Enjoy :)

TW: mention of abuse, Shadow Weaver

Adora was awoken by knocking on her door. She sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Looking at the clock, she saw it was barely sunrise. Then it must be important for someone to come to her at this time.

Getting up, Adora briskly walked to her door, opening it. She saw a guard standing there. She then noticed the child sized Catra on the guard's hip.

"It seems Lady Catra has suddenly grown in age." The guard said. "She wandered out of her room and asked for you."

Catra was staring at her, clearly expecting someone smaller. She looked confused.

"Is that Adora?" She asked the guard. "She's a grown up."

The guard hummed in affirmation.

"Yes. Adora is a grown up. Do you want to go with her?"

Catra looked at Adora once more, contemplating.

"Ok!" She decided.

Adora was handed the child. She could hardly comprehend everything that was happening. Catra was no longer a baby. What the heck happened?

"Would you like me to inform the queen?" The guard asked.

Adora didn't see the need. Nothing she couldn't handle on her own.

"Um, no, thank you. I'll tell her when everyone else wakes up. I'll be fine. I think."

The guard bowed before walking away. Adora turned and walked back into her room, closing the door.

She set Catra down on her feet before kneeling to her level.

"Hi, Catra." She greeted with an unsure smile. "You know who I am?"

Catra nodded.

"Adora. I'm Catra."

Adora got a better look at her. Catra looked just like how Adora first remembered her. Her mane was almost as big as her body. Her tail brushed against the floor, flicking slowly. She still had some baby fat, though was thinner than most kids her age from what Adora could remember, making her look like an alley cat.

"How old are you, Catra?" Adora asked.

Catra shrugged. "I don't know." She answered, keeping her voice down. "Where are we?"

Adora smiled.

"We're in a castle."

Catra's eyes widened.

"A princess castle?" Catra had a bit of a lisp, which made her even cuter.

Adora then realized that at this age, Catra would still have been brainwashed by the Horde. Being near princesses would terrify her.

"A nice princess castle." She quickly added. "They're our friends!"

Fear still came over Catra's face.

"What?! Where?"

Catra came closer, clinging onto Adora's shirt with a tiny fist. Adora was quick to try and ease her worries.

"Catra, it's okay. These princesses are nice and they help people. I like them and they like us too. They're not going to hurt you."

Catra was quietly purring to soothe herself. Adora giggled.

"You're so cute when you purr." She commented.

Catra immediately stopped, tensing up in fear.
Adora frowned. Had she said something wrong?

"It's okay, kitty. What's wrong?"

Catra lowered her head, clearly uncomfortable, ears flattened. She suddenly looked up again, gasping, eyes wide. Adora curiously followed her gaze and smiled. Melog was standing a few feet away, looking at Catra. Adora looked again at Catra.

"It's okay. That's Melog. They're your friend. They protect you and you can talk to them but only you understand them. They're an alien."

Melog approached the two, going slow to not spook Catra. Catra let them come close, trusting Adora to keep her safe. Melog licked her face in greeting, meowing. Catra looked taken aback, not expecting that. She then giggled.

"Hi, Melog." She greeted, gently petting them. "We can be friends. If you want to be Adora's friends too, then we can all be friends. Adora is my best friend ever. She's nice and helps me and yells at the meanies when they make fun of me."

Adora sat back and listened to the two having their own conversation. It brought back memories of their childhood, of her and Catra spending every moment together as naive and innocent children. She wondered how old Catra was. She'd have to ask Entrapta to check.

They sat like that for who knows how long, Catra happily chatting with her new friend. The day moon had risen, bringing daylight into the room. The guards changed shifts, faint footsteps could be heard in the hallway. Catra, now able to see more of the brightly colored room, was looking around in awe.

"This is pretty." She breathed, pointing at everything.

Adora nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. Ever seen those colors before?"

Catra shook her head.

"No. Why is there water in here?"

Catra pointed at the fountain. Adora snorted.

"I don't know. Because the princesses like it in the room. Isn't it nice?"

Catra walked up to the fountain. She curiously peeked inside, probably seeing where it drained. Adora watched with her, more than happy to hold Catra up so she could see. The sound of the bedroom door startled them both.

