Author's Note: This fic is the sequel to "Gracefully Broken". You can find it on my profile. You do not need to read it to understand what is going on. I hope you enjoy! :)
Catra woke with a start. Someone had burst into the spare room. Rubbing her eyes and pushing herself up, Catra made out Adora's silhouette as it ran towards her. She heard Adora mutter:
"It's okay. It's just me." Catra then watched in visible confusion as Adora turned off the blue force field surrounding her, fell to her knees, and wrapped Catra in a tight embrace.
Catra (who had become quite used to Adora's increasing mood swings, as well as her general refusal to take orders whenever Catra was concerned) simply accepted the hug and began to purr in Adora's arms. After a few seconds, Adora began to whimper. Catra guessed what had happened. She muttered:
"They're going ahead with the trial...aren't they?" Catra felt Adora nod her head. She sighed. She was not sure what else she expected. Yes, Catra had defeated Horde Prime and blown both him and his entire army to pieces - but she had still done so much damage as second-in-command of the Horde. And, as both Hordak and Shadow Weaver had died in the explosions, there was no one else alive to take the blame.
It had been a couple of weeks since Catra had woken up in Adora's arms in the Fright Zone. Their romantic moment had quickly been interrupted by Force Captain Octavia and Glimmer, both of whom wanted to take Catra into custody immediately after She-Ra had healed her. Catra had agreed to stay in the Fright Zone and face the music. Adora had insisted on staying too. This had then led to one of the best and worst weeks of their lives.
Catra had been thrown in her old cell (she had been in there so many times it had become known as hers) with Adora being given Catra's old Force Captain Quarters. The squad had then been ordered to guard both of them.
The first three days had been alright. Adora had visited Catra, spending nearly every waking hour in her cell. They had hugged, cried, kissed and forgiven each other over and over again. Then Catra had been called out of her cell in order to explain what happened during the Second Battle of Brightmoon. She had stood on a platform in Horror Hall, looking down at the entirety of the Horde.
On Adora's insistence, Glimmer had arrived with Bow to support Catra; but no one was truly ready for what she had to say.
Catra had surprised everyone by fully cooperating with the questioning, taking the blame for ordering the failed assault on Brightmoon; as well as effectively running the Horde into the ground. She then described the fight with Hordak, ending her story with Glimmer's arrival and her subsequent teleportation to Brightmoon. Before Glimmer could back Catra up, however, Octavia had suddenly stood up and practically yelled:
"So, wait, that's it? You're saying this was ALL your fault? What about Hordak? What about Shadow Weaver? You weren't the only one running the Horde, Catra!" Catra had simply lowered her eyes, staring mournfully at her cuffed hands, and ignoring Adora's increasingly terrified expression. She had then said:
"By the end, I was all the Horde had left. Shadow Weaver abandoned us all. Hordak stopped caring about us long ago. I restored the Horde to its former glory. I ordered the attack on Salineas. I activated the portal. I defeated the princesses – including She-Ra – multiple times. I did it all in the name of the Horde. Not because I believed in it, but because I was angry enough to set the world on fire. I think a lot of us were. But it's not an excuse for letting you down, like all the other Force Commanders…I know I don't deserve mercy. I'll accept whatever punishment you see fit to give me."
"Catra?" Catra's memories were interrupted by her girlfriend pulling back from the hug with a worried look in the eye. Catra noted that her hair was down and her iconic jacket was nowhere to be seen. Adora really was in a state. Seeing that she had Catra's attention, Adora continued:
"Do you think this will ever end? First the Horde and now this? It...it makes no sense..." Adora then started to cry. Catra immediately pressed her hands to Adora's cheeks, wiping away her tears with her fingers. She then gave her bravest smile and patiently explained :
"No, Adora, it does make sense. A lot of awful things have happened as a result of this war. It'll take an unimaginable amount of time and resources to fix it all. The fastest and simplest way of doing that is to announce a clear winner and loser – a narrative everyone can agree on for generations to come. I don't mind being the villain, Adora. I'm used to it. And, if my doing this gets Scorpia, Entrapta and the rest of the Horde off the hook, then I'm happy to do it." Adora sniffled and pressed her forehead against Catra's.
"It's not fair. You saved Etheria. You defeated Horde Prime – you almost died! It's not right!" Catra gently ran her fingers through Adora's hair before whispering:
"It's exactly because I saved Etheria that it has to be me who stands up there tomorrow. No one else stands a chance. Scorpia was my right-hand and Entrapta's inventions hurt hundreds of people! And that's not counting the time our tinkering with the Black Garnet nearly destroyed the planet."
