"Evelyn, wake up. . . Evelyn? Evelyn, it's already–"
"I know what time it is." She groaned out. "Leave me alone, Lorric." She said, not opening her eyes.
Her husband looked down at the human woman laying in bed. He took a deep breath before walking out of the room and into the bathroom. Evelyn, hearing the man walk off, let out a content sigh. That lasted all of twelve seconds before she heard running water. Her eyes shot open as she immediately sat up, her hand leveled at the man.
He froze in his tracks, a bucket of water in his hands. His face slowly broke out into a grin as he took another step forward. His joy was contagious as a smile slowly broke out onto Evelyn's face, "I swear if you take another step forward, water will be the least of your concerns."
Lorric stayed silent before throwing the water onto the woman. She let out a sharp gasp as the icy water soaked her to the bone, drenching the blankets and sheets. Immediately, a wave of snow hit Lorric, sending him sliding across the floor. That didn't stop him from bellowing out a laugh.
Evelyn stared at the man with mock contempt before laughing as well. As she stood from the bed, she gained a mischievous smirk before letting her wet clothes drop to the floor. Lorric eyed her as she sauntered over to him, her hips swaying side to side. As he went to kiss her, she danced out of reach, a playful smile on her lips.
"And what do you think you're doing?"
"Trying to kiss my elusive wife."
"Perhaps she'd be more inclined if her husband was not wearing snow covered armor." She said as she ran to the bathroom, closing the door.
Lorric quickly started to take his armor off as he heard a bath being drawn. He had gotten his cuirass off and was working on his chausses when a knock on the door interrupted him. A spike of irritation shot through him as he walked over to the door and flung it open, "This better be– King Randor?"
In front of the man stood the King himself, clad in his own set of armor, a blue cape with fur adorning his shoulders with a golden crown atop his head. "General Sunder." He said with a nod, "I'm not interrupting am I?"
Evelyn poked her head out of the bathroom door, "You kind of are, Randor." she said in an annoyed voice before her voice softened, "Is Marleena's condition stable?"
Randor's features were determined, "That's why I wished to speak with you."
Evelyn held her hand out as her staff flew across the room from where it was set. A purple light encompassed her body before she stepped out of the bathroom adorned in her regal attire. She strode forward, concern evident on her face, "Has something happened?"
Randor looked out the window before closing the curtains. Lorric understood immediately as he locked the door. Evelyn cast a silencing spell on the room before they turned towards the King. He was silent for a moment before he looked at them with a hard look, "Your daughter contacted me last night."
"Mara contacted you? Why?" Lorric asked.
"She found out about Marlena's status." Randor sighed.
"How? Nobody on Etheria but Keldor, Stratos, and Rayla know about her condition. They wouldn't tell her either. There's no reason for it." Evelyn said, trying to make sense of it.
Randor nodded, "Exactly. So imagine my surprise," Randor said as he looked Evelyn in the eye, "when Mara starts talking about her friend who has time traveled."
Evelyn went still, ". . .You're sure?"
"Completely. There's more. She claims to have spoken to Marleena."
Lorric's eyes widened, "Then. . .it worked? Earth–"
"No," Randor's voice cut off sharply, "Mara's friend is from the future. According to Mara, her name is Catra. She's using some sort of magic to time travel."
Lorric went to say something but Evelyn cut him off, "How far into the future?"
"According to Light Hope's readings of the Crystal Castle, she estimates it to be about a thousand years. Her data was corrupted so the readings are off but the numbers are fairly accurate." Randor explained.
"But. . .that doesn't make sense. How could Light Hope calculate the years if the time stream model didn't work?" Evelyn asked.
"That's the thing. It did work. Somehow, this Catra figured out how to activate the castle and sync the coding through the memory program."
Lorric spoke up, steering the conversation back to the original topic. "That's fine and all, but how does this girl know Marleena? A thousand years? Marlena's human for one and second of all, even if she weren't, that's a long time to live, even for Eternian."
"She claims Marlena's soul has been trapped in some sort of fractured shards. The girl has told Mara she has collected a few of them."
"And how do we know this isn't some sort of trick? We are in the middle of a war, y'know?" Evelyn said, crossing her arms in suspicion.
"Stratos and my brother like to blow things out of proportion. I could hardly call this a war." Randor scoffed, "This Horde Prime doesn't even have a basic hyperdrive ship. As for how I know? Well. . . she said that she mentioned Eric?"
Evelyn stood up before walking across the room in silence, 'Eric?' she thought to herself before turning back towards Randor, "I need to speak to Mara as well as this Catra."
"Mara is already enroute to Eternia under strict orders to maintain comm silence. She'll be here within the day." The king said before turning towards Lorric. "General Sunder, nobody can know about this. I am now of the belief that someone deliberately killed my child and attempted to do the same to my wife."
Lorric stood with a determined nod, "Nobody will know, my King. You have my word."
"Mine as well, Randor. I may not have always gotten along with her but I would give anything for Marleena to wake up again." Evelyn declared.
Randor nodded, as his mind was plagued with questions that he hoped Mara and her friend could answer.
Brightmoon Castle - ten hours ago
As Swift Wind flew over Brightmoon, Catra and Adora looked over the fields littered with Horde tanks and soldiers. They were all standing in formation, waiting for an order to do. . .something. For the most part though, everyone looked on edge and that didn't exclude the soldiers.
Cata looked over her shoulder at Glimmer, "What does Hordak want with me and why now? It's been almost a whole month since I left. Why didn't he come for me sooner?"
"We don't know. Shadow Weaver's best guess is it's because of your time travel. Beyond that, we have no clue."
Bow spoke up from behind Glimmer, "Something like this has never happened before. Never in the history of the Horde war have peace talks even been broached. It's definitely cause for concern."
"That's because the Horde teaches surrender is weakness." Adora said with a hard tone, her skin giving off a golden light that only She Ra could. "And surrendering land. . .well, that's even worse. Whatever Hordak's trying to do is big."
Catra looked confused at that, "Then why now? Better yet, did Angella okay this meeting? That doesn't seem like her."
Swift wind spoke up as he started descending towards the platform where the Moon stone hovered, "Actually she did. Yep, the tall guard, Juliet I think her name was, talked her into it. The creepy witch in red also raised a good point about potentially regaining lost territory. Turns out that this Hordak guy was willing to meet all the demands of Brightmoon for this talk."
Catra hummed as they landed. Angella greeted them as they climbed off the winged horse. Glimmer immediately teleported into her open arms, hugging one another. "Mom! You're alright! Thank goodness."
Angella gave a squeeze before turning towards Catra, "Come quickly. Everyone is meeting in the main hall."
"The negotiations have already begun?" Adora asked, shocked.
Angella shook her head, "No, we were waiting on you and Catra. Both of you are vital to the peace talks. Come now, we can't wait any longer."