"Adora!"

Glimmer and Bow rushed in.

"We heard that Catra-"

Catra screamed. She ran towards the bed.

"Wait! Catra! It's okay!" Adora called.

Before she could stop her, Catra scampered underneath the bed, disappearing in seconds. Adora looked at Glimmer and Bow, sighing. Glimmer and Bow were staring in shock at where Catra had just squeezed under.

"So it's true." Bow commented. "She's older."

Adora, a bit frustrated, ran her fingers through her still unbrushed hair.

"Yeah. She doesn't trust princesses, so..."

Glimmer huffed, offended.

"Seriously? That young? What kind of propaganda were they teaching you in the Horde?"

Adora ignored her and crawled over to the bed. Peeking under, she could see a dark bundle in the corner, two glowing eyes staring at her with fear. A small hiss was aimed towards her, Catra perceiving her as a threat.

"Catra. It's alright. I'm here. They're not here to hurt us. This is Glimmer. She's a princess."

"I'm a queen." Glimmer corrected.

Adora gave her a look.

"A princess." She insisted. "She doesn't know what a queen is."

Glimmer rolled her eyes. She and Bow joined Adora on the floor.

"Hey, Catra." Bow greeted. "My name is Bow. I don't have any magic or a girl so I'm not a princess. It's nice to meet you again. We're your best friends and we're sorry if we scared you. Glimmer is loud but she's friendly. I promise. If you let us prove it, we'll be friends."

Bow nudged Glimmer with an elbow.

"Right, Glimmer. You won't hurt Catra. You want to be friends, right?"

Glimmer smiled. She peered under the bed at the frightened child. She felt sorry for Catra, having been taught to fear something she didn't even fully understand at such a young age.

"I promise I'm nice. I just want to be friends. Okay? Adora is here if you want to stay with her so you're not scared."

Catra looked at Glimmer, then Adora for reassurance. Adora smiled encouragingly.

"It's safe, Catra. I'm right here in case you feel scared. Nothing bad will happen to you."

"Promise?"

Yup. That got her. Adora had to fight the urge to visibly react. Not the promise. Too soon for that to come up.

"I promise. C'mon."

Catra crept towards her, her eyes occasionally flickering towards the strangers. Glimmer and Bow backed up to give Catra some space. Catra came out of hiding, going right into Adora's arms for protection. Adora rubbed one of Catra's ears to help calm her down.

"Whenever you're ready, we'll go talk to Glimmer and Bow. Okay?"

Catra bit her lip, nervous. She gripped Adora's hand, having to use both hands. They sat like that for a while, Catra getting used to having Bow and Glimmer there. Melog distracted her, their presence helping Catra feel secure, knowing she had two friends there for her. Finally, Catra looked their way, her tail lashing with anxiety.

Adora smiled.

"Ready to meet them?" She asked.

Catra nodded. Adora, staying on her knees so she wasn't towering over Catra, moved them across the short distance to her friends. She started off with Bow.

"Catra. This is Bow." She introduced. "He's Glimmer's super special best friend."

Since the Horde didn't teach them anything about relationship, Adora decided to save that conversation for someone who could explain it to Catra better. Bow waved excitedly.

"Hey."

Adora then motioned to Glimmer.

"And this is Glimmer."

Catra looked at Glimmer. She tilted her head, curious.

"Why are you so sparkly?" She asked.

Glimmer hummed.

"Because, I have magic. See?"

Glimmer drew a glyph in midair and made it snow sparkles. Catra hissed, backing up into Adora.

"It's okay." Adora reassured her, rubbing the back of Catra's hand with her thumb.

Catra watched the magic rain down. Seeing that it was harmless, she relaxed a bit. She suddenly sneezed, sniffling.

"It smells weird." She noted. "Do all princesses smell like that?"

Adora wasn't sure how to answer that. She couldn't exactly smell magic like Catra. She shrugged.

"Maybe. When you see the other princesses, smell them and tell me. Okay?"

Catra still seemed hesitant. Adora didn't blame them. They'd work on it.

