Escaping Corruption (Seasons 1-3)

26 - Flickers of dying hope

C'yra pushed her cup of tea away as she sported a newfound expression of thoughtfulness.

‘Something wrong?’ Naeva asks, brow furrowed

‘I just realised that I haven't seen Catra or Aeris yet, and Catra only has a few hours now until her guests arrive…. and actually, I haven't seen Aeris since Mav came home, she ran off sulking after I scolded her for getting into a fight with Gata’

Naeva glowered at her.

‘For an Empress, you're incredibly dimwitted and a total giglet. Your kids are Missing, and it took you over a week to realise it.’

Feeling uncomfortably called out, C'yra got to her feet. But just as she was about to leave to find them, the door swung open and Aeris fell in.

It wasn't her sudden appearance that brought panic to the head of the guard and the Empress, but the dark, damp, bloody stain forming on the side of the imperial princess’ torso.

----------

Dodge. Slash. Defend. Parry.

Catra kept the order of her job in her head as clear as possible.

‘I think we should stop here, I'm tired’ As if to prove her point, Tessa made a loud, fake yawn and stretched her arms.

Catra shook hands with her opponent, aka Tora.

‘Good fight' He smiles.

‘Same to you' She replies.

It takes her a moment to realise the time.

‘Oh Moros! I better get back, I have a tea party with a girl I'm courting and her two friends, along with an old comrade of my own in an hour and a half, I need to get home and prepare.’ She explains.

‘No problem, I'll take you to the outskirts of the palace gardens, you can do the rest on your own, right?’ Tessa offers.

‘Yup!’

Tessa takes her hand.

‘Ready for lift off?’

‘Yes.’

‘1…..2…..3……4-’

‘Please just go! I have limited time!’

‘Fine fine!’

And a moment later, they were soaring over the palace, and toward central Halfmoom once again.

‘Goodluck’ Said Tessa as she moved away from the gardens, and Catra was running toward the back entrance.

‘Bye!’ The magicat princess yelled in response.

‘Catra! There you are!’

Naeva stormed out into the kitchen.

‘What is it now?’ Catra groaned loudly, earning a snort from Naeva. But a moment later the guards face returned to worrry.

‘Its Aeris’

‘What did the kid do now?’ Catra sighed in annoyance, expecting her little sister to have done something dumb.

‘She…..This afternoon, I was having tea with C'yra, whem we were talking about where you and Rissy could be. But just when C'yra got up to go search for the two of you, Aeris burst in, with a severe wound on her side. There was blood everywhere. She fell unconscious almost instantly once she had made it inside.’ Naeva explained, the worried undertone to her husky voice faltering between hidden and exposed.

‘Where is she now?!’ Catras head shot up to face the head of the guards.

‘In her room. But…..’ Naeva trailed off, as if she was afraid of what she was going to say next.

‘But…?’ Catra prompted her to continue.

‘But, shes…..shes gone comatose ‘

Catra swore she has never ran somewhere so quickly in the entirety of her multiple lives.

She threw open the doors of Aeris' bedroom, and a second later, she was kneeling by the comatose magicat.

‘The imperial physician has been to see her already.’ Gata, a priestess of Cattus, informed as she backed out of the room.

Catra quickly took notice of the healing herbs Gata had left on the table beside her sister.

‘Damnit….I…..I don't know what to say, Rissy’ She whispered after a moment, voice wavering as she attempted to speak without the concern and fear breaking through.

Her hand closes around the hilt of her sword, and she inspects the bandages concealing the wound.

They're already completely bloodied.

She looks back at her baby sisters face, which is more peaceful than she had ever seen it.

‘Whoever did this….I swear in the name of Moros that I will hunt them to the very corners of the earth, and make sure they suffer, but will not side. Because death would be a mercy to them.’ She says through gritted teeth.

She didn't realise she was crying until she saw a glinting as it fluttered down onto the comatose princess’ shoulder.

She stayed momentarily silent. But then, she rose to her feet, and nodded to herself. The confirmation that she would torment whoever had dared do this until they were on their hands and knees, begging for death.