And so they marched through the halls of Brightmoon Castle, approaching the Throne Room. Along the walls were Horde soldiers standing beside the Brightmoon guards. She caught sight of Kyle, Lonnie, and Rojelio before giving them a nod. Catra had to admit that she'd never seen the guards on edge like this before. It was a little unnerving. As they strode into the hall Catra caught sight of Hordak sitting at one end of the table as well Scorpia. In the other chairs sat Frosta, Mermista, and Perfuma. Entrapta seemed to be missing. All talks ceased as Catra stepped up to the table, taking a seat as she swallowed a nervous lump in her throat.
"Good afternoon everyone. I hope everyone made it here safely." Angella said, trying and failing to keep the bite out of her words. If Hordak noticed, he didn't say anything. "As everyone of importance is present, we may now begin with negotiations."
The room was silent before Catra decided to take the first step forward, "So, Hordak, what brought this on?"
"Force Captain Catra, I had been informed of your memory loss. I see you've managed to recover a small portion of them back at the very least."
Catra eyed Hordak, "Yeah," she said slowly, "some of them."
Hordak hummed, "I think you know why I wished to speak with you."
Catra looked to the side of the room and noticed Shadow Weaver sitting beside Castaspella. She gave a slight nod, as if understanding Catra's thoughts. Catra looked back towards the Horde leader, "Time travel?"
"Yes, time travel." Hordak nodded.
"So this was all a ruse to talk to Catra?" Adora spoke up.
"No, but that is definitely the main reason we are currently here. I am willing to call an immediate and indefinite ceasefire. We can discuss the lands that will be traded and semantics later." Hordak waved his hand.
Angella took the pause as an opportunity to speak, "What exactly do you want from Catra?"
Hordak looked the queen in the eye, "Her assistance."
"Been hearing that a lot these days." Catra muttered under her breath. Adora gave a slight kick to her leg.
"And with her assistance, I may be able to return to my people." Hordak declared.
"Horde Prime, right?" Catra asked.
Hordak nodded, "Yes. I see you've heard of him."
"Who's Horde Prime?" Mermista spoke up.
Shadow Weaver interjected, "The true leader of the Horde. The Emperor of the known universe."
Hordak narrowed his eyes at Shadow Weaver, "Ah, Shadow Weaver, I see you are here. What have you told them?"
"Nothing yet. I haven't had the chance to. You mobilized quite quickly."
Hordak grunted in annoyance before turning back towards Catra, "If I can create a portal and get out of this dimension, return to his side, I will have no need of Etheria any longer. Your war will be at an end and you can continue frolicking through the sparkly fields of which you Etherians love so much."
Glimmer was quiet before speaking her mind, "How stupid do you think we are? Portals? Dimensions to other worlds? How–"
"He's telling the truth." Catra interrupted, "When I first met Mara she told me about other worlds besides Earth."
"You've been trying to open a portal for years to bring Prime's armies through. Why should we believe that you won't immediately turn on us?" Shadow Weaver asked.
"Because, if I can bring evidence of real time travel then I won't need to deliver this planet." Hordak turned towards Catra, "You had to have run into a portal at some point in the last month. Time travel has been linked to portals since the idea of it was first thought of. At the very least you must have an idea of how the First Ones technology operates."
Catra hesitated a second too long before Hordak picked up on it. "So I was right."
"Perhaps we should get to the matter at hand?" Perfuma said.
Hordak sat back in his chair before giving a nod, "Let's start with the land trade and the ceasefire agreement. I am willing to pull my troops back from hostile landmarks on the agreement that the rebellion shall do the same, leaving any current territories that are in the midst of battle neutral."
Angella nodded, "That is agreeable. I take it that includes the seas surrounding Salineas as well?"
"Of course. All fighting shall stop." Hordak continued.
And for the next three hours the leaders and generals of the respectful armies negotiated disputes over land, trade, and resources. As far as resources and trade went, the rebellion was willing to make tradelines to and from the Fright Zone, supplying the Horde and Rebellion with things they had either little or none of. The land dispute on who would reclaim lands and which areas would be surrendered took more time. By the end of the three hours quite a bit of headway had been made, surprisingly. Although the talks were far from over, everyone's patience was starting to wear thin until Shadow Weaver spoke up.
"Perhaps a break is in order, Queen Angella?"
Angella pinched the bridge of her nose before nodding. "Yes, I think that's a good idea. We shall reconvene in two hours. Everyone, get something to eat and drink. Consider what's been said and what you wish to bring up." Angella turned towards Hordak, "The main hall will have accommodations for your people." Hordak gave a nod before striding out of the War Room.
Catra walked towards Glimmer, Bow, and Adora, letting out a yawn, "This is exhausting."
"Tell me about it." Scorpia said from behind her. "I was not built for politics."
"Hey Scorpia." Catra said with a smile. "How've you been?"
"Oh, I'm doing great. I'm really excited for this to go well. We've never done anything like this in the history of the Horde."
"Really?" Catra asked, looking to Adora for an answer.
"She's right. Typically, the Horde would look down on this type of thing. But looking around, it seems like a lot of these people are equally as excited." Adora said.
Bow looked happy, "I'm kind of glad for that to be honest. Just look at Catra."
"What about me?" Catra raised an eyebrow.
"What Bow means to say," Glimmer interjected, "is that you joined the rebellion and even with your memories coming back, you're still our friend. It's a good sign that the Horde isn't as bad as everyone initially thinks. The people in it I mean."
Scorpia nodded rapidly. "Oh, yeah. You would not believe how many people were talking about this on the way over here. Most of the soldiers really want this to work. Everyone wants a break and this could really turn out to be something good."
That seemed to catch everyone off guard, "Really? People in the Horde want the war to stop?" Adora asked.
"Of course we want the war to stop," Lonnie said as she approached with Kyle and Rojelio in tow, "Adora, you know as well as I do that nobody in the Horde actually wants to kill anyone. We're people too."
"Hey guys." Catra waved. "If that's the case, what are some of the people thinking? Anything that could be useful?"
Kyle's eyes widened, "Oh, well the Horde has been really low on clean water and medicinal supplies. Could you bring that up?"
"Kyle," Lonnie cocked her head at the blonde, "Scorpia is literally a part of the negotiations. Do you think she wouldn't bring that up?"
Kyle rubbed the back of his head nervously, "Yeah, I suppose so."
Catra waved her hand, "No, anything that you think of that could help you should bring up. Right now is the time to be heard. There are no stupid suggestions right now. If you have any other things you want to talk about, tell Scorpia."
Bow stepped forward with his trackerpad in hand, "I'm compiling a list of topics to be discussed. We want this to be fair. The more people that feel secure, the better chance this treaty has of working."
Scorpia dragged Bow with her towards the other Horde soldiers in the main hall. Catra took note of Perfuma offering several soldiers salads to their confusion. She looked absolutely horrified when she realized that they'd never had them before. Perfuma began growing fruit and handing them out to the soldiers. While many were hesitant to eat something offered by a princess, many realized that no harm would come to them at the moment. Catra laughed as many of the soldiers' faces lit up in a hilarious fashion.
