Chapter Text
Adam returned to Castaspella’s side, buoyed by Teela’s pep talk and ready to face the somewhat daunting task of introducing her to the King and Queen of Eternia. The Captain had resumed her place overlooking the festivities, keeping a careful watch on Ileena who was now engaged in conversation with Lord Stratos and his wife Delora. Teela felt at ease knowing her friend was spending time around a committed couple, given how many single men had been lining up to proposition the young trainee during the evening.
She noticed that Adora had returned and was making a beeline towards her, arms open. “Teela!”
“Adora.” The Captain met the hug, glad to spend time with her spiritual ‘sister’.
“Are you doing alright?”
Teela played down recent events. “Had a skirmish a couple of days ago, but I’m doing fine.”
“Good to know. Is there a place we could sit? I need to talk to you.”
“Sure, over there ought to do.” The two of them walked over to one of the stone benches ringing the landing, close to the wide balcony that overlooked the whole city.
Adora waited till her friend was comfortable, then turned to her. “I wanted to see how you were feeling since we last spoke in Brightmoon. I heard Huntara came to stay with you for a while.”
Happy, yet bittersweet memories flooded Teela’s mind. “Yes, she came to live with me at the Palace. We were together for two weeks before she went back to Silax.”
“Was it everything you hoped for when you came to Etheria?”
Teela smiled sadly. “And then some. I know it was just supposed to be a short fling and she made me promise not to wait for her, but…” She then looked up and gave Adora her full attention. “I love her. I will always love her, even if I meet someone tomorrow and we happily spend the rest of our days together. She never said the words, because that’s not her way…but I know that she loves me just as much.”
Adora put a hand on Teela’s shoulder. “Then you truly understand. Back in Brightmoon, I know I made it sound as if us Rebels are just seeking comfort with each other in the middle of a horrendous situation. There is some truth to that, but even if two of us spend only one night together, we will love each other for the rest of our lives.”
“Sounds right to me. I came to Etheria looking for the full experience, and I got it…” Teela reached up and gave Adora’s hand a squeeze. “I sure got it.”
A moment passed before Teela remembered. “Stupid me, where are my manners? I should have asked this before anything else. Adora, is everybody in the Rebellion alright?”
Now it was the rebel leader’s turn to look away. “We’re as alive and healthy as when you last saw us, Teela. But we’re all anxious about what’s going to happen soon.”
“Is the Horde making a big move?”
“No, we are. We’ve received reinforcements…ten thousand of them” Adora explained about the Hive. “Once they’re ready, we’re going on the offensive, to liberate Etheria one kingdom at a time. Please don’t tell mother and father about this, they get worried enough as it is when they hear about me being under fire. I made a point to visit you all now because soon, we won’t be the little Rebellion everyone knows, hiding in our magical woods. We will be an army, marching to war.”
The lifelong soldier nodded with grim understanding. “Not a word from me.”
Adora continued. “I’m going to try and have a good time while I’m here, but all the same, I’m worried. We’re so close now to what we’ve always wanted: to drive the Horde back to the Fright Zone and then tear it down. But every Trooper smashed into junk, every machine destroyed, every outpost levelled, every inch of territory taken will be paid for with Etherian blood. That prospect makes me sick to my stomach. Yet at the same time, I know that the consequences of not doing it are that eventually the Horde will grind us down and complete their takeover of Etheria. This is the only way forward, but I know that we’re going to lose friends before it’s over.”
Now it was Teela’s turn to offer the comforting hand. “But you have She-Ra, surely that counts for something?”
Adora tensed up. Maintaining her secret identity as the Princess of Power was something that weighed heavy on her mind. Lying to those she cared about had never sat easy with her, even as she accepted that such secrets were necessary. She took comfort in her trips to Eternia, because no-one asked her about She-Ra here, they were only glad that Adora was back. She hated having to bring the lie home. But through that illusion, she expressed her own self-doubt.
“I don’t know, Teela. Even with She-Ra, we were never able to do something like this. We’re all grateful for her help, and we know she won’t do anything to let us down. But she can’t be everywhere, she can’t save everybody…” Adora shuddered. “Nor can I.”
Teela leaned over and hugged her friend, who returned the affectionate gesture and let go of a ragged breath. “Thank you, I needed to get that out.”
“Anytime.”
