Final Corrects
„Well, I don't know, isn't it a bit too gold? I have the impression that if the light falls on it at the wrong angle, it will blind everyone." she said, looking at the drawing of the wedding cake. "Is it real gold? Because then I would feel guilty going to the toilet." she laughed nervously, but the cook, a tall snake person, looked at her disapprovingly and said
„No, it's pollen from the Solar flower of Eridani. In fact, it is more expensive than gold."
„Er, it's probably even worse... And this cake is... Madly red...„ she said, pointing to another picture red as blood. The snake person nodded and said
„I was inspired by your fiancée's clothing style and her personality. It is stuffed with scarlet jam."
:Er... Catra doesn't like jam very much... She'd rather like cream... „ he said carefully.
„But she would like this one. It is made from gelled blood. On Aquarius they consider it a real delicacy."
She and Castaspella looked at him meaningfully, so the cook sighed and said with resignation.
„I thought that the heroes had broader horizons... I understand that you won't like the lamprey cake either. – as they gave him a murderous look, they sighed. – Maybe a lemon-almond cake, or a naturally colored green coconut-pineapple cake… – he suggested in a resigned tone.
„Aww! Lemon and almond will be good... Although coconut sounds good too... Do you have anything nutty?" she asked, but seeing the anguish in the snake eyes she said. – Okay, let's have the lemon-almond one... Just add whipped cream... Catra loves it." she said and the cook nodded.
„Ha! We've already taken care of choosing a wedding cake. It was quick, it took Glimmer over two hours because she wanted to try all of them... „ Castaspella said tiredly and yawned.
„Because no one haven't tried experimenting on her" she said in a low voice, looking sideways at the cook who was giving orders to his assistants. "What made me choose a cook from outside the palace?
„It was supposed to relieve the pressure on the palace kitchen... „ The Head Sorceress replied. "Besides, you wanted to present different flavors of the Universe and you assumed that someone who has been traveling around nearby planets for the last three years knows the cuisines of other worlds... which is actually true." The queen's aunt smiled weakly.
She sighed and stretched her back. These wedding preparations will exhaust her. This was to be an event for all of Etheria. Or rather, the entire alliance... Empress Eridani assured that she would come to the ceremony to sign the pact. This gave Catra a lot of extra work, even though they couldn't see each other two days before the wedding... To miss each other... or something. Of course, it is the duty of future spouses to meet secretly. Scorpia and Perfuma met in extremely obvious disguises. Mermista and Seahawk dated on a boat at sea until they were late for their own wedding. Only Hordak and Entrapta didn't care about it, they stayed together all the time, they even performed the ceremony without any witnesses. Only they didn't have time for it. Empress Eridani was her most powerful and loyal ally. Catra thought of her as a stuck-up girl who stuck her nose up and pushed around those inferior to her, but she and Glimmer were very fond of each other. Actually, she wasn't a bad person, but the inhabitants of Eridani were so different from the Etherians... Their nobility considered themselves superior to the ordinary inhabitants of the planet only because they were born with wings. They loved Glimmer and She-Ra and treated the other princesses nice, as well as Catra... But how would they treat the ordinary citizens of their planet who were used to much greater equality? What happens if one of them offends someone or worse, gets insulted? She couldn't handle interpersonal conflicts, and the situation seemed to be tense. It was good that Catra's father's subordinates obeyed him and did not cause any problems... But by their very arrival, they disturbed the peace of everyone who came to celebrate.
As soon as Glimmer announced publicly that guests from outside the Empire were going to attend the celebration, a fleet of ships appeared in orbit bringing soldiers and officers. This irritated Glimmer because it meant that the Lord Admiral was prepared for the Queen to agree to his request. However, this did not change the fact that once again foreign soldiers were walking through the streets of capitol, although they seemed to be completely unlike the troops of both Hordes. First of all, they were not a monolith as they expected. Most were members of the Lord Admiral's private fleet called the Fearless Armada. Some came from Tarak, the home planet of Lord Admiral and... Catra. Many, however, came from Other Planets, because they were recruited later, during all the wars that her future father-in-law participated in... She couldn't understand, like most of the inhabitants of Etheria, how someone could fight for money, but Catra with a grim smile explained to her, that she herself employed mercenaries from the Crimson Wastes when she returned from exile, although she hid this from Hordak. She had also seen dokuments that showed that Shadow Weaver had also hired thugs to perform tasks that the Horde leader would not like. Which often meant eliminating her rivals. Sometimes she forgot how complex life was in the Horde and what it took to survive… or maintain High Position. But she still couldn't understand those who killed for money, even if it was just Hive monsters... Whatever they were.