Adora looked at Catra as she laughed. She gained a smirk, "You know, Catra," She said slyly, "You had that same look on your face when you ate that fish for the first time."
Catra stopped laughing before letting out a playful glare, "Yeah? I bet you had the same look when you ate this stuff too."
"Touche. Also you're right. I did." Adora lost her smile as she stared at the soldiers sitting around the Main Hall of Brightmoon, hesitantly making conversation with the servants and guards. "Growing up we didn't get to eat food in the Fright Zone."
"I know. I remember those nasty ration bars. Particularly the red ones. Yuck!" Catra made a face.
Adora beamed at Catra, "When did you–"
"A little before we went to the Crystal Castle. Older memories seem to be returning at first. Lots of my childhood is coming back to me. It's. . .a lot less noticeable. It's like I don't even notice they're back but I can feel them there. Incomplete. . .but they're there."
Adora put a hand on Catra's shoulder, holding it there for a moment that seemed a little more than friendly before Catra smirked and leaned into her chest. "Yep, I remember quite a few things. The red mushy ration bars. . .as well as 'Adora Happysmile Rain–"
Adora quickly shoved her off of her with a red face, "Yeah? Then you should remember that we promised never to speak of such things."
Catra let out a laugh before playfully jumping on Adora, "I don't know. That seems to be escaping my memory. Maybe that'll come back to me eventually. But for now, Rainbowfist is here to stay.
Before Adora could respond, Angella walked up to the two girls with an exhausted smile on her face, "I see you two are much closer. Are your memories returning?"
"Some of them. Mainly my early childhood." Catra said, still hanging off of Adora's shoulders.
"Well, I'm glad to hear it. But you should get something to eat and perhaps use the restroom. We only have roughly an hour and a half left."
Adora nodded before turning to walk towards the rest of the princesses gathered around Bow with Catra still hanging off of her friend's back. Adora stopped in front of the food line as she set Catra down.
Catra eyed a colorful drink before Angella quickly took it away before setting down some water. Catra pouted a little before Angella gave an apologetic look. "Sorry Catra, but water only. You've proven that you're quite the strategist and I need you at a hundred percent."
Catra let out a grumble, "Fine. I'll drink boring water."
Angella gave a chuckle as they began to walk towards the tables with food in hand. As they sat and talked with their respective allies and friends, an idea began to form in Catra's head. Catra stood up and began walking towards the Horde troops where Scorpia was sitting.
"Hey, Scorpia?"
Scorpia's face lit up in happiness at being approached by Catra. "Yeah?"
"Can I talk to you for a second?" Catra asked. She noticed several of the soldiers eyeing her with mixed emotions, some good, some bad. She gave them a nod nonetheless.
"Uh, sure." Scorpia said as she walked with Catra to a private corner of the hall, or as private as one could be in such a crowded space. "What's up?"
Catra eyed Scorpia before letting out a breath, "What do you think about coming to stay in Brightmoon?"
Scorpia looked a little shocked before Catra held up a hand, cutting her off. "I mean as a diplomatic hostage." And like that, Catra had lost Scorpia.
". . .a diplo- what?"
"A diplomatic hostage. It means that we would exchange two people of equal footing that hold the same level of political sway. In this case, seeing as how you're a Force Captain we would probably send one of the generals. I just. . .need to figure out who would be okay with going to the Fright Zone indefinitely."
"Ohhh, I see. Ah. . . wellll, about that. . ." Scorpia rubbed the back of her head nervously.
Catra raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"You see, I'm not just a Force Captain. I'm actually a Princess."
"What!" Catra said a little loudly, getting looks from her and Scorpia's allies alike. Catra lowered her voice. "Why don't I know this? Is that why you're in the peace talks while Octavia isn't?"
Scorpia nodded, "Pretty much. The Black Garnet actually belongs to my family and seeing as how since Shadow Weaver left the Horde, I'm basically the only person with some knowledge on it. . . however little that may be."
"But no one ever talks about you in the battle plans. I'd think that someone with a runestone would be a problematic fight going off how the rest of the princesses handle things."
"Well that's the thing. I can't use it. It's never worked for me before. So I don't really have a connection to it."
Catra looked like she wanted to say more before shaking her head, "We're getting off topic. Alright, I can still work with this. If I can get this off the ground, would you be okay coming to Brightmoon?"
"You bet!" Scorpia enveloped Catra in a bone crushing hug.
"Just so you know, I'm a hugger" A memory flashed through Catra's mind of her first meeting with Scorpia. "Oh, yeah."
Scorpia let Catra down before walking back to her table happily. Catra's ear twitched at approaching footsteps from behind her. She turned to find Juliet.
"What was that all about?"
"An idea that may or may not work." Catra said, looking towards the Horde.
"Care to share?" Juliet cocked an eyebrow.
"Do you know what a diplomatic hostage is?"
"Ah, I get it. Then you must have just realized why that doesn't work with Scorpia's status?"
Catra looked at the general, "You knew about her being a princess?"
"Yeah, but it's never served a purpose so we never bring it up. I suppose it serves a purpose now though. Unfortunately, there's not a single person from the alliance that would want to stay at the Fright Zone barring you and Adora and that can't happen for obvious reasons.
Catra looked at Adora from across the room before her eyes slowly drifted towards Entrapta who had just entered the main hall. "Don't be so sure."
As everyone took their seats, Angella strode forward and began where they had left off. For another hour, concerns that the Horde soldiers had raised to Bow were brought to light. Hordak, despite what Catra had heard of his reputation, listened patiently and respectfully, not once belittling his troops' concerns.
Hordak documented everything that was said and traded documents with Angella more than a couple times. As everyone took a moment to look over other needs, Catra took note of the momentary silence. She gave a quick glance at Scorpia who gave a confident nod. Catra realized that this was a good time to bring her idea forward. Hordak noticed Catra and Scorpia's exchange and set his papers to the side.
"Catra, it seems you wish to say something?" Hordak spoke up, focusing everyone's attention on her. Catra nodded before pulling up a prepared document that she had quickly scrawled together.
"Yes. Does everyone here know what a diplomatic hostage is?"
Hordak raised an eyebrow before giving a nod. Perfuma looked lost and Glimmer seemed a bit taken back by the use of the word 'hostage' but stayed quiet. Frosta also nodded along with just about everyone else. Surprisingly, Adora looked confused at the term.
"What's a diplomatic hostage?" Adora asked. Perfuma voiced her shared confusion as well.
"A political authority such as a ruler or general agrees to hand over a hostage to an opposing side as guarantee of good faith in the observance of . . .obligations." Catra said, trying to think of the best way to describe it. "You might even exchange hostages as mutual assurance in cases such as an armistice. . .like I'm about to suggest."