Catra chuckled to herself. Despite that memory being tainted by her defeat at Brightmoon, it had also been the day she took down Shadow Weaver. Nothing had given her greater joy than finally giving that bitch what she deserved. Adora then began to wipe away her tears, waking Catra up from her reverie:
"I thought I was the one who had to save the world – not you." Catra let out a loud laugh and responded sarcastically:
"Yeah, you're right! All that was ever needed was some healing magic, a sword and a Pegasus! Who could ask for more?" Catra winked at her girlfriend and Adora smiled. Adora then muttered:
"Swift Wind's actually an alicorn." Catra furrowed her brows before saying:
"That's not a real word. It sounds fake." Adora shook her head before proudly explaining that she had gone to great lengths to figure out what Swift Wind was, as Catra kept calling him a pegasus and he kept insisting that she was wrong.
Catra already knew this, however. In fact, she had already been given all the information she ever wanted to know on alicorns from Entrapta, who had frequently visited her in her makeshift prison, along with Scorpia. Catra just wanted to distract Adora from the present, and the very real possibility that she would never get to see her again after tomorrow.
Catra's thoughts wandered back to that week in the Fright Zone. After her speech, Catra had been locked in solitary confinement for three days, and not even Adora had been able to see her. Octavia's reasoning had been simple – prevent Catra from getting lynched. Glimmer had had to forcibly teleport Adora back to Brightmoon, having arranged to return in two days when things had calmed down.
Catra was used to solitary confinement and she had honestly expected her speech to result in a far greater punishment than this. Not only had she spoken against Hordak (the leader every Horde member had been brainwashed into serving), but she had admitted to being guilty of everything they were accusing her of.
After three days, Catra was taken to Hordak's sanctum. Octavia was waiting for her. After dismissing the guards, Octavia had invited Catra to take a seat. Catra had never able to sit still, and there was no way she would ever be able to do it in Hordak's sanctum.
After declining Octavia's invitation, Catra had prepared herself for the worst. Instead, she was given a sliver of hope:
"The queen was here yesterday. She said she'd be willing to organize a truce with no reprisals for our actions during the war – so long as we hand you over to the Rebellion." Catra had sighed, nervously wringing her cuffed hands.
"So you're going to hand me over? You aren't even going to try and punish me for what I did?" Octavia had shaken her head, saying:
"I personally don't see the point. It's not like you're making me want to hurt you. You've changed. Ever since Adora saved you, it's like you've stopped being...bad." Catra giggled:
"So I'm being let out for good behaviour? Well, that's the first time that's worked for me. Usually Adora has to beg first." Octavia huffed:
"Believe me, she did."
"Catra? CATRA? Are you listening to me?" Catra's attention returned to her girlfriend. She smiled and, without missing a beat, cooed:
"Are you aware you look really beautiful with your hair down?" Adora blushed and grinned even more:
"Thanks. You know I love your short hair." Catra rolled her eyes and smirked:
"You keep saying that. I'm starting to wonder if it's true. You sure you still can't lie, Princess?" With that, Catra snuggled into Adora's lap, looking up at her with a provocative expression. Before Adora could respond, Glimmer teleported into the room and yelled:
"Adora, seriously? What have I told you about coming in here?!" Adora gently pushed Catra off her lap before standing up and walking over to her friend:
"Glimmer, we've already established that she's not a threat. It's been a week! Why do you insist on treating her like this?" Glimmer groaned:
"She's a war criminal who's getting punished for her crimes. That punishment doesn't involve you sneaking in here and-" Adora interrupted her:
"'War criminal'? We're war criminals! Everyone who fought in the war did something they're ashamed of – including you!" Glimmer gasped and, for a full minute, no one said a word. Catra then spoke up:
"Adora, the Fright Zone is a wreck. The Horde is too weak to fight anymore. It's no secret that we're the losers of this war. Just let Sparkles do what she has to." Adora turned back to stare at Catra, her face red with frustration:
"If this trial doesn't go well, you could spend the rest of your life in a cell! Aren't you even a little concerned about that?!" With that, Glimmer put her hands on Adora's shoulders and spoke softly:
"Adora, that's not going to happen. I won't let it. At most Catra will spend the rest of her life helping to rebuild what was destroyed in the war." Catra's eyes went wide.