"That's okay. I'll show you later." Adora said.

Her stomach growled, rather loudly. Catra looked at the stomach.

"Is it breakfast time?" She asked.

Adora smiled.

"Yeah. Let's get something to eat."

"Um. She needs clothes." Bow noted.

Adora looked at Catra. He was right. Catra was only wearing a diaper. Adora hummed.

"Right. Umm...."

She set Catra down, taking her by the hand. They walked over to the closet. Looking around, Adora decided on one of her sleep shirts. After taking Catra to the bathroom and cleaning her up with a washcloth, she figured out that Catra was old enough to be potty trained, so a diaper wasn't needed. Dressing Catra on the sleep shirt, Adora gave her an extra toothbrush she had handy for emergencies to use. Catra had a full set of baby teeth already.

Adora let her brush her own teeth, while doing so herself. Adora freshened up a bit, tying her hair up in her usual ponytail and washing her face.

Once finished, they walked out of the bathroom. Catra, seeming to forget about Glimmer and Bow, clung to Adora's leg, hiding her face. Adora smiled sympathetically. She scooped Catra up in her arms, carrying her on her hip as the four, along with Melog, left the bedroom.

Catra got a look around as they walked, everything was shiny and bright. Much different than the dark and gloomy halls of the Horde. She was just as shy as Adora remembered her to be. Catra hid her face in Adora's neck whenever someone came too close.

Upon approaching the dining room, the noise of the other castle residents got Catra's attention. Adora stopped walking. Glimmer and Bow turned to her.

"Maybe you guys should go first." Adora suggested. "Tell everyone what happened and to not do anything that'll scare her. I don't want to surprise them and they get in her face and scare her."

"Good idea." Bow agreed. "Just give us a minute. You know how they get."

The couple entered the dining room. Adora smiled at Catra.

"You're going to meet the rest of our friends. They're loud but they're nice. They lots of food here. Different food. No ration bars."

Catra's eyes widened.

"No ration bars? How? What they eat, then?"

Adora shrugged.

"I guess they don't know what that is. Don't worry, the food here is tons more better. It's really good. Would you like to try some? They have meat and eggs and something called cereal and pancakes and waffles. Lots of stuff."

Catra purred quietly.

"I think I want some of everything."

Adora laughed. "Don't worry. You'll get to try it all eventually. First, we're gonna say hi to everyone. They're excited to see you."

"Why?"

"Because they like you a lot. They're your friends."

Catra wasn't used to having friends. She seemed to like that idea.

"Okay. Can we go now?"

Adora nodded.

"Okay. If you get scared, can you hold onto me. I'm right here so no one will hurt you."

Catra gave a nod. Adora walked into the room. The hushed voices of their friends came to a halt. Everyone's eyes were on the two. Adora greeted the group.

"Hey, guys."

Scorpia and Spinnerella squealed in excitement. Adora looked at Catra.

"Catra grew up a bit last night. Not sure how, but she's a big kid now. Right, kitty?"

Catra looked around at everyone, taking the faces. She stopped at Lance and George. She gasped, perking up.

"Daddy! Papa!" She shouted, wiggling out of Adora's grasp. Catra ran right up to the men. She clung to George's leg, smiling brightly at him.

"We're in a princess castle, so be careful." Catra warned urgently.

That took everyone by surprise. She remembered Lance and George. George picked Catra up and sat on his lap.

"Hey, Catra. I know we're in a princess castle, but there's no danger here, sweetie. We're all safe."

"Catra." Lance spoke up. "Do you know how old you are?"

Catra shrugged, just like she did before.

"No. Shadow Weaver doesn't tell us. She said I don't need to know cuz I'm not a real girl."

There is it. That woman. George and Lance looked at each other.

"Well, of course you are, honey. You're a real girl like all the other kids." George insisted.

Catra looked conflicted. "Shadow Weaver said I'm a animal. Not a people."

George shook his head.

"No, sweetheart. You're a person too. You're not an animal. Maybe a little, but you're a person too. You're both. Okay?"

Catra seemed to understand. She suddenly sniffed the air. She looked at the plates of food set up on the table.