„Adora! Adora! You won't believe who I met!" she heard Swiftwind's voice as he stuck his head out the window. No one paid attention, apparently the castle cooks were used to the mount's visits. She smiled at her friend and said with a hint of amusement.
„If it's a dragon, I'll be really surprised… And thrilled"
„And I met a dragon a few days ago... Although it was very small. But just follow me! Quick!" Aricorn shouted.
„All right. Lead the way! Would it bother you, Castaspella, can I left you here for a while?" she asked the Head Sorceress who shrugged.
„You've already chosen the dress, and we'll arrange the guests at the tables in the afternoon... I've seen your sketches. They look very... strategic.„ she said. She didn't quite understand what Castaspella was talking about, these were very good plans. She spent half the night making them until Catra finally ordered Brother Blade to tell her to go to sleep.
„Well, see you in the afternoon." She said, shouted "For the Honor of Grayskull" and jumped out of the window.
She had never seen anything so lovely. A choir of little furry creatures with six legs was singing on main plaza of Brightmoon, a solemn and beautiful song. She remembered that there was probably one of them on Queen Angela's crew, but the that one wanted to cut Perfuma into pieces. These were so sweet that even the mention of Glimmer's mother didn't make her sad. Swiftwind accompanied them by clapping... It mean, Swiftwind was tapping his hoof. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the creatures were being led by a large cat person with black fur. She remembered what Catra had told her and walked up to him.
„Sorry to disturb you, but you must be Pahtra?" she asked. The Cat person turned to her and put a strange white roll into his mouth and lit it on fire.
„Yeah." he said in a low voice and blew stinking smoke towards them.
„Because Adora's girlfriend is also a Pahtra, at least a little bit so it would be nice to meet some of her people." Swiftwind said enthusiastically. She told him a bit of Catra's Story the day before yesterday
„I see." he took another drag and blew into them again. It was going to be a long conversation.
„Could you tell us what song they sing, because we liked it very much and...„ she said, hoping that this time she would receive a more precise answer. It was not Pahtra who gave it to her, but someone from behind her back.
"This is the anthem of Veskarium."
She turned around and saw a large Lizard with half of its face covered in countless Scars.
„Oh! Hello! There's Adora She"Ra, Princess of Power, and this is my Brave Steed Swiftwind. – Aricon bowed low
„I am Zare... Commander-in-Chief of the Veskarian contingent." she looked down at her. Even though she was in She"Ra's form, the lizard"man was almost as tall as her.
„Oh, and what is this anthem actually about?" she asked. Veska looked at the creatures and gave an order in a hard voice.
„Sing in common!"!
The creatures bowed to Zara and began the song again, this time in a language she understood.
"Invincible is Veskarium!
Her glory is eternal!
Her banners will fly in all corners of the galaxy.
The seas will turn red with the blood of her enemies!
The glow of burning cities will turn night into day!
Damoritosha's divine will leads us towards conquest.
The entire universe will kneel before the power of Veskarium... „ the melody and voices were as joyful as before.
„That's enough! – she exclaimed sharply and Vesk, with tears of emotion in her eyes, looked at her in surprise.
„You don't like our anthem? It contains the ideals that guide our people!" she said eagerly.
"It's a little too... Intense for my taste..." she laughed nervously, while Swiftwind, standing next to her, tapped a rhythm with his hoof unconsciously. "You know, I think my old friend Rogelio was someone like you. – she said, hoping to change the topic of conversation to something less... disturbing.
„So he was a Vesk. It is a great tragedy that he could not grow up in the warm embrace of Veskarium. He would then be taught to fight with all weapons from childhood. We would instill in him love for our great country and contempt for its enemies. He would look forward to the day when he would stand in the front lines fighting for the glory of Veskarium, fearing nothing, because there is no greater honor than a glorious death for one's motherland!" there was a fiery passion in the lizard woman's voice.
„You know, I have the impression that he probably didn't miss much." she smiled at her interlocutor, trying not to reveal the terror hidden in her heart. Zare snorted with contempt and was about to say something more when another person approached them and joined the conversation.