"Really? No guards or imprisonment? You princesses really are soft." Glimmer glared at her before suddenly exclaiming:
"The force field – it's off! Adora, I told you never to turn it off!" As Glimmer stomped over to reactivate the blue beams surrounding Catra, Catra smirked:
"Well, as you can see, I took full advantage of my freedom. Adora was hugged. Hard." Adora let out a small laugh, barely hiding the tears in her eyes as Catra was locked up once more.
Glimmer walked back over to Adora and began to usher her towards the door:
"Don't worry, Adora. I promise nothing bad will happen tomorrow. Now, let's get you back to bed." Before Adora could respond, Catra called after her:
"See you in the morning, Princess!"
"Wait, what?!" Mermista yelled. All the princesses turned to look at her. The trial was in full session and, after Catra's numerous crimes had been listed, Micah had proposed that she be made to help with reconstruction in Salineas to help make up for the damage she caused there. Glimmer had then said that she should also help fix the Fright Zone, as the truce she had arranged with Octavia depended on Catra also being punished for her crimes against the Horde (Scorpia and Entrapta, along with the squad, were supposedly off the hook as they had all been working for Catra).
Most of the princesses had agreed to this. Perfuma, a pacifist (and great admirer of Scorpia), would never have advocated for anything less than the most peaceful solution. Frosta, while annoyed that Catra would not get to face her wrath, had already been told by Glimmer that this was the best solution (and she was willing to listen to her). Netossa and Spinerella, along with Castaspella, were all more or less content with the fairness of the punishment. Mermista, however, was not. Once she had everyone's attention, she continued:
"Catra destroyed my kingdom. She took everything away from me! She needs to do more than just rebuild it! She needs to pay for it! She needs to-"
"She saved Etheria, Mermista! That includes you and your kingdom! She's already paid for it!" Adora had been restraining herself from saying anything up until this point, but she would not stand for Mermista's accusations. Mermista scoffed and said:
"Fine, whatever. But don't think she gets a pass just because she's your girlfriend. If she's helping to rebuild Salineas, she's helping to rebuild Salineas."
Catra, who had been cuffed in the corner of the war room during the entirety of the trial, had said barely two words the whole time and she was not about to say anything else.
Catra knew she deserved far worse than what she was getting. She was just so happy to see Adora, to watch her stand up for her like she used to.
That was exactly what she did all those days ago. Octavia had told her everything:
"Adora was here with the queen. She said that if I touch a hair on your head, I was going to feel the wrath of She-Ra. I believed her." Catra had rolled her eyes lovingly. She could hear Adora say that. Octavia had then continued:
"The Horde wants your blood. I don't think it's necessary but they do. We are a military organization, after all. What you did needs to be duly punished. However, the queen has offered a solution. She promised that you would face justice for your hand in the Horde's destruction, provided I hand you over to her so the Rebellion can punish you too." Catra had lowered her gaze and said nothing. Octavia had then said:
"So, yeah, it looks like you're going to be the scapegoat for the war. You'll get the blame for everyone's mistakes – be the official loser. I get it. That way, everyone can start healing and moving on. The queen assured me your punishment wouldn't be severe – certainly not like anything we'd give you. I also sent Scorpia and Entrapta back to Brightmoon with her. The soldiers were starting to talk about punishing them too. They're princesses. It's up to the Rebellion to deal with them." Catra's face had lit up when she heard her friends were safe. Octavia had given a sad smile.
"You're taking this very well. I figured you'd have tried to kill me by now." Catra had returned the sad smile:
"Well, if I did, I'd never get to see Adora again, right?" Octavia had chuckled and nodded:
"Who knew that's all you needed to be happy?" Without skipping a beat, Catra had answered:
"A shape-shifting lizard. That was one traumatic therapy session."
"Alright!" Catra jumped when Glimmer's yell brought her back to the present. Glimmer was now announcing the results of the trial. She continued:
"Catra will go to Salineas tomorrow to help with the rebuilding efforts. She'll be accompanied by Adora and Bow. She will take orders from Mermista and remain in Salineas until Mermista declares she's free to go. Once that happens, Catra will be expected to go to the Fright Zone, accompanied once more by Adora and Bow, and assist with the reconstruction of the Fright Zone after it was destroyed by Horde Prime's ships. Force Captain Octavia will be supervising her." Glimmer then took a deep breath before turning to Catra, addressing her directly:
"Once Force Captain Octavia decides you've done enough, you'll be free to go. I'm not assigning you any guards because Adora has assured me they are not necessary. Please don't make me regret this." With that, Glimmer stood up and motioned for the guards on either side of Catra to take her cuffs off. They did so without a word, leaving the room immediately afterwards.
