A bit of a shorter chapter today bc I'm at work experience this week. Hopefully I'll get another chapter out before Friday.
The legend of She-Ra and He-Man were well known throughout history, even during the thousand year freeze when Etheria disappeared into Despondos. During that millennia, She-Ra was AWOL. She didn't rise again, neither did she pick a new host. He-Man continued to pass down the Grayskull line, skipping a generation each time. Hence why King Randor didn't pick up the Sword of Power, yet, his son, Adam, did. She-Ra fell into the myths, nothing but a whisper on the wind. Yet, twenty-one years ago, her spirit bloomed brightly, somewhere deep in the galaxy. Where no magic could reach, but she was alive, and she had chosen a new host after a thousand years of silence,"
"She-Ra and He-Man originally belonged to the twin children Rayna and Elias. When Queen Grayskull was slain by her evil brother, Rayna and Elias fought for their city against the villainous rein of the King. Their bravery was so inspiring, the gods themselves took pity upon them. When Elias was mortally wounded by the King, Rayna became a force like nothing they had ever expected. With the divine aid, Rayna obliterated the Royal family and their castle, leaving nothing but ruins. The power she held was enough to bring Elias back from the brink of death,"
"When war arrived on their doorstep some ten years later, Elias lead the charge with Rayna by his side, protecting their town and city. The gods aided them once again, bestowing the power of a thousand soldiers and strength of ten thousand. When charging, the battle cry they called was "For Grayskull!" The gods admired their bravery, loaning them magic to help fight the cowardly King. Rayna transformed into, who would later be known as, She-Ra, and Elias to He-Man,"
"When the battle was won and the King was declared dead, the gods themselves graced Eternia. They decided to leave their gift with the twins, under the provision they used it for good, no evil. They also decreed that they were to take over Eternia's Royal line. Rayna refused the offer, returning to protect her planet as She-Ra, while Elias took the throne as He-Man. The two met often in battle. Eventually, Elias met his wife, a distant relative of the late Queen Grayskull. She bore him three daughters and two sons. The power of He-Man passed throughout the first born sons line, eventually being hosted within King Randor's father and Adam, the current He-Man. Rayna, unlike her brother, never married, and had a lone child with a beggar, never known in myths. She called her daughter Mara,"
"Before Mara turned one, Rayna was struck with a deadly sickness. Mara was too young to hold the mantle of She-Ra as of yet, so the all-powerful Sorceress of Grayskull castle, forged the Sword of Protection, able to hold She-Ra's spirit and help control her magic until the wielder was old enough to master her. The Sorceress later forged the Sword of Power for He-Man. The Sword of Protection held onto She-Ra's magic for eighteen years, until the elders decided Mara was of age,"
"The legend of Mara is well known. Mara was eighteen, and the only daughter of Rayna, when she held aloft the sword, and took She-Ra's mantle. The elders wishes to expand their universe, and touch other planets with magic. They sent their finest ten along with Mara to a desolate planet, Etheria. Though, it was not dead. Etheria contained more magic than Eternia itself. The elders wanted to harness the power, to use it, and help spread magic throughout the galaxy. This was called "The Heart of Etheria," project. Unfortunately, due to complications, the project was written off and abandoned,"
"Mara's mind became corrupted with the power of She-Ra. In a fit of rage against the elders, and using her power for evil, Mara moved Etheria out of our dimension. It was never known if Mara had any children, but She-Ra, and Etheria, were lost to Mara's actions,"
Catra grimaced as she read the history book. She flipped it over in her hand, frowing. "Well, this is missing the last like... seven years nearly," Adora groaned from the floor, wiping a hand across her mouth. "To be fair, we didn't even know Eternia existed still until a year ago," Catra hummed unconvincingly. "Even so. If they're churning this out to everyone, they need to make sure its right," Adora waved her hand in the air, and without looking, Catra handed her the glass of water and some tissue. "You alright now?" She asked. Adora shook her head with a sigh. "I think I'll be in here for a while," She pressed her cheek to the toilet seat. Catra moved closer, and wrapped her within her arms.
