What if the war in Etheria was still ongoing, and Catra was a lauded Force Captain? Five years into the war, Adora and Catra reconnect after a two year absence.

Legend has it that the Whispering Woods was where lovers would go for passionate trysts.

The Brightmoon legends, at least. The Fright Zone legends regarded the Whispering Woods as a threat, highly dangerous, only to be entered when surrounded by a flank of armed soldiers. And even then, it didn't guarantee survival.

Though Adora had been away from the Fright Zone for five years, she still had trouble picking apart the correct legends from the false ones. Despite visiting the Whispering Woods on a near-weekly basis, her fear lingered. Every gush of wind brought goosebumps to her skin. The crawling leaves quickly stiffened her stance. She rarely entered the woods alone as Adora. Only as She-Ra.

Still, the Whispering Woods was somewhere she could be alone. Adora loved spending time with her friends, with the Princess Alliance, and especially with all the different citizens of the places she'd sworn to protect. Over the years, she'd grown used to passion people had for She-Ra. On multiple occasions, she had stayed as She-Ra for days, doing her due diligence to repair what the Horde had destroyed. Nothing pleased her more than to give people peace.

Sometimes, though, she craved the silence of the Horde.

Adora wasn't perfect, and she would never be. There were some days she just needed to be alone; not often, but some. On days where the world was crawling up her throat and she felt herself slipping, she disappeared into the Whispering Woods. There was no reason in the world for her to lie about it. None. Everyone would have more than understood if she needed to take a day off.

She lied anyway.

The days where it was harder to breathe, she made a point to let everyone know she would be training in the woods under Light Hope. No one questioned it; it was almost too easy to lie to them. Adora felt awful every time she did, but she continued doing it. It was hard shaking off her insecurities, and lying had always come easier to her; real lying, at least. Years of covering for Catra had taught her well.

In the woods, under the protection of She-Ra, she could take the time to connect with herself. Not once would she enter the First One's sanctuary. No, instead she would wander, savoring the sound of her own thoughts and slashing a few rocks when she needed to get out her frustrations.

It was a formula, but it worked.

After a particularly stressful diplomatic outing in the Kingdom of Snows, a break was sorely needed. Glimmer had been going on and on the entire journey back, both gushing with pride over how accomplished and respected Frosta was within her kingdom, and raging with annoyance over how uptight her administration was. After disembarking from Swift Wind, Adora had a monster of a headache.

The very next morning, she gave her excuse and took the quickest route straight to the thick of the woods. On her last visit, she'd discovered a swimming hole but hadn't had the time to try it. A swim was bound to clear her mind and set her straight again. Luckily, She-Ra had a better memory than Adora did, so she was able to relocate the small oasis without too much trouble. The hike took most of the day, and by the time she reached it, the sky had gone dark. Thanks to the bioluminescence of the various flora and fauna, she had hardly noticed.

When she reached the hole, she took a break on a large rock, letting out a sigh of relief. The grass here was lush, abundant and perfect for camping. She'd have an easy time sleeping, that was for sure.

No sooner had she let her mind wander did the hair on the back of her neck begin to prick. Someone was here. Without even having to think, she grasped her sword and shot to her feet, flaring out in the direction of the darkness in the trees.

"Show yourself!" Adora demanded, holding her sword out taught.

The figure that stepped out of the shadows wasn't a stranger, or a rogue Horde soldier; she was worse.

"Hey, Adora." Catra paused, narrowing her eyes. "No, that's not right. You're in your princess form."

It was infuriating how those two words could render Adora frozen. Two simple, inconsequential words. Words that had absolutely no effect on her when any other person spoke them; so perhaps it wasn't even the words at all, but rather the speaker.

"What are you doing here?" Adora snarled, her fist clenching tighter around the hilt of her sword.

She hadn't seen Catra in well over two years. As it became more apparent that the Rebellion was at equal strength with the Horde, the Horde settled into the background. Battles were minor, as were casualties. Once in a while, they'd launch a surprise attack and take back one of their bases. More like a game of cat and mouse than anything. It was fitting, considering Catra was in command.

The feline took a step closer, and Adora instinctively took one back. Catra had changed since the last time she'd seen her. Her uniform was different, looking closer to Scorpia's once had, but darker, and with tears down the legs. Seemed fitting. Her hair was short now, chopped roughly by her jaw. It suited her, and Adora hated herself for thinking it.

Catra lazily waved a tablet at her. "Detected a new First One's artifact."

Adora scoffed, narrowing her eyes to a glare. "You could have sent one of your lackeys. "

"Aw, how sweet," Catra purred, taking another step forward. "You've been keeping tabs on me."

