I did not realize that you would have such a strong reaction to those images.”

Adora reached up and rubbed her head, trying to release some tension in her temples.

“S’fine,” She slurred, electing to remain sitting down while Light Hope continued to hover next to her.

“Light Hope,” Adora continued after a few seconds of silence, “can we skip to the part where we talk about my powers? I need to learn how to heal my friend.”

“Your… friend?” Light Hope cocked her head in confusion.

“Yeah. Shadow Weaver did something to my friend Glimmer and took her powers away. I need to heal her.” Adora’s eyes fluttered up to Light Hope, looking at her hopefully.

Light Hope nodded once, “Her connection with her Runestone was disrupted.”

Adora nodded slowly, trying to avoid a headrush, “Can I fix it?”

Light Hope hummed and said, “You will be able to do incredible things with training.”

“Okay,” Adora continued to nod slowly, “so, how long will this training take?”

“Years.”

Adora stopped moving, her hands beginning to shake as they reached up to run through her hair. “Years?” She squeaked out.

“Yes, years. Are you alright Adora? Your heart rate has elevated.” The small note of concern was back in Light Hope’s tone.

“I… I just… I don’t have years. It’s all my fault. Glimmer is hurt now and she’s hurt because of me. Bow got hurt because of me. Catra--” A quiet whimper escaped her lips, and her voice was reduced to a whisper, “got hurt because of me.”

“Your mission is to fix the planet.” Adora rubbed her temple, hard.

“I need to help my friends, that’s why I’m here.”

“Adora,” Light Hope moved closer to her, “I have waited here for a thousand years, alone. I did not know if I would ever see another She-Ra. You must stay here and train. Learn to be the She-Ra that Mara could not be.”

Adora rubbed her forehead against her knees, turning away from the hologram, “I… I promise I will. I’ll come back and I’ll train, but I need to help Glimmer first. I can do both.”

Suddenly, more scenes were projected in front of her and Adora gasped her heart stuttered.

A memory of Glimmer struggling against her restraints while Catra clutched the bars of her metal cage.

Catra’s look of betrayal at Shadow Weaver’s reveal that Adora was her apprentice.

Lonnie asking why she had to leave during princess prom.

“You feel guilt at these memories. It is as you said, your friends are endangered by your presence. It is better that you let go of them.”

Adora was shaking again, her mind swirling in a world of dizzying blame and guilt.

“I...I… I can’t just leave them for years.”

“You must, Adora. To keep them safe.”

***

Catra figured that she could sneak Lonnie paper if she volunteered to take the Horde soldiers their breakfast. She slyly slipped the paper under the plate on Lonnie’s tray and placed a pen next to the utensils. As she walked down the hall, she gave the guards a small nod of the head. They let her in, making sure the magic containers the Horde soldiers were contained in were opened enough that Catra could put each tray into the makeshift jail cells. Another guard had followed Catra into the room holding two more breakfast trays.

Catra, first, placed the tray in her right hand with the pen and paper into Lonnie’s section of the room before the guard could give one of the other trays to her and then gave the other tray to
Kyle.

After the guard gave the other two trays to Scorpia and Rogelio, they raised their eyebrows at Catra, not expecting her to want to stay in the room with the soldiers.

Catra shrugged, “I wanna talk about Adora as a kid.”

The guard’s expression morphed into amusement and they left the room, leaving Catra alone in the room with Scorpia, Kyle, Rolegio, and Lonnie.

“Alright, princess,” Lonnie gave Catra a reproachful look. “You’re sure about this?”

“Yes, I’m sure,” the rest of the former Horde members looked between Catra and Lonnie trying to figure out what the two were discussing.

“Catra, here, wants to go into the Horde,” Scorpia, Kyle and Rogelio all looked at Catra with wide, surprised eyes.

Scorpia spoke up first, “Catra, I don’t think that’s… I’m not sure if that’s, you know, the best approach.”

Rogelio made an awkward, sound of agreement. Kyle was nodding his head violently until Catra gave him a look that made him yelp and duck under his chair.

“It doesn’t matter, something needs to be done and I am going to do something,” Catra replied, biting back her frustrated tone.

The former Horde soldiers seemed to get the hint that nothing they said would change Catra’s mind. As they ate their food, Lonnie verbally explained the ins and outs of the Horde buildings as she drew the paths to the Black Garnet Chamber and Hordak’s lab and other key rooms and hiding places in the Horde. After about half an hour, when Lonnie was done eating, she shoved the tray back over to Catra with the paper and pen underneath it.

“Thanks Lonnie. Thank you all… I’ll get you out of here soon,” Catra said in a low voice as she stood to leave the room.

“Please be safe,” It was Kyle who spoke up from the opposite corner of the room. Catra gave him an awkward smile in response, waving her hand that had the paper in it to them as she left the room.

Catra marched down the hall to her and Adora’s shared room and pushed the door open, violently. Her breath was becoming increasingly heavy as her hands started to shake, causing the paper to tremble as well. Catra looked down at the paper in her hands, the lines and circles blending together as one big giant smudge.

“Catra?” Mermista’s voice broke Catra out of her head. The Magicat Princess looked up to see Mermista standing in the middle of the room, her arms crossed over her chest. Her dark eyes were looking at Catra with concern. “What’s that?”

Mermista was pointing down at the paper in Catra’s hands. Before Catra could hide the paper behind her back, Mermista snatched it out of her hands and was studying it. Catra tried to grab it back but was unsuccessful. Mermista’s eyes widened as she looked up from the sheet, locking gazes with Catra’s.

“Dude, what the fuck?!” She waved the paper around in front of her body with an incredulous look. Catra was finally able to grab it back. “Are you insane?! Are you trying to get killed?! You can’t go into the Horde by yourself! Give me one good reason not to go tell your mo—”

“Mermista, shut the fuck up!” Catra hissed, lunging forward to cover her friend’s mouth with her hand. The muffled words increased in intensity as Mermista’s glare turned deadly. “Listen, okay? Just listen for a second.” Mermista finally stopped speaking but her eyes still looked as sharp as daggers, piercing into Catra’s like that would stop her and her scheming. Slowly, Catra took her hand off Mermista’s mouth.

“I… I found out something...” Catra’s hands gripped each other tightly as she began to wring them. “Something about Shadow Weaver and Adora. And trust me when I say if she’s trying to take control of the Horde we are in so much more trouble than we were in when Hordak was in command. If Angella is too worried to send a squad to the Horde then I will go myself.”