Hordak leaned back in his chair, tapping a finger on the table before speaking up. "I see the appeal, I really do. Unfortunately, beyond my Force Captains, I have no one of high value to trade. I take it you were hoping for Scorpia to be offered, yes?"
"Yes. She also raised some other concerns to me that while she is a Force Captain, Scorpia holds the title of Princess and with Shadow Weaver being a political prisoner of Brightmoon, Scorpia is the only one with any sort of in depth knowledge regarding the Black Garnet." Catra said, pulling a document out and sliding it down to Hordak.
Hordak eyed the document detailing an agreement for an exchange, picking it up as he spoke. "Correct. Force Captain Scorpia holds the rank of second Force Captain under Octavia. I can't afford to trade her without some sort of recuperation. I would hope that you have something to offer for such a trade?"
Catra nodded before turning towards Entrapta. "Entrapta, if it's alright with you, I would like to put forth your name as the other exchange."
That seemed to shock more than a few people in the room. Glimmer more than anyone else. "Now hold on. We haven't discussed this. Entrapta holds a very important position in the Rebellion."
"Well nothing's set in stone yet. This is only an idea that Scorpia and I have discussed. An extra measure." Catra said to Glimmer.
Entrapta leaned back on her hair having forgone her seat a while ago. She quickly pulled out her own tablet and cycled through some files and numbers. "Hmmm, I don't know. I'd prefer to continue on with my research. Going through with this seems like it would put me back quite a bit."
Hordak spoke up, "I am unfamiliar with Entrapta. What level of importance does she hold?"
"She makes weapons." Glimmer said, somewhat downplaying Entrapta.
"Ahh, I see. Well, I have plenty of weapons makers and don't really see how another one is an equal exchange." Hordak said.
Catra gave a small glare at Glimmer before continuing. "Entrapta is the princess in charge of the city of Dryll. She's also six hours late." Catra said through gritted teeth before letting a breath out. "But beyond that, Entrapta has a deep love for science that matches yours." Entrapta seemed to perk up at that. She quickly jotted something down on her pad before looking back up at Catra.
Catra turned towards Entrapta, "Hordak designed the initial base design of Emily. I figured if you were to accept this exchange that you would make leaps and bounds on your research."
Entrapta looked quite ecstatic at learning that Hordak shared her interests but quickly read the room and with great difficulty bit her tongue. Hordak observed her attire for a moment, taking into account the oil stains before shaking his head. "Unfortunately, I will have to decline. But perhaps an envoy is not out of the question."
Catra nodded at Hordak's decision, understanding his point of view. He didn't know anything about Entrapta and far more to lose with Scorpia in his eyes than gain from an unknown party. She could accept an envoy.
The negotiations continued for three more hours. Everyone's concerns were dealt with fairly smoothly and by the end everyone was more or less content. One of the conditions for the peace is that Catra would have to go to the Fright Zone at some point and assist Hordak. Catra knew that she couldn't afford to be selfish in this matter and so she laid a demand out. The Horde would help retrieve the soul shards and deliver them to Catra in the effort to retrieve her memories. Hordak agreed to the terms and the negotiations were concluded. The Horde and the Rebellion had reached an understanding and a peace had formed for however long it would last.
Lonnie, Kyle, and Rojelio were standing beside Sea Hawk and a few guards when the main hall doors opened. Everyone stood and looked towards the exiting leaders. Hordak stepped forward towards his troops and Angella did the same. At hearing the final verdict a lot of people had varying emotions at the news. A lot of them seemed exhausted and quiet, others were excited and happy. But most of them just seemed relieved.
Catra watched the other princesses leave as well, saying that they had to return to their respective Kingdoms to tell their people of the ceasefire. Eventually it was just Angella, Glimmer, and Adora remaining in the main hall. Catra nodded before walking over to one of the cushiony benches and promptly collapsed. Angella similarly collapsed in her throne. Glimmer, Bow, and Adora just sat on the floor.
"Ughhhh, this day sucked." Catra let out a groan.
"Tell me about it." Glimmer matched her tone.
"Politics are hard." Adora complained.
"Yep. But we did it. We are officially at peace." Bow said with some excitement.
"A temporary peace that nobody knows how long will last." Angella said tiredly.
Catra pushed herself up off the bench and stretched, "Eh, who cares. We're at a point where we can breathe for a minute. I unfortunately cannot."
"What do you mean by that?" Angella asked, sitting up.
"Before you sent Glimmer and Bow to retrieve us, Adora and I found a way to talk to Mara in the present. I'm going to switch back and see if she can upgrade my trackerpad to include whatever program that Light Hope is running on. If I can talk to Mara without having to switch it will be a lot more simple."
"You're going to get a lesson on First Ones tech!" Entrapta's voice sounded from above her.
Catra craned her neck, looking towards the rafters. "Entrapta? What are you doing up there?"
"Emily needed a signal boost and Brightmoon doesn't have any antennae around. But enough about that, are you about to time travel? Can I document it? Will you ask her some questions for me? Please please please please!" Entrapta begged, getting a bit too far into Catra's personal space.
Adora quickly stepped in between them as gently as she could. "Entrapta, personal space, remember?"
Entrapta lost a little wind at that but quickly perked up. "So?"
Catra let out a sigh, "Alright, come on. I'm gonna tell you right now though, it's nothing special."
"Oh, I already saw you switch once. I'm more concerned with what your brain waves look like during it."
Angella stopped her before she went too far. "How long will you be gone for?"
Catra thought about it before shrugging, "A couple hours at least. I'll be back before the end of the day if I can help it."
"Alright then." Angella nodded. "We need to discuss a few things so I'd like it if you could be back before tomorrow at the very latest."
Catra nodded, "Got it."
As Catra and Entrapta walked to the bedroom, Adora quickly followed, not wanting Entrapta to mess with her unconscious body. As she laid down, Entrapta asked if she could change into something thinner as to conduct her tests. Catra complied and laid down. Moments later, Catra had what looked like suction cups connected to the sides and front of her head, as well as her chest and thighs. She also put a blood pressure valve on her arm. "Are you ready?"
Entrapta nodded, "Ready."
Catra gave a nod and switched. As her body emitted the familiar blue glow and she started to lose consciousness, she heard something that was quite chilling.
"Ohhh, fascinating. According to my readings, all brain activity is basically gone. Her blood pressure is frozen as well. It's most likely due to a time stasis field but if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was completely dead!" An ecstatic Entrapta said.
Mara was staring out into the expanse of space as she zoomed through the cosmos. She felt quite comfortable in the familiar setting. Out here, Mara felt like she could breathe. There were no worries, no higher purpose, or expectations from her family on her shoulders. Just the stars. And she would have remained relaxed if not for the familiar glow that lit up the hall behind her. Mara, for her part, did her very best to not panic. She had hoped that she'd be on Eternia before Catra had switched back. She'd taken a class on negotiations and peace talks and they rarely ended in a single day. Unfortunately for her, Catra was quite good at all things strategy.
