Of Wars and Wounds
By SparklyTree3876
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Drama/Romance
Pairings: Bow/Adora, Swift Wind/Star Wind (mentioned), and Sea Hawk/OC (mentioned)
Author's Notes: Hi, readers. I would like to present a new She-ra: Princess of Power fic. It is actually the first one I have written in more than a decade. It is AU set three years after "Swifty's Baby" and shows Bow, Adora, Kowl, Madame Razz, and Broom traveling through an area that is in the midst of a civil war between two villages and encountering wounded Sea Hawk and his young daughter whose mother was killed in which they take them to a makeshift hospital in an inn and assist in caring for the injured and dying on both sides. This fic is inspired by "Is There a Doctor in the House?" from Xena: Warrior Princess. I wondered what might happen if some rebels found themselves in the middle of a warzone that had no involvement from the Horde and helped with injured and dying victims. As a result, it was born. I hope you enjoy this fic. Constructive criticism is welcome.
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Chapter 1: In a Warzone
The midmorning sun beamed its rays on a forest. A gentle wind went through the trees, causing their leaves to rustle. Distant shouting and screaming could be heard. A white-tailed deer walked steadily through the undergrowth. It came to a bush and licked its lips. It grabbed three leaves and proceeded to chew on them. It swiveled its tail.
Three years had passed since Swift Wind and Star Wind's son, Sparky, was born. He was now a young colt and was slowly becoming an expert at flying. Swift Wind visited his family on Unicorn Island once every two months. He and his mate were trying to have another foal. Sparky wasn't keen on the idea of being a brother, but they and the other unicorns believed he could learn a bit about responsibility.
For the Great Rebellion, they were making slow but steady progress at freeing Etheria from the Horde. They freed a village called Mela six months ago. Hordak had the upper hand in the battle for a while, but the rebels managed to beat him with She-ra and Swift Wind's help. Bow, Adora, Kowl, Madame Razz, and Broom decided to pay Mela a visit to see how the citizens were doing in rebuilding. Glimmer decided to stay behind and handle the rebel camp.
The deer finished chewing and swallowed with a loud gulp. Snorting caught its attention. It watched Spirit and Arrow walk past it. Bow and Adora tightened their grip on the reins somewhat. Kowl was flying alongside Bow. Madame Razz and Broom walked alongside Spirit. The entire group heard a very distant explosion. Kowl let out a loud shudder.
"I can't believe this shortcut brought us to a warzone," Kowl said with a nervous sigh.
"As I recall, it was your idea to take it," Bow pointed out as he looked at him.
"But I didn't mean to bring us into the middle of a war," Kowl said, rolling his eyes.
"You didn't know we would find ourselves in this situation, dearie," Madame Razz commented comfortingly. "We just need to be careful."
"Madame Razz is right," Adora agreed. "Besides, we've gone through warzones before. This one isn't much different."
"But the Horde isn't involved this time," Broom responded seriously. "There doesn't seem to be much to fight over here."
Adora inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. "It is a civil war. It is father against son. The father is from Kiforth. The son lives in Palassi."
Spirit swiveled his ears. "Since this area does not have much, Hordak never bothered to take control of it."
Adora loosened her grip on her horse's reins. She and Sea Hawk ended their relationship a month after Sparky's birth as they realized the long distance was taking its toll on them. He was still willing to offer his assistance to the rebels whenever they needed it. She was grateful for that. She and her friends learned he was dating a young woman named Angel from a letter ten months later. They were glad he found someone new. She and Bow started dating not long after.
Eighteen months later, Sea Hawk and Angel visited the rebel camp. They announced to everyone they were expecting their first child. Everyone was very happy for them. Their daughter, Lily, was born seven months later. Adora told the Sorceress she wanted to tell Bow that she was She-ra not long after. The Sorceress told her she couldn't to due the law of Grayskull, but the rebel leader was adamant because she was tired of lying. She granted an exception to her that he would trust her with her secret.
Adora met with Bow by a river along with Spirit. She transformed herself and her horse into She-ra and Swift Wind. Bow was shocked. She explained everything to him, including Adam and Cringer being He-man and Battlecat. He was angry with her over her lying. He was even angrier when he learned Kowl, Madame Razz, and Broom knew. He confronted his best friend over his deception. Kowl felt very remorseful, as did his friends. Bow calmed down after a while and apologized to She-ra for his behavior. She accepted it and apologized in return along with the trio. He agreed to help her in any way he could.
Arrow snorted and moved his head from side to side three times. He swiveled his tail, followed by his ears. Spirit mimicked the horse's actions. They picked up their pace a tiny bit. Their owners made their grip on their reins a little tighter. Madame Razz and Broom increased their stride. Kowl increased the speed of his flying.
"Hordak told my former teammates and me to hold off conquering two villages that were at war with each other once. He said they would tear each other apart. He was right. We went in and took survivors captive and any food and medicine that remained," Adora said, sighing heavily.
"Talk about unusual," Bow replied.
"It sure was," Adora agreed with a nod. She held out her hand. He took it into his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You can never be sure what Hordak will say or do. I was taught to never question his orders, even if it was an unusual one."
"Obeying authority without question isn't always a good thing," Bow pointed out truthfully. "An adult could convince a kid who was taught to think that way to do something illegal."
"Like stealing," Adora said and tensed badly.
"Mm-hmm," Bow said and cleared his throat. He and his girlfriend released their hold on each other. "At least you are no longer with that bastard. You are with the rebels."