Hoping to take Adora’s mind down a more pleasant road, Teela brought up the other visitor from Etheria. “I had a chance to meet Castaspella this evening. Do I get the impression you’ve been playing matchmaker, Adora?”
The princess was unabashed. “In Casta’s mind, the match was made long ago. I just gave my brother some advice, encouraged him to loosen up a little.”
Having not seen the man that Adora knew, Teela was sceptical. “That implies that he’s ever been anything but loose.”
“You’d be surprised. When he’s around my friends, especially ones who are interested in him, he can be wound tighter than an alarm clock.”
Teela thought back to the conversation she had with Adam moments ago. ”I’m starting to see that now, but I think it will be good for him to have a real relationship, as opposed to when he would cavort with chambermaids and tavern girls. I’m sure the King and Queen are hoping that Casta will become part of the family before too long.”
Adora turned her gaze to the other long-haired blonde, who commanded most of the attention on the landing. “Speaking of which, could you please tell me about Ileena? Mother is very fond of her, almost as if she were my sister. I’d like to know more about her.”
Teela then spent the next several minutes relating her friendship with Ileena, their exploits since training started, and once Adora assured her that it couldn’t be worse than what she dealt with on Etheria, the details of the Arcadia mission.
“I can see why mother likes her, I do too. If she were Etherian, I’d want her on our side. So, what is the Captain’s verdict?”
Teela lowered her head in contemplation. “Simply put, I owe her my life, Adora. I think calling her my student is almost doing her a disservice.” She then looked at the Princess with all the conviction she could muster. “Ileena still has a lot to learn and she knows it. But in her heart and mind and by her actions, she is a warrior. She is my sister-in-arms and I will go into battle with her any day.”
Adora let out a low whistle. “High praise indeed. I can’t wait to meet her properly tomorrow. Come to think of it, I’d like to help her training while I’m here. Do a bit of sparring, give her a new opponent to test herself against.”
“Are you sure, Adora? You and the rest of the Rebellion do so much fighting as it is. Asking you to do more in the middle of your family vacation? Doesn’t seem right.”
Adora moved to reassure her friend. “I understand where you’re coming from, Teela, but don’t worry. There’s a world of difference between fighting for my life against the Horde’s robots and getting a little rough with a friend. To me, that’s not fighting, that’s playing.” She then had a mischievous look. “Besides, what’s the worst that could happen: I end up on my back with a beautiful woman pinning me down? That’s not a bad place to be.”
Teela raised a flirtatious eyebrow. “Since you put it that way, maybe after you’re done with Ileena, you and I should go a few rounds.”
Adora was never one to back down from such a challenge. “Anytime, Teela. As long as you don’t mind me being on top of you.”
Teela would give no ground in this impromptu contest. “Maybe I don’t. Maybe that makes me the true winner.”
Both held each other’s daring gaze for a moment before cracking up with laughter.
After a moment to let the frivolity subside, Adora gauged Teela’s response to her next line of enquiry. “That’s what you think of her as a fighter, but what do you think of her as a woman?”
Immediately, Teela tried to hide her blush. “I, uh, I’m not sure what you mean by that, Adora.”
The Princess smirked, glad her instincts were proving correct. “Oh yes, you do. Every spare moment, you’re finding reasons to glance at her and it’s not out of any sisterly concern.”
Embarrassed, Teela continued to evade the question. “I’m not exactly sure what you want me to say.”
Adora pressed on. “Just say how you feel when you look at her. I mean, don’t you think she’s pretty?”
Before she could stop herself, Teela took the bait. “She’s more than pretty, she’s beautiful. That golden hair, those eyes, her smile.”
Adora reeled in her catch. “Uh-huh, and what else?”
The redhead became more excited as she extolled Ileena’s virtues. “She’s smarter than her years, she’s able to make me smile or laugh right when I need it. She brightens up my day just by the way she throws herself into everything we do. She’s so humble and owns her faults, even if I think she’s being too hard on herself. There’s this thing she does that’s so cute, when…” Teela’s enthusiastic praise ground to a halt as she realised. “Alright, I see where this is going.”
Adora sported a knowing grin. “I thought so,”
Teela continued to try and deflect. “Ileena and I are just friends.”
“So you are, but you clearly want to be more than her friend.”
“With respect, Adora, I think you have an overactive imagination.”
“Sometimes I do, but I'm pretty sure I’m right on this one.”
“You were pretty sure about me and Adam.”