“Catra,” Mermista sucked in a deep inhale as she watched her friend with a fixed look Catra couldn’t quite place. It was either concern or displeasure, though Catra liked to think it was the former. “What exactly did you find out about Shadow Weaver and Adora?”

“I…” Catra hesitated, rubbing her hands on her thighs to hide the shakiness. “I’m not sure if it’s my story to tell.”

Mermista gave a short but respectful nod, “That’s fine and all, but I don’t think you’re thinking clearly right now. Going to the Horde by yourself is, like, a death sentence. I don’t want you to get hurt and I know for a fact your big, blonde wife wouldn’t either.”

“I don’t think it's a death sentence…” Catra muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. “Why does everyone keep saying it’s a death sentence?”

“Because if Shadow Weaver so much as smells you she’s gonna fucking fry you again!” Mermista hissed back, her hands moving around erratically. Catra winced in response which made the other princess sigh. She took in another deep breath and tossed a guilty look at Catra, “Sorry. I just… It was hard when you were kidnapped, okay? Adora was catatonic, inconsolable and the rest of us were worried out of our minds, too. I don’t want to have to go back to the Horde again to find that we were too late this time.”

“I don’t want you to worry about me. I have my powers now and I got Lonnie to map everything out.” Catra waved around the paper in her hand. “Everything will work out.”

“Right, you have powers now, but how much practice with those powers do you have, exactly? Not much, if I had to guess.” Catra looked away, crossing her arms over chest as Mermista continued. “I understand where you’re coming from, and I totally agree that Angella is being way too cautious, but I won’t let you put yourself in harm's way doing something dangerous by yourself.”

“Okay, so come with me then.” Catra said, her eyes darting back to Mermista. “If you’re so worried about me.”

Mermista’s eyebrows raised in surprise as she opened her mouth to respond, then paused. She studied Catra for a long moment before speaking again. “You’re really not going to be talked out of this, are you?”

Catra shook her head, “I know everyone wants to wait until Adora comes back but I don’t want her to have to deal with this. Shadow Weaver tried her best to break Adora’s mind, body and spirit, and now it’s my turn to break that witch.”

Mermista hummed in response; soft and ominous. “Give me until, like, the end of the day, alright? If this has got you so fired up, you’re gonna need backup and as much as I find her annoying, Glimmer will be a valuable ally. She might not want to go with you but she’ll cover your ass on the rebellion’s end.”

Catra nodded, the tension in her shoulders deflated, slightly. “I will. I was already planning on it.”

Mermista let out a deep exhale which shifted into a low whistle, shaking her head in disbelief. “You’re really gonna do this, aren’t you? You really love Adora that much?” Catra nodded her head, fervently.

It was what Adora deserved; to be loved and cherished for who she is, not what she can do.

Mermista couldn’t help but smirk, eyes glittering with amusement, “Good. She deserves it. I’ll meet up with you later.” With that, the princess walked out of the room, patting Catra supportively on the shoulder as she passed.

Catra breathed out deeply, the tension in her shoulders dissipating and finally going slack. She hid the map of the Horde under the pillow of their bed. Then, Catra twirled around and set off to find Glimmer.

She found the princess of Brightmoon talking with Bow outside the castle on the lawn standing close together. Bow’s hand was placed on the crux of her arm, gently rubbing the area there consolingly. Catra made sure to school her expression before walking up to her two friends.

“Hello lovebirds,” Glimmer and Bow jumped in surprise, separating as far apart as they could as they turned to face Catra. “Glimmer, may I speak with you in private?”

It wasn’t that she didn’t trust Bow. Catra just knew the young man was much more likely to talk to C’yra or Angella about Catra’s plans in an attempt to protect her from danger. While she appreciated the thought, Catra didn’t need any more obstacles.

“Oh, of course,” Glimmer said as she shot Catra an unsure look. Bow smiled at both of them, his cheeks turned a bright red, as he bid the princesses a polite goodbye. He ran off into the castle, without looking back.

“So, you and bow-boy are finally dating, huh?” Catra said; mockingly but light-hearted. Glimmer glowered at her, hands going to her hips as she leaned closer to Catra.

“If you’re just here to fuck around, go bother someone else. My mother and I are meeting in an hour to talk about how to get more resources to feed the people of Brightmoon, so I really don’t have time for your shit.”

Catra rolled her eyes but nodded, “Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine. I get it, it’s all business and no fun. Though, if you ever want to talk about how to get together with crop top, I think I can help.”

Glimmer flushed a bright red color. “Catra, seriously. Why are you here?”

Catra’s mischievous countenance turned grim, causing Glimmer to frown in concern. The magicat looked around to make sure they were alone before grabbing Glimmer’s wrist, pulling her along as she darted behind the wall to hide from the few people outside on the lawn.

Catra turned around to Glimmer with a severe expression. “You have to promise me you won’t tell anyone about this until I’m gone, alright?”

Glimmer’s face blanched, blood fleeing her cheeks. “Gone? What do you mean “gone”, Catra? Where are you going?”

Catra gestured for Glimmer to lower her voice. “I’m going back to the Horde--”

“WHA--” Catra, for the second time that day, lunged forward and covered someone’s mouth with her hand.

“Idiot!” Catra hissed out. “I told you to keep it down!” In response Glimmer bit down, hard, on the skin of Catra’s palm causing the princess of Halfmoon to swear and retract her hand.

“Do you have a fucking deathwish?!” Catra rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Catra! That’s insane! Why the hell would you do that?!” Even though Glimmer’s tone was filled with anger and worry, she managed to lower her volume to avoid unwanted attention.

“Shadow Weaver needs to be taken down, Glimmer, and if no one is going to do anything about it then I will.” Glimmer looked at Catra with a panic-stricken gaze. “I need you to cover my ass in case our moms decide to ask where I am.”

“Catra...” Glimmer’s hand ran through her hair, anxiously.

“Glimmer.” Catra mimicked with a small amused smile.

“Not funny, this is serious! You’re gonna get hurt!” Glimmer growled back, poking Catra hard in the chest.

“I’ll be fine! And if I’m not then that’s a great way to get the rebellion to finally fucking do something!” Catra’s eyes flickered with an intensity that Glimmer had never seen.