Adora leaned back into her embrace, letting her head rest in the bit between Catra's shoulder and her neck. Catra wrapped her arms around her belly, rubbing it with her thumb. The baby moved restlessly beneath her touch. "They like you," Adora whispered. Catra hummed. "I'd hope so. I am their mom after all," Adora hummed back. "Yeah, well, Vi didn't move much at all. I thought she was dead like… daily," Catra huffed. "Jesus," She mumbled. "That's dark," Adora shifted slightly against her neck, twisting to a more comfortable position. "That's what goes through my mind when they stop moving inside. It's like: oh my god, they're dead, why aren't they moving?" Catra began to comb through her wife's hair. "I'm sure they're just fine. Maybe they're sleeping?" She paused. "Can babies even sleep in the womb?"
Adora groaned quietly as she sat up. "I dunno," She said quietly. She leaned over the toilet and continued her battle of wills with her stomach. Catra mewled in her throat. "Want a back rub?" She asked quietly. Adora retched loudly, but put her thumb up over the top of her shoulder. Catra began at her shoulders, slowly moving down and up in circular motions, pushing on all the right places. Adora steadily relaxed against her fingers, only tensing when she threw up. "God, I can't wait another three months," Catra admitted, kissing the bare shoulder of her wife. Adora hummed in question, casting a narrowed eyed glance over her shoulder. "What?" Catra snapped. Adora raised her eyebrows with a soft sigh. "Nothing, nothing,"
… "sap,"
Catra swatted her side. "Ow, hey, you can't hit a pregnant woman!" Adora laughed, hitting her hand away. "I'm not. I'm hitting my wife, and she so happens to be pregnant," Catra slapped her shoulder for good measure. Adora's laughter died down with a soft peter out. "Why can't you wait?" Adora asked. Catra shrugged. "I-It's stupid," She ducked her head. Adora scoffed, waving her hand around. "No, this is stupid. We've literally lead wars and won, and fought our entire lives, yet, something so natural has us sprawled on the floor while I puke my guts up for nine months," As if to prove her point, she gagged into the bowl. Catra was rubbing her back immediately, aiming for the lower part, where it curved inwards. She knew that particular spot hurt Adora a fair amount, but she never said aloud. "Adora, your body is literally creating a human. That's better than anything we've done before. Sure, we can shoot a gun or aim a tank, but only certain people can create a whole-ass child for nine months," She continued in her kneading of the tense muscles.
"Ok, but why can't you wait?" Adora asked softly. Catra passed her the glass of apple juice and water, watching as Adora downed the water, but gently drank the apple juice. "I… promise you won't laugh?" She asked, heat running into the tips of her ears. "Catra, I don't have the energy to laugh, and even if I did, I wouldn't…" Adora paused with a sly smile that pulled at her entire jaw. "Not immediately anyway," Catra poked her claw into Adora's back. "Ow, sorry, sorry!" She laughed quietly. Catra let her chin rest on Adora's shoulder with a quiet sigh. "It's not that I don't wanna hold them, I do, I really do…" She paused. "But…?" Adora prompted. "I hate seeing you in pain," Catra admitted quietly, pushing her face into Adora's hair.
She expected Adora to laugh at her, or to make some snide remark about her sappiness, but no.
"Then you're not gonna wanna be in the delivery room," Adora said darkly. "Why not?" Catra asked. "Because if you hate me in pain now, then you're gonna die in that room. Childbirth is excruciating," She said. "When I had Vi, I didn't know you could have pain medication, and I honestly thought I was dying… you're not gonna wanna see that," Catra whined quietly in her mind. "Well, obviously not including that," She lied. "I know childbirth hurts," Adora chuckled. "No, breaking a bone hurts. Childbirth is…" She cut herself off with a sigh. "It's painful," She finally settled on. Catra's heart did something funny in her chest. Adora groaned beneath her breath, resting her cheek on the toilet seat, far enough over that if she needed to hurl, she could without lifting her head.
