Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter six of "To the Sea." It has some Bow/Adora. I really wanted to show them spending time with their son as I had not done that yet. I had shown Lisa with her parents twice. The next chapter will introduce Ellie. I am so ready to do that. Stay tuned for chapter seven.

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Chapter 6: Out in the Evergreen Forest

The midafternoon sun beamed its rays on the Evergreen Forest. A gentle wind went through the trees, causing their leaves to rustle. A black-tailed deer grazed on a patch of grass near a bush. It was the same size as a white-tailed deer. It resembled the creature with the exception of having light brown fur and a white underside. Its tail was black underneath. It grabbed a mouthful of grass. It proceeded to chew. Its ears and tail swiveled three times.

The deer swallowed and was about to grab another mouthful when clomping hooves came out of nowhere. It looked up to see Arrow and Spirit passing it. It headed off into the undergrowth. Both stallions snorted and adjusted the metal bits in their mouths. Apollo rode in front of Adora, who held the reins. He had his hands on the saddle horn. She spotted another black-tailed deer ripping bark off a tree.

"Look at the deer trying to get some sap, Apollo!" Adora said, gesturing toward the critter.

"Beautiful!" Apollo blurted out in delight.

"I see it," Bow said and put his hands above his eyes for a better look. "Wow. It's really tearing up that tree."

"Now, that's something you don't see every day," Adora said and tightened her grip on Spirit's reins.

"Deer usually do not eat bark on trees unless they do not have a choice," Bow responded, glancing at her. "I am not sure why that one is doing this. There is plenty of grass and bush leaves."

"Maybe it got a sweet tooth and wanted sap instead," Adora suggested, giving a shrug.

"You are most likely right," Bow said and eyed his son closely as he returned his hand to the reins. "We know a certain someone who is known for having a sweet tooth."

"Who, me?" Apollo asked, pointing his finger at himself.

"Yes, you!" Adora said, laughing softly. "You love sweets such as cupcakes, candy, cake, etc. Of course, you are very careful not to get tummy aches."

"Those are not pleasant, no matter what you eat," Bow added.

"Let me tickle that little tummy," Adora said and tickled the boy's stomach while growling as if she were a bear. "I am the tickle monster!"

Apollo laughed in much cheerfulness. He pushed his mother's hand away and looked up at her. He grabbed her nose. He pushed his thumb in between his index and middle fingers.

"I got your nose!" Apollo announced.

"Yes, you got my nose," Adora commented while touching the top of his head.

He smiled. "Here it comes back."

Apollo pressed his thumb against his mother's nose. He imitated a screwing sound. He placed his hand on the saddle horn. She kissed the side of his head before running her hand over his hair.

"It is such a beautiful afternoon to be horseback riding," Bow said, letting out a warm laugh.

"No denying that," Adora said while touching Apollo's shoulder. "Mother had trouble waking Apollo up from his nap and asked for our help. We joked about leaving without him. It woke him right up."

"Why would anyone leave without me? I am the most funest boy ever," Apollo replied and patted the saddle horn twice.

"You and your pronunciation of words," Spirit whickered.

"Don't worry, Spirit. Proper speaking will come for our boy in due time," Bow assured with a wink.

"That won't be happening for at least another year," Spirit pointed out matter-of-factly.

"Look on the bright side," Adora commented with a smile. "Apollo can speak full sentences already, even if he does not pronounce all words properly."

"Some kids don't start talking until they are past the toddler stage. Then they won't shut up," Spirit said, rolling his eyes.

"They have such big mouths that you could fit a moon of Eternia or Etheria in them," Adora said, making a funny noise.

"Yeah," Bow agreed. He spotted a stream and motioned toward it while forming a big smile on his face. "Why don't we stop and let the horses drink for a few minutes? I bet they are thirsty." He laughed at Arrow's neighing. "It seems Arrow is."

"I am too," Spirit said, lifting his head. "While we drink, you three can stretch your legs and arms."

Bow and Adora pulled on the reins, bringing their stallions to a stop at the stream. Spirit and Arrow leaned down and proceeded to drink. Bow dismounted the latter and went over to the former. He took Apollo from his wife, who got off Spirit. He put him down. He moved his arms back with a soft grunt. Adora and Apollo mimicked him with theirs.

"Look at you two stretching your arms like me," Bow teased.

"That's not the only thing we will do," Adora said and bent over while grabbing the backs of her legs. She observed Apollo trying to imitate her and falling forward. He ended up on his back. She rose to her full height and went over to him. She squatted down, placing her hand on her knee. "You okay, Apollo?"

Apollo nodded as his mother grabbed his hands and pulled him to his feet. He laughed in some embarrassment.

"I guess I leaned a little too forward," Apollo mumbled, cringing somewhat. "I am sorry."

"Don't be sorry, my boy," Adora responded in gentleness. "Toddlers often have trouble with their balance. You are no exception."

Bow bent down to grab the backs of his legs while looking at him. "It takes time to master balance. You will get there eventually, okay?"