“Catra…” Glimmer’s hand reached over and rested on Catra’s upper arm. The princess’s glittery eyes were big and filled with concern. “What happened between your Honeymoon and now? Why are you so fired up about this? Why isn’t Adora here? Did you two fight?”

Catra groaned and rubbed her temple, shaking her head. “No, we aren’t fighting. I… Glimmer, I’m not sure if I can talk about it. It’s not my story to tell, you know?”

Glimmer’s eyes narrowed slightly, trying to understand Catra’s vague statement. “Did… did you find something out about Adora? Is this you trying to be protective?”

Catra sighed, nodding her head. “Basically, Shadow Weaver is so much worse than we knew. She needs to be taken out before she can gain control of the Horde, or else things are going to get much worse. I’m not dumb enough to go alone, I’ll probably be able to convince Entrapta, and Mermista is thinking about coming as well. I just need you to cover for me for a few days or until Adora comes back.”

Glimmer leaned back and studied Catra for a moment, trying to gage how serious the situation was. Catra stared unblinkingly back, resolute in her conviction. Glimmer sighed and nodded her head.

“How much time should I give you before I call in the rest of the rebellion for backup?” Glimmer paused for a moment, before tacking on, “And what do I tell Adora when she gets back and you’re gone?”

“Well, I’m hoping that Adora gets back after I’m done, but if that happens…” Catra gulped, an icy feeling of dread coursing through her veins at the thought of Adora coming back while she was gone. “If that happens, and I’m not back after three days, come after me.”

“Three days?” Glimmer looked skeptical, a grimace playing on her face. “Are you sure?”

“Positive.” Catra smirked and tapped her temple with her middle finger, “I’ve got a plan.”

“Okay…” Glimmer looked uncomfortable. She stood there for a long poignant moment watching Catra, before unexpectedly surging forward to wrap Catra in a hug. The Magicat princess stiffened in surprise as Glimmer’s arms snaked around her torso. Her breath tickled Catra’s ear as she said, “You better come back alive, or I’m going revive you and kill you again.”

Catra let out a breathy chuckle. “Sounds like something only you would do.”

Catra spent most of the rest of the day holed up in her and Adora’s shared room, specifically at their desk writing detailed notes about how she planned to take down Shadow Weaver. About an hour into her work, Catra decided that bringing Entrapta would be imperative--even if that meant she would be distracted the majority of the time.

A knock on the door brought her out of her trance.

“Catra?” The young Magicat paled, rushing to hide her notes in the nearest drawer right as her mother opened the door, walking in with two plates full of food.

“You missed dinner,” C’yra said as an explanation. She came over to her daughter, switching the plate in her left hand over to her right as she grabbed an extra chair and dragged it with her. The older woman swung the chair around and placed the food in front of Catra in one fluid motion.

“So, what’s wrong?” C’yra spoke bluntly, watching her daughter with concern that only a mother could. Catra sighed and reached out to take a fork into her hand, pulling one of the plates closer to herself with her claws, though she didn’t say anything. The Magicat queen frowned at the lack of response, but followed her daughter’s suit and grabbed her own plate of food.

The food looked delicious--something Catra didn’t usually say about the bland Brightmoon food. It was an attempt at one of Halfmoon’s traditional dishes; a type of fish sandwich with a pretzel bun, cream cheese, and greens called Sola Fasoso. Instead of the traditional salmon the sandwich was made with cod. Perhaps the most interesting item available was a snack bag of Glimmer’s favorite kind of potato chips. Usually, the Princess of Brightmoon hid them so no one else would eat them. Catra scoffed and picked up the chips, glaring at them like Glimmer was actually there instead.

“She insisted I bring them,” C’yra remarked, picking up the other snack bag and looking at it fondly. “She seems to be very worried about you. So am I.”

Catra glanced up at her mother briefly before reverting her gaze back to her plate of food. “I’m just worried about Adora.”

C’yra hummed in response, the chip bag in her hands wrinkling noisily as she opened it. “It is perfectly reasonable to be worried about your partner, especially when you’re apart. However,” C’yra’s tough skinned palm pressed lightly on the upper part of Catra’s back, “I can read you very well, dear. I can tell that this is not just worry for Adora. Would you like to tell me what’s really going on?”

Catra felt the load of emotions that had been sitting in her stomach since leaving the beacon begin to bubble up until it was stuck in her throat and it felt like she was choking. Of course her mother would be able to see straight through her, she always had been able to. Catra could remember times where she had failed a test at school or had a fight with a friend and when she got home her mother would always know something was wrong. Then, no matter how tired C’yra was after leading Halfmoon soldiers through the Whispering Woods for hours or days, the Queen would always do what she was doing now.

Bring Catra her favorite foods and sit with her for hours until she felt better.

Catra through her hands up to her face, shielding it from C’yra as tears began to leak from her eyes. The memory of seeing Adora as a child alone and crying with only Lonnie to comfort her flickered in her mind and that was what finally made Catra break, sobs wrecking through her body as her claws dug into her hair.

“Oh darling,” C’yra’s breath hitched as she heard her daughter break down. The hand that had been placed on Catra’s upper back began to rub back and forth, comfortingly. C’yra’s other hand carefully, gently--like Catra was the most precious, valuable, glass--took her daughter’s wrists and pulled them from her face and then, with the same light grip, held Catra’s chin and turned her face so she could look into her mournful eyes. Once Catra was looking up at her mom, C’yra’s hand caressed her cheek as it traveled across her face to push some of Catra’s hair out of her face, then reverting back to Catra’s cheek.

“What’s going on?” C’yra voice was soft, kind, warm and open. Like an open fire cracking in the middle of the coldest and darkest nights; incessant and magical.

“I--” Catra’s breath was coming out ragged as she shook her head, trying to get her memories of the beacon out of her head. “Adora… She… I saw what happened to her.”

C’yra look a small, sharp inhale but that was the only indication that the statement had affected her. The queen’s thumb stroked the top part of her daughter’s cheek, “Do you want to tell me about it?”

Catra thought about it for a long moment. She hadn’t told anyone else because it wasn’t her story to tell and she didn’t want to hurt Adora by telling someone something that Adora didn’t consent to be shared. C’yra could see the struggle and hesitation in Catra’s face, “I promise that I won’t tell Adora what you tell me. If this is affecting you this much, I think telling someone about it to share the burden of this knowledge will help you to work through it.” Catra hummed noncommittally. C’yra sighed and shifted her weight so she was fully facing her daughter. Her hands moved to Catra’s own, carefully taking them and loosely holding them.