"Mara? Where the hell am I?" Catra's voice floated through the ship as she stepped through the hallway to look at Mara. She went to speak before stopping mid stride, her eyes drifting to the stars in front of Mara. She looked shocked before looking back towards Mara.
Mara quickly stood, holding her hands up in a placating manner, "Now before you say anything, I can explain."
Catra's face was one of disbelief, "What the fuck, Mara!"
"I know it looks bad, but we didn't have time to wait. We needed to talk to my mother and you left for your peace talks and I had no way to ask you and please don't be mad." Mara said in a smaller voice.
"You can't just move me without asking. It's unsettling." she said, throwing her arms up.
"I know, I know. Normally I wouldn't but we don't have time, Catra. I've already contacted King Randor and he's been informed of everything up until this point."
"Everything?" Catra asked.
Mara nodded, "Everything. Even the weird monster rewind day we did."
Catra took a deep breath and without another word, went and sat in the copilot chair. To say Catra was agitated would be putting it lightly as she sat in the cockpit beside Mara in silence. At least she had the sense to look a bit ashamed. After about ten minutes Mara spoke up.
"How did your peace negotiations go?"
Catra looked at her from the side of her eye. After a second of silence she sighed. Catra knew that Mara was right and logically, there was no way of contacting her during the last twelve hours. "They went good. We brokered a peace and established trade lines as well as getting a lot of land back."
Mara's eyebrows raised, "All that in a single meeting?"
"Why is that surprising to you?"
"I didn't mean anything by it but typically a negotiation will take several meetings over the course of a week or two."
Catra leaned back. "Maybe for the First Ones but not for us. There aren't multiple factions in our war. There's the Rebellion and then there's the Horde. Everyone was desperate for the ceasefire and we came to an agreement."
"So, I take it that most of the proposed ideas were agreed upon then?" Mara said as flicked a few switches on the ship's control panel.
"Most of them. A few fell through. Mainly land mass trades and the like. My proposal of a diplomatic hostage swap was denied though."
"A diplo– why would you suggest that?" Mara looked baffled.
"Ah, well, you see. Etheria isn't the same in the future as it is now. We are incapable of space travel due to being trapped in an alternate dimension. Thus our war is a planetary war. No space travel." Catra explained.
Mara gained a look of understanding. "How did Etheria get stuck in an alternate dimension?"
Catra shrugged, "Beats me. But according to Angella, our planet hasn't had stars in almost a thousand years, so whatever happens to it will probably happen rather soon. Probably in the next couple of hundred years."
Mara was quiet at that before changing the subject back to the war. "So why would you want a diplomatic hostage?"
"The Horde is positioned in the Fright Zone. I'm sure it's named something else in this time though. I proposed a trade for their princess for the princess of Dryll. I hadn't realized that Scorpia was the Princess for the Black Garnet when I initially put forth the idea. Either way, the idea was rejected in favor of sending envoys instead. The final agreement was that I must visit the Horde and help Hordak with his dimensional portal off of Etheria and in return they will provide me with any soul shards that they find. They already have a couple I've been told."
Mara perked up at the mention of the soul shards. "That's great! If we can put them back together, we can get Marleena back."
Catra gave her a look. "What?" Mara asked.
"Don't jump to conclusions. We don't know if I can even do that. I also don't know how to get the shards back here from the present."
Mara looked confused, "But you showed me a shard back when I first met you. How'd you do it then?"
"I–" Catra went quiet and thought about that. She was right. And not only that, but she had also held a shard when she had spoken to Marleena. "I. . .don't know. But I might have an idea."
"Well in any case, we're nearing Eternia. If anyone can help you learn about magic, it's my mother." Mara said as she pointed to an approaching planet.
Catra let out a yawn. Mara gave a soft look as she examined Catra's tired features, "Hey are you alright? When was the last time you slept?"
Catra gave a thought to that. When was the last time she had slept? "Let's see. . . I was knocked out at Princess Prom. Then I rewound the day and was knocked out by Glimmer. Then I prepared for Princess Prom again, went to Princess Prom, found out Marlena's name, switched to you, rewound the day again to stop the monsters, you knocked me out for a minute,we went to Brightmoon and then we went to the crystal castle, switched back to Adora, I went to the crystal castle again, met up with you, then went to the peace talks, and now I'm here. What's that make?"
Mara gained a look of complete concern. "Catra, that's almost four days! You need to sleep."
"Nah, I'm fine. I got some of my memories back and I've had to stay up way longer than this before. I should be fine for a few more days if need be."
Mara looked shocked, "Catra, sleep isn't just for recovery. There's a lot of important stuff that goes on during it and if you're not getting enough. . ."
Catra suppressed a yawn and waved Mara off. "I'm fine. If you're that worried just hit me with a heal or whatever."
Mara did just that to Catra's surprise. Catra felt completely rejuvenated. Mara then gave a hard look that Catra didn't particularly like. "I mean it Catra. You're not just a tool to be picked up and put down when you're needed. Don't let others decide your value. Take care of your health. I mean it. I won't do that again." Catra went to open her mouth for a quick reply but Mara beat her to it. "And yes, I realize the hypocrisy in what I just said."
". . . You need to be selfish more often." Catra said.
"What?" Mara asked as she piloted the ship into the approaching planet's orbit.
"You say I need to take better care of myself? Well I say you need to be more selfish. Stop giving to others so much. Do things you enjoy for your sake and not for anyone else. Slack off, skip work, take a day to yourself. Just be Mara for a while and not She Ra."
"It's not that simple, Catra. I have responsibilities."
"God, you sound just like Adora." Catra muttered before speaking up. "Listen, I have a responsibility to help you with this Marleena thing, right?"
"Well, technically but–"
"And I need to help end the war that's going on in my timeline since I'm in a high position of influence?"
"Yes, but I–"
"So if I have to do all that and I can still find time for me, why can't Mara be Mara?"
"It's not that simple. I just don't have the time."
"Mara, you don't find time for something important. You make time. Next time someone asks for your help with something they can manage by themselves, say no."
Mara thought about that as she piloted her way towards the castle. She chuckled when she heard Catra let out an audible 'wow' at the sight of Eternia's capital. "Welcome to Eternos, capital of Eternia." As she docked the ship in the training field behind the castle's barracks she nudged Catra. "Come on."
As they stepped off the ship, Catra stopped mid step as she looked at Mara. Mara turned and looked at Mara, "What?"
Catra looked her up and down, "Did. . .your skin just get darker. Your eyes seem bluer too."
Mara gained a look of understanding. "Ah, right. That. Uh, no, Eternia has an actual sun unlike Etheria's which is a moon that gives off artificial sunlight. Thus, your eyes are adjusting to a light intake. Give it a second, you'll adjust."
Catra blinked a couple of times and true to her word, the colors righted themselves. "That was strange."
"Eh, you get used to it after a while." Mara said, motioning her to follow, "Come on."