„Our... friends from Veskarium can be... intense sometimes, but I assure you, not all of them are like that. I once had a girlfriend, Vesk. She loved music and sang love songs about broken hearts so wonderfully!" another lizardman explained. She looked completely different. She was even bigger than Zare, although not as muscular. It had a long neck and wings on its back, and its scales were silver. Zare snorted again.
„The only thing that can break a true Vesk's heart is the cowardice of his companions!"
„Oh! I've met someone like you before! Swiftwind joined in the conversation. – Remember how I told you that I met a dragon! This was someone like that!" her mount exclaimed enthusiastically. The silver-scaled lizardman smiled surprisingly friendly, even though it revealed a multitude of sharp fangs.
„I am not a Dragon, but a Dragonkin. This is quite a common and absolutely understandable mistake. However, there are many dragons on our home planet, Tiraxus, just like in other parts of the galaxy... And my name is Tares, and I represent the Pact Worlds in this endeavor.„ said Tares. Swiftwind looked at his mistress pleadingly. She smiled and stroked his head.
"Don't worry, I will never replace you! You are the most wonderful steed anyone could imagine."
„Oh, most dragons would react very badly to the idea of being someone's mount. They are powerful and proud Beings... And you said you've ever met someone like me?"
Somewhat reassured, Aricorn nodded and said.
„Yes! He was also silver and said his name was Alatar and… Did something happen?" asked Swiftwind, seeing that the dragonkin looked sad.
„Nothing like that... I used to have a nephew with that name, but I lost him when Kesler was devoured by the Swarm"
She stretched and yawned. She dozed for an hour, basking in the moonlight, lying on a soft couch on the balcony, listening to the sound of the waterfall. It put her to sleep, made her feel relaxed... Her only regret was that Adora wasn't with her... preferably naked. Unfortunately, due to this stupid custom, she couldn't officially meet her beloved... On the other hand, he can simply sneak up on her at night. This will be too easy. It would be funnier if Adora sneaked up on her at night, preferably in the form of She-Ra. She used to feel strangely around her girlfriend's second form, but now she discovered that she had many advantages...
„Grand Marshal Catra! Lord Admiral Felix Antares…. I mean, your father... wants to see you!" Brother Blade shouted. She groaned and said with resignation in her voice.
„Okay, tell him I'm on my way."
Her father was waiting for her in the garden. He was alone, Lady. Ka was busy with her work, she wasn't sure what it was, but it must have involved various unpleasant things. The woman's absence didn't bother her in the slightest. She reminded her too much of Shadow Weaver. Next to my father stood two soldiers in full gear and a self-propelled cart covered with a plank
„Hey, Lord Admiral.„ she said. She still couldn't bring herself to call him father, but he didn't push her, and she was grateful... She couldn't think of herself as someone with a family. This should have happened to Adora. She would be happy to meet her parents. She too. Adora's parents certainly wouldn't be so... domineering. They would rather be nice and goofy.
„I would like to show you the wedding gift I prepared for your fiancée." her father said and ripped off the sheet with a strong pull. Armor appeared before her eyes. It was golden white, the colors of She-Ra'y. It seemed large and heavy, but she had seen armor like that on clones, and Hordak wore a similar one as well. They were called power armor. It provided the user with greatly increased strength and speed, which in Adora's case meant… Uh, truly tremendous strength and speed. She touched one shoulder pad gently. It turned out to be surprisingly light.
„I have two such armors. I wear one in battle, and the other is for my heir. However, you don't like wearing heavy armor, so I decided to give it to Adora. It took some time to give it She-Ra's colors."
She touched the armor with sincere and unconcealed delight. She had to admit he was beautiful. She gently ran her finger across its surface. Not even a scratch was created, even though they cut the armored steel
„What is it made of?" she asked in a quiet voice, and the Lord Admiral replied proudly.
„It's Adamant. One of the strongest metals. And the rarest ones. Some ships are built from the alloy, but it is almost pure metal. Nothing can it. Adamant is called the bones of the gods."
She grimaced when she heard the term
„We're talking about all these gods again. Are they really that important to all of you? Do you seriously believe in them?"
Antares frowned.
„It's not a matter of faith, but of common sense. Gods exist, that is an indisputable fact. It's good to have them on your side and it's better not to irritate them." her father said, and in response she laughed darkly.