“You can experience trauma through learning about someone else’s trauma, Catra. Especially if you love that person very deeply. You’ve been through a lot in a very short amount of time and when that happens it can cause some issues.” Catra's hands began to tremble in her mom’s as she felt the heat of the metal ship on her back seconds away from death in Salineas. C’yra squeezed her hands which brought Catra out of that headspace. The queen’s voice lowered a little, becoming impossibly softer, “You don’t need to keep all this emotion to yourself, Catra. You are not a burden, and you will not burden me by talking about the big scary world you’ve been thrust into.”

There was a long moment of silence. Catra silently leaned forward until her forehead rested on her mom’s shoulder and words began to vomit out of her mouth. She told her mom about everything: what happened in the beacon, her fears about her new marriage, what happened when she was kidnapped, her nightmares about the exploding ship. Everything except her plan to sneak into the Horde.

C’yra sat with her the entire time, only speaking up to clarify certain statements. She never once let go of Catra’s hands, head rested against Catra’s, making sure to do anything in her power to make sure Catra felt comfortable and safe.

Only after Catra was done talking, having been silent for over five minutes and still resting her forehead on C’yra’s shoulder, did the queen speak, “Thank you for trusting me enough to tell me all of that.”

She could only nod in response. Catra felt like she was a kid again, protected from all hurt as she nestled into her mother’s warm embrace. “When Adora comes back, maybe you could tell her about all of that, too.”

Catra began to violently shake her head but C’yra spoke up again before the princess could, “Adora has experienced much hurt in her life. No person should have to go through all that abuse and neglect. However,” C’yra gently moved Catra so she was looking into her eyes, again, “part of loving someone is openly communicating with them. Adora is not going to shatter because you tell her about your nightmares or about how traumatic watching those memories were for you--none of that was under either of your control. Adora is learning how about love, Catra, and part of love is learning how to do this.” C’yra gestured between them, acknowledging the conversation that they were having. Catra let out a small, choked laugh.

“You sound like a therapist,” Catra’s scratchy voice said--extremely overused.

C’yra chuckled, softly, “You say that like it’s a bad thing. Therapy is very useful and if you asked me, I would tell you that everyone--even the happiest of us--would benefit from it. I hear your friend, Perfuma, is known for her gentle approach at therapy.”

Catra grinned, guiltily, up at her mother, “I’ll talk to Adora about it. Maybe… maybe it would be something we could do together…” C’yra raised her eyebrows. Catra scrambled to explain herself, “Not like… couples therapy. We’d have our own time but…” Catra trailed off, not knowing how to explain herself fully. Though, C’yra understood.

“That sounds wonderful dear. Even if you did want to do couples therapy, I would support you. Your father and I have meetings with a therapist every so often.” Catra’s eyes widened in shock which caused C’yra to laugh. “You don’t have to be on the verge of separation to go to therapy, darling, it’s perfectly normal to go to therapy with your partner while having a healthy relationship.”

Catra had a lot to think about and it was clear by the way her face was scrunched up into a faux scowl. C’yra smiled and let go of her daughter’s hands, giving them a soft pat.

“Eat your dinner, go to sleep, and I’ll see you in the morning.” C’yra turned to pick up her half eaten dinner but if she had watched Catra for even a moment longer she would’ve seen the young woman’s face turn ashen. Catra wouldn’t be in Brightmoon in the morning.

With a quick kiss on the top of Catra’s head, C’yra left the room leaving Catra alone with her thoughts. The first thing the young magicat did was scribble a note to her mom that she planned to tape on the queen’s door before she left the castle. It was vague and basically just threw Glimmer into the mess of explaining what was going on but it was the best Catra could do.

She got a few hours of sleep, making sure to set an alarm on the trackpad Bow had given her as a wedding gift--something she planned on taking with her on her mission. At around three in the morning the alarm went off and off Catra went. She made sure to dress in all black; leggings, a long sleeve, skin-tight turtleneck shirt with a boob window, and a black utility belt. Catra made sure to grab the map Lonnie wrote with her scribbled notes and the note to her mom before she slipped out of the room.

She placed the note under the door to her mom’s room in Brightmoon, trying to be as quiet as possible knowing that her mom’s hearing was just as good or better than her own. Creeping around Brightmoon castle was pretty scary in the middle of the night. The bright light of the Etherian moons caused the shadow’s to look sharper than they did in the day. Entrapta was easy to find. The Princess of Dryl was the loudest thing in the castle--working away in the spare room Angella gave her as a workplace/sleeping room. The Brightmoon queen had invested in getting Entrapta the materials she needed for her research and a good bulk of the expensive metals and crystals had been delivered to Brightmoon the day before. Entrapta hadn’t left the room except to use the restroom, and was still working when Catra went to see her.

“Entrapta,” Catra called out, knocking on the door.

Pink hair stilled its hammering motion for a moment. Entrapta’s welding mask appeared above the large skiff she was working on.

“Catra! I must admit, I am surprised to see you here at,” Entrapta paused to look down at her watch, “three-thirty three in the morning.”

“Yeah. Sorry for disrupting… whatever you’re doing. I have something to talk to you about.” Catra walked into the room, circling around the giant machine in the middle.

“Oh, of course. Is this ‘gossiping session’?” Entrapta asked, placing her tools down and lowered herself so she was face to face with her friend.

“No, not a gossiping session--we can do that later if you’d like. I’m going to the Horde and I want you to come with me.” Catra spoke bluntly, knowing that getting to the point was the best way to communicate with Entrapta.

Entrapta tapped her chin thoughtfully for about ten seconds, “Alright. I’m in. Did Angella change her mind? I thought she told you not to go to the Horde.”

Catra shook her head, “No, this is my mission and I want you to come with me. You’re my best friend and I need someone that knows how to use the Horde’s machinery.”

Entrapta nodded, “That’s very smart. I’m definitely the best choice for combating technological obstacles. Is anyone else coming?”

“Yeah. I’m coming along, too,” A new voice spoke up from the doorway. Both Entrapta and Catra’s heads whipped around to find Mermista in the doorway.

