Chapter Text
In the several years following Prime’s defeat the Kingdom of Dryl had become a safe haven to all. The once quite remote mountain kingdom now hosted a little bit of everything and in doing so had become one of the most visually diverse kingdoms in all of Etheria. Dryl had also become a sort of unofficial hub for the army of Prime Clones. Many choose Dryl as their preferred of birth place for official documentation as the Etheria documentation system required such a declaration.
There was one clone in particular who chose to defy this system. However he did make a habit of defying certain authoritarian issues - Hordak. For not only did he defy his god and thus single handily cause the current clone refugee situation, he also defied many of the traditional social norms deeply rooted in Etheria culture. He even married a princess a feat truly defying clone and Etherian norms.
Even with all his deep rooted habits of defying he did spend these last years repaying his massive debt to society for his many war crimes. Making amends for years of wrong doings was certainly difficult and while some trusts could never be repaired, others flourished. He did prove to have quite the proficient scientific mind designing many structural blueprints which greatly aided in the rebuild of the other kingdoms, even though he was sort of responsible for these kingdoms destruction in the first place... However with the aid his long-term lab partner Entrapta, they had many positive technological advances over the years.
However he was still disliked by the majority of civilians around Etheria. While the term “Colonizer” was often thrown at him from every direction, it was never used within Dryl and most certainly never even whispered within the hallowed walls of Crypto Castle. For this was the one place where he was always respected, even if most of the non-clone persons were often intimidated by his outward appearance and his eerily glowing eyes.
This particular day started like any other in Dryl. While it was still early enough in the morning that the birds had not yet started their dawn chorus, it was still early enough for sunlight to peek though the bedrooms windows of Crypto Castle and disturb certain occupants...
Hordak stirred trying to move his face away from the bright light shining in his face. He tried turning on his side but his little lab partner was resting her head on his chest. She was snoring lightly and had drooled a little on his sleeveless pajama top.
She had once again somehow sprawled herself all over their entire king sized bed leaving him with very little space. He wondered how it was mathematically possible for someone with a body so small to possibly take up so much space. Even taking her long flowing purple hair into the computations, the data still didn’t make any sense. He was almost twice her size but yet took up a fraction of the space...it was a wonder how he ever got any restful sleep. He looked at her sleeping face and smiled at her while caressing her hair, soaking in every little detail of her face illuminated in the morning sun. Ultimately as long as she was happy, he was too.
He tried going back to sleep even trying to use some of Entrapta’s hair as an eye mask, but alas for once sleep defied him. He rubbed his eyes and contemplated his escape from Entrapta’s embrace. He hating the thought of having to disturb her but he just couldn’t sleep anymore. He flailed his free arm down the side of the bed and managed to find a pillow that had fallen during the night.
Moving methodically and slowly so as to not disturb Entrapta, he slipped the pillow under her and slid out his side of the bed. He felt so much guilt at the thought of having woken her, but he relaxed when he heard her snoring on the pillow.
He stood up by the edge of the bed victoriously, stretched and yawned a little - his joints giving a little crack but nothing that he wasn’t used to. His upper arm was a little stiffer and sorer than usual but that seemed to align with Entrapta having slept on it. He grabbed a small container from the many located on his bedside locker and as quietly as possible unscrewed the lid and dabbed some of the contained cream on his tender area.
“...lavender one?” came a murmur from the bed, Entrapta had opened her eyes a bit but it was clear she didn’t want to get up.
“It seems you mistook my bicep for a pillow...again” Hordak laughed gently while finishing applying the cream.
“I didn’t mean it...” she contested sleepily as he screwed the lid shut and placed the jar back on the locker.
“It’s fine” Hordak cooed “at least you didn’t get your hair stuck in my ports” he leant in, carefully using the back of his clawed hand to brush her hair back from her face and kissed her on the cheek.
“...that was one time” she pouted
“Or the time you got your hair tangled in my arm gap” he recalled
“I failed to mind the gap” she giggled
Hordak sighed lovingly “what am I going to do with you?”
“Make me breakfast? I don’t want to get up” she blurted out
Hordak giggled, “well what do you want this time?” He queried
Entrapta closed her eyes and thought for a moment, long enough for Hordak to think she’d fallen back to sleep again.
“ Pain Perdu !” She chirped while sitting up a little while still lying on her tummy.
“It’s a little too early for pain...I should know” grumbled Hordak
“No silly” she giggled while brushing his face with a tendril of hair, “the Lost Bread ...make me the Lost Bread...you make it so perfectly afterall”
He smiled enjoying the gentle sensation of her soft hair caressing his leathery face and tickling his ear, “Anything else?” he purred.
“Nope...don’t think so” she stated bluntly while fluffing up the pillow
“Are you sure? I’m only going to cook once...”
She cuddled into the pillow, retracting her hair from his face and looked up at him with big loving eyes, “well maybe...but you’ll say no...”
Hordak sighed “oh not this again...we’ve been through this my Starlight, it’s not good for you...”
“I know that but it’s so niiiiiice , just this once...please” she pleaded while giving her best impression of a cute puppy.
“How can I say no to that face?” Hordak cooed while tucking her into bed. He kissed her on the forehead and tucked her in while as she snuggled in the soft pillow and shut her eyes.
He quietly shuffled across the room grabbing his dressing gown and slippers while quietly tiptoeing out as quietly as he could leaving Entrapta to her sweet early morning dreams.