"Smells good huh?" George asked. "Are you hungry?"

Catra didn't reply, seeming to shrink back a little.

"I'm sorry." She said.

George looked confused.

"Why? You did nothing wrong."

Catra didn't make eye contact, her body curling up.

"I used my nose to smell. I'm not allowed to do that. I'm sorry. Can I still eat, please? I'm really sorry and I'm hungry. I'll be good. I promise to be a real girl."

Now, that was heart breaking. By the looks on everyone's faces, the gravity of the mindset Catra was in set in.

"Catra. Come here." Adora called, crouching down.

Catra climbed off of George, and scurried over to Adora. Adora smiled at her.

"You're a real girl, okay? You can use your nose and do all that stuff. No one will take food from you. You can eat whenever you want here, okay?"

She lowered her voice.

"And if anyone tries to take food away from you or won't let you eat, you tell me, okay. You come tell me and I'll get you food again."

Catra nodded shyly.

"Even if they say they'll hit me for telling on them?" She asked, anxiety in her eyes.

Adora nodded solemnly.

"Yes. Even then. If anyone says something scary or mean to you, you tell me or Bow or your daddies. Okay?"

Catra agreed, though she didn't look totally convinced that it was actually safe to do so. Adora couldn't blame her. Her child self hadn't been able to do much to help Catra back then, but she could now. The growling of Catra's stomach lifted the seriousness. Adora smiled and stood up.

"Let's sit down and eat. You can try some of the food and we can figure out what you like."

Catra grew excited. She was situated in a chair between Adora and Lance. They gave her small portions of everything, Lance, George, and Entrapta keeping an eye on her for an signs of an allergic reaction. Entrapta had an allergy medication device ready, by request of George. Just to be safe. Luckily, nothing happened. Catra liked the pancakes and waffles, though didn't enjoy the syrup that stuck to her fur when it accidentally dripped onto her bare upper body.

"She'll just take a bath after this." Glimmer dismissed.

Catra whined, suddenly distressed. She climbed off her seat, hiding underneath the table.

"No bath! Please no!" She pleaded.

Adora pushed back her chair, crawling underneath the table. Catra was huddled under the table, covering her face with her hands.

"Hey."

Catra looked up. Seeing Adora, she lowered her hands. Adora crawled over to her and sat next to her.

"Bath time is different here. It's not like the Horde."

"But Shadow Weaver is gonna dump water on my head!" Catra exclaimed. "She's mean, Adora! Please don't make me go with her! She hurts me!"

Catra started to cry. Adora's heart shattered. As kids, Adora didn't believe Catra when she'd told her about the abuse Shadow Weaver put her through. Now that she knew, it pained her to hear Catra so scared and begging for safety and protection. Adora had to blink back tears. Tears of sadness and anger.

If Shadow Weaver were still alive, Adora would tear her limb from limb.

Adora shushed the crying child, wiping the tears from Catra's face.

"It's alright, kitty. Shadow Weaver is gone. She's not coming back. She's gone forever."

Catra sniffled.

"She- She is? How?"

Adora paused, choosing her words carefully.

"Um, magic made her disappear forever. She's dead now."

No use telling a child gory details of what went down. Keeping it simple and vague was best. Catra wiped her slightly swollen face with her fist, sniffling. Adora rubbed her back.

"It's okay now, Catra. She can't hurt you again. I promise. She's never coming back. Okay? So don't be scared of her. I'll help you take a bath and I'll be in there too. Okay. The water is warm here. And they have bubbles."

Adora smiled, hoping that would intrigue Catra. Of course, having never had bubbles at her current age, Catra's curiosity came out.

"Bubbles? What's that?"

Adora tapped Catra's nose.

"After we finish eating, I'll show you. Melog likes to play with them."

Catra smiled and nodded.

"C'mon." Adora said. "Let's finish eating. I think the other princesses want to meet you too."

Catra didn't seem as anxious about that. She and Adora came out from under the table, back into their seats. Catra quietly, but contently, continued on with her meal, more secure with Adora there by her side.

So yeah. Let me know what you think :)