“True, but I never saw you react to Adam the way you react to Ileena. In fact, there’s only one other person I’ve known to bring this kind of passion out of you.”
Teela was wide-eyed as the implication registered, “Adora, are you comparing-?”
“I am. Face it, Teela, you’ve got it bad.”
The Captain of the Guard was uncommonly flustered. “So…what? Are you looking for some kind of confession, Adora? Do you want me to say that every time I look at her, I wish I could run my fingers through her hair, and hold her and kiss her and…all the rest?” Voicing her deepest desires aloud made Teela realise it was pointless to hide her feelings no longer. Weary, she gave up pretending, “Then yes, I do.”
“So why don’t you let her know that?” Adora suggested as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
“I can’t”
“Why not? After all, I’ve been told the two of you are very close.”
Teela’s head shot up. “Who told you that?”
She followed Adora’s eyes to another part of the landing, where Adam was introducing Castaspella to his mother.
“Oh, right. Well, I can’t go saying anything to her, it would be wrong.”
“How so?”
“I’m her teacher, Adora.”
“But you just said-”
“I know, I know. She has looked up to me for years, to follow in my footsteps has been her dream. I called in my favours with your parents and made that dream a reality. I brought her to live at the Palace and started to give her the same level of training that my father gave me. Obviously when we train, I have expectations and she always meets them. But I can’t pressure her into feeling like she has to oblige my personal desires, like she has to repay everything I’ve given her. That would be abusing my position, it would be immoral.”
Adora considered what she had just been told. “So, let me see if I’ve got this right. To take someone you’ve personally trained into a life-or-death fight against a bunch of murderous thugs is perfectly fine, but taking her in your arms afterwards would be crossing the line? Hmm, guess I must not be a very moral person, then.”
Teela was aghast. “Adora, how could you say that? You’re the most moral person I know.”
“Not by your logic, Teela. Those women you met in Brightmoon, the ones you admire so much? I’ve trained many of them in personal combat, to give them a solid foundation if their special powers should ever fail against the Horde. I’ve led them into more battles than I care to count, and sometimes - just sometimes - when it’s over, one of them will give me the hint that she wants to share a bed with me. When she does, I don’t hesitate and you know why: because there’s a good chance that the next day, one or both of us may not come back to anyone’s bed.”
“But that’s different. On Etheria, you’re at war.”
Adora countered. “Seems to me that the only difference is that we wake up every day knowing that danger is right around the corner. Whereas on Eternia, that danger can spring up around you with no warning,”
Seeing her friend was conflicted, Adora softened her tone. “Look, I don’t mean to suggest you have anything other than honourable intentions, but there is such a thing as being too moral for your own good. I’m sure it was a smart idea to maintain boundaries when you first took her on, when it was all fun and games on the practice grounds. But after what the two of you went through, it makes no sense to let your position hold you back from pursuing what’s in your heart.”
Teela finally looked at Adora, agitated. “So what do you want me to do about it? Walk up to Ileena and kiss her right in front of everybody?!”
Adora chuckled softly. “Sure would liven up this party, but no. You’re around her every day. More than anybody, you’re going to notice how she feels and who she might be interested in.” The rebel leader took a glance at the subject of their discussion. “All I’m encouraging you to do is look for the signs, and if it is you she wants, then tell her that you feel the same way.”
Teela was still undecided. “I don’t know, Adora...”
The Princess took a different approach “Why do we do it, Teela? Hmm? Why do you and I wield swords and blasters and put ourselves in harm’s way, when we could stay home and wear pretty dresses instead?”
“Because we want to protect the people we love from the men, monsters and machines that we know are out to hurt them.”
“Exactly. Now Ileena wants to do the same, but for who? You’re teaching her how to fight, but maybe you are the one she wants to fight for .”
“Adora, why are you so adamant about this?”
“Because you’re my family, Teela, and though I don’t really know her yet, Ileena is my family too. If being together would make both of you happy, and I have a feeling that it would, then you shouldn’t let some self-imposed standard hold you back. Tonight, you declared Ileena to be a warrior and my father hailed her as a hero. If her idea of a hero’s reward is to -as you put it - hold you and kiss you and all of the rest. Would you deny her, when you want the same thing? Would you break her heart, and break your own in the process? That doesn’t sound very moral to me. In fact, that would be downright cruel…to both of you.”