As soon as the cuffs were off, Adora leapt out of her chair and ran over to Catra, scooping her up in a giant hug. Perfuma clapped and smiled:
"Yay! The trial is over and everyone's happy! Shall we go, then?" Mermista grunted in annoyance, stood up and left the room. Frosta ran after her, followed by Glimmer.
Netossa and Spinerella walked over to Catra and Adora. Once they were next to them, Netossa said:
"Alright, listen cat! We're giving you a second chance here! Don't mess it up!" Before she could continue, Spinerella put her hand on her wife's shoulder, calming her down. She then said:
"That being said, we're so happy you two found each other and wish you every happiness! If you need anything, you can always count on us." Netossa glared at her wife, only to have the glare melt into a loving glance when Spinerella smiled at her. Adora nodded, unsure how to react. Catra gave an awkward smile and muttered:
"…thanks?" Once Netossa and Spinerella had walked away, Bow emerged behind Adora, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"See! I told you there was nothing to worry about! And now we get to spend time together helping people! How cool is that?" Catra gave yet another awkward smile. It was a little unsettling how nice Bow was to her. After all, she had thrown him off a cliff once. Adora then smiled and said:
"That's great, Bow! But, could you give us some space? Catra needs to rest up before tomorrow!" At this point, Micah walked over, put his hand on Bow's shoulder and said:
"She's right, Bow. Let's give them some time alone." He then looked at both of the girls, winked and ushered Bow out the door. Castaspella was waiting for him and instantly began to pepper him with questions about the whereabouts of Scorpia and Entrapta (they were supposed to have been at the trial, but it had been decided at the last minute that, given that they were not really members of the Rebellion, it would be best if they stayed in their rooms).
As soon as everyone was gone, Adora did not hesitate to give Catra a small kiss on the lips. This made Catra's awkward smile genuine. She began to purr and Adora grinned happily:
"I love it when you purr. Don't stop." Catra raised her eyebrow and pulled Adora in for a proper kiss. Now that she was no longer cuffed, there was nothing stopping her from getting what she really wanted.
Glimmer anxiously waited with Bow outside the Fright Zone. Adora had been worried sick about Catra after she had given her speech, having remembered the punishments that her girlfriend had been subjected to in the past. Due to Adora's emotional state, Glimmer had insisted she wait back in Brightmoon while she and Bow got Catra.
As Glimmer began to fidget nervously, a skiff flew out of the Fright Zone. It was piloted by the squad, with Octavia and Catra on board. The skiff then stopped and Catra and Octavia jumped out.
Catra was cuffed and looked rather pale from her time in solitary confinement. As soon as the pair reached Bow and Glimmer, Octavia handed Glimmer the key to Catra's cuffs and said:
"Here you go, your majesty. Just remember what we agreed. And don't hurt her! She's been punished enough." Glimmer nodded and Catra gave Octavia a small smile. The new leader of the Horde headed back to the skiff and, once the skiff had flown away, Glimmer said:
"Right, let's get back to Brightmoon. Come here." Catra slowly walked over to Glimmer. Glimmer then took hold of her and Bow's arms, teleporting them all to the woods just outside Brightmoon.
Catra was dazed by the teleportation. Then she was confused. Why were they not inside the palace? She became even more confused when Glimmer started to uncuff her hands, saying in a surprisingly soft tone:
"You don't need those anymore." Before Catra could react, she suddenly heard her favourite voice in the whole world call her name:
"Catra!" Catra turned to see Adora run towards her. Adora embraced her so hard that the force of it made Catra fall backwards.
As the two girlfriends lay holding each other in grass of the Whispering Woods, Glimmer could not help but smile. Yes, she would need to cuff her again before going into the palace. Yes, she would need to lock her up in the spare room. And yes, there would have to be a trial in which she could not guarantee the outcome. But, regardless of her personal feelings about Catra, there was no doubt that it was all worth it just so she could have this moment with Adora.
Author's Note: This fic is the sequel to "Gracefully Broken". You can find it on my profile. You do not need to read it to understand what is going on. I hope you enjoy! :)