"It's been very satisfying fighting for the forces of good. It is helping me to make up for all the horrible things I did," Adora said, frowning somewhat.
"You have more than made up for them," Bow insisted with a smile. "Anyway, I wonder what Sea Hawk, Angel, and Lily are up to."
"I have no idea," Adora replied and giggled to herself. "The last time we saw them was six months ago. Lily was just beginning to learn how to sit up. Something tells she will—"
Suddenly, whimpering and shushing came out of nowhere. Spirit, Arrow, Madame Razz, and Broom came to a stop. Kowl landed on Bow's shoulder. The horses whinnied in uncertainty while swiveling their ears. They adjusted the metal bits in their mouths.
"Did you hear that, dearies?" Madame Razz asked.
"We sure did," Kowl admitted and gulped fearfully. "We should be careful. Someone or something could be trying to play a trick on us."
"I can't count the number of times the Horde did that," Broom agreed.
"We should still check it out," Bow suggested thoughtfully as Kowl flew away from his shoulder.
"You're right, Bow," Adora agreed and dismounted Spirit, as did her boyfriend with Arrow. "Let's stay together."
"I say that is best," Broom said, nodding rapidly.
Bow and Adora grabbed the reins of their horses. They pulled on them gently, causing them to resume walking. They moved at a slow yet steady pace. Their friends followed them close behind. They came upon a group of bushes. They heard crying, followed by shushing. They slowed down somewhat, taking great care not to step on anything. The entire group heard the crying get even louder. They came around the bushes, gasping in shock at who they saw.
"Sea Hawk?" Adora yelled.
"Adora," Sea Hawk responded in much relief. He was sitting on the ground and holding one-year-old Lily. A backpack was near him. "I am so glad it is you and your fellow rebels."
Sea Hawk winced in pain and grabbed his right thigh. The others could see it was wrapped in a bandage and that it was stained with blood. They had little doubt he had been stabbed. Lily continued crying, and he patted her back.
"Shh. It's okay, honey," Sea Hawk whispered gently. "Friends are here to help us."
Lily stopped crying. She resembled her father, but she had her mother's hazel eyes. Her head had no hair whatsoever. The back of her left hand contained a birthmark in the shape of an oval. Bow let go of Arrow's reins, as did Adora with Spirit's. He came to Sea Hawk's side and got on his knees. He removed the bandage slowly. He swallowed hard once he was finished.
"The wound is just a flesh one. It should heal well," Bow said, taking his backpack off his back. He put it beside him and unzipped it. He reached into it to pull out medical supplies. "It needs a new bandage. The other one is at least a day old." He proceeded to put ointment on it. "This might sting."
"Let me have Lily," Adora said, holding out her arms. Her friend handed the baby to her. "What are you doing out here?"
"Angel, Lily, and I were on our way to Nenana. We decided to take a shortcut through here. We thought it would be quicker," Sea Hawk explained.
"Just like we were doing on our way to Mela," Madame Razz commented.
Sea Hawk exhaled sharply. "We were trying to find a safe way around the battle, but we heard Palassian soldiers approaching. I told Angel to run away with Lily. She did. Six soldiers appeared after she was out of sight. I fought them, but their leader stabbed me in my leg. I limped away as fast as I could. I hid in some bushes until they were gone."
"What happened to Angel?" Kowl wondered.
"I bandaged my leg up. I heard screaming when I was finished. I stood up as best as I could. I came upon Angel being stabbed to death by two men not very far from me. I hid behind a tree. I heard the men laughing. They left. I went to Angel's body. She was riddled with stab wounds. I didn't see Lily anywhere. I searched for her. I heard crying and found Lily in a tree trunk a short distance away. I picked her up. I limped until the pain was too unbearable. I hid us here. I was lucky to have food and water with me," Sea Hawk said, sighing heavily. "Angel died protecting Lily. I wish I could've saved my child's mother."
"Don't be hard on yourself. There was nothing you could've done," Broom whispered soothingly.
Adora bounced Lily. "Broom's right. You weren't in fighting condition."
Sea Hawk winced when the ointment stung his wound. Bow bandaged it carefully. He packed up his supplies once he was finished. He zipped his backpack shut before putting it on his back. He rose to his full height and went to the other side of him.
"Come on, buddy," Bow said, kneeling down and offering his hand. "It's time to get you up on Arrow."
"You're giving up your horse for me?" Sea Hawk asked.
Bow nodded. "Sure. Besides, you shouldn't be putting any weight on that leg right now."
Sea Hawk smiled. "Thank you."
Sea Hawk took Bow's hand. He breathed deeply as Bow put his left arm around his neck. Bow placed his around the pirate's waist. Sea Hawk winced slightly as his friend helped him up in a careful way. Bow took him to Arrow's left side slowly. He helped him get on the horse. He heard him wince twice. Madame Razz grabbed the backpack. Bow and Adora grabbed Arrow and Spirit's reins. The entire group started moving.
"I don't understand why those soldiers would want to kill a young mother," Kowl said.
"Angel got in their way, Kowl. It's part of war," Bow responded in much sadness.
"I hate it when innocents suffer from such madness," Madame Razz said in anger.
Spirit let out a loud sigh. "Don't we all?"
Adora tugged on her horse's reins. "Let's focus on finding a safe place for Sea Hawk and Lily to recuperate from their ordeal."
The entire group picked up its pace somewhat. Arrow and Spirit whinnied to themselves before swiveling their ears. A bullfrog jumped behind them and their friends.