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Twigs snapped, and leaves crunched underfoot as Adora wandered through the whispering woods. After everything that happened lately—the Battle of Brightmoon, Angella’s sacrifice, Glimmer’s moodiness and... the portal, and everything that happened there, Adora could really use a break. Not that it was really safe to do so. She knew that. And maybe she’s itching for something to happen. Maybe she went out there on purpose, hoping some Horde soldiers or a bot would show up and distract her from all the anger and frustration and loneliness and grief...
It seemed like everyone Adora really cared about was growing distant in some way or another. First, she lost Catra. A surge of guilt and sadness, and longing hit her like a train. Why wouldn’t she listen? Adora gave her every opportunity to have a better life. And then Entrapta got captured and joined the Horde. Adora felt personally responsible for that one. It’s good that she’s still alive... but at what cost? Every bot, every weapon that the Horde had, even the portal, was all because of Entrapta. Then there was Angella. The woman who would have been Adora’s mother figure. She made the ultimate sacrifice. Sometimes, when Adora looks into Glimmer’s eyes, she wishes Angella would have been selfish and let her close the portal instead. Anything to remove the pain she sees in her best friend’s eye. The pain that’s driving them apart.
So maybe Adora wasn’t in the best mindset. Maybe that’s why she didn’t notice the footsteps to her 4 o’clock, or how they stopped suddenly. Maybe the tears budding in the corners of her eyes blinded her to the flash of red and brown to her right. Whatever it was, she wasn’t ready to be knocked to the ground, the wind rushing out of her lungs and Catra above her. Catra. Adora fought to control the maelstrom of emotions swirling in her heart and her head as she gazed up at her former best friend, who looked... tired. Jumpy. Dirty and disheveled. She looked feral, almost unhinged. What happened to her?
Adora could guess. Probably running ragged trying to crush the rebellion. What else could it be? Catra doesn’t care about anything else. She doesn’t care about all the people she’s hurt or the destruction her hands have wrought, dragging those claws through Etheria as she did to Adora’s skin. She made her stance abundantly clear the day she opened the portal. Catra only wants to cause pain and chaos. Adora was foolish ever to think she would change.
Adora quickly reached for her sword, but Catra grabbed her by the wrist, digging her nails in. Adora cried out in pain and reached up an arm to pry her off, but Catra grabbed her other wrist and pinned it down as well. Adora made a frustrated grunt and began kicking and bucking to try to remove Catra from her torso, but she only dug in deeper, straddling Adora’s waist and pinning her in place. After a moment, Catra seemed to think better of this and shifted Adora’s hands above her head, locking them in place with one hand while she worked to extricate Adora’s sword. It only took a moment of prying and a cold, sharp blade pressed against Adora’s neck. Adora went stock-still.
“Hey, Adora. You know, it’s getting easier and easier to take you down. Are you going soft?”
“Catra, please, let me go. We can go our separate ways.”
Catra let out a bitter laugh. “No, Adora. You’re not going anywhere. I’m going to end this.” Her lips curved into something like a smile, though it was closer to a grimace if Adora was honest. “I’m going to kill you, and then you’ll never be able to take anything else away from me again. She-Ra will be gone, and I’ll finally win.” She pressed the blade down further into Adora’s skin, causing a little blood to leak out. Adora had to bite her lip so as not to gasp and risk deepening the cut. “Catra. I’m sorry--” Catra threw her head back and let out a roar. “Oh, for crying out loud! Shut it with the apologies. I’ve heard it all from you. You know what? For a time there, I even believed you. I thought maybe everything we’ve been through meant something to you. But it turns out, you’re just a liar. You’re a liar and you’re in my way and I am done with you.”
“Then do it!” Adora surprised even herself with her volume and by her words. But did it even matter anymore? If Catra hated her, what point was there? “Do it. Kill me. If that’s what you want. If that’s what will make you happy.” Catra stared back at her in shock. “I..” several emotions flashed across her face before it settled into violent hatred. “Alright. I will. I’ll press this blade into your throat and end your pitiful life forever.” Catra pressed the blade a millimeter further, and more blood spilled down Adora’s neck...
And that’s where she stopped. Adora opened one eye. Catra’s face was contorted into rage, frustration, and... some other emotion Adora couldn’t place. The sword was still there, lodged in her skin, but it wasn’t moving. Several moments passed with them both in suspense, until-- “Fuck!” Catra’s voice strained as she hurled the sword several yards away from them. All the breath Adora had been holding suddenly escaped, and she went limp in Catra’s grasp. As she struggled to regain her composure, she asked the obvious question. “You didn’t do it. Why?”