The room fell into silence for a while.
"What do you think they're gonna look like?" Adora asked quietly, twisting her head on the toilet seat to meet Catra's eyes. The magicat softly carded through Adora's greasy blonde locks. "Um… I don't know," She paused. "I hope they get you eyes," Adora spoke first. Catra frowned. "Why?" Adora shrugged. "I think your eyes are nice… they were the first things I saw when I met you for the first time," Catra's mind flashed to Violet. "What about Vi? Do you wish the baby has the same hair as her?" Adora laughed quietly. "I don't think anyone has hair like Vi… but it'd be nice for the baby to be blonde, like us though," Catra hummed, moving back to her kneading. It helped Adora, sure, but Catra often kneaded things when she was nervous or needed comfort.
"I hope they're gonna get your tail and ears," Adora's smile was prominent in her voice. "Why?" Catra asked, frowning. Her ears was the one thing she was picked on for, back in the Horde. Though… at least they helped her hear the attackers before they struck. "Well, Vi's got pointy ears, and yours are kinda pointy… so that'd be another thing they shared… and you two, for that matter," Adora answered. Catra hummed against her neck. "And your tail gives away everything before you do, so it's a great indictor of what mood you're in," Adora laughed. Catra hissed quietly, without menace. "It is not," She insisted. Adora shrugged. Something grabbed the tip of her tail, making her shriek. Adora laughed loudly. "God, Adora!" Catra yelled. "Plus," She said through chuckles. "Your tail's been wrapped around my leg since you came in this morning," Catra looked at the appendage.
You'd think she has more control over her tail, seeing as it's a part of her. She does and doesn't. Her emotions tend to have control over it. If she's angry, it'll bristle and snap around. If she's happy, it's smooth with a slow wave, but if she's excited, it'll wave from side to side. If she focuses particularly hard, she can make it move to what she wants. Like the time she and Adora were experimenting in bed. Catra made her come with just the tip of her tail on her clit, and Adora turned into She-Ra. To be fair though, Catra was a puddle before her huge hands even made contact.
With a sigh, Catra let her cheek fall to the back of Adora's head, resting there. "How're you feeling now?" She asked. Adora shrugged. "Not sure. My stomach's still doing really weird things, and I don't know if it's the baby moving around, or if I'm gonna be sick," Catra sighed heavily, but quietly. "Wanna try moving to the bed? It's gotta be more comfortable than this," Adora whined quietly. "But that means moving," She drawled. Catra stood up, stretching widely. Her back and shoulders popped loudly. "Yup. You're telling me you don't even need to pee?" She asked. Adora huffed. "No… I do…" She groaned.
Catra held out her hands. "Come on," Adora groaned loudly as she grabbed them. Catra helped haul her up, steadying her when Adora's balance faltered slightly. "You ok?" She asked. Adora pushed her head into Catra's shoulder. "Just dizzy," She whispered. "When did you eat last?" Catra asked. Adora's hesitation was enough. "Right. Well, go pee or do whatever, then get into bed. I'll get the bucket and some food," Adora began to protest, but Catra barrelled over her. "Which you will eat!"
Adora whined. Catra pulled back with a soft smile. She caressed Adora's face. "Seriously. You'd die without me," She whispered. Adora chuckled breathily. "Yeah… I would," She sighed quietly. "Ok. Come on, get out. I need to pee and as much as I love being free with you, peeing is the one thing I can do in private still," Catra snorted. "Oh, do you wanna keep reading this?" She asked, nodding to the history book about He-Man and She-Ra. Adora shrugged. "May as well. Might tell us more about what'll happen to our kids in the future,"
Catra's heart swelled as she picked up the book. "Ok… I'll see you in a bit,"
The door closed, and Catra smiled.
Our kids.