As they walked, Catra looked at Mara before finally asking what was on her mind. "Do you have a bad relationship with your mom?"
Mara stopped abruptly and looked at Catra. "Excuse me?"
Catra waved her hands in front of her, "I-I didn't mean it like that. It's just that when I was overhearing what Rayla and Stratos were saying, they made it seem like she didn't care about you and. . .yeah. . ."
Mara scoffed, "Rayla is an Eternian Queen so I don't expect her to understand my customs. But it's an Earth thing."
Catra raised an eyebrow. "I take it that calling your mom once in a while after leaving your childhood home isn't commonplace among Etherians?"
"I'm sure it is for some but Etherians are a tightly knit bunch. Even when they end up splitting they always wind up back together. It's nice but if I spent every waking moment with my mother like that, I'd probably lose my mind."
"Well I didn't really have a mom soooo. . . I don't know where I was going with this." Catra said, quickly dropping the subject. Mara let out a snort.
As they rounded a corner, they caught the eye of someone as he started to approach them. He was fairly tall, around Bow's height and had light blue skin and sharp pointed ears. In fact, Catra noticed he looked quite similar to Kai. Mara let out a groan. Catra eyed her friend, "What? You know this guy?
"That's Prince Zed. He's Keldor's son."
"Who's Keldor?" Catra asked. The name seemed slightly familiar but she couldn't place it.
"That's Fleet Admiral Kai's real name. Everyone just calls him Kai though. This guy's an ass." Mara said under her breath.
"Mara! Is that you? Why didn't you tell me you were coming to visit? Oh, I would have thrown a party." He stopped talking as he focused on Catra. "Oh? A magicat descendant. How rare."
Mara looked taken aback by that statement. "Magicat?"
"Yes, it's a little hard to notice, but if you know what you're looking for you can see the features clear as day. Mainly the heterochromia. Let me guess, you thought she was from Krytis didn't you? An easy mistake. Even I thought she was a Qadian at first glance."
Catra looked at Mara, "The hell's a magicat?"
"A reclusive people from the planet of Primus. They don't leave their planet almost at all. In fact they prefer to stay in their underground kingdom of Half Moon. But beyond the few features that you exhibit, I'd guess Etherian. You couldn't even call yourself a magicat by this point. I'd liken you more akin to the Eternian race of Qadians or like our powerful friend here said, the cat people of Krytis." Zed explained like he was lecturing in a classroom.
"Can. . . magicats do magic?" Catra asked, wondering if the answer for her time abilities was really so simple.
"Hardly. There are reports that the queen can turn into a panther or some such nonsense but beyond that no, not really. At most they can teleport." Zed scoffed. "No, I find it hard to imagine any race that would play around in the dirt capable of any highly civilized practices such as the mystical arts."
"I'm from Etheria and we have–"
"A princess that uses plant magic? Hardly the same thing. Your princesses perform various types of magic that is befitting of their stations. The magicats choose to live underground, stuck in the same state for thousands of years, choosing to remain stagnant. Henceforth my surprise was that there was a descendant of one on Etheria, such as yourself."
Mara put a hand on Catra's shoulder. "Don't worry Catra, we'll figure out why you can use your power."
As they continued to walk past Zed, he stumbled over himself for a moment before regaining his posture, "Uh, hold a moment. What exactly are you referring to? I'm quite knowledgeable on all things magic. If you're having problems with it, perhaps I can be of some assistance."
Catra went to say something but Mara cut her off. "Sorry Zed, but I have to talk to King Randor and I can't afford to waste any more time. It's important."
"So he told you about Queen Marleena then." Zed said quietly.
Mara stopped and looked back at him. "You know?"
"Only out of happenstance. I overheard my father talking about it with the King when I was going to speak with him. I take it your here to heal her, or attempt it at the very least?" Zed asked.
"Something like that." Catra said. "Come on."
Zed gave a nod, "Catra, was it?" Catra nodded, "If you need any assistance around magic don't hesitate to ask. I may not be as tech savvy as our friend here, but I am one of the most knowledgeable people on the subject that you could meet."
"I'll keep that in mind." Catra said as they left for their destination. Catra turned to look at Mara. "Is he for real?"
Mara nodded. "I'm not a fan of the guy. He's quite irritating but yeah, he's telling the truth. Very few people can match his knowledge of magic."
"Does he know more than your mom?" Catra inquired.
"There's the key word. Know. He definitely does but that's the thing about Zed. The guy doesn't do it in the conventional sense. He makes weaponry, shields, gadgets, you name it, and combines them with magic. Remember the force field that Stratos used when we were fighting the monsters?"
"Yeah?" Mara gave Catra a pointed look, "Oh."
"Yep, even I have to admit that he's a genius when it comes to such things. Although he's terrible at any sort of tech that doesn't revolve around magic." Mara explained.
Catra grunted at that. While they walked through the halls, Catra noticed the luxurious interior seemed to surpass even Brightmoon. Gold trim adorned the corners and portraits of what she assumed were members of the royal family and their guard hung along the walls.
As they came to a large door, Catra noticed that the door even seemed royal with the frame appearing to be solid gold with a victorian-esque era design with two torches made of glowing purple crystals along the sides. The wood even seemed expensive. She took in the appearance of the guards lining the walls. "Is this the king's chambers?"
Mara shook her head, "No, this is my parents' room. I want to surprise them."
"Ah," Catra nodded in understanding as they approached the doors. As Mara gave the guards a nod, she went to open the door before Catra heard something. As she tuned in on the sound she realized that it was a woman softly moaning. She smelled it a second later. As Mara started to pull the door open, Catra quickly slammed it shut.
Mara stumbled back for a second before a look of irritation flashed across her face. "What was that for?"
Catra heard rustling of hurried movement, signaling that they had heard the door open and slam shut. "I think your parents are, um. . .having sex." She said quietly. Mara raised her eyebrows in a way that seemed disbelieving, "I could hear and smell it." Catra finished awkwardly, her ears twitching.
Mara went quiet before finally turning and touching one of the crystals. It lit up in a swirling pattern that finally finished by turning black. Mara let out a frustrated groan that seemed on the border of anger. "Honestly, it's the middle of the day." she grumbled.
Mara turned and nudged Catra. "Come on, might as well go see King Randor. I doubt they'll be done anytime soon." Catra fell into stride alongside her friend, eager to see the rest of the castle.
"What's black mean?" Catra asked curiously.
Mara looked confused for a second before quickly understanding what she was asking. "Orange means 'out at the moment,' Yellow means 'Knock before entry,' Purple means 'Come in,' Red means 'No entry,' and Black means exactly what you think it means."
"Sex?"
"Yep. It's also embarrassing to use in the middle of the day." Mara grinned maliciously. Catra snorted.
"So, what? They forgot to change the colors?"