"I keep tabs on every member of the Horde. You've been stagnant for too long, which only means trouble. What are you up to, Catra?" Adora tried to move backwards, but a tree kept her from going anywhere. If she wanted to, she could attack the girl in front of her in a matter of seconds. And yet, she remained still. It was almost comical how much confidence Catra possessed, considering how much shorter she was than She-Ra.

Catra smirked instead of answering. It spread slow and still on her face, sending a sharp pang straight to Adora's chest. Instead of dwelling on the feeling, Adora growled and spun them around so that Catra was the one against the tree. The tablet crashed to the floor, but the feline remained unchanged. If anything, she only seemed amused.

"For someone so keen on keeping her distance, you sure are pressing awfully close," she mused, the smirk only growing wider.

Adora held her arms tighter, refusing to allow her any chance at escape. There was no doubt in her mind that the woman in front of her was up to something "Stop the games. You disappear for two years, and now you suddenly show up?"

"Almost sounds like you miss me, Princess."

"Don't call me that."

The smirk left Catra's mouth and it took her a moment to respond. For a few, awkward and tension-filled seconds, it was just the two of them in a stare off, waiting for the other to buckle. Given that it was Catra's turn to quip, she sighed, her face softening. "Then put down the sword."

The scoff that left Adora's throat was bitter, nearly guttural. "Right. I put down the sword, and you claw my eyes out. Fat chance."

"I won't claw your eyes out. Scout's honor."

Catra's words could hold just as much water as a slotted spoon. Adora didn't trust her, and she probably never had. Still, something about the way Catra was staring at her made the grip on her sword loosen. She'd never really been the brightest girl.

When the sword was on the ground, the familiar cold rush of She-Ra leaving coursed through her body. Suddenly she was the same height as the woman before her, no longer towering and not nearly as confident. Catra didn't flinch at the change, but her expression softened. "Hey, Adora."

There was that tingle in her stomach again.

Adora busied herself with something clever to retort, something that would make Catra just as uncomfortable as she was. Before she had concocted two words, Catra lifted her hand, reaching up to run her nails through Adora's ponytail. In a million years, this was never something that Adora had expected her to do.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice coming out breathier than she'd wanted it to be.

Catra shrugged, letting her hair slip through her claws and drawing her hand back. "It's been a while."

"Two years."

"That long, huh?" Catra's eyes grew dimmer, looking right at Adora for the first time. "Thought it'd been shorter."

"What are you doing here Catra? Did you come here to find me, is that it?" Adora snarled, raising a brow. "Whatever you're planning, it won't work. I can promise you that."

Catra rolled her eyes. "Are you going to keep me pinned against this tree for much longer? My back is starting to hurt."

The right thing to do would have been to interrogate her thoroughly. Adora should have picked up her sword again, transformed it into rope, and dragged Catra back to Brightmoon, even if she fought her tooth and nail. Yet something held her back from doing so. Maybe it was the time lost between them and how unexpected her appearance was. Maybe it was their old bond, forever unbroken despite the battles, the war, and even the betrayal. Or maybe it was just the lingering sensation on her scalp from Catra's claws in her hair.

Adora backed away.

"Get out of here, Catra. The woods aren't safe at night."

Instead of slinking off into the shadows, Catra remained put. She bent a leg and rested it on the tree, crossing her arms. "I'm here with you, aren't I? No one's going to hurt me in your presence."

As much as she would have liked to rebuff it, she had a point. Adora rolled her eyes anyway, for good measure. "I don't want you here. You only cause trouble."

Catra chuckled, pushing herself off the tree and starting to close the distance between them. Her steps were slow, contemplated, and Adora felt her breath hitch as soon as they were inches apart. "Well, the second part of that statement was true. Care to run that first part by me again?"

"I don't want you here," Adora repeated, trying to convince herself. Even she couldn't deny how warm her face was getting as Catra got closer. She was sure that the feline could hear the rapid thumping of her heart against her chest.

"Oh, Adora." Catra lifted her hand again, cupping the blonde's jaw. Her fingers were rough, calloused from years of training, but they held her jaw tenderly, almost as if it could break in her grasp. "You couldn't believe that if you tried."

Before Adora could say anything, Catra leaned forward and pressed her lips against hers.

When imagining their first kiss, Adora had pictured them being younger. She'd always wondered what her friend's lips would taste like, and if the kiss would be as rough as Catra was. But no, this was gentle as could be.

Adora pulled away first, eyes wide and face pale. "You just…" she trailed off, unable to form any other words. Catra had just kissed her.

"Yeah."

"We can't… this isn't right. No, we can't do this."

Catra shook her head and laughed, fluffing up her hair before picking up the tablet on the ground. "Hate to break it to you, but we just did." She turned to look at Adora, still frozen to her spot. "See you around, Princess."