She, like Catra, was dressed in all black. There was a small smirk playing out on her lips. Catra smiled back, crossing her arms over her chest and said;

“Alright then. Let’s kick some bitchy witch ass.”

Chapter Text

The next morning was chaos in Brightmoon.

C’yra, eyes filled with fire, had barged into the dinning room where Angella, Glimmer, Bow and Perfuma had been peacefully eating breakfast and marched over to Glimmer. A hand shot out and grabbed Glimmer’s robe, pulling the princess up to her feet and forcing her to look up into C’yra’s eyes. They shone like blue fire, twin orbs of outrage glaring down at Glimmer, who gulped as she realized what was about to happen.

“What is this?” C’yra seethed, holding up a note with the hand that wasn’t effortlessly holding the Princess aloft.

“C’yra, what is the meaning of this?! Unhand my daughter this instant!” Angella stood from her chair, wings flaring out subconsciously as she strode towards the pair.

Releasing her grip on Glimmer’s robe, C’yra turned and stalked towards Angella, her ire focused on a new target. “Explain to me, Angella, why I woke up this morning to a note saying my daughter had left and your daughter knew she was leaving.”

“Catra’s gone?” Angella’s eyes widened, whipping her head around toward Glimmer, who was trying to leave the room. Perfuma’s hand shot out and vines grew from the floor, wrapping the shorter Princess up so she couldn’t leave. Glimmer struggled briefly, but went limp after a second or two as she realized the futility of her attempts.

“Yes, Catra’s gone.” C’yra was still livid. She balled the note up in one hand and threw it at Angella. However, the queen of Brightmoon caught it before it hit her head. Angella unfolded the note, her face growing more concerned the longer she read.

‘Hey mom,

Thank you for the talk, it meant a lot and I’m planning on changing things in my life. I have to go for a bit, but I’ll be back. Glimmer will explain.

I don’t want you to worry or come after me. I need to do this.

-Catra’

“Glimmer...” Angella turned to her daughter, apprehension sinking into her bones. “Where is Catra?”

Glimmer paled for a second. “She… um… she told me she was leaving for a bit to go help Adora.”

“Help Adora… do what? Because all I have been hearing since Catra got back is bullshit lies. Why has Catra been so upset, Glimmer? Where is she? Where’s Adora, for that matter??” C’yra’s voice escalated in volume until she was practically screaming at Glimmer.

“I can’t tell you, okay?!” Glimmer yelled back, guilt coloring her expression. “Catra told me not to tell you because she wanted, no, needed to do it on her own.” C’yra inhaled, gearing up for an even longer tirade when Netossa and Spinnerella walked into the room.

“Hello,” Spinnerella greeted the room genially as she glanced around. “Have any of you seen Mermista? We were supposed to talk trade with her this morning, but she wasn’t in the meeting room, nor still in her own room.”

A hush came over the dinning room, and Glimmer’s face turned pale.

“Mermista’s gone as well...” C’yra spoke quietly to herself. Snapping her head up with realization, she raised her voice. “Someone go check on Entrapta.”

“I’ll do it,” Bow spoke up from his seat, shooting Glimmer a questioning glance as he left the room.

“What’s going on?” Perfuma’s nervous voice peeped up.

“I don’t know.” C’yra said, shooting Glimmer another glare. “I just hope that Catra knows what she’s doing.”

“Sit down, C’yra, please.” Angella ushered her old friend into a seat. “Whatever is going on, we’ll figure it out. You need to eat and save your energy just in case. Perfuma, could you please release my daughter?”

With a swipe of her hands, Perfuma forced the vines off of Glimmer. Once free from the restraints, Glimmer awkwardly rubbed her wrists and took the seat the furthest from C’yra, silently finishing her meal.

Not long after, Bow came back into the room with an anxious look.

“Entrapta isn't in her room. And to make matters worse, her skiff’s gone as well.” Bow stated as he sat back down at the table, shoveling a forkful of eggs into his mouth, as he tried to calm his rising worries.

The rest of breakfast was quiet. C’yra left after barely eating half her plate.

***
After making their way through the Whispering Woods, Catra, Mermista, and Entrapta could successfully sneak through the no-woman’s land between Alliance and Horde territory undetected by any of the Horde’s surveillance. Thanks to Entrapta’s superior technological skills and Catra’s keen senses, they could hack or slip past the security drones that patrolled the desert, slinking across the dunes.

Now they stood at the edge of the Fright Zone, hiding behind a rock as they watched Horde squads bumble from building to building with marching precision only child soldiers could have.

“I wonder if they have any medical problems from all the pollution they inhale...” Entrapta pondered, causing Catra to tense up next to her. Mermista, who was on the other side of Catra, reached over and flicked Entrapta in the ear.

“Ouch!” Entrapta frowned at Mermista. “Why did you do that?”

“Maybe don’t say weird things about Horde soldiers and I wouldn’t! Adora grew up here, remember?” Mermista hissed in response.

“Mermista, let it go. It’s a valid question.” Catra said, even though her face was still an ashen color.

“So, big boss lady, what’s your plan?” Mermista changed the subject, though a tenseness still hung in the air.

“Well, we need to find a way into the Fright Zone. I think the best way to do that would be to get into some Horde uniforms and walk right in, rather than trying to.”

“Well, how would we do that?” Entrapta said with interest in her tone.

“Like this,” Catra’s hand shot out towards a rock about fifty meters away. It wiggled slightly but didn’t move. The sound of a skiff sounded from behind them, and Mermista’s eyebrows lifted into an unimpressed countenance. Catra shut her eyes tightly, trying to concentrate on the rock. Right as the skiff came into sight, the rock shot up from its place fifty meters away and launched itself straight towards it, colliding with the skiff before it made it five feet. The vehicle swerved, hit a dune head on, and three horde soldiers flew from the skiff.

“Wow, you’re lucky you're married because if you weren’t I would literally jump your bones right now.” Mermista stated, giving Catra a look.

“It’s not possible to jump someone’s bones.” Entrapta replied before Catra could. The Magicat princess just rolled her eyes and sprung up to go check out the crash.

It had knocked all three horde soldiers unconscious, and the skiff was still smoking from the front. Entrapta bee lined to the skiff, taking tools out of her tool belt to fix it. Meanwhile, Mermista and Catra undressed the Horde soldiers into their underwear.