Catra turned back to her, and only now did she notice the tears in her eyes. “Dammit, Adora! Because I love you! How fucking dense are you?!”
And Adora was breathless again, just like that. Because what was she supposed to say to that? “You... you love me?” But Catra was panicking. “I-- Forget I said that. I didn’t mean it.” But the more Adora thought about it, the more it made sense. All the times Catra tried to take her back to the Horde and the hurt in her eyes every time they met in battle. How much more it must have hurt her when Adora left. Princess Prom, The Battle of Brightmoon, the Portal... everything made sense.
“You love me, and I left you...” Adora’s vision blurred, and she was sure she was crying. “I’m sorry, Catra. I’m so sorry...” Her whole body was shaking now, and she could see that Catra was torn. “You did leave me, for your stupid new friends. You left me alone with Shadow Weaver and Hordak and all your old friends and I know you hate me!” Both of them were sobbing at this point. But Catra was wrong. “I never hated you!” Catra shook her head. “Liar!”
Adora tore herself free of Catra and took her hand. “No, Catra. It hurt me so much to leave you, and every time we fought it felt like a knife was going through my heart. Every night I dream about you, and some nights I cry myself to sleep because you’re not there. I miss you by my side in bed. I miss your laughter and your smile. I miss playing pranks on Kyle. I miss everything we had. I miss you. I’m sorry I treated you like a sidekick in the horde. I’m sorry that I left you there with Shadow Weaver. I’m sorry that I partnered with Shadow Weaver. I’m sorry for punching you that time in the portal. You broke my heart. I thought you hated me.”
Catra looked more tired than Adora had ever seen her. Her eyes fell to her hands, both of which were now in Adora’s grasp. “I thought I hated you. I think I did for a while there. You really hurt me, Adora. You cut me open.” Adora sniffled, and her voice cracked as she spoke. “I know. I’m sorry. I want to make it right. But I can’t--”
Catra cut in, her gaze unmoving. “You can’t go back to the hoard, I know. We’re the bad guys. We kill people and destroy villages. That’s all I do is cause pain.” She laughed, but there was no joy in it at all. “It’s no wonder you left me.” That hit Adora like a punch in the gut. “Catra, no. I left because I finally saw what the Horde was doing. I was young and stupid and I didn’t know what to do, but I never wanted to leave you. I thought we would go together. I always loved you. I still do. And...” Her voice caught in her throat. And I want you, is what she wanted to say. I want to be with you, hold your hand and go to parties with you; I want to hold you as we sleep. I want to be a little girl again, dreaming of a better time by your side, but this time I want to make it real. Adora felt Catra’s grip tighten, and she looked up to see Catra gazing back at her, expectant. “And?” Adora’s heart fluttered. “And...” How could she say all of this? This was likely her last chance. She had to do this right. “I want to build a house in the woods with you with a big bed and show you all the wonderful food in the world and sing and dance with you and kiss you and tell stories by the fire at night and hold you close and I don’t think I can ever be happy with anyone else but you, Catra.”
Adora’s cheeks burned, and she huffed because she said all of that in one breath, and she was sure she had totally blown it. But then Catra burst out laughing, and then Adora was laughing too, and she hadn’t felt happy like this in so long. Even just for a moment, everything seemed okay in the world.
Eventually, they settled down again. Catra still hadn’t pulled her hands away. “You’d really do that? For me?” Adora nodded frantically. “Yes. I’d go anywhere with you. So long as it’s not the Fright Zone.” She let out a chuckle. “Yeah. I hate that place. But we can’t. You have to go back to Brightmoon and save Etheria. They’d never accept me there.”
“I would make them. No one would touch you; I’d make sure of it.” She squeezed Catra’s hands for emphasis. “And admit it—You're the only reason the horde has any success. If you joined us, they wouldn’t stand a chance. We could take down the Horde and then live peacefully together. And I’m sure Glimmer and Bow would warm up to you eventually.” Catra was looking away at some point on the forest floor. She looked like she wanted to believe Adora. “If you come with me, I will never leave you again.” At that, Catra caught Adora with a piercing gaze. “Promise.”
Adora had never been surer of anything in her life. “I promise.”