Apollo nodded. "Okay."

Bow returned to his full height, as did Adora with hers while picking Apollo up. They looked up to see a blue jay flying overhead. It was the same size as its Earth counterpart, except its feathers were a brighter blue. It lacked the black stripes on its wings and tail feathers with the exceptions of the ends. Apollo pointed his finger at it.

"Blue jay, blue jay!" Apollo shouted delightfully.

"That's right, buddy," Bow said, clapping twice. "That bird can imitate any sound, including an engine."

"They are fiercely protective of their nests, so we have to be careful around them," Adora added. She proceeded to talk about the time a jay struck her for getting too close to its nest.

00000

Bow and Adora sat near the stream forty-five minutes later. Spirit and Arrow grazed on a patch of grass nearby. Their ears and tails swiveled as if they were in a chorus line. Apollo walked around while picking flowers near his parents. He sang nonsense before blowing a raspberry. Bow inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. He glanced at her, a soft smile crossing his lips.

"I love relaxing next to streams like this one," Bow said.

"I do too," Adora said, scooting closer to him in which it allowed him to put his arm around her. "The best part is being with you and Apollo."

"I feel the same way," Bow answered and kissed her temple. "I never saw us getting together in a million years."

"I didn't either. Everyone thought Sea Hawk and I would get married," Adora commented.

"Things do not always work out the way we planned. That's for sure," Bow pointed out and flicked her nose.

"Mm-hmm," Adora said with a nod. She glanced toward Apollo, who picked another flower. "I do want to tell our son I was She-ra one day."

"He may not believe you at all," Bow admitted and ran his hand over her hair. "Most kids want to think their parents are perfect in every way."

She turned to her husband. "We both know that is not the case. We have made our fair share of mistakes."

"Some were big. Others were small," Bow murmured.

"No matter how hard we try, there is always a chance any of us will commit an error," Adora replied.

"That's right," Bow said while taking her hand into his. "All we can do is learn from our mistakes."

"Unfortunately, some people never do," Adora mumbled with a frown.

He sighed heavily. "Yep."

Bow pressed a kiss to Adora's temple and wrapped his arms around her. He rocked her from side to side. He hummed a sweet tune. She leaned into his embrace, a quiet sigh leaving her mouth.

"I love it when you hold me like this," Adora said, sweetness lining his voice.

"It is my favorite way to be with you. The second favorite way, that is. My favorite way is holding you while laying next to you," Bow commented, giving her a wink.

"I love that even more," Adora said, pinching his cheek and speaking baby talk. "Yes, I do."

Bow grabbed Adora's wrist and pulled her hand off. He held it and gave it a gentle squeeze. He kissed the back of it before doing the same with her lips. She brought her hand to his neck. This deepened the kiss. The sound of 'Bleh' caused them to break apart. They looked at Apollo, who had a hand full of flowers.

"Mommy, Daddy, no playing kissy-face!" Apollo yelled in disgust.

"Hey, you will be doing that with a girl you like someday," Bow responded as he pointed a finger at him.

"No!" Apollo said, shaking his head rapidly. "Girls are icky. I still like Lisa."

"It is good you like Lisa," Adora said, waving her hand toward herself. "Anyway, let's see your flowers."

Apollo moved up to his parents, his lips pressing together. Adora touched his wrist in a very gentle way. She focused on the flowers and couldn't help but smile. She eyed him closely.

"You have beautiful flowers, son," Adora complimented and flicked the boy's nose twice.

"Thank you, Mommy," Apollo commented and formed a big smile on his face. "You can make a flower crown with them if you want."

"No, thank you," Adora responded, shaking her head slowly. "You can keep them."

"The boys in my hometown of Shalee always said flower-picking was only for girls. They picked on boys who did that. They called them girls," Bow said and scoffed irritatingly. "What a bunch of crud!"

"Just because some boys like picking flowers and having long hair does not make them girls," Adora said, huffing to herself. "The same goes for girls getting dirty and having short hair in regards to boys."

"That's right," Bow said, giving a sharp nod. "I want to honk the noses of those dummies for saying boys and girls should have interests only within their gender."

"Me too," Adora agreed. "Maybe we should pull their underwear over their heads too."

"Good idea," Bow said, kissing her temple. "Anyway, I hope meeting Ellie will be a pleasant experience."

"It stinks we won't be at the palace when she arrives there," Adora murmured with a shrug. "We had this horseback riding trip planned for a while."

"Your father did say he would bring her to the stable to meet us when we returned," Bow pointed out matter-of-factly.

"That is true," Adora said and cleared her throat. "Let's hope she does not hit Arrow on his butt. He will kick her in hers. Sea Hawk was left with a big hoof print on his pants."

"He looked so embarrassed from that," Bow said, chuckling to himself. "It taught him a lesson about respecting my horse."

"Yes, it did," Adora agreed. She wrapped her arms around Apollo after he sat in her lap. She proceeded to talk about the first time he walked.