“Catraaaaa, this is so weird! I don’t wanna see naked Horde soldiers. Just ‘cause your hot wife is an ex-horde soldier doesn’t mean they’re all hot.” Mermista whined, looking over at Catra.

“Get over it, Princess.” Catra rolled her eyes again. “We need to figure out what to do with them if they wake up.”

“Please, C’yra deary, let me take care of it.” An unfamiliar voice reverberated throughout the clearing.

Catra and Mermista jumped with surprise and turned around. An old woman with long, puffy, grey hair and a broomstick stood at the edge of the clearing, looking at them with enormous eyes amplified by large, thick glasses. Little bugs were swirling around her like moths attracted to light.

“Uh, who are you?” Mermista said, one of her eyebrows twitching up in interest.

“No time for introduction, dear,” The woman scuffled over faster than Catra expected her to, causing a small yelp to escape her lips, “Princess C’yra needs my help.” In a quick motion, the old woman whipped out a rope and tied the unconscious Horde soldiers up.

“I… I’m not Princess C’yra, I think you’re mistaking me for my mother, Queen C’yra,” Catra spoke hesitantly as she backed away to give the woman more room to work.

The old woman scoffed and shook her head. “So silly deary. Where’s Mara? She promised she’d bake a pie with me tomorrow.”

Mermista’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she shot a look at Catra, who shrugged in response. The Magicat princess leaned over and whispered in Mermista’s ear, “I think she’s just crazy. If she’s gonna clean up our mess for us, I say we just go with it.”

“I’m right here. It’s me, Mara.” Mermista made an exaggerated hand gesture, trying to get the old woman’s attention. The woman scoffed again and shook her head.

“You’re not Mara, deary. Much too short.” Mermista made a brief gasp of protest, hands going to her hips.

With that, the woman was off, dragging the tied up Horde soldiers behind her with a concerning amount of ease. Catra and Mermista watched her disappear towards the brush of the Whispering Woods before turning to each other with matching confused expressions.

“Well. I don’t know whether luck is on our side or if we have a stalker, but we should probably continue on,” Catra said after a few minutes of silent contemplation.

“Yeah… yeah let’s, let’s just go. Entrapta, how’s it looking?” The sound of a skiff starting echoed from behind them. Mermista and Catra turned to see Entrapta giddily manning the skiff they were sure was totaled only ten minutes prior.

“Oh, Catra! we need to do this more!” The princess of Dryl exclaimed excitedly as she pet the control board lovingly.

“Maybe, if my mom doesn’t kill me after this,” Catra muttered, Mermista gave her a sympathetic pat on the shoulder in response. The princesses made their way over to the skiff, hopping up onto it and steadying themselves as it wobbled slightly. Entrapta cackled maniacally and stepped on the gas hard, launching the skiff forward with a jerk. Mermista and Catra almost lost their footing, but managed to stay upright. As Entrapta was driving to the Fright Zone, Mermista shoved the helmet of the Horde armour on her head, trying to rapidly shove strands of purple hair into it so Entrapta wouldn’t be recognizable.

“Spirits wish us luck,” Catra muttered to herself quietly.

***
Adora had been training nonstop.

She couldn’t tell how long she had been in the beacon. All she knew was that the Etheria needed saving, and she was the only person with the powers to do it.

Sweat was pouring out of every pore in her body, and each time Adora stood, she could feel her thigh muscles shake.

Each simulation Light Hope ran was different, but it all seemed to focus around Shadow Weaver. Sometimes it was just Shadow Weaver and Adora fighting one on one. Sometimes other rebellion members were involved.

The worst simulation was when Shadow Weaver had Catra captured and Adora didn’t have enough strength to save her.

“Adora.” Light Hope’s monotonous voice broke through the ringing in her brain. “You haven’t been able to complete the last three simulations. If you are not able to complete these simulations, you will not be able to protect your friends.”

“I’m…” Adora panted, on her hands and knees, trying to look up at the hologram through blurred vision, “I’m trying.”

As she looked up, there was a split second where Adora thought she saw an intertwined white rose and red camellia appear on the wall behind Light Hope. When she did a double take; nothing.

“Maybe rest would be beneficial.” Light Hope waved a hand to her left, and a slab of stone appeared with a thin blanket on top. “We will resume in two hours.”

In a flash, the hologram vanished. Adora was alone. A shaky sigh echoed across the hollow walls as she stood on shaking legs and took small steps towards the stone bed. Once at the makeshift bed, Adora practically collapsed onto it. The stiffness and coldness of the bed made Adora think of the Horde bunks she had grown used to sleeping on. A thought of Catra’s soft bed in Half Moon flashed through her mind, but she quickly shook her head, trying to get rid of that thought. Thinking of Catra would only make Adora more likely to leave the beacon. She really missed her wife.

Adora shut her eyes tightly and tried to will herself to sleep. She hadn't any clue how long she’d been away from Catra, but she was sure her partner was missing her. After about ten minutes of tossing and turning, Adora finally sat up on the thick slab of stone, peaking her eyes open.

She was still alone. The room was eerily quiet. Adora never liked the quiet, as she wasn’t well adapted to it. The Horde was always so loud. Even in her room in Bright Moon there was always the sound of running water or Catra’s light snores.

Adora had never felt silence like this before.

A quick flash of red and white disrupted her thoughts. Her attention jerked up to the section of wall above her head. About five feet from her head was a intertwined white rose and red camellia with a golden ribbon, keeping them together. The flowers were practically glowing like the pink gladiolus had been.

Fuzzy confusion filled Adora’s chest. A shaking hand reached out to grab the flowers. As soon as her hand contacted the glowing flowers, a familiar voice—the spirit of Queen C’yra—shot into her mind.

“Adora, you need to get back to Brightmoon. Things are escalating.”

Adora’s eyes widened in concern, her heat thumped harshly in her chest. Was everyone okay? She didn’t know how long she had been in the beacon, but Adora knew it couldn’t have been over a week.

Was Catra okay?

That thought forced Adora to numbly retract her hand from the flowers and spin her legs around until her feet were touching the ground. With little thought, Adora stood from the stone slab and began to move to the door of the beacon, dead set on leaving to make sure no one had been harmed in her absence.

“Adora,” Light Hope's monotonous voice interrupted the eerie quiet, “where are you going? You must stay here and train.”

“I’ll come back,” Adora replied flippantly, growing impatient with the hologram’s incessant orders. “I need to check on my wife.”