Teela looked down at the floor of the landing in silence for a few moments, before letting out a deep sigh of relief. “Thank you, Adora. Everything you’ve said tonight…there’s been a little voice in my head telling me the same thing for a while now. I was just too stubborn to listen.” She finally looked up at her friend and was able to smile. “I guess I needed to hear it from someone I respect.”
Adora gave her friend a pat on the back. “Just follow your heart, Teela, and you won’t go far wrong.”
Her conscience finally clear, the redhead looked over at Ileena, who was only half-listening to a one-sided conversation from Mekaneck. For the first time in weeks, Teela was able to look at the woman who made her heart skip a beat, the way she truly wanted to look at her, without guilt or self-reproach. She softly replied. “I will…somehow.”
She then let out a quiet chuckle as if contemplating a private joke. Adora was curious “What? What is it?”
“I was just thinking…Adam and Casta, me and Ileena. You’ve done so much to play matchmaker for us. I appreciate it and I can tell Adam does too. But I wonder…who is going to make a match for you?”
Adora lowered her eyes. “I don’t know if that is a luxury I can afford, Teela. Not now with what the Rebellion faces. For a while there, I thought I had that special someone…a pirate captain.”
Teela was impressed. “A pirate? Why Adora, I didn’t know you were such a bad girl.”
The blonde grinned briefly, but then her mood turned melancholy. “We haven’t seen each other in some time, and if I do see him again, I doubt we’ll just pick up where we left off. Even when we were together, it was clear his first love will always be the Twelve Seas of Etheria. I’m just too much of a landlubber for it to work. But don’t worry, Teela. My love life may be rather unconventional and certainly would shock my parents if they knew what I was getting up to, but...” Adora had a twinkle in her eye as she finished with. “I’m not lonely.”
The two friends quietly soaked up the ambience of the party atmosphere for a while, until Adora’s attention was caught by a group of felinoids wearing heavy robes, approaching King Randor. “Oh, Eternia has Cat People too?”
Teela explained. “Yes, the Cat Folk of the Vine Jungle. We didn’t start off on the right foot with them, made some ignorant mistakes, but we’re trying to strengthen ties. Your father has invited their delegation to stay overnight in the guest quarters. They get to experience the party tonight, then sit down for talks tomorrow. As a matter of fact, I was hoping they might have brought-”
Teela cut herself off as a loud purring was audible behind her. She looked back, delighted to find who she expected. “Ah, there you are.”
Kittrina, sultry spy and fierce warrior in the service of King Paw, was crouched on all fours on the parapet lining the landing. Once spotted, she leapt onto the bench between the two women and with her typical disregard for personal space, wrapped her arms tightly around Teela while sitting in her lap.
“My purrrfect partner, I’ve missed you.” Without further ado, Kittrina repeatedly rubbed the sides of her face against Teela’s cheeks, purring and trilling, accompanied by her tail swishing back and forth.
Well used to the flirty feline’s physically close form of friendship, Teela giggled. “I’ve missed you too, Kittrina.”
Adora watched this display of affection with amusement, until something in the centre of the landing caught her eye. She saw Ileena staring right at them, an irritated scowl on her face. She then spun around, pointedly turning her back on the source of her consternation. Adora looked over to see that Teela was none the wiser to what just happened and quietly murmured to herself. “Uh-oh, trouble.”
Once the felinoid had finished, Teela made the formal introductions. “Kittrina, may I present Princess Adora, daughter of King Randor and Queen Marlena. Adora, this is Kittrina, warrior in the service of King Paw.”
The cat girl clambered off Teela to turn and still crouched on the bench, bowed before the daughter of her hosts. “Your Highness, I am at your service.”
The Princess chose the less formal approach, reached out and shook Kittrina’s hand. “Nice to meet you, just call me Adora.”
“Pleased to meet you as well, Adora. My duty is to keep a close eye on royalty, but none of them are as pretty as you.” Kittrina kept hold of Adora’s hand, turned it over and leaned down to gently kiss her knuckles. The Princess was caught a little off-guard, but quickly recovered. “Why thank you, that’s quite the compliment.”
Teela interceded. “Adora is more than a Princess, Kittrina. She is the leader of the Great Rebellion on Etheria, fighting to overthrow the Evil Horde who occupy the planet .”
“Rowrr, sounds like a rather exciting life.”
Adora modestly played down her role. “It has its moments.”
Interested in the blonde rebel, Kittrina shuffled closer on the bench and leaned in. “Do you live in a big palace like this one?”