Mara shook her head. "If you look at the crystal while moving rather quickly, your eyes won't take in the color correctly. Purple looks red, red looks orange, orange is yellow, black looks purple, you get it." Mara eyed a door as they walked past it. "There, that door is purple. Walk past it quickly and don't really focus on it."
Catra shrugged and quickly moved past it. True to Mara's words, all she could see was a red glow from the corner of her eyes. "Huh, that seems–"
"Ineffective? Yeah, it doesn't help that my mom spaces out sometimes. But yours truly has a different method for her bedroom."
"What's that?" Catra asked.
"A lock and key." Mara said simply. Catra chuckled at that.
Evelyn and Lorric, now bathed and dressed, opened their chamber door and looked at the guards. They looked a little uncomfortable under the gaze of their general. Lorric stepped forward, "So, who opened the door?"
The guards looked at one another. They had heard that Mara had wished to surprise her parents and none of them wanted to be on She Ra's bad side. One of the guards stepped forward. "A delegate from Etheria, General Sunder. Said they wished to speak with you both at once. I believe they went before the King about twenty minutes ago.
Evelyn raised an eyebrow, "And none of you thought to stop them from entering?"
"The torch crystals were initially purple ma'am." The guard responded.
Evelyn turned to look at the now glowing black torches. Her face burned with embarrassment. She waved her hand and they turned orange. "I imagine you thought that was funny? Well I hope you all got a good look, because you can all scrub the walls and floors tonight." She said hotly.
One of the guards who looked particularly agitated with his station cleared his throat. "We didn't do that. We also didn't see anything. Your daughter was here and wanted to surprise you. She had a Qadian with her by the name of Catra. She said she could hear and smell you. After she informed Ensign Mara what you two were doing, she gained a rather irritated look, turned the crystals black and walked off to see the King."
The other guards looked at the man with anger. "She wanted to surprise them."
"Consider them surprised," he responded. "But I'm not gonna scrub the floors and walls on my daughter's birthday because of their daughter's attitude." He bit out before turning to look at Lorric and Evelyn, "In the event that your comms were also attuned wrong, the King sent a message to meet him in his study as quickly as possible. Apparently it's urgent."
Lorric looked agitated at the man's snark. "If that is all you are dismissed for the day. That goes for the rest of you as well."
At the dismissal, the guards left the hall. Evelyn watched them leave before mocking the man, "Consider them surprised." She mocked, "Ugh, what a prick."
"Yeah, well. . ." Lorric shook his head. "Come on. We don't want to keep Mara waiting."
"So, Mara's friend is a Qadian huh? I guess that's somewhat fitting with a name like Catra." Evelyn said as she walked through the halls beside her husband. Lorric scratched the stubble on his jaw.
"I doubt she's a Qadian."
"Why do you say that?" Evelyn asked.
"Qadians are native to Eternia. Catra is roughly one thousand years in the future. That means that Etheria is alive and thriving. If she's using something as sophisticated as time magic then I'm willing to bet that Catra is probably a Magicat."
"Really? They never leave their kingdom, much less their planet. And they can barely do magic at all. The most they can do is teleport and some minor illusions. Only Queen C'yra can do other forms of magic and that's only because of her gemstone."
Lorric nodded. "Perhaps this Catra is a descendant of C'yra. I'll be able to discern it once I meet the girl."
Evelyn nodded. "We should definitely prioritize the cause of her time magic. Messing with time is already a dangerous endeavor. We don't want her causing temporal displacement. If the continuum is even altered a bit, the axis could be thrown off course. This would result in–" She paused, looking at her husband's dumbfounded face. She sighed, "We should make sure that she doesn't break time."
"Oh. Well why didn't you say that to begin with?" Lorric said as they approached the King's door.
Evelyn just smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Don't ever change, you precious man."
"I am pretty great." Lorric smirked as they entered the study. Randor looked at Lorric and Evelyn as they entered. "Alright, let's get to it."
"Get to what?" King Randor asked.
"Didn't you just call us here?" Evelyn asked.
The king nodded. "I wanted to tell you that Mara and her friend will most likely be here within the hour. I already have the preparations made. I want this girl to feel welcome and at ease. Coming to a new planet is always startling and having Mara beside her will only help so much."
Evelyn pursed lips said it all. The king sighed, "She's here already isn't she?"
She nodded. "Yeah. The guards said she was coming to see you right away but that was thirty minutes ago."
Randor sighed before quickly standing and walking off. "Split up and find them. If she went to the main hall then she probably went looking when she realized I wasn't at the throne."
Evelyn turned towards Lorric. "Mara hasn't been on Eternia in almost six years. She's probably at one of her hangouts."
Lorric raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"
"She's been away from Eternia for a long time and stuck on a ship for almost a whole day. If I was in her position I'd probably want something to eat. There's a good chance she's also showing off."
Lorric nodded, "Good point. I'll take the tracks?"
"And I'll check the food courts." Evelyn said as they split up.
Catra spun around in wonder, awestruck at the massive building that surrounded her. The city was alive with activity. Sounds, sights, and smells assaulted her senses in the best of ways. Mara grinned at Catra's awestruck face.
"So, what do you think?"
Catra rounded on Mara, "What do I think? This place is amazing! It makes Brightmoon look small."
Mara laughed, "Oh for sure. Come on." She said, nudging her forward. "I'm going to take you to get something to eat. It's to die for."
As Mara pulled Catra along she looked at the roads and people. Eternos looked like a mix between a futuristic utopia while resembling Victorian-esque medieval Europe. She'd never seen anything like it before and probably would never find something to compare it to. They passed over a road that seemed to be made of water, a building that was hovering above her, and there were a lot of robots.
Catra reached out to touch one before Mara grabbed her shoulder. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's a new thing that's being tried out. They're security robots called RK units. The plan is to have them added to the royal military of Eternos."
Catra studied it as it flew off, "How do they run?"
"It's like a hive mind. They are on a certain type of system that responds to threats based on how they're assessed. That way, they're super super organized." Mara explained.
"What if I hack one? Wouldn't I be able to control them all then, seeing as how they run on a hivemind?" Catra asked as they walked.
Mara opened her mouth and closed it before typing something on her own trackerpad. "That's a good point. There."
"What'd you just do?"
"Sent your concern to Zed. He'll take a look at it. Now come on, we're almost there." Mara smiled.
As they sat down, Catra waited for Mara to order for them before she noticed a rather large man walk by with a woman and a child. There was nothing really special about them but that wasn't what had caught her eye. They bore no resemblance to humans, rather they looked like her in the sense that they too were also cat people.
Mara followed her gaze. "Don't see many cat people on Etheria?"
Catra scoffed. "'Don't see many?' Try next to none. I've seen very few and that was at the dance. Adora tells me that we're pretty rare in general. I guess the Horde is the reason they're not really around but beyond that, no." Catra stared at them again, "Although, their faces look. . ."
"Like cats?" Mara finished.
"Well . . .yeah. They seem less humanoid I guess."
Mara laughed. Catra raised an eyebrow. "What?"
