(More dealing with fresh ptsd than anything else here. Angst in the form of anxiety and lingering self doubt etc etc you have been warned)
Explaining what Catra had done to Adora was like pulling teeth. She wished this were a story someone was writing, where they could just vaguely gloss over the details and have the other characters take in everything without her having to actually relive it all. Unfortunately, with her friends faces eagerly peering at her from across the war room table, Adora knew she would have to be descriptive.
At least she had her Rebellion clothes back. It was awkward, sitting, crying in the Brightmoon halls wearing a Horde uniform yet again.Queen Angella had joined the group soon after Adora's breakdown, along with princess Frosta. Frosta had been allowed to give Adora a hug and some words of encouragement, but she'd been asked to stay out of the war room while Adora told her story. Adora knew that the young Frosta wasn't naive, and that she would hate Catra as much as any of them after this even without hearing the tale, or perhaps she would find a way to eavesdrop.
"First off," Angella stated calmly, raising a hand to silence the room from the head of the war table, "I would like to thank Commander Glimmer and her team for successfully rescuing Adora- and Perfuma- from the Frightzone. Without her leadership, we might have lost She-ra to our own people..."
Adora hated the implication that Adora would have chosen to fight for the Horde and possibly met her fate in battle against her friends. The feelings of loyalty and shame of the Horde still lingered, making Adora unsure herself. She didn't think she could fight Catra anymore, even knowing she had several times already.
Queen Angella continued by looking at Adora.
"Please, Adora, tell us what you can."Adora felt their eyes singing into her skin. Seahawk, Bow, Mermista, Scorpia, Perfuma, Glimmer, Angella. Princesses and friends who should be defending their kingdoms from the advancing Horde, but were here just to support her. Adora wondered if any of their kingdoms would fall today because of her.
"Where to start..." Adora muttered, looking down at the table to avoid their gazes.
"Glimmer, Bow and I were tracking a signal in the Whispering Woods. I'm not even sure how long ago... time has been..." Adora struggled to think of the words. "Really strange. I feel like it's been a few weeks, though."Adora leaned forward in her chair, resting her closed fists on the table.
"Bow got caught in a really primitive wire trap. We didn't know who had set it... until Catra showed up." Adora paused to observe their faces, but every person in the room was focused and quiet. Adora saw that Perfuma had trouble meeting her eye. Adora didn't blame her."Then, uh, I made Glimmer take Bow back to Brightmoon and... I chased after Catra." Adora continued, unable to look at Perfuma's fear anymore.
"I ran into more of those snap-traps and Catra let me get hurt by them before she took me back to the Frightzone, I think."Adora felt Glimmer tense next to her as she went on.
"When I woke up, I didn't... remember any of you. Or She-ra. Or anything that happened before I joined the Rebellion. Catra made me think I was a Force Captain who had fallen out of favor, and then she gave me these rules to follow. She would just make up rules to punish me for breaking them."And you broke them, didn't you?
You talked to Lonnie, you transformed into she-ra.
Adora ignored Catra's disapproving drawl.Glimmer scraped her nails against the smooth surface of the table and met Adora's eyes with a bitter face of her own.
"Punish you?"Adora gestured to the scars from the wire-traps and then to the long gash down her arm that was still healing. Perfuma had quietly provided some top-grade healing herbs for it, which had closed it up completely in moments, but left her with an ugly scabbed scar. Adora noticed that Perfuma still had some issues looking right at her. Guilt worked its' way into her gut as she watched Perfuma's downcast eyes from the other end of the table.

YOU ARE READING
Codependency
FantasyAn AU where Catra takes Adora prisoner, wipes her memories and forces Adora to become dependent on her emotionally. TW for Yandere, abusive themes, dark themes, cartoon/mild gore, victim blaming, "Stockholm syndrome" (not a thing but you get the ide...