"This thing is ancient" Adam said, his hands on Darla's walls.
Darla hummed threateningly.
"She's sensitive about her age" Adora whispered to him.
Adam snorted.
Marlena smiled sadly, running her hands over Darla's control panel. "Your father used to have a ship just like this, Adora"
Adora winced as if she were hit. "What…what happened to my dad?"
Adam pointedly looked away and asked Bow about his trick arrows. Glimmer held Angie protectively.
Catra scooped up Finn and kissed Adora on the cheek, leaning her weight comfortingly onto Adora. Adora drank I the warmth of her wife and child's fur.
Marlena looked at Adam for a beat before turning her tired expression to Adora.
"Adam doesn't remember this. But when the Horde landed it was chaos…"
….King Randor had only seconds. The castle walls rocked from the artillery.
His infant son and daughter lied in the cradle in the master bedroom. His jaw set. He knew what he had to do. As a king. As a father.
"My love, we must split up." He said urgently. Marlena blanched.
"Dear, no!"
"It's the only way!" he thrust baby Adam into her arms. Marlena looked up at Randor, grief stricken.
"Please, no…" she whispered.
Randor picked up his daughter and kissed his wife, one last time.
"we must hurry" he said softly. They ran down the double staircase to the foyer, broke out into the plains and ran in opposite directions.
Marlena cradled baby Adam ran as fast as she could. She cursed her planet's terrain. They were east targets with no cover.
She knew they had to hide. She waded across a river, breathing hard. She heard a bomb explode behind her. She didn't dare look back.
Past the river was a forest. A few more yards, she mumbled to herself. Just a few more yards. Adam was bawling his head off. He had never been away from his sister before.
Finally, salvation.
A cave was carved into a cliffside. She dove inside as more aerial bombing carpeted the plains.
She hugged Adam tight and tried to sush him. If soldiers went looking for them in the woods…
"Shh, shh" she whispered desperately, Adam, please…"
"Mmrr?"
Marlena's head whipped around. A tiny wildcat with tan fur and miniature claws was sitting on his haunches, looking intently at them, tail whisking back and forth.
Marlena smiled. "Hello, kitten. Are you hiding as well?"
"Mmrr"
The kitten jumped on her lap and kneaded her legs, purring. The tiny cat seemed to feel Adam's distress because he then licked the baby's head, giving Adam's fuzzy blond hair a cowlick.
Marlena laughed. "Looks like we have three babies now. I think I'll call you Cringer."
"Mrr…" Cringer meowed complacently.
After a few hours, the explosions and shaking stopped.
Marlena dared, as the sun was setting, to venture out of the cave, now carrying a baby and a kitten.
She waited at the castle, now badly damaged, but Randor never came.
As night fell fully, she wept. Adam cried softly and Cringer gave a soft squeaky roar.
Marlena slept fitfully in the ruined master bedroom, Adam and Cringer asleep beside her.
In the morning, she searched the plains and her worst fears were realized. There was the body of her husband, cut down before he could even get out of the plains.
And her daughter. Her daughter was gone.
She cradled Randor n her arms and sobbed.
…..In Darla, Adora was pale and shaking.
Catra took her hand. Bow and Glimmer hugged her. Melog rubbed his head on her.
"I'm so sorry" Catra murmured.
Finn and Angie hugged her legs. "Don't cry, Mommy!"
"Yeah, don't, Auntie!"
"You had a great dad" Glimmer said, her voice raw.
Bow nodded, tears in his eyes.
Adora choked back tears and looked at her mother. "Thank you…for telling me"
Marlena wiped a tear from her eye.
"We never knew you were alive" Adam said softly. "We would have looked forever if we had known"
"I know"
Adam pat her head awkwardly. "At least I get my little sister back"
Adora smirked "Little? We're twins!"
"Mother always told me I was born first"
Bow laughed. "I have twelve older brothers. Trust me, Adora, you aren't winning this argument"
Adora laughed, feeling a little dizzy. "Ok, ok. But I was telling you about how we found the sword. We didn't find out what First One owned the sword, but something did happen…
….Adora clutched the sword to herself, tears rolling down her face. Before Bow glimmer or Catra could do anything more than hug her tight, there was a brilliant burst of light.
And there, shimmering like an after image, was a familiar woman with long flowing hair and playful, old eyes.
"Mara" Adora whispered.
"Adora"
To be continued…