“A Queen is among my closest allies, so I’m an occasional visitor to one, but mostly I live in the Whispering Woods.”
“The woods?” Kittrina’s tone became even more suggestive than usual. “So you have a lot of experience with the wild side of life?”
Adora could see the feline’s game and was happy to play it, replying with a soft voice and a doe-eyed expression. “I’ve learned a thing or two.”
“Do they have any cat people on Etheria?”
“Oh yes, She-Ra stumbled upon their underground city a year ago. Magicats, they’re called. Good friends of ours.”
Teela was confused. “But I thought there was a cat woman you fight all the time.”
Adora clarified. “I get along great with all kinds of cat people, it’s Catra I have problems with.” She explained to Kittrina. “She’s part of the Horde, oppressing the Etherian people. She is especially nasty and vicious. She wears a mask stolen from the Queen of the Magicats to transform herself into a cat form in battle. Without it, she is just as human as I am.”
Kittrina’s hatred for those who pillage sacred relics flared up “Rowrrr! In that case, give her a good swipe across the nose for me.”
Adora admired the cat girl’s spirit. “I’m sure the chance will come sooner rather than later.”
Kittrina then leaned in, her voice once again low and seductive. “I’m expected to sleep in the same quarters as the rest of my people, but I’m sure I can slip away at some point. Tell me, Adora, will you be having company tonight?”
The Princess’ voice was equally low and husky, her eyes heavy-lidded, ready to meet Kittrina’s flirtations with her own. “Well, I did come to Eternia with a friend, but I’m fairly certain she has…other plans this evening. So if you’re looking to stop by, my door will be open for you.”
Kittrina’s ears twitched, her lips inches away from Adora’s and closing in fast. “Purrrfect.”
Deciding she had better intervene before her two friends caused a scandal in front of the Royal Court, Teela cleared her throat. “Kittrina, sorry to interrupt, but since you’re here at the Palace, I was hoping I could interest you in a proposition.”
The cat girl turned to face her old friend, but had lost none of her sultry demeanour. “Normally I would love for you to proposition me, Teela. But I think I’m spoken for this evening.”
The redhead chuckled: Kittrina was incorrigible. “No, not that kind of proposition. We have an alliance of men from all over Eternia - Masters of the Universe, they’re called - who come together and fight evil. I want to bring more women on to the team and you’re on my shortlist. Perhaps we can discuss it tomorrow? It would mean you and me having more adventures like we did before.”
The feline warrior was intrigued. “I think I would like that.”
A shrill, scratchy voice called out from elsewhere on the landing. “By the whiskers of Saz! Where has Kittrina gone?!”
Her ears perked up. “The ambassador is looking for me, duty calls. Teela, I’ll come find you tomorrow. Adora?” Kittrina turned to the Princess and grinned like the Cheshire Cat from Queen Marlena’s books. “I’ll see you later.”
Teela put a hand on her friend’s arm. “Just one thing before you go. If you are planning to call on Adora tonight, please, please use the door.”
The Princess was bemused. “Why, what were you going to do instead, Kittrina?”
Teela answered for her. “She’s planning on climbing the outside wall and coming in through the window.”
Kittrina looked back and winked. “You know me so well, my friend.”
Adora found the idea charming. “Sounds very romantic.”
Teela didn’t share the sentiment. “It won’t sound romantic to the Guards of the Night Watch. If they spot you, the entire Palace will go on alert. So please, Kittrina, be discreet…for me.”
“For you, my purrrfect partner, they’ll never know I was there.”
The shrill voice called out again. “Kittrina! Rowrr, front and center!”
“Gotta run.” The agile cat warrior leapt off the bench seating and disappeared into the crowd. Adora watched her go while slightly chewing on her bottom lip. She realised Teela was giving her an amused look. “What?”
“In the last few minutes, you’ve flirted with me, volunteered to get physical with Ileena and now you’ve agreed to a late night rendezvous with Kittrina. I may be risking my military career by saying this, but…Princess Adora, you are absolutely girl-crazy.”
The Princess giggled. “You noticed, huh? Don’t worry, Teela, your career is going to be just fine. As for what you said…one of us is girl-crazy, the other one is crazy about a girl.”
Teela smiled, looking out towards the center of the landing, oblivious as to why Ileena was deliberately facing away from her. “I sure am, Adora. I sure am.”