Chapter 5

"Um, thanks... so, what do we do?" Adora asked uncertainly.

"Just enjoy yourselves," Perfuma said pleasantly with a shrug of her shoulders. "There's food and dancing. The pink moon brings renewal; it's a time of new beginnings. Anything is possible." The princess gave them a parting smile before vanishing into the crowd.

At the mention of food, Adora's stomach began to growl. Catra rolled her eyes, but couldn't hold back the giggle that slipped past her lips. "Come on, let's feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach." She took Adora's hand in hers, and moving toward the table full of strange, colorful food. Catra and Adora surveyed the offerings curiously. The two of them had never eaten food that wasn't gray or grayish-brown, so the leafy-green vegetables and the vibrant hues of the fruits were fascinating to them. Adora passed Catra one of the large, wooden plates that were stacked up on the corner of the table, and wasted no time loading both of theirs up.

There was a guy with white-blond hair handing out bowls of vegetable stew at the opposite end of the table, and both girls accepted a bowl before moving to sit on one of the colorful, woven mats that were spread out around the huge tree. Adora dug into her food with gusto. A soft smile formed on Catra's lips as she watched Adora happily enjoy her meal. She was so cute!

Some of the villagers danced to the lilting flutes and pounding drums, and Catra was suddenly overcome with the desire to ask Adora if she wanted to give it a try. By the time Catra had worked up the courage to ask her, a loud, panicked scream stole her thunder.

"The Horde! They're here!" Someone called loud enough for the entire village to hear them. The music and dancing instantly stopped, and fearful murmurs took their place. Just then, a young girl emerged from the bath house holding Adora's shirt. The blonde gasped beside Catra, and she instinctively reached out to grab her hand in a show of silent support. "It was them!" The girl accused, pointing a finger and a vengeful glare toward the two ex-Horde cadets.

"It's true," a scrawny boy backed her up. "We were on cleaning duty, and saw that peeking out of the dirt. They tried to bury it. The Horde must have sent them to spy on us."

When the two girls offered no protest, the villagers scrambled to get away from them as if they were carrying some kind of disease. Perfuma came to stand protectively in front of her people. Her outstretched arms called vines from above and roots from below to her command, and the look in her eyes told Catra that the peace-loving princess wouldn't hesitate to defend her people if she had to.

"No!" Adora immediately said, holding up her hands in a show of surrender. "Well, yeah technically, but it's not what you think, okay. Yes, we used to be part of The Horde, but we're not anymore. We've changed."

Catra looked around at the fearful faces of the villagers, and felt something sour settle in the pit of her stomach. Was this what guilt felt like? All her life, she'd worked and trained for the chance to earn her place on the front lines, but soldiers on the front lines had put the fear and mistrust into the eyes of the people staring back at her.

Catra watched the princess warily. If she had to, she wouldn't think twice about putting her in her place if she so much as touched a hair on Adora's head. Adora's little speech seemed to be getting through to her though.

A loud boom sounded in the distance, startling everyone. Everyone turned in the direction of the explosive sound. Plumes of green smoke rose above the treetops.

"You see that?" Perfuma yelled, jabbing an angry finger in the direction of the smoke. "That is what you were a part of. That is what The Horde does! They've been poisoning our land for months, and because of them, the heart blossom is dying!" She gestured at the huge tree in the village center.

"So," Catra scoffed, folding her hands across her chest. That sour feeling in her gut was growing steadily, and she didn't like it at all. "Who cares about one stupid tree? It's not like you don't have like a thousand more."

"Catra," Adora reprimanded.

"The heart blossom is the source of all my magic," Perfuma explained through clenched teeth. Adora could tell that she was fighting hard to keep her cool, and she was steadily-losing the battle. "Without it, I'll be powerless to protect my kingdom against The Horde. They'll wipe us out like they have so many before us." By the time she was done talking, the up-beat princess had gone from sounding outraged to defeated.

"What if we can fix it?" Adora offered.

"Adora," Catra protested in a warning tone, but Adora ignored her. She had that determined look in her eyes again, and Catra knew that the two of them would soon wind up playing hero again no matter what she said to the contrary.

"What?" The princess questioned, confused and a little skeptical.

"You said it yourself. If the heart blossom dies, you'll be powerless against The Horde, so let us help you fight back before it's too late," Adora responded.

"But we're farmers not warriors," the princess protested.

"And up until a few hours ago, we were Horde soldiers," Adora countered. "You are whatever you believe you can be, Perfuma, and right now, your people need you to believe in them and in yourself."