Light Hope suddenly appeared in front of Adora. “No. You must stay so you are able to train to protect Etheria. That is your mission--”

Adora walked through the hologram without a second thought and pushed the door to the beacon open.

“You’re making a mistake, Adora!” Light Hope called after her.

“No, my mistake was staying here and forcing Catra to go,” Adora said through gritted teeth, slamming the door to the beacon shut and marching off in the direction of the castle of Bright Moon.

***
Entrapta, Mermista, and Catra entered the skiff bay easily, just as Catra expected. The hard part was going to be acting convincingly like Horde soldiers—especially for Entrapta, who treated the Fright Zone like a small child would a candy store.

“Entrapta,” Catra whispered harshly into her friend’s ear, “stay close and don’t let your hair out of your helmet.”

Entrapta hummed in response, clearly checking out one of the communication pads that sat on a piece of wall about fifteen feet ahead from where they were and not paying attention to Catra. Catra pulled out the crude map of the Horde that Lonnie had drawn for her, studying it intently. Mermista peered over her shoulder to also look at the paper.

“So, where are we heading?” Mermista asked with a nervous lilt to her voice. Catra looked around to make sure they weren’t being listened to. She noticed that there seemed to be fewer Horde soldiers walking around than the last time they had been in the Fright Zone. So much so that only about five other people were even in the skiff bay.

“Does it seem empty to you?” Catra muttered to Mermista under her breath, “Like, weirdly quiet?”

Mermista shrugged in response as Entrapta spoke up, “Yes, the population size of the Horde seems to have decreased by about 50%.”

“Why would that be?” Catra asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. It was Entrapta’s turn to shrug.

“Population control? Maybe it was getting crowded.”

Catra shook her head. “No, the Horde thrives on having as many soldiers as possible. It wouldn’t make sense that they’d kill off half of them because it was crowded…”

“Ugggggh, look, it’s probably fine. In fact, it’s probably better that no one’s here. Easier for us to sneak around for this stupid plan of yours. Speaking of which, what exactly is your plan?” Mermista was growing more anxious by the minute, Catra could tell by the nervous waver in her voice, so the princess of Halfmoon got to the point.

“Come over here.” Catra took Entrapta and Mermista’s wrists and pulled them away from the few Horde soldiers in the room into a secluded corner. She pulled the map out and tapped on one of the X’s that Lonnie had drawn.

“We need to go to Hordak’s lab and figure out where he and Shadow Weaver are. Once we’re able to confirm that Shadow Weaver is alone I need you two to go turn off the lights, I will sneak through the vents to Shadow Weaver’s chambers and incapacitate her,” Entrapta nodded excitedly, aching to mess with one of the Horde’s control panels. Mermista raised a questioning eyebrow.

“You’re going alone?” The princess of Salineas inquired. Catra nodded with a small, faux-reassuring smile.

“I’ll be fine. I promise.” Mermista hesitantly nodded.

Then the group turned to walk towards Hordak’s lab. Lonnie had shown Catra the perfect spot to watch what was going on inside the lab without the people knowing they were watching. Mermista, Catra, and Entrapta spent a while to find the little ladder that led up to the ledge that Lonnie was talking about. It was small, but because of Entrapta’s tiny stature, all three princesses could fit and peer into the window.

Hordak was inside, and Catra had to stifle her gasp of horror at the state of the leader of the Horde. He looked sickly and pale. His head was in his hands and the armour he always was depicted in was absent.

“That’s who’s been kicking our asses?” Mermista muttered into Catra’s ear.

Catra could only nod in response as a blast of cold air burst from the small opening in front of them. Mermista, Catra, and Entrapta all shivered in response, shutting their eyes tightly. When Catra opened her eyes, a darkness had invaded Hordak's lab. Shadows seemed to snake the perimeter to make sure that Hordak was alone. Catra squeaked and pulled Mermista and Entrapta’s heads down when one shadow got up close to the small window they were looking through.

“You’re losing your touch, Hordak,” Shadow Weaver’s deep voice spoke through the shadows.

Hordak lifted his head as Shadow Weaver glided through the dark fog around him. Catra couldn’t see his expression, but he must’ve made a face because Shadow Weaver continued.

“Force Captain Scorpia is gone, as is a squad of cannon fodders. No one has seen them for at least two days. However, going with the assumption they defected, that may be good. They won’t be able to tell the rebels about our new goal.” Shadow Weaver chuckled and stepped closer to Hordak’s throne.

Hordak groaned, “When are you helping me with the portal?”

Entrapta almost squealed in excitement, but Catra anticipated it and covered her mouth before it could compromise their position.

“In due time. First, we have to finish my runestone, then we can talk about the portal. In fact, if we can deploy more soldiers to search for more shards I may be powerful enough to destroy the rebellion and take that purple haired princess and force her to help.” Catra’s eyes widened as she turned to Mermista in shock.

Of course. That’s where the Horde Soldiers were; gathering the broken shards of runestones from past Etherian kingdoms. She was trying to make her own runestone—something more morbidly powerful than any of the other runestones.

The fear reflected in Mermista’s eyes told Catra she was thinking the same thing.

***

Adora bursting through the doors to the war room right as the rebellion was sitting down to eat dinner was not in Glimmer’s plan to keep Catra’s dumb mission from the other rebellion members.

“Where’s Catra?” Adora panted out, exhausted eyes darting around the room in search of her wife. When she didn’t see her, the young woman’s hands began to shake.

“She’s not with you?” C’yra stood from her seat with an expression of panic. Perfuma and Bow shared a panicked look with each other. Spinnerella grabbed Netossa’s hand over the table and squeezed it in search of comfort.

“No! I sent her back here… She’s not here?” Everyone around the table turned their attention towards Glimmer, who was sinking down into her seat with a guilty look.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Adora’s breathing increased as a hand flew up to her hair and tugged harshly on her hair. “Is she in danger? I couldn’t… I was supposed to—”

“Adora,” Angella’s voice was calm as she interrupted Adora, though there was a slight waver at the end. The winged woman stood from her seat and walked over to the young woman. “I believe it would be best if you sat down.”

Adora didn’t seem to have the strength to argue with the Queen and let herself be led to the table. Her breath was still heavy, even as Angella sat next to her, wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

“Adora,” C’yra spoke up from her place from across the table, “it’s alright, dear. You’re safe here and we’ll figure out where Catra is.” A sharp glare was shot at Glimmer, who sank even lower in her seat.