Mara waved her hand, "Nothing. It's just that. . .I've only ever heard mom use that word."
"What? Humanoid?" Catra asked.
She nodded, "Only Marleena and my mother are humans. Everyone else besides me is Eternian or in your case, Etherian. Granted there are other planets but no humans. So the word 'humanoid' is a bit funny to hear."
"Well what word would you use?"
Mara shook her head, "None. The word humanoid stems from the fact that Earth has never encountered alien races. When you are alone like that, you will start using terms such as that to compare other sentient races to yourself. Eternia has been traveling the cosmos for millions of years so we don't have a word for that."
Catra let out a 'huh' at that as a woman brought food over to their table. Catra watched her leave before turning to Mara, "She looks like Zed?"
"Yeah, she's a Gar. A blue skinned race that's native to Eternia. Zed is a quarter Gar, I think?"
Mara and Catra chatted for a bit before they finished eating. After Mara paid, Catra stood. "Alright, I don't mean to cut this short but we need to go see the King. It's been about an hour and I have to be back before tomorrow. That leaves me about five hours."
Mara nodded, "Alright. Let's get to it. Before we go there's a few things we need to address."
Catra looked at Mara as they began walking back towards the castle. "Like what?"
"Just some simple Etiquette."
Catra groaned. "I spent a whole day memorizing proper formal attire and bows and all kinds of stuff for Princess Prom. Can't I just use those?"
Mara smiled, "Nope. Now when we get in there, you'll want to make sure that–"
"Is that your mom?" Catra interrupted her.
Mara followed Catra's gaze and sure enough, her mother stood in the center of the courts looking at each one of the stalls. She hadn't noticed them yet. Catra turned back towards Mara only to find her missing. "Mara?"
Catra spun around, trying to pick her out of the crowd to no avail. Catra looked back towards the woman before shrugging and walking up. "Hey."
Evelyn turned and looked at the feline woman walking up to her. At a passing glance she would have guessed that this girl walking up to her was Qadian, a second look her first thoughts were of Krytis, but her eyes betrayed her heritage. There were hardly any features of the race in the girl but the dual colored eyes were a dead giveaway. "Yes? Can I help you? I'm a bit busy at the moment?"
"You're Evelyn Morgan, right? Mara's mother?"
Evelyn instantly focused on the girl. "Catra?"
"Oh, so the King already told you we were coming?" Catra said as she stopped a few feet from the woman. "Mara was just here but she disappeared. I'm not sure where she went."
"I see why the guards thought you were a Qadian. You definitely resemble one."
Catra shrugged, "Zed says I'm of Magicat descent. Something about my eyes." She shook her head, "Anyways, I'm Catra. Nice to meet you. I saw you through Light Hope."
Evelyn held a hand up. "Not here. Wait until we are in front of King Randor."
Catra nodded, "Alright. So where's–"
Catra instantly tackled Evelyn to the side, barely avoiding a large amount of falling paint from above the woman. "Damn it, Catra." She heard Mara say.
Evelyn looked up and smiled at her daughter. "You have good friends."
Mara grumbled as she jumped down from the scaffolding. "Yeah, too good apparently."
Catra gave a sheepish grin, "Heh, sorry."
"Oh, don't be. I just got out of the shower. But I believe I still hold the lead, Mara." Evelyn smiled as she wrapped her daughter into a hug. "How have you been? Are you eating well?"
Mara nodded. Catra could swear that her eyes were getting a little teary. She figured she'd give them a moment. After a few minutes, Mara wiped her eyes before they turned back towards Catra who was looking at a colorful drink that seemed to smoke. "Catra, come on. We're going to see the King now."
Catra tore her eyes away from the drink before falling into stride beside Mara. As they walked, a woman that seemed to resemble Serenia greeted Evelyn at the castle doors. Catra opened her mouth to ask before Mara beat her to it. "She's Serenia's sister."
"Ah." Catra simply said.
As they entered the castle, Mara caught sight of her father and ran up to him, giving him a big hug. Catra ignored the reunion in favor of studying the tapestry. "So Catra. Tell me about yourself."
Catra looked at the dark skinned witch, "Not much to tell."
Evelyn gained an exasperated look. "Oh, come now. Don't be that way. I'm sure there's something to be said."
"No, I literally have nothing to tell. Beyond a few snippets of my earlier childhood and a moment here and there, I've lost my complete memory. I couldn't even remember my name before my friend's found me. That was the price I paid for my time magic."
Evelyn looked absolutely horrified at that. "Why would you do that to yourself?"
Catra's face slowly started to shift to one of anger. "Obviously, I didn't." Catra said through gritted teeth.
Mara noticed Catra's irritation with whatever her mother was saying to her and thinking fast, dragged her father towards them. "Dad, this is Catra. Catra, this is my dad."
"General Sunder, right? I saw you at Mara's officer graduation. Nice to meet you." Catra said, shaking the man's hand.
"I take it you're talking about the memory program?" Lorric asked.
Catra nodded. "Mara says that your King wants to speak to me regarding. . . a certain person."
"Yes, right this way." Lorric said, leading everyone into a dark hallway before holding up a glowing rune. Suddenly the wall opened, revealing a hallway. As they descended into the castle wall, Catra took note of a strange virring sound that originated from the end of the hall and behind a door. As they entered, she thought it looked more like a waiting room. Catra took note of the familiar looking man from Mara's memories.
"King Randor, Mara has arrived with Catra." Lorric announced.
King Randor gave Mara an approving look before his gaze settled on Catra. If she had to describe the man in one word, tired wouldn't be too far off. He had some gray littering his beard and his long hair had a few strands that had lost their color. His smile didn't quite reach his eyes. But Catra saw something in his face that unnerved her. Hope. Hope for a solution that she wasn't sure she could provide.
"Catra, Mara has told me everything. She assures me that you have been in contact with Marleena." Randor spoke with a deep voice that sounded like he should drink a bit more water. His tone was a familiar one. Most of the princesses had it as well. It was a voice of nobility.
Catra glared at her friend for putting her on the spot like this before nodding. "Yes, I've spoken with Marleena. Although I can't promise that it's your Marleena, no matter how much everything is aligning."
Randor gave a relieved sigh, "That's fine. I just needed to be sure. Come." He said as he stood and walked towards the back of the room. He raised his hand before a door slid open from the wall. As she followed with Mara and her parents, Catra's nose was assaulted with a familiar smell that only a hospital could carry. It was a smell that told you someone was probably dying.
As they stepped into a room, Catra was greeted with a sight of a familiar woman. She looked thinner, under fed, and a little worse for wear, but beyond that, she seemed healthy. But Catra knew better. She was staring at a corpse that refused to die. "Marleena." Catra simply said. Randor nodded sadly.
"Yes."
Sorry this one took so long. Holidays and all that. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. As for this, the next part may or may not be a little slower to come out. Reviews are appreciated and as always, stay tuned.