„So they are like Shadow Weaver. We were afraid of her and constantly wanted to please her. Does this mean that we should build an altar for her too?"
Her father looked thoughtful. Then he said in a gentle, warm, fatherly voice.
„I know that a lot of bad things have happened to you in your life and it almost broke you, but you found the strength to overcome your inner darkness and became a true hero. However, there are millions of children in the Empire who must live in conditions undreamed of by most of the inhabitants of Etheria, except for children of war like you and your fiancée. I intend to end this, and as soon as the celebrations ends, I intend to leave to fight the Inheritors of Horde Prime. I would like to ask you, my daughter, to come with me and help me fight this war. Of course, Adora is also invited, her presence will certainly help significantly in defeating our enemies."
She looked at her father in pure astonishment. He suggested that she go with him to wage war against the Ultimate Horde and the Celestial Brothers. She would have to give up her position as Grand Marshal and leave Etheria for many months, maybe even years... But after all, weren't they going to do that anyway? That's why Glimmer wanted her to get closer to her father. Now she had the opportunity to really help the alliance. And he will command a real modern army...
„I'll think about it... What do you have for me? – she asked, smiling at Antares. She wanted to jokingly change the subject, but her father took her words with absolute seriousness.
„Everything" he replied in a solemn voice. "You are my heiress. You will receive everything I have."
Only after a long moment did she understand the meaning of his words. She felt happy... and scared, it's hard to say which was stronger.
Calamity was aware that over the past few days she had not come much closer to achieving their great mission. She was preoccupied with other matters. She was looking for an opportunity to... bypass the agreement made between Creeping Chaos and Shadow Weaver, but so far she had not found any loophole, no possibility of bending the rules, it was dangerous She knew that playing with Nyarlathotep's will was not the best idea, nor was trying to abuse their patience. Her only success so far was winning the favor of the Lord Admiral. She guessed that this man was planning to make Catra his right hand, his successor. Although she would prefer to see her in many small pieces, but if this man is as much of a monster as he is said to be... This could cause Catra to fall again, and this time the girl will sink completely into darkness without even realizing it. Perhaps such a fate would be much fairer than even the most painful death.
However, it pained her to admit that she missed Shadow Weaver. Unfortunately, she failed to fully gain the favor of the people of Etheri. Yes, they had well-deserved admiration for her and she aroused great interest, but she did not earn their trust. It was largely the fault of her temperament. The training fight with the hellknight really spoiled her relationship with Adora, who, despite her astonishing pace, noticed that the fight was getting out of control. To make matters worse, the Dark Sorceress' lover wielded that damedd sword. She already knew about his existence, but she didn't expect that she would come face to face with the warrior of hell. She didn't know what power this blade had, but the possibility that it could prematurely end her precious life was outrageous. She unnecessarily made an enemy of both people who posed a real threat to her. If Shadow Weaver were here, it would be easier for her to predict the consequences of her actions.
What was done was done, now she was starting to implement their actual plan. Even the inhabitants of Brightmoon were unaware of the vastness of the underground beneath the castle. They extended to the nearby mountains, and more importantly, they were the work of the First Ones. Courtesy of Heart Gift, she had a map of the entire area. She was now going to meet with the silly AI and confirm the information she had acquired. The Queen accepted the Bloodstone fragment, and this Entrapta was stupid enough to be easily tricked into installing it. Shadow Weaver had no idea about this part of the plan. If all goes well, then, by the will of the Creeping Chaos, he will gain access to Etheria's energy grid, and then...
„Hello Heart Gift. I came to visit you, just like I promised!" she exclaimed in the nicest voice she could muster. Heart Gift immediately materialized.
„Oh! Lady Cala! So nice to see you! I knew you wouldn't lie to me!" the AI shouted happily.
„I would never cheat on my friend. Could you show me again the map you showed me before?"
Heart Gift nodded and brought up the map. Calamity studied the map for a few minutes. The most promising point was in the nearby mountains, quite close to where she was currently. Suddenly a great idea occurred to her.
„Could you create a guard like the one I met before?"
The AI nodded cautiously and said.
„I guess so, but why would I do that?
„Because enemies will approach. Enemies of the First Ones. I wouldn't want something bad to happen to my friend." she said with concern in her voice. Heart Gift She nodded in understanding. Well, if that AI kills Adora, doesn't he break the contract? She smiled cruelly.