Adora didn’t respond to her mother-in-law. Her eyes were glazing over as they stayed trained on her shaking hands. She was clearly tired. The only thing keeping her upright was Angella’s arm. Dirt, sweat, and tears painted her face. She looked like a wreck.

“Glimmer,” Angella’s tone was too sharp, and Adora flinched in her embrace. Angella winced but continued to glare at her daughter “I demand you tell us what’s going on.”

“I… I don’t know if I can,” Glimmer grimaced. “Catra swore me to secrecy.”

C’yra's eyes sharpened as Angella’s narrowed. The queen of Halfmoon spoke in a low growl, “Princess Glimmer. I implore you, for your own wellbeing, to tell me where my daughter, Mermista, and Entrapta are.”

“They… Listen,” Glimmer sat back up straight in her seat, wringing her hands anxiously. “I tried to stop her, but she wasn’t seeing clearly! You know what she’s like when she gets like that.”

“Get to the point,” C’yra spat, causing Adora to flinch again, and Angella began to rub her back.

“She’s in the Fright Zone,” Glimmer whimpered, bowing her head.

Again, all hell broke loose.

***

“You need to shut off the lights, now,” Catra muttered to Mermista as she climbed down from the perch. Loud, clattering sounds were erupting from Hordak’s lab as Shadow Weaver lost her temper at the faux leader of the Horde.

“I’m not leaving you alone,” Mermista bit back from above her. Entrapta was already on the ground and wasn’t paying much attention.

“Mermista,” Catra stopped and looked up towards her friend, “we need to stop her before she gets her hands on any of those shards.”

“If you get hurt your scary-as-fuck mother is going to kill me.” Catra could read in between Mermista’s crude words. The princess of Salineas was worried for her safety.

“Mermista,” Catra sighed, “I need you to trust me. I think the only way we can do this is if I go alone. There’s more of a chance of survival if one of us gets out.”

Catra continued down the ladder, and Mermista followed her silently. Once both of them had feet on the ground, Mermista grabbed Catra’s arm and turned her so the princess of Halfmoon’s attention was directed towards her.

“I need you to promise me that if I leave you alone, I’ll see your face again. I won’t go back to Brightmoon without you.” Mermista’s eyes were brimming with tears and it made Catra gulp down the knot of guilt building in her throat.

“I’ll promise I’ll try.” Catra reached out and rubbed Mermista’s arm in an attempt at comfort. Mermista let out a quiet exhale of air.

“I guess that’s all I can ask of you,” Mermista dejectedly responded.

“If my assumptions are correct,” Entrapta said, “the lights should be controlled over there.” She waved her hand over to the left, towards a building where Catra knew Shadow Weaver’s chambers were.

“Okay,” Catra squeezed Mermista’s bicep, “looks like we’ll have to split from each other over there.”

Before the group could move to go over to said building, the doors to Hordak’s lab were thrown open. Catra and Mermista flinched, grabbing Entrapta and dragged her behind a corner so they were out of sight. Shadow Weaver stood outside the door, and Catra could feel a strange pulse of energy coming from her body.

“Do you feel that?” Catra murmured to Mermista, who nodded quietly in response. Both princesses winced when Shadow Weaver looked towards them, both of their bodies thrumming with said odd energy. It felt like the magic filling their bodies was fighting to stay in control as Shadow Weaver corrupted energy was directed towards them. Fortunately, the woman didn’t seem to notice them as she glided away with a cloud of shadow trailing behind her. Both Mermista and Catra sighed in relief, both feeling immediately better with the sorceress away from them.

“What the fuck was that,” Mermista muttered to Entrapta who looked back confused.

“What do you mean? That was Shadow Weaver,” was Entrapta’s reply. Catra rolled her eyes.

“No, the energy. Did you not feel it?” Catra’s eyebrows furrowed as Entrapta shook her head. Entrapta fished out her communication pad and began to rapidly tap on it as both Mermista and Catra watched, anxiously. After a few minutes, Entrapta’s eyebrows raised in a mix of concern and interest.

“My pad is picking up on strange magic, but it’s unknown magic. Usually I can tell who’s been around and using magic because of the different frequency waves that each of your powers emit,” Entrapta turned the pad toward Catra and Mermista to show them a nauseating complex graph full of different colors and lines.

She tapped on the one line that was about three times as high as the rest, “That’s She-Ra, the frequency waves coming off of her are much higher than the rest of you,” her hand moved down to the muddle of lines towards the bottom, “that’s the rest of you, each has a unique pattern and that’s how I know it’s you.” Entrapta turned the pad back towards herself and scrolled to the left, then turned to show them the screen again. Now there was a frequency wave that was much higher than the princesses, but still lower than She-Ra’s. Entrapta tapped on the frequency wave with an awkward smile, “That’s the line it just picked up when Shadow Weaver walked by.”

Catra winced, and Mermista frowned. “What does that mean?”

Entrapta shook her head and shrugged. “I’m not too sure. I have a few theories but I need more evidence.” With that said, Entrapta turned away and followed Shadow Weaver. Catra and Mermista looked at each other with wide eyes.

“Entrapta!” Catra hissed and silently crept forward to follow Entrapta, grabbing Mermista’s arm to drag her along.

As all three of them left their corner hiding spot, the doors to Hordak’s lab burst open. A haggard-looking Hordak stumbled out. The three rebellion members froze, Catra gripping both Entrapta and Mermista’s forearms to halt their movement. Hordak’s glazed stare locked on them and a shaking hand reached out.

“Don’t go after her.” Hordak’s voice was raspy, and his head seemed to droop with each word he spoke. “She’s too powerful.”

Mermista and Catra gave each other worried looks as Entrapta excitedly blurted out, “How did she do it?”

Hordak hesitated before plopping down onto the concrete floor of the Fright Zone, “She’s too strong.” His voice was weak and Catra felt the fur on her arms stand up.

Hordak’s eyes widened, and he made frantic gestures at Catra, Mermista, and Entrapta. Catra tried to decipher what he was trying to say, as his movements weren’t coordinated when the intense pulse of energy swiftly shot through her body again. Mermista’s hand gripped tightly on her wrist.

“I thought I sensed princesses.”