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Though Scorpia had escaped from the Horde, leaving there the biggest part of her life, she couldn’t escape her feelings. After all, she didn’t leave only the Horde, she left Catra. Just a month ago Scorpia wouldn’t even think about it, about leaving her. But everything has its end, and Scorpia’s patience wasn’t an exception. How many times can one person help the other person when they keep acting merciless to their friends? How many times had Scorpia felt useless and worthless thanks to Catra? How many times had she tried to prove her own importance?
Everything had changed now. It was Catra who was worthless, and Scorpia who was worthy.
But something was still hurting Scorpia… Her feelings for Catra still hadn’t gone. And now, in Bright Moon, where the princesses were so kind to their prisoner they even brought her snacks and teas, Scorpia felt lonely. Why in the world would her wardresses treat her better then Catra had ever done? Why was Perfuma worrying about Scorpia? They had always been in a fight till this moment. And look, here they were, drinking tea together and talking about the Rebellion’s plans.
‘I see something’s bothering you’, said Perfuma. ‘Not that I would like to know… But if you have something to say, then say it’.
It was evening, and the flower princess came to the prison, which was a comfortable room in deed, and brought favourite herbal tea for Scorpia. It became some kind of a custom for them ever since Scorpia had come to Bright Moon. Firstly it had been a strange tension between them but now it seemed like a wonderful beginning of a friendship.
‘Wow, you’re– You’re really good at reading people’s minds’, said Scorpia, blushing.
‘No, I’m not, it’s just your face… You’re not a secretive type of a person, aren’t you? I mean, everything is written right on your face. I can say what you are thinking about in this exact moment’, she gave a soothing smile.
‘And what am I thinking about?’
‘It’s the Horde’, she said and then added, ‘and Catra. I know you used to be very close… So it’s not a surprise that you can’t throw her out of your head’.
Scorpia frowned and froze. Catra was even here, in Bright Moon. Not physically, of course, but in Scorpia’s head—in her thoughts and in her mind.
‘Watch out!’ Perfuma whipped out a cute little cup filled with an aromatic tea from the prisoner’s pincers as this cup was about to fall on Scorpia’s legs. ‘You could’ve got burned!’
‘Oh, thank– thank you, Perfuma. I can be so clumsy sometimes’, she tried to laugh but it sounded absolutely nervous. ‘Phew, maybe we should end our… ergh… tea-party for now? You know, it’s time I went to sleep. And… and you’re probably too’.
‘Scorpia’, Perfuma’s voice was brilliantly gentle. She took the cup away and put it on a little wooden bedside table, next to the teapot with flower ornaments.
‘I don’t want you to feel sleepy all day long tomorrow because of me’, Scorpia continued as if she hadn’t heard Perfuma.
‘Scorpia, please, calm down. You won’t feel better by trying to push all of your worries away. You can tell me what’s on your mind right now. Just… Just trust me, okay? There’s no Horde here, no Catra. It’s only two of us’, the princess looked in Scorpia’s eyes. ‘It’s going to be fine’.
Scorpia sighed. No one had ever asked her to open her mind. She was about to cry as she felt how at least one person truly wanted to support her. What’s more, it was the person from the Princess Alliance, the Alliance everyone hated in the Horde.
‘Do you really want me to speak my mind?’
‘Yes! Yes, I do’, Perfuma smiled again.
‘You’re right; it’s Catra who’s bothering me. Hardly have I a day without thinking about her. Even after I left her, I can’t get her out of my mind. And of my heart. She meant the world to me. I did a lot of bad things just to please her, and now I see how many troubles I have caused to the Rebellion. And Entrapta is gone now. Adora, Bow and Glimmer went to the Beast Island. What if they wouldn’t come back? What if I am the one to blame?'
She burst into tears.
‘Everything I’ve ever done was to Catra finally noticing me, accepting me. I swore to myself I would always protect my wild cat, and I betrayed her. She’s probably all alone now. I was always there for her to listen to her thoughts, to feel her pain and rage. I was always there. Am I a liar? Am I a bad person since I betrayed Catra? Am I a good person since I came to help the Rebellion? Who am I? I’m not even a princess! I mean, what is a princess without her kingdom? I am not a soldier either. I don’t know who I am, what my role is in this war. I feel so… miserable’.
So many thoughts had been finally spoken. Every pronounced word was hurting Scorpia but she couldn’t resist from talking. And when she ended her dreary monologue, the only sound in the room was the sound of sobbing. Perfuma covered Scorpia with green-and-pink plaid and carefully hugged her. The princess was about to cry, too.
‘Here’, Perfuma handed a cup of tea to Scorpia as they both had felt calmer and their tears dried. ‘You’re not alone anymore. We’re all here for you. We can help you. No princesses left behind, that’s what Adora would say. You don’t have a kingdom now but it’s not your fault that the Horde stole it from you. The Horde stole your childhood, your friends, and your family. You are not the one to blame. Listen, I wouldn’t ever blame you. Honestly, no one would. Do you want to know what I think of you?’
Scorpia nodded. She still couldn’t speak with her normal, non-crying voice.
‘I think you’re amazing. You are truly a princess. You have a courage that I hadn’t until Adora had shown me I could be brave, too! You left the Horde; you came to the Rebellion, knowing we would probably attack you. Did it stop you? No! I was so scared myself before joining the Rebellion, I thought I’d spend the rest of my life in Plumeria. Adora taught me the courage. But you don’t need to be taught, you are already brave. I think the Rebellion needs you’.
‘But how can you be so sure? I already betrayed the Horde and… Catra. Why do you think I wouldn’t betray you? All my life I was sure I am loyal’, she whispered. The tea she was drinking was already cold.
‘But you are! You are loyal to yourself’.
‘Am I? I don’t get it’.
‘Look, I see that every decision you’ve made was your own. You didn’t do everything only for Catra but for yourself. You were caring about Catra because you felt that way. And you also left her because you felt it would be the right thing to do’.
‘I’ve never think about it from this point of view, to be honest’, Scorpia put the cup back on the bedside table cautiously and glanced furtively at the Perfuma’s face. For some reason, she couldn’t stand the I-do-care-about-your-feelings look in the flower princess’s eyes. ‘Thank you so much, Perfuma’.
‘Do you feel better now?’ Perfuma asked, her face shining with a modest smile.
‘I think so. Thanks for listening to me. I know it is probably something typical for you but in the Horde… Well, in the Horde no one would listen to anyone until it’s an order’.
‘Welcome home then. You’re not in the Horde anymore, sweetie. The Princess Alliance will take care of you’.